From Student to Chancellor
hen John Dornbush first enrolled at USQ’s predecessor institution, the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education, little did he know that that one day he would lead the governing body of one of Australia’s leading regional universities as its Chancellor.
As probably the university’s most passionate and ardent supporters, John balances his time between the university and his professional life as Founding Chairman of Dornbusch Partners Pty Ltd a financial and corporate services company based in Toowoomba. With a Diploma of Teaching, and Bachelor of Education and a Master of Business Administration all from the Toowoomba institution, John has spent the past four-and-a-half decades building on his career as a prominent business figure within the local community.
Not content to rest on his laurels John also holds qualifications from Harvard Business School and the University of New England.
“I was the youngest of six children and the first to attend any form of higher education and I relied on a government scholarship to get into university. Otherwise study would not have been an option,” he said.
“I’ve experienced USQ from both sides of the fence and the one thing that always impresses me is that every student, no matter their circumstance, is treated equally and given incredible support and encouragement from the time they enrol to when they graduate.”
For John, his position as Chancellor keeps him extremely busy, but it is very important for him to have his wife of 35 years — who he also met at USQ — and children to come home to.
“My family have always been terrifically supportive, and I couldn’t have achieved many of the things I’ve done without their help,” he said.
For John, becoming Chancellor in 2014 was an incredible but humbling experience.
“DDIAE and USQ have been a defining influence on me and I’ve been involved with the university for a significant percentage of my life, so it felt like a natural progression.”
“I am very proud of what USQ has become and to think that I now lead the governing body of an institution that has incredible community engagement and surrounded by world class academic and professional staff is something very special.”
“It doesn’t matter if I’m attending graduations here or overseas I’m always thanked by students for their time at university and how it alters people’s lives for the better.”