Jane den Hollander awarded lifetime achievement award

Professor Jane den Hollander has been recognised for her outstanding contribution to higher education – the recipient of the AFR Higher Education Awards, Lifetime Achievement Award 2020.

From March to July 2020 Professor den Hollander served as interim Vice-Chancellor of The University of Western Australia, returning to UWA where she had taken her first university management role in 1995.

“She has given service of the highest order – born, I believe, of a profound sense of duty and love for our University. She has set an outstanding example of what can be achieved by the combination of intellect, humanity and honesty. We owe her our gratitude.”

UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Amit Chakma

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognises a person who has significantly “advanced and improved practices in higher education and embodied the sector's values of innovation, reason, curiosity, humility and passion for creating, transmitting and receiving knowledge”.

UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Amit Chakma said Professor den Hollander had led the University’s early response to the COVID-19 pandemic with great integrity and empathy, steering the University through an extraordinarily challenging time in its history.

“Her leadership in the most trying of times was extraordinary,” Professor Chakma said.

“She has given service of the highest order – born, I believe, of a profound sense of duty and love for our University. She has set an outstanding example of what can be achieved by the combination of intellect, humanity and honesty. We owe her our gratitude.”

Professor den Hollander was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at Curtin University, before becoming Vice-Chancellor at Deakin University in Geelong, in July 2010 and received an Order of Australia for her distinguished service to tertiary education in the 2017 Australia Day Honours.

In 2018 she was awarded the Business Higher Education Round Table (BHERT) Ashley Goldsworthy medal for individual leadership and in 2019 was named in the Victorian Honour Roll for Women.

Professor den Hollander is a Director of UniSuper Limited and Trustee and chair of its Remuneration Committee.  She is also chair of the Victorian Government International Education Advisory Council and chairs the Global Health Alliance Australia.