Chapter 3: Leading for the future

True leadership isn’t given—it’s earned. It’s about paving new paths and inspiring others to do the same. Leaders don’t just set the bar. They elevate everyone around them. They shape the course of action and foster collaboration for meaningful change.

In this chapter, we highlight a series of world firsts, important alumni, and visionary leaders whose pioneering spirit has significantly impacted our institution and the wider community. Our people have come together from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and skills to bring the University’s vision to life. Their stories share a common thread: an unwavering commitment to growth and progress.

We were our country’s first university to admit female students into degree courses on equal terms as men, the first to offer degrees in science and business, and it’s our honour to have paved the way for Australia’s first female prime minister and Supreme Court judge. Led by Professor John Henry Carver, our University’s research team helped launch the Weapons Research Establishment satellite (WRESAT), making Australia the third country in the world to put a satellite into orbit. We have been home to the Centre for  Aboriginal Studies in Music for over 50 years and globally the only such centre. 

We are just as proud of our present-day accomplishments. Literature Professor, John Coetzee, has profoundly enriched our understanding of the human condition, earning two 
Booker Prizes and a Nobel Prize in Literature along the way. Kaurna Elder and the University’s first official Cultural Advisor, Uncle Rod O’Brien, shows outstanding leadership both on campus and in community, drawing from the knowledge of many Elders to guide us on the road to a better future. We’re also home to The Extraterrestrial Environmental Simulation EXTERRES laboratory, a state-of-the-art facility designed to simulate off-Earth environments, accelerating humanity’s quest to explore distant planets. 

Innovation defines our institution’s facilities, and trailblazing distinguishes our people. Their stories inform our University’s spirit. It is a spirit that is not satisfied with learning only. Our focus is at the forefront, shaping significant advancements and pioneering new frontiers.

The University of Adelaide: 150 Years of Making History.  Leading for the future.  p.87