Waikato Welcomes New Dean of Arts And Social Sciences

16 July 2013

Waikato Welcomes New Dean of Arts And Social Sciences

Waikato University has welcomed Professor Robert Hannah as the new Dean of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, having officially taken up the appointment on July 1.

Professor Hannah joins Waikato from the University of Otago, where his leadership portfolio included terms as Dean of the School of Language, Literature and Performing Arts and Associate Dean of Research for Humanities.
On joining Waikato, he is particularly excited about being part of a young institution, and one that is ranked in the top 50 universities in the world under 50-years old.

“Waikato is a growing university with a young profile and framework of mind. There is a great flexibility in the way people think, the way things are done, and energy that comes with that.”

Professor Hannah gained a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Greek from the University of Otago and also holds a Master of Philosophy in Classical Archaeology from Oxford University.

Boasting an impressive research CV, Professor Hannah’s interests include archaeoastronomy, the Classical Collections of the Otago Museum (of which he is Honorary Curator), the iconography of Greek mythology, and the Classical Tradition in art.

Professor Hannah also currently serves as an auditor for the New Zealand Universities Academic Audit Unit.

He held a Marsden Grant during 2004-2006 to work on a project called Time in Antiquity and currently holds another, from 2011-2013, to work on a project entitled Myth, Cult and Cosmos: astronomy in ancient Greek religion.

Vice-Chancellor Roy Crawford says he is very pleased that Professor Hannah has taken on the leadership role at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
“Professor Hannah has a formidable academic track record. We are delighted to have someone of his calibre on our staff and I look forward to working closely with him as the university moves forward.”

As Dean, Professor Hannah is interested in the interface the Faculty has with the wider community and strengthening those ties.

A powhiri was held on Tuesday 9 July at the university’s marae to officially welcome Professor Hannah. He is taking over from Dr David Lumsden who returns to join his colleagues in the Philosophy Programme at the Faculty, having held the Acting Dean position since 2011.
ends

© Scoop Media