The Vice-Chancellor leads the University and determines its overall direction, in close consultation with the Chancellor and other Fellows of Senate, senior leaders and the Academic Board.
“Higher education in Australia is facing significant challenges on many fronts, the COVID-19 pandemic being just one. But as our staff and students have demonstrated time and again, we have to embrace and shape change to ensure that we continue to deliver outstanding education and research opportunities for Australia and the wider world.”
Professor Stephen Garton AM
BA Sydney PhD UNSW, FAHA FASSA FRAHS FRSN
Professor Garton was appointed the 26th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney in 2020. He has held senior management positions at the University of Sydney for almost two decades. During this time he has:
As Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (2009 to 2019) Professor Garton led the University’s efforts to streamline and enhance administrative processes for students and staff, through the completion of a new student administration system and a complex restructure that reduced our faculties from 16 to five (complemented by three University schools). As Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor (September 2019 to December 2020) he represented the Vice-Chancellor internally and externally and continued to lead significant strategic and operational projects.
Professor Garton previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts from 2001 to 2009. He is a Professor of History and is the author or co-author of seven books, as well as numerous articles and chapters in the fields of Australian history, the history of the British Dominions and American history. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, the Royal Australian Historical Society and the Royal Society of NSW.