Council Member Honoured with Doctorate

Dr Ian Marshman, AM
Co-opted Council Member

On Monday 18 September Queen’s College Council Member, Ian Marshman, AM, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Melbourne at the 2017 Sir Robert Menzies Oration on Higher Education. Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Mr Allan J. Myers, AC QC, presented Ian with his award for his long and distinguished career in public health and university administration, including over 25 years working at the University of Melbourne.

The honour follows on from his earlier award this year during the Queen’s Birthday Honours when he was made a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia for “significant service to education, particularly to dentistry, and to the community through youth mental health and emergency service groups”.

After graduating from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in 1971 and a Bachelor of Laws from the Australian National University in 1975, Ian began his career in the Australian Public Service, and by 1984 was the Assistant Secretary in the Department of Health. From 1986 to 1990 he was Deputy Director and then Director of the North East Metropolitan Region in the Victorian Health Department—responsible for the administration of a third of Metropolitan Melbourne’s Health Services.

In 1990 Ian was appointed to the position of Registrar (Academic) at the University of Melbourne and then rose to the level of Senior Vice-Principal in 1999 where he remained until his retirement in 2015. In this role Ian was responsible for management of the university’s finances, planning and administration, and was integral to shaping the university’s strategic direction.

Ian was instrumental in the implementation of the Melbourne Model in 2008 by introducing a new business operating model, Responsible Division Management, which paved the way for the Business Improvement Program that was carried out in 2013–2014. This program saw the introduction of shared services across the university that allowed for the redirecting of resources into greater teaching and research activities. Ian’s passion for equity of access to receiving a world-class education was also demonstrated with his contribution to establishing the Access Melbourne scheme.

Service to the wider community has always been important to Ian and is attested by his many and varied board roles, including Vice-President of the Board of Management, St George’s Hospital and the Inner Eastern Geriatric Service (1991–1995); Board Member of the North Western Health Care Network (1995–1997); Chair of the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (19999–2014); Board Member of the Melbourne Theatre Company; Board Member of UoM Commercialisation, Board Member of the Uniseed Ltd; Board Member and Chair of Headspace Youth Mental Health Foundation and the Melbourne Dental Clinic; Chair of the Audit Panel for the University of South Australia, Australian Universities Quality Agency; and Chair of the Universitas 21 Global’s Online Business School.

We congratulate Ian on this most deserving of awards and join with the university in thanking Ian for his long service and transformational leadership in higher education, and for his significant service to our wider community.

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