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When Emeritus Professor Ken McKinnon AO arrived at the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ of ¾«¶«´«Ã½ (UOW) in 1981, it was an institution still finding its feet. The campus was underdeveloped and the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ was in its infancy.

"I started here when the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ wanted to grow its student cohort and place stronger focus on its future and role in the region," Ken recalled. "The first year was about establishing a strategy and an organisation that was clear about where it needed to go."

It was an ambitious project, but what happened over the next 14 years under Ken’s leadership would transform not just UOW, but the entire Illawarra region.

Today, as UOW celebrates its 50th anniversary, Professor McKinnon’s legacy as its second Vice-Chancellor remains profound and far-reaching. His visionary leadership elevated a young regional ¾«¶«´«Ã½ to national prominence through a combination of strategic foresight, hands-on leadership, and an unwavering commitment to creating a ¾«¶«´«Ã½ that valued people above all else.

An aerial view of UOW in the early 1980s. Ken arrived in ¾«¶«´«Ã½ in 1981, when the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ was in its infancy and the campus was underdeveloped. Credit: UOW Archives

From Papua New Guinea to ¾«¶«´«Ã½

Ken's path to ¾«¶«´«Ã½ was anything but conventional. Born in Auburn, South Australia in 1931, he began his career as a teacher. In 1954 he had an opportunity to move to Papua New Guinea (PNG) to be a headmaster. It was an early highlight of Ken’s career and after eight years he had risen to the position of Superintendent of Schools.

“I enjoyed my time in Papua New Guinea and when I was offered an opportunity to undertake a Harkness Fellowship at Harvard ¾«¶«´«Ã½, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to leave,” Ken said.

In the end the prestigious Harkness Fellowship won Ken over and he spent two years in Boston completing his studies.

“While I was in the United States I had the opportunity to travel the country, broaden my mind and lean into new experiences. My time at Harvard was transformative,” Ken recalled.

“The support and encouragement I received to expand my horizons and explore, deeply shaped my view of how universities can provide learning experiences beyond the lecture hall.”

Ken returned to PNG in 1966 as the Director of Education and worked closely with PNG's future Prime Minister Michael Somare, earning praise for his efforts in decolonisation as he prepared local leaders to take over. It was a challenging but pivotal role for Ken who had executive responsibility for a program involving 250,000 students, 13,000 teachers, two universities and 10 teachers' colleges.

Ken’s successes in PNG did not go unnoticed back on Australian soil, with the Whitlam government reaching out to ask Professor McKinnon to return to Australia to take up the role of Chair of the Australian Schools Commission. Ken worked tirelessly to implement the principle of equality of opportunity in Australian education.

Eight years later Ken said he received an unexpected call from ¾«¶«´«Ã½.

Old editions of UOW’S Campus News. During his 14 years at UOW Ken became known as the architect of the innovation that continues to flow through the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ today. Credit: UOW Archives

“I took a phone call asking me to consider leading the ¾«¶«´«Ã½,” Professor McKinnon said. “I said I’d come but only if they were willing to let me do what I considered essential in any university, and that was to treat the students as people and not just numbers.

“It’s important that universities develop people and prioritise educating students.”

It was 1981 and Ken and his wife Ms Suzanne Walker packed their bags and made the move from Canberra to the coast.

A hands-on approach

One of Ken’s most distinctive qualities as Vice-Chancellor was his visibility on campus. He was known for walking around daily, engaging directly with staff and students, challenging academics and executives and fostering a unique campus culture.

"It’s important for people to see you and engage with you," he says. "I’d walk around and talk to people, attend as many meetings as I could. It was a great time."

Ken said his hands-on approach sometimes ruffled feathers among academics who weren't used to such direct involvement from university leadership.

"They didn't think the Vice-Chancellor should come around and see what they were doing," Ken laughed. "But it was important for me to understand the ¾«¶«´«Ã½, understand what people needed and what they were doing."

Ken and Sue stand with Sir Mark Oliphant after a graduation ceremony in 1983. Credit: UOW archives

Campus transformation

Under Ken’s leadership, the ¾«¶«´«Ã½'s physical campus was transformed into the beautiful, inviting space it remains today. His vision extended beyond buildings to creating an environment where learning could flourish.

His commitment to creating meaningful student experiences led to innovative initiatives like the Science Centre and Planetarium (now UOW Science Space), which began without funding but grew into one of the region's most important educational resources.

"I am very proud of the Science Space. It started without a penny, but was the result of a conversation with a researcher who had big ideas. A conversation then led to the creation of a world-class science centre,” he said.

From local to global

Perhaps Ken’s most significant achievement was elevating UOW from a small regional institution to one with national and international recognition. Under his leadership, the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ attracted top researchers and began establishing an international presence.

When Campus Review ranked Australian universities in the early 1990s, ¾«¶«´«Ã½ achieved what Ken proudly describes as "a spectacular result as the smallest and only non-capital city institution in the top three bands."

This international vision led to the establishment of UOW Dubai in 1993, which Ken saw as just the beginning of a truly global ¾«¶«´«Ã½.

"I wanted to be the first and strongest genuinely international ¾«¶«´«Ã½," Ken says.

Professor McKinnon is a part of UOW’s history and was the ¾«¶«´«Ã½’s second Vice-Chancellor, serving from 1981 to his retirement in 1995. Credit: UOW archives

Positioning UOW as an international university was certainly ahead of his time and Ken’s forward thinking was acknowledged by former Chancellor the Honourable Robert Hope.

Delivering Ken’s citation as he received a Doctor of Letters from UOW in 1994, Justice Hope described him as having “a canny knack of discerning future trends and then seizing the opportunity of creating an advantage for the ¾«¶«´«Ã½.”

With UOW campuses now in the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Malaysia and India, and a presence in China and Singapore, it’s safe to say Ken’s vision for a truly international ¾«¶«´«Ã½ has come to fruition.

A legacy of philanthropy

Since retiring in 1995, Ken and Sue have remained deeply connected to the ¾«¶«´«Ã½. Their philanthropic support has been substantial and strategic, focusing on areas they believe will have the greatest impact.

In 2016, the couple donated $1.3 million to establish the McKinnon-Walker Trust, designed to nurture innovative ideas at UOW. The Trust provides grants to help bring emerging ideas with commercial potential to fruition.

More recently, in 2024, they made an extraordinary $5.1 million gift to establish the McKinnon-Walker Research Fellowships, supporting research that addresses global challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration. It was one of the largest donations in UOW’s history.

“With the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ of ¾«¶«´«Ã½ celebrating its 50th anniversary this year we wanted to make a contribution that would continue to serve the ¾«¶«´«Ã½, its communities and the nation well into the future,” Ken said.

“Ongoing philanthropic support of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ is vital for a place like UOW. The opportunities and experiences I had at Harvard taught me about the power and impact a university can have.

“Sue and I wanted to provide the same kind of experience here in ¾«¶«´«Ã½, supporting accomplished and emerging scholars through a well-funded and diverse experience.”

Ken and Sue pictured on UOW’s ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Campus. Ken’s vision and leadership led to the now much-loved green campus setting. Credit: Paul Jones

Dreams for the future

At 94, Ken’s vision for UOW remains ambitious and global. He dreams of a ¾«¶«´«Ã½ with campuses worldwide and genuine cultural exchange between them. Ken believes that UOW can lead the way in creating genuinely international education that prepares students for a complex global future.

"Look at what we achieved at UOW in a decade. It was a rapid development from a college serving the local steel industry, to a modern university with a wide range of disciplines,” he said.

Professor McKinnon's legacy reminds us that institutions are ultimately shaped by vision, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to the development of people. From a small regional ¾«¶«´«Ã½ to a globally recognised institution, UOW's journey over the past 50 years stands as testament to what can be achieved when visionary leadership meets educational purpose.

“I am enthusiastic about the future and what the people at UOW, both staff and students, can achieve.”