UC Aitkin Lecture

The UC Aitkin Lecture is named after former Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Canberra (1991-2002), the late Emeritus Professor Don Aitkin AO. Professor Aitkin, a historian and political scientist, has been a noted public intellectual in Australian life since the 1960s. He was Professor of Politics at Macquarie University in the 1970s, and then Professor of Political Science in the Research School of Social Sciences in the ANU. In 1988 he was appointed the foundation Chairman of the Australian Research Council, and it was from this post that he joined the University of Canberra in 1991. He was best known at UC for his role in the transformation of the University from the Canberra College of Advanced Education, to developing the University's identity and profile overseas, as well as in Australia, over a wide range of endeavours.

Don served as Vice-Chancellor and President for eleven years from 1991 until his retirement in 2002. He remains the longest serving Vice-Chancellor to date.  After his retirement, Don continued to engage with UC as an adjunct member of staff and valued contributor to our community. He passed away in 2022. In August 2023, the Aitkin family agreed to changing the name of the annual lecture to UC Aitkin Lecture.