The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Vice Chancellor Emeritus, Dr Peter Tannock, has been awarded the Rev Theodore M Hesburgh CSC Award at the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities’ (ACCU) annual meeting in Washington DC recently.
The prestigious international award is named after Father Hesburgh, President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame and a legendary figure in Catholic higher education in the United States.
Dr Tannock was described as one of the chief architects of the modern Catholic education system in Australia that was established in the 1970s and 80s and was cited for his influence in framing Australian education policy.
UNDA’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Celia Hammond, who also attended international gathering, said she was delighted Dr Tannock had been recognised as a distinguished leader in Catholic higher education.
“This is a wonderful and well-deserved acknowledgement of Peter’s experience in education, both in Australia and globally,” said Professor Hammond.
Dr Tannock received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education from the University of Western Australia.
He was a teacher and Senior Master in government senior high schools in Western Australia before going to the United States for postgraduate study.
After receiving his PhD from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, he returned to UWA where he worked for 10 years as Professor, Head of the Department of Education, and Dean of the Faculty.
In 1980, he was appointed Chairman of the Australian Schools Commission and, in 1985, returned to Perth and became Director of the Catholic Education Office of Western Australia, and Chairman of its Catholic Education Commission.
Dr Tannock was one of the founders of The University of Notre Dame Australia. He served on the original Planning Board from 1987 to 1990 and was appointed Vice Chancellor in 1992, a position in which he served for 16 years.
Dr Tannock has held fellowships at the Johns Hopkins University, Australian National University, and University of London.
He has also been a consultant to the Ford Foundation in New York and a member of the OECD in Paris.
He has advised Federal and State governments on major education policy issues, and has had a wide ranging involvement in advising and leading the Church on the structure and direction of its primary, secondary and tertiary education systems.