University leader receives international honour for contribution to education

Professor Pascale Quester, the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic) has been granted one of France's highest honours, the Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite (Knight of the National Order of Merit). Bestowed by the French government, the award recognises distinguished civil or military achievements of French citizens or foreign nationals.

The French Ambassador to Australia, His Excellency Mr Stéphane Romatet presented Professor Quester with the honour at a reception held at the University of Adelaide in September 2012. With an outstanding reputation in tertiary education, Professor Quester was acknowledged for her contribution to higher education in both France and Australia.

"Receiving the National Order of Merit from the French Government is a remarkable honour, and we should all congratulate Professor Quester on this achievement," said the University's Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Warren Bebbington.

For over 20 years, French born Quester has been sharing her passion for learning and teaching with staff and students alike at the University of Adelaide. As a researcher and expert in the area of consumer behaviour, she was originally appointed in 1991 as a lecturer in the Graduate School of Management. In 1992, Quester established the marketing discipline as a stream of the commerce degree and following that, she became the inaugural Professor of Marketing.

Since then, Professor Quester has continued to introduce new ideas and educational approaches to the university demonstrating her outstanding leadership as she progressed through various positions including Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of the Professions and Faculty Executive Dean in 2005.

In 2011, Professor Quester’s leadership was ultimately recognised when she was appointed to the senior university position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic) (DVCA). "Professor Quester brings a wealth of expertise and experience to her role, and she is a credit to our University, which she has served faithfully, diligently and professionally for more than 20 years," Professor Bebbington said.

Having studied in France, America and New Zealand, Professor Quester strongly believes in the value of the international experience. In her role as DVCA, she is committed to encouraging and enabling students to explore new study opportunities both in Australia and overseas, considering it a key way for individuals to broaden their outlook and bring new perspectives.

"My role is about assisting people to reach their potential. I feel it is a great privilege to be in charge of the programs that would determine for a student a career, a life and an opportunity to make the world a better place," said Professor Quester.

Professor Quester looks forward to championing cultural change and a student centric approach at the University of Adelaide. She is also supportive of the co-creation model, where students are engaged to inform the decision making process.

"One of the ambitions of the university within the next five years is to do something quite radical which is to co-create the learning experience. What we have to do as a university is to create the context where the student becomes an active participant in their own learning. We have to be flexible so that we can offer a whole different pallet of ways that people can learn," Professor Quester said.

Most recently, the co-creation method has seen the development of Hub Central . The project involved over 9,000 hours of student consultation and resulted in the design and build of a space that reflected students’ requirements of a learning environment.

Professor Quester is the ultimate example of how a passion for learning, commitment to education and innovation and innate leadership qualities can lead to great success.