Jan Thomas Email & Phone Number

As Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University’s sixth Vice-Chancellor, I lead the university in ensuring we deliver high-quality, accessible learning to all New Zealanders, and cutting-edge research that helps us tackle our wicked problems. I took up the role of Vice-Chancellor at Massey in January 2017, after serving as Vice-Chancellor and President at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia and holding several senior executive positions at Murdoch University and the University of Notre Dame Australia.Globally, I hold various senior positions, including:Past Chair - Managing Council for the Association of Commonwealth UniversitiesExternal Reviewer and Quality Auditor - Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance for EducationChair - Quality Assurance Council Hong KongMember - University Grants Committee Hong KongConvenor - Bachelor Veterinary Medicine Task Force for University Grants Committee Hong KongI recently completed a term as Chair of Universities New Zealand, and in late 2022 I became the Association for Tertiary Education Management (ATEM) Aotearoa New Zealand Patron. I believe strongly in building a university that is Te Tiriti-led. As part of my personal commitment to achieving that ambition, I have been learning te reo Māori since I arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand, completing te reo Māori to level 5 at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and I’m now studying towards a Bachelor of Arts in Māori Knowledge.I am interested in the multiple roles of universities in societies, particularly the transformative roles of excellence and equity in education. In my spare time, you’ll find me in the garden, walking my dogs Jobe and Red Molly, or horse riding on the outskirts of Palmerston North.

Listed skills include Higher Education, University Teaching, Lecturing, E Learning, and 14 others.

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  Murdoch University

  Veterinary Science