In the first week of a special promotion by the e-Record to celebrate the role of women in the Church across the Archdiocese of Perth, University of Notre Dame Australia Vice-Chancellor Professor Celia Hammond spoke to journalist Marco Ceccarelli about her dedication to a learning environment that facilitates both the acquisition of knowledge and the development of the human person.
“I believe I’ve always done my best to foster the essential character of the university as a Catholic,” Professor Hammond said. “The objects and Catholic nature of this university are part of my vocation and are essential to what makes me passionate about it,” she added.
Professor Hammond stated that, while growing up in a Catholic family and attending a Catholic school meant that faith was a central part of her upbringing, it wasn’t until her arrival at UNDA Fremantle in 1998 that faith became consciously front and centre of her life.
“Faith is constant; you don’t reach a final point in developing your faith, but I look back and think that had I not come to UNDA, I perhaps would not have accepted the invitation we are all given to explore our faith and deepen it. So coming here re-awakened my faith and made it more central, consciously central, in my life,” Professor Hammond said.
Walking through the streets of UNDA’s picturesque Fremantle campus, it does not take long to notice that the university has a particular character which sets it apart from secular institutions. Professor Hammond made specific reference to this in her deliberations, pointing out three elements of the university which give it its unique form.
“There is the physical environment of the university where crosses are visible; there is a chapel on campus and we are encouraged to pray. Faith is visible and central. There are also the people. We have religious staff, theologians and philosophers who can either explain aspects of the Church’s teaching on certain issues or lead you in the right direction to explore things by yourself. Finally, it is also the nature of Notre Dame as a community that is animated by Jesus Christ. The notion of communion and community is at its heart,” Professor Hammond explained.
Furthering her opinion on the kind of tertiary education UNDA offers, Professor Hammond emphasised that, while it is important to see university studies as a platform for accession to the job market, it is equally valuable that students develop as people and learn about both themselves and the society in which they live.
“We try and help people recognise the notion of common good, learn to understand their role in society and understand that there are bigger things than just going out, earning money and climbing a corporate ladder. That does not mean that one should not strive for these goals, but there are also bigger things which we make present,” Professor Hammond said.
Now in her seventeenth year of employment at UNDA, seven of which have been served as Vice Chancellor, Professor Hammond also reflected on her calling as mother of three boys and her ability to balance the two honourable vocations of home life and work life.
“What I feel truly blessed about, and this has been shaped by my reading of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, is that I truly feel that what I do is a vocation. It is more than work, more than a job. It is a vocation,” Professor Hammond said.
“I feel blessed to have vocations in my life. Within the vocation of home life, it is mother and wife. Within a bigger family context, it is daughter and sister. But one thing I do say, and this is what I would say if I was called to speak to groups of young women, is that we are incredibly fortunate, compared with generations ago, to live in a time where women do have choices and opportunities available to them.
“I therefore feel blessed that I have these multiple vocational callings. They are not inconsistent, but they don’t always neatly run parallel. So there are times where the calling from one is happening at the same time as a particular urgency for another. And so, while having the joy and the blessing of being able to pursue two worthwhile vocations, there are times in which you have to make choices. My view on this is that one has to engage in some reflection in order to work it out.”
As she commented on the future of her Vice Chancellorship at UNDA, Professor Hammond said that it is a privilege and a blessing to be the current custodian of the position of Vice Chancellor.
She added that she is honoured to continue filling the position for such time as she believes she can continue to serve well and the boards of the university continue to deem her fit for the ever-changing needs and demands of the role.
Prior to being appointed Vice Chancellor, Professor Hammond undertook a variety of roles at UNDA, including Head of the University’s School of Law, University General Counsel and Assistant Provost. She has also worked as a legal practitioner in private practice in WA and as an academic lawyer – a time during which she taught and published in commercial, corporate, property and insolvency law.
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