New Pro-Vice-Chancellor appointed

The University of Otago has appointed Professor Majella Franzmann as its next Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Humanities).

Professor Franzmann replaces Professor Alistair Fox, who completes his term as Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the end of this year. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor leads the Division of Humanities, which at Otago includes the departments in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Law, the College of Education, and Te Tumu (the School of Maori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies).

Professor Franzmann is currently a Professor in the School of Humanities at the University of New England in Australia. She obtained her PhD degree at the University of Queensland and has spent several periods at the University of Tübingen in Germany.

Vice-Chancellor Professor David Skegg says the selection was made from a strong field of national and international candidates and the University is delighted to have attracted an individual with Professor Franzmann's qualities.

"The first thing to say about Majella Franzmann is that she is an outstanding scholar in the Humanities. Her research and teaching in Religious Studies have involved textual studies, historical studies, literary criticism, ancient language studies and feminist criticism. Her international standing as a scholar has been demonstrated by many awards, including an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship, and by her election as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

"Professor Franzmann is also a respected academic leader. She has been elected to the Council of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, and is also a former President of the Australian Association for the Study of Religions. At the University of New England, she has been Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Arts, and was also elected as the Chair of the Academic Board (which is equivalent to the Senate at the University of Otago). Her colleagues speak of her collegial approach to academic leadership and her strategic vision."

Professor Franzmann says she was attracted to the University of Otago because of its emphasis on a vibrant research-intensive culture, a broad curriculum, and an excellent learning environment.

"I intend working together with my colleagues in the Division of Humanities to capitalise on the excellent outcomes of the PBRF assessment. I want to seize opportunities from new ventures, such as the merger with the Dunedin College of Education, and forge further national and international educational and research connections. I also see potential to strengthen the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in line with the University's vision of research-led teaching and its wish to expand its postgraduate activities."

Professor Skegg also paid tribute to Professor Fox, who has led the Division of Humanities for the past 10 years. "He has steered the Division through troubled waters at times, because there have been many challenges facing Humanities disciplines during this period. The excellent results achieved by Otago departments in the recent PBRF assessment provide a measure of the success he has achieved. Professor Fox is himself a distinguished scholar and we are delighted that he will be continuing as a Professor in this University."