Incoming Australian National University vice-chancellor, nobel laureate Professor Brian Schmidt, says he's prepared to make "hard decisions" to ensure the institution remains world-class.
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The renowned astrophysicist and winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics becomes the university's 12th vice-chancellor and will take up the position on January 1 next year.
Professor Schmidt, whose appointment was announced on Wednesday, will replace vice-chancellor Professor Ian Young, who announced in February his impending retirement.
He said he was prepared to make the sorts of controversial decisions that have marred the term of his predecessor.
Professor Young instituted massive funding cuts across the institution - notably to the School of Music in 2012 - and more recently urged the federal government to push through with its plans to charge students more for their degrees.
"Every vice-chancellor has to make hard decisions and those are always going to be controversial," professor Schmidt said.
"Professor Young has gone through and charted a course, he has a strategic plan for the future. It's
"They can stay here and get the same quality of education," he said.
"We're almost there now; over the next couple of years we're going to be all of the way there."
Professor Schmidt wanted to ensure the ANU continued its role as a national "jewel" in Australia's crown, discussing the policies and issues central to the country.
But he also wanted to push collaborations with businesses, institutions and the ACT government, and tap into the university's 95,000 alumni scattered across the globe.
Professor Schmidt was reluctant to discuss the university's strengths and weaknesses but said he would undertake an open-minded, introspective assessment once in office.
"That means looking at the entire university and figuring out how we invest what is our limited pool of resources," he said.
University fee deregulation was one area that required change.
"We have a system in place which unfairly rewards quantity over quality," Professor Schmidt said.
"The way universities are funded right now needs to be looked at and changed. I will be briefed over the next six months on it. How it's going to resolve itself is a very complex issue that involves this university, it involves other universities, it involves the political parties.
"We're going to ensure it's a fair and equitable and reasonable solution. We want to be able to give students the best possible education that is fair value and is going to empower them to go out and do great things with their life."
Professor Young said his five-year stint as vice-chancellor had been "an immense honour".
He looked forward to working with Professor Schmidt, who he described as "someone who has an absolute passion for the role of this great university", over the final six months of his term.
Professor Young plans to return to his first love of research in maritime engineering and oceanography at the Swinburne University of Technology.
ANU Chancellor, Professor Gareth Evans, said Professor Schmidt was an "inspirational leader".
"Brian's vision, vitality, global stature and communication skills are going to take our national university to places it has never been before," he said.
Professor Schmidt's appointment has been welcomed by a number of groups and individuals including Australian chief scientist and former vice-chancellor Ian Chubb, University of Canberra vice-chancellor Stephen Parker and the National Tertiary Education Union.
Union ANU branch president Sara Beavis said Professor Schmidt would understand the particular needs and challenges facing the university.
"ANU has been rocked by recent waves of redundancies led by a VC with no real connection to the university community. Hopefully this change in leadership will also see a new direction."
- with Natasha Boddy
Correction: An earlier version said Professor Schmidt was a former Australian of the Year; he is a Companion of the Order of Australia.
