3 May 1996 Top agricultural post for Lincoln Vice-Chancellor

Lincoln University's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bruce Ross, has been named as the country's new Director-General of Agriculture, an appointment he will take up later this year.

In accepting the post, Professor Ross quits a direct association with Lincoln spanning more than 30 years and dating back to the time he began as a Bachelor of Agricultural Science student at what was then Canterbury Agricultural College. (He later graduated Master of Agricultural Science with First Class Honours in Economic Theory.)

He has been a Lincoln staff member since 1966, a Professor since 1970 and Chief Executive (first as Principal and latterly as Vice-Chancellor) for the past 11 years.

The appointment follows the move of the most recent incumbent, Dr Russ Ballard, to the Department of Survey and Land Information and in filling the post Professor Ross follows the footsteps of Lincoln University's Chancellor, Malcolm Cameron, who is a past Director-General of Agriculture (1977-89).

The Ministry sees Professor Ross, with a strong background in agricultural economics and trade analysis, as having the potential to make a valuable contribution to its policy advice role.

For two years in the 1980s Professor Ross was Head of the Trade Analysis Division of the Agricultural Directorate of the OECD, based in Paris, and other posts he has held in the course of his career include consultant to the NZ Treasury, member of the National Research Advisory Council and chair of its Primary Production Committee, chair of the National Committee on Agricultural Economics Research, member of the Economic Monitoring Group of the New Zealand Planning Council, national president of the Association of University Teachers and chair of the NZ Vice-Chancellors' Committee.

At the time of his appointment to the Chair of Agricultural Economics at Lincoln in 1970 he was the youngest Professor on the staff.

Born in Dunedin and educated at Otago Boys' High School, Professor Ross is the son of historian Angus Ross, Emeritus Professor of the University of Otago.

Professor Ross said standing down from the top job at Lincoln was a "major step" and was taken with some "sadness and regret". However he felt there were advantages to be gained from a change and rejuvenation in the leadership.

"I believe it is not a good idea for an institution to have one person in a strong leadership role for too long," he said.

He said he was very confident the University had a bright future.

Many see Professor Ross' supreme achievement as his guiding of the then Lincoln College to independent university status against a tide of opposing proposals for the institution's future in the mid to late 1980s. A former constituent college of the University of Canterbury, Lincoln became a university in its own right in 1990.

The Community Diary. Produced by The Community Relations Centre, Lincoln University, New Zealand.