Mr Ian Macintosh, AM, was made a Companion of Charles Sturt University (CSU) at the conclusion of the Faculty of Arts graduation ceremony in Bathurst on Saturday 17 December, in recognition of his dedication to advancing the institution and its regions.

 

The departing Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU, Professor Ian Goulter, conferred the award as his final duty at his last official University function.

 

The packed audience at the graduation ceremony heard from the citation that Mr Macintosh ‘has demonstrated a commitment and dedication to this University and its region that makes him a most appropriate recipient of the award, Companion of the University’.

 

The citation heralds Mr Macintosh as ‘one of CSU’s greatest supporters’, noting that for more than a decade he has worked in a number of roles  including Deputy Chancellor and currently holds the ceremonial office of Pro Chancellor.

 

Mr Macintosh has a rural and regional background, having worked in a farming and rural business in central NSW until 1973 when he moved into public and government relations consulting in Canberra.  He relocated to Bathurst in 1991 and worked with the University to develop its profile within the community and with regional and national businesses. In 1995 Mr Macintosh was elected to the then-Bathurst City Council and served as mayor for nine years. As mayor, he recognised the partnership role that could be exercised between the city and the University, and was influential not only in the development of CSU in Bathurst, but also in the provision of tertiary education in regional communities.

 

In 1999, Mr Macintosh became a member of the Council of CSU, and in 2003 his standing was recognised when he was appointed Deputy Chancellor, a position he held until his retirement from Council in 2007. That appointment ‘acknowledged his wisdom, commitment and total dedication to the furtherance of Charles Sturt University’s goals and ambitions to become a leader in regional engagement, learning and research’.