About Senate

Secretaries to Senate

Keith Lynden Jennings

Keith Lynden Jennings served as Registrar of the University of Sydney from 1986 to 1993. The position of Registrar included being Secretary to Senate.

Profile

BA MEd DUniv Sydney
Assistant Vice-Chancellor and Registrar (1983–1986)
Registrar and Deputy Principal (1986–1993)
Acting Deputy Principal and Bursar (1991–1993)

Mr Keith Jennings worked as a teacher taking his Bachelor's degreee in Arts part-time and while serving a short-term commission in the RAAF, a Master of Education degree at the University of Sydney.

He then joined the Commonwealth Public Service in the 1960s and became Head of Research in the Commonwealth Department of Education and Science.

In 1970 he won a Public Service Award for overseas work, which took him to the London School of Economics for one and a half years. Here he worked at the Higher Education Unit, where he was involved with a number of research projects concerned with planning for higher education on a manpower basis, a cost-benefit basis and a social demand basis.

On his return he was appointed Secretary of the Universities Commission (forerunner of the Tertiary Education Commission), during which time he had many dealings with universities and was involved 'at the workface' with policy and funding issues.

Mr Jennings was on the Sydney University staff for twelve months to May 1976 in the position of Assistant Principal, helping to plan and administer the University's financial affairs, until he joined the University of New South Wales as Registrar.

He subsequently moved to the Australian Broadcasting Commission, rising to the position of Assistant General Manager (Management Services) before his appointment as ABC General Manager.

On 20 June 1983 he returned to the University of Sydney when he took up his appointment as Registrar of the University, replacing Dr Ken Knight, who resigned in July 1982 to become Principal of the Kuring-gai College of Advanced Education.

Mr Jennings retired from the University on 19 February 1993 after almost ten years as Registrar to became the first Registrar of the University of Western Sydney, MacArthur. At two farewell functions, on Monday 8 February in the Great Hall and on Friday 12 February in the Williams Pavilion, he thanked colleagues and friends for all their support over the years.

He took up the position at the University of Western Sydney on 22 March 1993 and was subsequently made a Doctor of the University of Sydney on 25 February 1994.

(From 'The University of Sydney News')