A prominent philosopher, a celebrated musician, and a Middle East expert have joined the select group of ANU staff who have been awarded Australia Day honours. On Campus found out what these three successful men regard as their greatest moments, and what they hope to achieve in the future.
Professor Frank Jackson
Professor Frank Jackson has earned his stripes as a leader at the University. He has previously served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and headed up the Institute of Advanced Studies. He is known internationally for his writings on philosophy, and is one of the few Australian academics to have been transformed into a fictional character (in Thinks, by David Lodge). He has been made an Officer in the General Division (OA) of the Order of Australia for his service to education, particularly in philosophy and social sciences.
When did you start at ANU? In what capacity?
I came in 1986 from Monash to be head of philosophy at the Research School of Social Science (RSSS), and successor to Jack Smart, one of the most important defenders of 'Australian' materialism as a philosophy of mind.
What does your current role entail?
I'm Director of RSSS and Convener of the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences. The philosophy is the same (I hope the doctrines have moved on a bit though). The rest of the day is rather more crowded.
How did you feel on receiving the Australia Day honour?
Very pleased, honoured, and very indebted to my family and colleagues.
Which moment from your career stands out foremost in your memory?
Providing a new theory of conditionals.
Who would you credit as being your greatest support?
In research - philosophers; in administration - the people I work with; and personally - my family and friends.
What is your next professional goal?
Two goals in research: convincing the philosophical community to approach the theory of reference via the notion of representation, and demystifying consciousness. In the other part of my life, doing the best I can for staff and students in CASS and RSSS.
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Associate Professor Geoffrey Lancaster
Associate Professor Geoffrey Lancaster has directed his passion for music into an extremely successful dual career as performer and academic. He joined ANU as a senior lecturer in keyboards at the School of Music after being named a H.C. Coombs Creative Arts Fellow in 2000. As a fortepianist, pianist, harpsichordist and conductor, he has worked with orchestras and ensembles around the world. He is the ACT 2006 Australian of the Year, and has been named a Member in the General Division (AM) in the Order of Australia for his services to the arts.
What does your current role entail?
Maintaining optimism, creativity, integrity, and sanity. In short, finding ways to minimise the destructive effects of the frustrations inherent in Australian tertiary institutional life, and to maximise the ongoing development, effectiveness, and potency of talent, intelligence, sensitivity, individuality, compassion, artistry, professional skill, and experience.
How did you feel on receiving the Australia Day honour?
Surprised, delighted, affirmed, and honoured.
Which moment from your career stands out foremost in your memory?
There are two: First, a performance that I gave as concerto soloist with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig. The entire experience was out of the ordinary. Secondly, a recording of Haydn's Die Schöpfung (The Creation) for Sony Classical, in which I played fortepiano continuo. The recording was done in a perfectly-restored baroque church in Bad Tölz, Bavaria, with an orchestra of 18th Century instruments, the players of which were the best in Europe. During the chorus The Heavens are Telling the Glory of God, everything that I was hearing, and everything that I could see, was so utterly and radiantly beautiful, that tears streamed down my face in response to an overwhelming and transcendental joy.
Who would you credit as being your greatest support?
My partner, Andrew Lu.
What is your next professional goal?
I have many professional goals, some related to my life journey as an artist, some related to the growth of the School of Music, and some related to the growth of music culture in Australia. Throughout my life, my professional goals are based upon what I discern that God would have me do; this has inevitably more to do with being 'at peace' than with career ambition.
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Professor Amin Saikal
As the Director for the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (CAIS), Professor Amin Saikal is regularly called upon by governments and the media to make sense of the complex issues surrounding Islam and the Middle East. In CAIS, he has built up Australia’s premier research and teaching institution on matters relating to the Middle East and Central Asia. In the process, he is forging stronger links between Australia and the regions he studies. He has been awarded a Member in the General Division (AM) in the Order of Australia for his services to the international community.
When did you start at ANU? In what capacity?
I started as an undergraduate at ANU in 1972, and finished my PhD in 1979. In 1983 I was appointed to a lectureship in the Department of Political Science, and then in 1994 I was given a promotion to professorship.
What is your current role entail?
I was responsible for establishing CAIS in 1994. Now we’ve grown to a fairly sizeable centre of excellence in teaching and research with a very high level of academic participation.
How did you feel on receiving the Australia Day honour?
I was gratified. The fact that the efforts to establish this centre, and our wider efforts in education and to raise awareness in the wider community, I was very pleased to receive this recognition. But it was also due to my commitments to the international community, including through publications, conferences and acting as an advisor to many groups.
Which moment from your career stands out foremost in your memory?
The publication of my first book by Princeton University Press, which was called The Rise and Fall of the Shah. It became an international bestseller and was widely reviewed. That was very gratifying because I’d just finished my PhD. The other highlight has been the birth of my three daughters, who are now 18, 16 and 13.
Who would you credit as being your greatest support?
I would have to credit my wife. When you take on new initiatives, it can be very time and energy consuming. You’re not always in the best of moods! It is my family and wife who have given me all the love, support and understanding I need.
What is your next professional goal?
I would like to continue to see this centre maintaining its position but expanding its stature, structures and activities at the national and international level. Also I would like to see this centre making meaningful and objective contribution to the international debate on issues in the Middle East and in Asia.
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