Speeches & Opinion

Professor Attila Brungs writes that the University Accord is a once in a generation opportunity to support all future Australians through reforms in higher education.

This piece was first published in The Australian.Read more

UNSW Sydney welcomed the opportunity to make a submission in response to the discussion paper released by the Australian Universities Accord Panel, furthering our involvement in ensuring that the Australian higher education sector is well prepared for the future.

The UNSW submission emphasised that the purpose of Australia’s public universities, including UNSW, is to support the prosperity, sustainability, security, and social and economic wellbeing of Australian society.

You can read the submission in PDF via this link. Read more

Professor Attila Brungs writes that universities are a rich source of expertise and solutions in the fight against the existential threat of climate change. Universities are ready, willing and able to partner with policy and business leaders to ensure a sustainable future.

This article was first published in The AustralianRead more

Professor Attila Brungs gave closing remarks at the Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony that were conducted on Monday 23 May 2022 to welcome students and staff onto Bidjigal land ahead of UNSW Sydney's Term 2 Orientation-Week (O-Week) activities.

Image: UNSW/Richard FreemanRead more

On Thursday 26 May 2022 Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs welcomed a delegation of government officials and renewable energy industry experts from Germany, led by Minister for Education and Research, Bettina Stark-Watzinger.

The delegation visited UNSW Sydney to progress the UNSW-led 'HySupply' study that is investigating the viability of renewable hydrogen trade between Australia and Germany.Read more

UNSW Sydney Vice-Chancellor Professor Attila Brungs welcomes postgraduate students to the University during O-Week for Term 1 2022. Read more

UNSW Sydney Vice-Chancellor Professor Attila Brungs welcomes undergraduate students to the University during O-Week for Term 1 2022. Read more

This is an edited version of the speech given by President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs at his farewell event at the Clancy Auditorium at UNSW on 25 November 2021.

Professor Jacobs was President and Vice-Chancellor of UNSW Sydney from February 2015 - January 2022.Read more

On 1 October, President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, addressed the AFR Higher Education Summit: Universities Through the Crisis on the topic of 'Outlook for 2040: Research Initiatives'.Read more

Read UNSW's response to proposed changes to higher education policy and funding.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, addressed the conference in Brisbane on the topic of 'Equity in University Admissions.'Read more

By Professor Ian Jacobs

This article is reprinted with permission from The Australian. It was first published in The Australian's Higher Education section, www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education, which is published in The Australian every Wednesday.Read more

By Tim Dodd

This article is reprinted with permission from The Australian. It was first published in The Australian's Higher Education section, www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education, which is published in The Australian every Wednesday.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, delivered an address at the ICC Sydney on the topic of 'partnerships to deliver higher education on a global scale'.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs welcomed to campus local member for Kingsford-Smith, Matt Thistlethwaite MP, to announce a $15 million commitment for a new National Health and Climate Centre to address the major health risks Australians face from climate change, which would be implemented under a new Labor government.Read more

Professor Ian Jacobs presented on the challenges, opportunities and lessons learned throughout the process of designing and implementing the 2025 Strategy, which aims to see UNSW become one of the world's top 50 universities by 2025.Read more

Publicly funded research brings social and economic benefits for all. It’s critical that the global academic community continues to champion this work, says Professor Ian Jacobs.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs presented his leadership lessons, with a focus on the UNSW 2025 Strategy, at the 21st Century Leadership Summit at UNSW, Sydney.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, presented a keynote speech to the Research Australia Dinner in Sydney reflecting on the theme of generosity in partnership.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, welcomes China's Ambassador to Australia, His Excellency Cheng Jingye and other special guests in his address at the Torch Innovation Week Gala Dinner at UNSW.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, introduces UNSW’s four inaugural Futures Institutes – the Ageing Futures Institute, the Cellular Genomics Futures Institute, the Digital Grid Futures Institute and the Materials & Manufacturing Futures Institute.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, welcomes guests to the official launch of the UNSW Indigenous Strategy at Leighton Hall.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, introduces the Gonski Institute for Education, in honour of UNSW Chancellor, Mr David Gonski.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, hosted US Consul General in Sydney, The Honourable Sharon Hudson-Dean, and other special guests on the UNSW Library Lawn to officially inaugurate a specially-commissioned bust of The Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, introduced NSW Chief Scientist Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte to deliver a lecture at the invitation of the UNSW School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering.Read more

At the Innovative Research Universities Senior Leaders Forum in Sydney, President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs spoke on ‘New models of collaboration’, and the generosity of spirit required for 21st century university partnerships to thrive.Read more

By Minyi Chen Profile originally published in People’s Daily Online and reprinted with permission.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, welcomes world-renowned philosopher Daniel Dennett to UNSW to deliver a special lecture for the UNSW Centre for Ideas.Read more

At the AFR Higher Education Summit in Melbourne, the President and Vice-Chancellor presented on the topic, ‘How can Australia’s universities stay globally competitive?’ making the case that the internationally competitive profile of Australian universities has created a ‘virtuous cycle’ whereby increasing research quality leads to higher rankings, which in turn attract more international students and willing industry partners.Read more

By Sian Powell

This article is reprinted with permission from The Australian. It was first published in The Australian's Higher Education section, www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education, which is published in The Australian every Wednesday.Read more

At the Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN) Forum in Perth, President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, spoke of his long-standing professional links with Africa as well as UNSW’s proud partnership with Gulu University in northern Uganda.Read more

In this opinion piece, the President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs outlines ways in which Australian universities must adapt in order to attract students, research talent and funding in an increasingly competitive global market.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, introduced keynote speaker, 2016 Nobel Laureate Sir Fraser Stoddart to speak on the topic of ‘Mingling Art with Science’ as part of the Sydney Science Festival.Read more

In his opening remarks, President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, paid tribute to the late Jack Beale, UNSW alumnus and Australia’s first Environment Minister, before welcoming keynote speaker, Mr Bob Brown, to the stage.Read more

Speaking as Group of Eight Chair, President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, launched a report by London Economics on the economic impact of the Go8 universities. In his address, Professor Jacobs spoke of the astonishing 10-fold return on public investment which Go8 universities represent – contributing a total of $66 billion to the Australian economy per annum.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, welcomed delegates to the 5th International Vitamin Conference at the Intercontinental in Sydney.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, welcomed the then-Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, to UNSW to deliver an important address on the value of international education and the importance of the Australia-China bilateral relationship.Read more

Speaking at the 9th University Scholars Leadership Symposium, President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, explains how education is a key contributor to global development and the reduction of inequality worldwide.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, welcomed guests to the official opening of the new UNSW China Centre in the Yangpu Changyang Innovation Valley in Shanghai.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs congratulated Arc on their contributions to student life at the 2018 Arc Dinner at the Roundhouse.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, addressed the David Cooper Symposium, organised by the Kirby Institute in the memory of the late Scientia Professor David Cooper AC. Professor Jacobs introduced Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Liaison Group for HIV/AIDS, Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmitted Infections, Senator the Honourable Lisa Singh.Read more

Scientia Professor David Cooper AC was remembered at a memorial service at the Sydney Town Hall. With more than 1000 people in attendance, President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs spoke of Professor Cooper’s outstanding contribution to the treatment and prevention of HIV.Read more

At the Launch of UNSW’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan, President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, stressed the importance of inclusivity in the success of the 2025 Strategy, before introducing UNSW’s Disability Champion, Professor Andrew Lynch.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs congratulated the recipients of the 2018 UNSW Alumni Awards at an event held at the Roundhouse.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs spoke about the importance of supporting and celebrating Indigenous excellence at UNSW’s Sorry Day Flag Raising Ceremony, and introduces Pro-Vice Chancellor (Indigenous) Professor Megan Davis.Read more

Professor James Nazroo is a Partner Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR). President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs welcomed him to UNSW to deliver a lecture on inequality later in life, as part of UNSW’s Grand Challenges Program.Read more

At the World University Presidents Forum, which coincided with the 120th anniversary of Peking University, President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs presented in his capacity as Chair of the Group of Eight, delivering a speech titled, ‘Civilization: Tradition and Social Transformation: Universities as a servant of society’.Read more

At a higher education policy dinner hosted by UNSW, President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs welcomed guests and introduced the keynote speaker, prominent UK Higher Education commentator and founder and editor of Wonkhe, Mr Mark Leach.Read more

Hosted by ABC Science writer and broadcaster, Bernie Hobbs, the UNSW Celebration of Research Excellence brought together all UNSW researchers who received a research grant in 2017. President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs congratulated guests on their achievements, and spoke about the importance of the translation part of the research pipeline.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, helped to launch the new ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes (CLEX), based at UNSW’s Kensington campus.Read more

In this opinion piece, the President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs argues that a new Australian Research Future Fund and a more effective R&D tax incentive scheme will drive the discovery-translation-application-commercialisation pipeline to generate a greater economic return, and greater benefit.Read more

At the official relaunch of the iconic Roundhouse, President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, paid tribute to an iconic building that has, over the years, become the beating heart of UNSW life.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs welcomed guests to UNSW’s celebratory BBQ to congratulate members of the UNSW community who were honoured on Australia Day – most notably, the 2018 Australian of the Year, UNSW’s very own Scientia Professor Michelle Simmons.Read more

In this opinion piece, President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs argues that Australia can benefit much more than it does currently from the world-leading research in our universities.Read more

The President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, addressed 150 UNSW alumni at the Future of Asia Summit in Hong Kong, pointing to the importance of maintaining strong global connections.Read more

The President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, delivered his official welcome to undergraduate students and their families at the John Clancy Auditorium.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor spoke at the unveiling of UNSW’s entrepreneurship initiative, The Founders Program.Read more

In his opening speech, President and Vice-Chancellor welcomed leaders, advocates and healthcare providers from around the globe to the 2018 International Digital Health Symposium hosted by the George Institute for Global Health at UNSW.Read more

At the St Vincent’s Health Australia Inaugural Research Forum, President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs delivered a keynote address entitled, ‘The power of partnership and collaboration to progress our shared health research education and clinical care objectives’.Read more

President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs launched the UNSW Defence Research Institute on the 50th anniversary of UNSW’s relationship with the Australian Defence Forces.Read more

At the Great Hall of Australian Parliament House, President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs paid tribute to 50 years of UNSW Canberra.Read more

At UNSW’s official Chinese New Year Reception held at Sydney’s Chinese Garden of Friendship, President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs brought in the Year of the Dog by paying tribute to UNSW and China’s longstanding ties.Read more

UNSW-Defence 50th anniversary lunch, Canberra 18 July 2017: Sir Rupert Myers Speech.Read more

Delivering the keynote speech, Professor Jacobs told the audience that the world had become preoccupied with keeping people out and creating more walls and barriers than ever before.Read more

Responding to the Australian Government’s announcement of planned cuts to university funding, Professor Jacobs argues the proposals are not are not in the long-term interests of Australia or its economy.  

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In this interview with Times Higher Education, Professor Jacobs foresees a world where some universities could welcome as many as one-million students to their campus in a typical year, with hundreds of thousands of older learners taking courses lasting just one or two weeks.Read more

In this opinion piece, the President and Vice-Chancellor of UNSW Sydney, Professor Ian Jacobs, argues that basic research funding must be a national priority if Australia is to generate competitive new industries and create a sustainable, job-generating economy.Read more

With higher education demand booming worldwide, particularly in rapidly developing nations such as China and India, will universities be able to satisfy demand? One solution is the vastly expanded use of digital technology in teaching and learning, on a global scale. But if Australia is to become a serious future player in this expanding field, argues UNSW President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs, it needs to develop new systems and global partnerships, and move quickly.Read more

Welcoming to UNSW the Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank and known globally as the father of both social business and microcredit, Professor Jacobs paid tribute to a man he described as ‘a champion of the poor, but equally of the young, whose aspirations must not be dampened if humanity is to progress’.Read more

Launching the UNSW Grand Challenge on Inequality, Professor Jacobs noted that the many forms of inequality - economic, social, cultural, gender and sexuality, and inequalities based on race, nationality, religion, and disability – were not by any means confined to poor nations, or those without the means to make a difference, that inequality was an insidious virus that undercut nearly all societies, and existed within nations, and between nations.Read more

Welcoming guests to the 2017 annual Chinese New Year event, Professor Jacobs highlighted UNSW’s long association with China, the landmarks of 2016 with the signing of the Torch UNSW research partnership, and the success of the Sino-Australian research and education ‘pipeline’ foreshadowing greater UNSW collaborations with China.Read more

In addressing the question ‘What keeps me up at night?’, Professor Jacobs said he was driven by the belief that universities had a critical role to play in resolving global problems, and were central to the future of humanity. To fulfil that role, universities must act as servants of society locally and globally, not as ivory towers - an overarching ethos that should inform all their decisions and drive their activities.Read more

In his address at the Nehru Library in New Delhi, Professor Jacobs spoke of the partnership between India and Australia arising from shared values and aspirations, and launched the UNSW Diya Initiative to provide degree education at UNSW to thousands of Indian students in the coming decade.Read more

Welcoming attendees to the annual UNSW Town and Gown event in 2016, Professor Jacobs spoke the need for universities to be servants of society, and detailed his views on generosity in partnerships as exemplified by UNSW’s links with other organisations.Read more

Addressing the annual United Nations Day luncheon at the NSW Parliament, Professor Jacobs reflected on the role of universities in making the world ‘a better place’ for all, and spoke of the refugee crisis as ‘the great moral conflict of our times’ with profound impacts on the fabric of established and well-developed societies.Read more

In his vote of thanks to American neuroscientist and psychiatrist Dr. Tom Insel, who delivered the Wallace Wurth lecture, Professor Jacobs noted that Dr. Insel, head of America’s National Institute of Mental Health from 2002 to 2015, had advanced considerably the nexus between technology and mental health, and within that the possibilities of more individualised care.Read more

Opening the ‘Troubled Waters’ suite of three exhibitions at UNSW Art and Design Faculty, Professor Jacobs said the art represented the great challenges facing the planet moving deeper into the 21st century, as well as an inter-disciplinary approach to creativity forged by UNSW Art & Design that exemplified what universities should be about.Read more

To grasp the research opportunities linked to China's big innovation push, Australia’s universities need to be equally innovative and forward-thinking, writes UNSW Vice-Chancellor Ian Jacobs.Read more

At a gala dinner held to celebrate the UNSW-Torch China innovation partnership, Professor Jacobs described how the initiative came about, its long-term value to the Australian economy, and how true innovation grows through teamwork in vibrant collaborations.Read more

Launching the first-ever TEDx UNSW event, Professor Jacobs talked of the evolution of universities as seats of learning and related his own experiences as the first person in his family to attend university, leading to his work as both a cancer researcher and social entrepreneur.Read more

In this address, Professor Jacobs, a regular visitor to Uganda, spoke of the remarkable progress made by Gulu University since it began teaching in 2002, and outlined increased cooperation in the form of development programmes with UNSW Sydney, visiting research fellowships and other initiatives to create a richer learning environment in Northern Uganda.Read more

Following the conferral of an Honorary Doctorate on Stan Grant, Professor Jacobs paid tribute to Dr. Grant’s eloquent and passionate defense of Australia’s Indigenous peoples, and spoke of UNSW’s work in advancing social values and social leadership in championing the rights of the First Peoples of the nation.Read more