Advertisement
Griffith University has appointed a new vice-chancellor, marking the first time the university has appointed one of its former students to the role.
On Friday, Griffith chancellor Andrew Fraser announced Professor Jessica Vanderlelie would step into the role in November.
Vanderlelie most recently held the position of deputy vice-chancellor (academic) at Deakin University, which recently abandoned a system overhaul that would have placed a question mark over up to one-third of the Melbourne-based university’s workforce.
Deakin academic portfolio and infrastructure and digital division staff were asked to justify their positions in June, after the university finalised its education and employability guiding plan for 2026-2030 a month earlier, which Vanderlelie had key involvement in.
Advertisement
She has also held a position on the Universities Australia board for almost six years, and was vice-chancellor at La Trobe University before leaving the role in 2025.
Vanderlelie said her time in the tertiary sector began at Griffith University 30 years ago, as a student and later an academic.
“From the first day I stepped onto the Gold Coast campus … it felt like home,” she said.
“That sense of belonging built my confidence as a first-in-family student and sparked a passion for the student experience that has shaped my career.”
Advertisement
After completing both her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at Griffith, Vanderlelie began teaching at the university’s Gold Coast campus.
She was the inaugural recipient of Griffith’s vice-chancellor’s teacher of the year award and, in 2016, the inaugural innovative research universities vice-chancellor’s fellow.
Fraser said Vanderlelie’s career has been defined by her commitment to students, singling out her work with people from underrepresented backgrounds.
“Professor Vanderlelie is an outstanding educational leader and is passionate about the opportunity for education to make a difference,” Fraser said.
Advertisement
In a statement, the university said Vanderlelie had also been part of the national discussion on how AI would affect the tertiary sector, and education in Australia.
Vanderlelie will be Griffith’s sixth vice-chancellor in its 55-year history.
She replaces interim vice-chancellor, Professor Liz Burd, who took on the role following the departure of Professor Carolyn Evans in April.
Evans left the Brisbane-based university after more than seven years in the role, leaving the state to become vice-chancellor at the University of Melbourne.
Vanderlelie’s first day in the job will be November 16.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.
Remove items from your saved list to add more.
More:
Catherine Strohfeldt is a reporter at Brisbane Times.Connect via X or email.AdvertisementAdvertisement