The departing University of Wollongong Vice-Chancellor Paul Wellings took centre stage on Friday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Governor-General, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley was among the luminaries in the house for the official opening of UOW's ground-breaking new Molecular Horizons building.
The Governor General was glowing in his praise of the departing VC and welcomed the decision to name the new building the Paul Wellings Building, to recognise his outstanding contribution to the university.
Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley also got in on the act and sang the chorus to You Are My Sunshine, to Prof Wellings.
Uncle Richard Davis, who did the Welcome to Country, also praised Prof Wellings, saying 'Paul you have done a pretty good job mate'.
But some students tried to crash the party before security and police intervened.
Chanting their displeasure, the protestors were also carrying banners which had signs opposing job cuts at the university.
"Paul Wellings gets the luxury of having a million dollar salary, his name memorialised on a building, and a pat on the back by the Governor General, while hundreds of staff bear the stress of wage cuts, redundancies and having an unstable future at UOW," Wollongong Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) general representative Sean McLachlan said.
"Staff and students have had enough and we're here to say no more."
Paul Wellings gets the luxury of having a million dollar salary, his name memorialised on a building, and a pat on the back by the Governor General, while hundreds of staff bear the stress of wage cuts, redundancies and having an unstable future at UOW.
- Wollongong Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) general representative Sean McLachlan
But inside the special ceremony Prof Wellings was lapping up all the attention, which included the unveiling of a life-sized painting of himself which will hang in the new Paul Wellings Building.
Prof Wellings said he was deeply humbled to have the facility named in his honour, and thanked Governor-General Hurley and his wife for officially opening the building and for their unwavering support of UOW.
"Molecular Horizons strikingly represents how our university continues to invest in research that has the potential to deliver breakthroughs - in this case, research that improves and saves lives," he said.
"It epitomises UOW's partnership approach. It is a fusion of local, national and international collaborations all working together to gain a greater understanding of disease mechanisms. Importantly, this work also includes training the next generation of scientists in the technology now available.
"Molecular Horizons is the university's biggest ever self-funded research infrastructure investment. We have made this investment because at the nucleus of world-class research and education is world-class infrastructure.
"Molecular Horizons is about bringing together outstanding people and leveraging infrastructure, technology and innovation. Together, with our partners within academia, industry, government and the health system, we are charting a course in a new era of scientific discovery."
UOW Chancellor Christine McLoughlin expressed her appreciation to Prof Wellings for his outstanding service to the university and its communities.
"For almost a decade as Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wellings has built upon the university's rich history and driven transformative projects such as this one to benefit the institution and our communities," Ms McLoughlin said.
"Under Paul's leadership, UOW has developed an enviable reputation as one of the world's top 200 universities.
"One of the most influential university leaders in the country, Professor Wellings leaves an indelible imprint on this institution and the Paul Wellings Building is an enduring tribute to his achievements."
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.