Vice-Chancellorship At Monash
In 1960, at just 47 years old, Matheson became the first Vice-Chancellor of Monash University, a position he held until 1976. Given only 12 months to prepare for the opening of the University, Matheson worked with exceptional speed and effectiveness. He assembled staff, established courses, and set up faculties, teaching and research facilities. When Monash opened, Matheson led and oversaw rapid development, from an empty site in Clayton, to a university recognised internationally for excellence in research and teaching. When the University opened in 1961, it had just 347 students; but 11 years into Matheson's term, it had expanded to over 12,000. Matheson managed the tumultuous years of student activism at Monash in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was often criticised by some of the more radical students, but succeeded in maintaining strong academic standards throughout, and his responsiveness to student ideas and demands meant that the unrest was contained as successfully as possible.
In an article written shortly after his death, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering observed that "it is hard to imagine how Matheson could have built the university better." The arts and social sciences library at the University's Clayton Campus is named in his honour. A book by Matheson published in 1980, Still learning, provides an account of his years at Monash.
During his term as Vice Chancellor, he sat on the Royal Commission on the collapse of Melbourne's King Street Bridge (from 1962 to 1963).
Read more about this topic: Louis Matheson