Swinburne appoints two new academic leaders

After an extensive internal and external search, Andrew Kong has been confirmed as Swinburne’s Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Vocational Education & Training, effective immediately.  

Additionally, Professor Tara Magdalinski has been confirmed as Swinburne’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Quality, effective 1 January 2022.  

Vocational Education and Training 

 Mr Kong joined Swinburne in July 2021 and immediately stepped into this position in an interim capacity. During this time Mr Kong has proven himself to be an excellent leader, supporting the VET team and community during significant change. 

 Prior to joining Swinburne, Mr Kong was at Victoria University, where he was the Dean of the College of Trades and Civil Engineering and the Director of Manufacturing, Technology and Trades. Prior to this, Andrew spent many years in senior roles at the Chisholm Institute, Box Hill Institute and East Gippsland Institute of TAFE. Andrew has also served time in the Australian Defence Force.  

 Andrew will have responsibility for all VET programs of the university, leading the design, development, delivery and evaluation of innovative, high quality education programs. He will also oversee the continuous improvement of our VET offerings, operational budgets, quality assurance and the development and engagement of a high performing workforce.  

 Education and Quality 

Professor Magdalinski joined Swinburne in September 2016 as Associate Dean, and later Dean, Learning Innovation in the Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, moving from University College Dublin where she had been Head of Sports Management and Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching in the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science.  

 After a competitive selection process, Professor Magdalinski was appointed PVC (Education and Quality) in an acting capacity in July 2020 and has served in this role since then.  

  Professor Magdalinski will continue to lead an expanded Education and Quality Services Portfolio that includes teams in Policy, ESOS Compliance, Academic Planning and Performance, and Curriculum and Quality to ensure Swinburne accredits and maintains a suite of high-quality courses, meet regulatory and reporting obligations as the university prepares for TEQSA re-registration, build continuous improvement frameworks, and work with stakeholders to support the implementation of the Education Strategy. 

 Swinburne is delighted that both Mr Kong and Professor Magdalinski have been permanently appointed to these critical leadership positions. They will be working together to ensure that we achieve Swinburne’s Horizon vision of bringing people and technology together to build a better world.