What do we know about the chancellors of Australian universities?

This research attempts to explore the key social characteristics and demographics of Australian chancellors to determine who they are and where they come from. The chancellor of an Australian university wields an enormous amount of power, from overseeing the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor (VC) to fulfilling various statutory requirements. Chancellors instil corporate values and they are pivotal to effective university governance and 'owner' representation. Yet, few have academic backgrounds. Chancellors are more than figureheads and ceremonial leaders and, as such, can have a significant impact on their individual universities and even on the higher education sector, overall. The research presented here demonstrates that it is possible to construct a reasonably accurate profile of the typical chancellor, based on factors such as occupation, age, academic field, gender and the undergraduate university that was attended. This research also mirrors similar research, undertaken by the authors, regarding Australian VCs.