Country Universities Centre appoints Chris Ronan as new CEO

The Country Universities Centre (CUC) is delighted to announce the appointment of Chris Ronan as Chief Executive Officer.

CUC Chair, Dean Lynch said Chris was chosen after a competitive selection process. “Chris is an outstanding choice, bringing a wealth of experience from the higher education and community not-for profit sectors having worked across Australia, New Zealand and the United States.” he said.

Mr Ronan has been the Director, Equity and Engagement at the CUC since 2021 and is currently the National President of the Society for the Provision in Education in Rural Australia (SPERA) and Executive Member of Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Australasia (EPHEA). He holds a Masters in Tertiary Education Leadership and Management from the University of Melbourne with a focus on Regional, Rural and Remote higher education policy and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). “This appointment marks an exciting new chapter for the CUC and the Board is looking forward to working with Chris to ensure the CUC continues to widen access to higher education in regional communities,” Mr Lynch said.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr Ronan said he was excited to be taking on the role. “The community-led approach of the CUC creates equitable access to higher education that supports people in their community to study any degree and succeed,” he said.

“By putting local communities at the centre of the design and operations, the CUC has created new ways of widening participation in higher education and supporting students to study and graduate in regional Australia.

“The current Universities Accord provides an opportunity to redesign Australian higher education and I am excited for the contribution the CUC can make to the future design of the sector to ensure educational equity no matter where one lives.” The Country Universities Centre is a network of 18 community owned and operated centres across regional NSW, Queensland and Victoria that provide equitable access to higher education for regional people without the need to leave their community. The CUC currently supports over 2000 students studying at 41 different Australian universities.