Back to where it began: Griffith graduate named as new Chancellor
The sixth Chancellor to be appointed to Griffith University is the first graduate to serve in the role.
After an extensive search led by former Griffith Council Member and former Queensland Premier, Rob Borbidge AO, the Deputy Chancellor, Andrew Fraser, was unanimously elected as incoming Chancellor from October 2022.
A University medallist, Andrew Fraser graduated with a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Commerce (First Class Honours) in 1999 and joined the University Council in 2017 before being elected Deputy Chancellor last year.
He will replace outgoing Chancellor Henry Smerdon AM DUniv, who retires following a long and valued association with Griffith which began in 1997 with his appointment to the University Council.
Between 2000-2015, he served as Deputy Chancellor to The Honourable Leneen Forde AC and was also Chair of the Finance, Resources and Risk Committee.
Fraser is currently the Chair of OrangeSky Australia and President of Motorsport Australia, in addition to serving on numerous boards across industries and sectors.
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As former Chair of Sunsuper, he oversaw its recent merger with QSuper to form the Australian Retirement Trust, where he now serves as a board director.
Previous roles include Head of Strategy and Investment at the National Rugby League, and he was a Member of Parliament in Queensland from 2004-12, serving as Deputy Premier, Treasurer and several other ministerial portfolios.
Fraser was proud and humbled to be elected Chancellor at a time when Griffith is making a considerable impact in the communities it serves.
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“Education, and higher education in particular, is the key that unlocks human potential,” he said.
“It civilises, it enables, and it liberates. I know this not because I was taught it, but because I have lived it.
“What happens at universities is important for civil society, and it is important economically. Knowledge creation and promulgation is the well-spring of civility and prosperity.
“Griffith’s role in transforming human lives for the betterment of all is a mission with which I deeply identify.
“More than anyone or anything, Griffith has described the arc of my adult life. Not just what I learnt at Griffith – but how I learned, and from who – created the potential of my professional life.
“To be selected by my peers to be the next Chancellor, and the first graduate of the university to serve in this role is the honour of my life.”
Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans congratulated Mr Fraser on his appointment and Mr Smerdon on more than 25 years of service during which time Griffith has become entrenched in the top two percent of universities worldwide.
