2008 Alumni Award for Community Achievement

Associate Professor Ross Steele receives the Alumni Award for Community Achievement for his tireless contributions to the cultural life of the community and to education.

Ross has made it his mission to support and uplift Sydney’s cultural landscape through his active participation in a wide range of arts-related organisations including the Art Gallery of NSW, publisher Currency House, the Laperouse Museum, the Board of Studies of the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Opera Australia, the Peggy Glanville-Hicks Composers’ Trust, the Sydney Festival, the Sydney International Piano Competition, the Sydney University Arts Association, where he is Honorary Treasurer, and Woollahra Library Friends, where he is President. Another passion has been to strengthen cultural ties between Australia and France both in his capacity as President of the Fédération des Alliances Françaises en Australie and through his personal support of numerous Franco-Australian cultural exchanges. Ross is also making an ongoing humanitarian contribution through his membership of the St Vincent's Private Hospital and Clinic Committee.

Ross’s achievements as a scholar have also had a lasting impact on the community. The 34 books he has published in Australia, France and the USA on contemporary French language and culture have helped promote the learning of French internationally. After positions at the Sorbonne and the University of New South Wales, he joined the University of Sydney where he became Associate Professor in the Department of French Studies. He also participated in advancing language education through his work for government committees and in professional bodies such as the Applied Linguistics Association of Australia, where he was Foundation President. He is a Member of the Order of Australia, was awarded the Centenary Medal and holds the French honours of Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite and Officier des Palmes Académiques.