New members for UCOL Council

1 July 2011

New members for UCOL Council

Two new members with strong backgrounds in the tertiary education sector have been appointed to the UCOL Council.

They are Dr Sue Walbran and Dr Tom Prebble. Both are UCOL appointees, replacing Duncan Milne and Malcolm Pettman whose terms expired on 30 April.

Dr Tom Prebble has made a career-long commitment to the tertiary education sector as an academic and administrator. For the past two years he has served on the Board of ITP Quality, from 2009 as its Deputy Chair.

In 2006 and 2007 he was an Establishment Director for Ako Aotearoa, the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, and serves on its Board.

In 2008 he co-authored Taking the Lead: Strategic Management for E-Learning, a joint project between Ako Aotearoa and the Ministry of Education, and has conducted workshops with senior management of tertiary institutions, including UCOL.

From 2002 to 2005 he was Professor of Higher Education at Massey University. He was Principal, Extramural and International, at Massey University from 1999 to 2002 and previously Director of Extramural Studies.

He holds a PhD from Alberta University, is an Emeritus Professor of Massey University and is based in Palmerston North.

Dr Sue Walbran currently works as an education consultant and is a former UCOL staff member with an extensive knowledge of the tertiary education sector gained from over 20 years experience.

Sue was Academic Director, Head of Education Services at UCOL in Palmerston North from 1996 to 1999, and was previously a Lecturer in Medical Radiation Technology. Until recently, she was Manager of the Quality Development Unit for the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, having also held other senior positions with the Authority.

She holds a PhD from Victoria University with her thesis investigating the influence of the National Qualifications Framework in New Zealand on course design, teaching and learning. Her other qualifications include postgraduate qualifications in Education and Health Services Management from Massey University.

Dr Walbran has a strong belief in the transformative effects of education and is committed to ensuring success for all learners.

She lives in Blenheim although works throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

UCOL Council Chair, Trevor Goodwin, is delighted that UCOL had been able to attract two such outstanding people who will add significant experience in the academic sector to the Council. He also noted that there had been huge interest in the vacancies with a number of very talented people putting their names forward for which the Council was very grateful.

ENDS

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