The Vice Chancellor has announced the first Charles Sturt Distinguished Professors in her Vice-Chancellor's Message | 17 April 2024:
I am pleased to announce that Professor Sharynne McLeod, Professor Geoff Gurr, and Professor Chris Blanchard have been appointed as Charles Sturt Distinguished Professors. The development of the Distinguished Professor Scheme is an important objective within the Research Strategy to help us attract and retain the highest-calibre academic staff and produce world-class research. These long-standing, high achieving Charles Sturt academics are our first internal appointments. They join external appointments of Distinguished Professors Muhammad J A Shiddiky, Sarah O’Shea, Alan Cooper, Jing Sun, and Stan Grant who has recently returned to Charles Sturt. I have recorded a message to congratulate and thank our first internal appointments (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eBy31PEJZk). I will be profiling the achievements of each of the Distinguished Professors in my Message over future issues.
I am honoured to be in such distinguished company and look forward to continuing my work at Charles Sturt in this role.
Here is the Vice Chancellor's announcement:
Professor Sharynne McLeod is a remarkable person who embodies the transformative power of education and research. I am pleased to announce her appointment as a Charles Sturt Distinguished Professor. Professor McLeod’s interdisciplinary research foregrounds communication rights and social justice and enhances equitable participation for all children, particularly multilingual children with speech, language, and communication needs. She has presented her research to thousands of people worldwide, including the Australian Government Senate Inquiries, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations. She was named Australia’s Research Field Leader for Audiology, Speech, and Language Pathology in The Australian newspaper’s supplement Research 2024 and best in the world in 2023. Professor McLeod joined Charles Sturt 25 years ago as a lecturer. In that time, she has led countless research programs, but for every piece of work, she asks, ‘Will this make a difference to the lives of children and families across the world? ' On receiving the University’s highest promotion, Professor McLeod said, ‘My students and colleagues have inspired, encouraged, challenged, and mentored my growth, and now it is a great honour to be recognised.’ “I am excited to begin my next phase at Charles Sturt, leading a new interdisciplinary centre focused on children’s research and communication. The centre will be located in The Treehouse, which will be a beacon of innovation and inclusivity, revolving around empowering children to communicate, collaborate, and create a world worth living in." Professor McLeod’s first encounter with (what is now) Charles Sturt University was as a child at West Bathurst Public School, when the school choir was invited to sing on campus. No one in her family had attended university, but the encounter inspired Sharynne to keep doing her best at school. This moment shaped the focus of her academic life, recognising potential in all children and supporting them to participate fully in society regardless of their postcodes, abilities, culture, languages spoken, family and economic circumstances. Congratulations, Professor McLeod, and thank you for your selfless commitment to the greater good.
