Bowman bowing out
Praise for departing CQU vice-chancellor
BUSINESS and community leaders have praised CQUniversity vice-chancellor Scott Bowman, who announced his shock resignation yesterday.
Professor Bowman is to leave the Rockhampton-based tertiary institution at the end of the year to go travelling with his wife Anita, despite renewing a five-year contract.
Cairns’ leaders have paid tribute to his drive to establish the first university campus in the city’s centre three years ago. It continues to expand and attract students.
Mayor Bob Manning said Prof Bowman was “a very special person”.
“He is a great loss. He’s been great to this city ... and not your run-of-the-mill vicechancellor."
Cairns Chamber of Commerce president Nick Loukas said “it’s a real shame”. “CQU has done amazing things in building CQU in Cairns and has become a force in our region,” he said. “He will be greatly missed.” Advance Cairns chief executive Nick Trompf said Prof Bowman had been “an enormous contributor to tertiary education in our region for many years”.
“He has had a profound influence at both universities which are now in Cairns.”
CQU Cairns campus head Jodie Duignan-George said: “Scott has done amazing things for CQU and, while he is an exceptional leader, the entire executive team are an amazing, innovative group.”
“Scott’s retirement does, however, give us the opportunity to recognise him for his significant contribution to the region over the past decade and half,” she said.
Prof Bowman said the announcement would have come as a shock and it was a difficult decision.
“When we (wife Anita) arrived at CQUniversity in 2009, I could never have imagined how much I would grow to love this organisation, its staff, students and communities,” he said. “It makes me so proud ...”