New UTS leadership matches a university in the ascendant

Sydney 28 July 2014. In a year of major transformation at the University of Technology, Sydney, new UTS Vice Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs steps into the role today following the retirement of internationally respected former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ross Milbourne.

Tasked with leading UTS through a period of rapid change in the university sector, Professor Brungs will build momentum behind the University’s ongoing transformation as Sydney’s most distinctive and innovative learning and research hub.

“Ross leaves behind an extraordinary legacy. Under his leadership, UTS staff and students have transformed this university into an internationally leading, research-intensive university and built even further on its already strong reputation for educational excellence,” Professor Brungs said.

UTS has been one of only a few Australian universities to consistently rise in all of the four major international rankings.

Professor Brungs said few Sydney-siders and visitors can miss the ongoing and stunning completion of UTS’s ambitious $1.2 billion campus building program at the city’s western gateway.

“We have a bold vision being matched by state-of-the-art facilities that together underpin our commitment to excellence and to providing a unique, future-focused learning and research environment,” he said.

“UTS has come far in a short time. Our efforts, our energy and our success today are fuelled to a great degree by our staff’s belief in what we stand for and hope to achieve as a university.

“We aspire to be a world-leading university of technology. Given the investment we’ve made in our campus and our vision for research and dynamic interactive learning at UTS, we are well on the way to achieving this goal. We are fortunate in a time of rapidly evolving learning approaches that we can design and build a new campus reflecting the future of university education not the past.”

With a distinguished career spanning academia and industry Professor Brungs has held senior positions with the CSIRO and prestigious consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

UTS Chancellor Professor Vicki Sara said Professor Brungs had distinguished himself since joining the university in 2009 as UTS Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research).

“Professor Brungs is capable and experienced, qualities needed to take the lead at a time when the tertiary sector is experiencing dramatic change,” Professor Sara said.

“As UTS’s new leader he is the embodiment of everything UTS stands for.”

Although a relatively young university, UTS is consistently ranked highly by industry for its focus on practice-oriented education, industry-ready graduates and strong engagement with employer groups and the professions.

“UTS graduates bring to the world excellence and leadership in innovative, creative and entrepreneurial thinking," Professor Brungs said.

"We are dedicated to offering new and agile programs that ensure our graduates hit the ground running in their careers.”

Similarly, despite uncertainty within the higher education sector and the recent cuts of public investment in research, UTS has maintained a strong commitment to research that delivers real impact and benefit for the community.

A Rhodes Scholar with a Doctorate in Inorganic Chemistry from Oxford University, Professor Brungs said he was inspired by the challenge of leading a vibrant and dynamic university poised to grow its prominence and influence in global higher education.