Former Executive Dean of education Professor Wendy Patton has received the Miller-Grassie Award for Outstanding Educational Leadership.
Professor Patton was presented with the 2016 award at the recent Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) annual executive reception and ceremony last week.
The award is presented to an exceptional educational leader who has made a significant contribution to the understanding and practice of educational leadership.
In her oration, Professor Patton focused on the changing nature and nuances of leadership and the many changes she oversaw within the teacher education sector during her nine-year tenure as Dean.
“I believe effective leaders are first and foremost good teachers,” she said in her speech.
Professor Patton also spoke of her conviction that the leadership role was to build capacity to ensure the next generation was ready.
“While I don’t see myself as the Pied Piper … portraying a transformational leader, I regard the leader’s articulation of a clear vision for the organisation as crucial to staff commitment to organisational outcomes,” she said.
As Dean, Professor Patton said teacher education in Queensland experienced many changes including the cancellations of a two-year graduate teaching qualification to a one-year and then back to a two-year program.
She also oversaw the move from state accreditation of programs in 2008 to national accreditation in 2013 and work towards the Queensland teacher pre-registration test, which was cancelled and replaced with a national literacy and numeracy test.
Professor Patton also emphasised her belief that the greatest leaders were those who put the needs and development of others ahead of their own.
She also praised QUT’s Faculty of Education as a national and international leader in research.
“Leadership is a privilege and I have been honoured to learn from, work with, lead and develop some wonderful people,” she said.
Professor Patton served in the role as Executive Dean, Faculty of Education at QUT from 2006-2015.
Prior to this she was a Head of School in the Faculty for six years and she is a former member of the professional standards committee of the Queensland College of Teachers.
She has overseen a number of university program review panels and chaired the Queensland Deans of Education forum and in that role was a member of the Board of the Australian Council of Deans of Education.
She has taught and researched the areas of career development and counselling for 30 years, having initiated and designed the Master of Education program in career development.
The annual Miller-Grassie address provides an opportunity to acknowledge and perpetuate the memory of the life and work of two foundation members of the Australian Council for educational Administration, Dr Laurie Miller and Associate Professor MacCrae Grassie.
Media contact: Debra Nowland, QUT media officer, 07 3138 1150 or media@qut.edu.au or after hours 0407 585 901 rose.trapnell@qut.edu.au
