Flinders University is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Romy Lawson as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students).

Professor Lawson is currently Interim Vice Chancellor at Murdoch University in Western Australia.

Flinders University’s President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling says Professor Lawson will bring a rich wealth of national and international experience to this important role.

“With 25 years of experience in learning and teaching, and strategic curriculum development in both Australia and the UK, Professor Lawson is ideally equipped to take Flinders’ student-centred ethos to the next level” Professor Stirling says.

“It’s a particularly dynamic period in higher education, with Flinders swiftly and successfully adapting its offerings to ensure learning continuity for our local and international students despite the disruption of the pandemic. Romy brings the right skills set and experience to the role, at the right time, and I am confident her appointment will enable Flinders to display the innovation and flexibility necessary to meet challenges head on,” he says.

Professor Lawson says Flinders has enormous appeal as a university of exciting opportunities. She also very excited by its innovative nature.

“I’m fascinated by how people learn and how you create effective learning environments that motivate people to develop. I was incredibly impressed by Flinders’ commitment to education as evidenced by its 2019 decision to invest an extra $100m a year to uplift teaching and learning – it’s the mark of a university that cares as deeply about student learning and the student experience as I do” Professor Lawson says.

“I am also impressed by Flinders’ values and culture, and focus on inclusiveness, diversity and equity. These are personally important to me, and Flinders is making great progress in this regard – that’s something I want to be a part of growing and developing,” she says.

Prior to her appointment as interim Vice Chancellor Professor Lawson was Murdoch’s Provost, and before that, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Education). She was previously Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) at Edith Cowan University, Director of Learning, Teaching and Curriculum at the University of Wollongong, and also held key learning and teaching positions at James Cook University and University of Technology Sydney.

Professor Lawson has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology and Physical Education, a Master of Philosophy and PhD from the University of Wales, Bangor, where she studied and worked for 18 years prior to moving to Australia.

She will assume the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students) role at Flinders University on 10 January 2022.