Rufus Black
Rufus Black | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 20, 1969 |
| Occupation(s) | Academic, university administrator |
| Known for | 20th vice-chancellor of the University of Tasmania |
Rufus Edward Ries Black (born 20 May 1969) currently holds the position of the 20th vice-chancellor at the University of Tasmania.
Early life and education
Black completed his schooling at Wesley College before attending the University of Melbourne, where he was a resident of Ormond College. He graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts in politics and economics, alongside an honours Bachelor of Laws. In 1992, he was awarded a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, which enabled him to pursue further studies at Keble College, Oxford. There, he obtained a Diploma in Theology and a Master of Philosophy focusing on Ethics and Theology by 1994. He subsequently earned a Doctor of Philosophy at Magdalen College, Oxford in 1996, with a doctoral thesis entitled "Towards an Ecumenical Ethic: Reconciling the Work of Stanley Hauerwas, Germain Grisez and Oliver O'Donovan."
Career
Since March 2018, Black has been serving as vice-chancellor and president at the University of Tasmania.
His academic journey began at Oxford University, where he worked as a tutor from 1994 to 1996. Following this, he was appointed chaplain of Ormond College and Sanderson Fellow at the United Faculty of Theology, teaching ethics between 1997 and 1999. Alongside his academic roles, Black spent nearly a decade at McKinsey & Company, including time as a partner from 2000 until 2008, blending consultancy with public policy expertise.
Within the education sector, he held the role of master at Ormond College from 2009 to 2017 and served as deputy chancellor at Victoria University between 2013 and 2017. Black was also instrumental as founding chair of Teach for Australia’s board during the same period (2009–2017) and contributed as a director to New York-based Teach for All from 2010 to 2015. His governance experience extends to directorships at law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Museums Victoria, and Innovation Science Australia. Additionally, he co-established the Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship. Before assuming his current role at the University of Tasmania, Black held academic appointments including Professor of Enterprise in Management and Marketing, principal fellow in Philosophy, and membership in the Centre for Ethical Leadership at the University of Melbourne.
Public policy work
Black's involvement in public policy includes leading significant reviews such as the 2009 budget audit and the 2010 evaluation of accountability and governance within the Department of Defence, commonly referred to as "The Black Review." In 2011, he conducted an independent review for the prime minister concerning the Australian Intelligence Community. Between 2012 and 2014, he acted as strategic advisor to Victoria’s education secretary.
Bibliography
The Revival of Natural Law: Philosophical, Theological and Ethical Responses to the Finnis-Grisez School (2000) (co-authored with Nigel Bigger CBE) ISBN 9781138256712
Christian Moral Realism: Natural Law, Narrative Virtue and the Gospel (2001) ISBN 97801982270201
Ethics at War: How Should Military Personnel Make Ethical Decisions? (2023) (co-authored with Dean-Peter Baker, Roger Herbert, and Iain King CBE) ISBN 9781032321219