Charles Darwin University Chancellor, Richard Ryan AO is retiring after six years in the top governance post.
Mr Ryan, a chartered accountant and company director, has steered CDU since its inception in 2003. His retirement at the end of this month will bring to a close a 24-year association with CDU and its predecessors.
Mr Ryan has been an integral part of the tertiary education landscape in the Northern Territory since the days of the Darwin Community College in 1985, and then with the Darwin Institute of Technology, Northern Territory University and CDU.
In a distinguished career he has served on a number of government advisory boards, was awarded the Sir John Loewenthal award for his role as president of the National Heart Foundation, and was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2003.
Mr Ryan was made a member of the Order of Australia in 1989 for Services to the Community and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1998 for Services to Indigenous People.
At a retirement lunch held recently on the Casuarina campus, Vice-Chancellor Professor Barney Glover praised Mr Ryan for his many accomplishments, noting that he had been an invaluable source of experience and wisdom with a broad vision to enhance the relationship between the University and the wider Northern Territory community.
“Richard very much shared the vision of it becoming a thriving tertiary institution that benefited the whole community,” Professor Glover said.
“Under his tenure, CDU has taken great strides in research, student enrolments and technology initiatives.
“Richard has certainly been a Chancellor for a new age and his association with tertiary education in the Territory will last far longer than simply his term in office.”
Mr Ryan’s philanthropic endeavours have been instrumental in the University Foundation raising more than $15 million. Major projects made possible from Mr Ryan’s extensive business connections include the establishment of the University library and North Flinders International House.
During Mr Ryan’s term as Chancellor, CDU has progressed from some 9000 student enrolments to more than 21,000. It is the fourth largest employer in the Northern Territory, provides more than 85 per cent of all VET delivery, is increasing funding and investment income, and enjoyed a 30 per cent increase in international student numbers in 2009.