Charles Sturt University (CSU) has conferred the title of Emeritus Professor on Professor Bill Green in recognition of his outstanding contribution to rural education and literacy studies.

 

Following a resolution of the University Council, the title was conferred at the Faculty of Education graduation ceremony at CSU in Bathurst on Thursday 19 December, and Professor Bill Green was introduced to the audience as one of the University's most distinguished professors and a leader in rural-regional education and literacy studies.

 

The formal citation notes that Professor Green retired from CSU on 30 June 2013, having served the University for 12 years in positions of research and teaching leadership. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Western Australia, his doctoral qualification was gained from Murdoch University, and he subsequently held distinguished posts at Deakin University, the University of New England, and Murdoch University, before joining CSU.

 

Building relationships between education and cultural studies, Professor Green became an international expert in literacy and English teaching. Much of the complexity with which international scholars consider literacy, including information literacy, cultural literacy and media literacy, is derived from Professor Green's research. His goal throughout his career has been to critique the 'deficit' model of literacy; that is, the notion that students and citizens have a 'lack' of literacy that must be 'corrected' by formal educational structures.

 

Professor Green's professional career has included teaching in country schools in Western Australia. This early 'country service' commenced his long-term interest in rural education. As Professor of Applied Curriculum Studies at the University of New England, his research and teaching included a focus on 'the rural' and rural education.

 

He has been an international leader in creating more complex strategies to not only manage rural education but to also ensure that social justice and equality are part of both public and popular discussions. This commitment includes an engagement with indigenous and environmental education, but also a careful understanding of cultural geography and its transformative impact on the often taken-for-granted applications of professionalism, professional practice, regional development and educational change.

 

Professor Green has achieved much more than the conventional academic pathway to research excellence. He has produced outstanding monographs, book chapters and refereed articles with high citations and influence for generations of scholars. He has attained an array of Australian Research Council (ARC) grants and diverse funding sources via regional, national and international organisations.