Lindsay Michael Birt, AO,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(18 January 193228 October 2001) was the

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vice-chancellor of the

University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong (abbreviated as UOW) is an Australian public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney. As of 2017, the university had an enrolment of ...

between 1975 and 1980, and the fourth vice-chancellor of the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

between 1981 and 1992.

Biography

Michael Birt was born on 18 January 1932 in Melbourne, Australia. He was educated at Melbourne Boys High School and the University of Melbourne, where he completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science, a Bachelor of Science and a PhD in biochemistry. In 1960, Birt returned to the University of Melbourne taking up the position of lecturer and then senior lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry. In 1967 he was invited to become the inaugural chair and head of the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

Department of Biochemistry, where he remained until his appointment in 1973 as vice-chancellor designate at the Wollongong University College. Foundation vice-chancellor at the University of Wollongong from 1975, Michael Birt then moved on to the vice-chancellorship of the University of New South Wales in 1981. During his time as Vice Chancellor at the University of Wollongong, Birt had been responsible for getting the University of Wollongong up and running, and also preparing it for amalgamation with the Wollongong Teachers College in 1982. He left Wollongong to take on the position of Vice Chancellor at the University of New South Wales. In honour of Birt's contribution to the University of Wollongong, its main library is named the Michael Birt Library. As the Vice Chancellor of the University of New South Wales, Birt managed the university through the reintroduction of student fees and oversaw the development of the

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and the

Australian Defence Force Academy The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) is a tri-service military Academy that provides military and academic education for junior officers of the Australian Defence Force in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and Royal Aus ...

. In 1993 the Michael Birt Gardens at UNSW were named in honour of Birt's contribution to the UNSW. Birt was appointed a Commander of the British Empire in 1980 and an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1986. Birt died on 28 October 2001, survived by his widow, Jenny, and two sons. Following a burial mass at St Mary's Church, North Sydney he was cremated.

Biography

References

Further reading