This week, we farewelled a special friend and extraordinary Australian who was a gentle giant of international education. Andrew Everett brought intelligence, innovative ideas, grace, diplomacy, and, above all, honesty to any discussion or forum he joined, and many wore his favourite internationalisation hat.
It was a privilege to call Andrew a close friend and valued comrade.
Andrew was a wonderful ambassador for our country and sector as he actively fostered deep international partnerships and opportunities for the benefit of students and colleagues and our country. He was passionate about elevating the student experience to nurture lifelong networks, international understanding, broader thinking and perspectives, and firmly believed the world would be a better place if every student could enjoy a study abroad experience.
Many will remember Andrew’s appointment to Charles Darwin University in 2017 in the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice President Global Strategy & Advancement. His portfolio at CDU included the Office of International Services and the Office of Marketing and Engagement.
Prior to CDU, Andrew was a senior manager at the University of Queensland and a consultant to the Queensland Government. He was instrumental in drafting the Queensland State International Education and Training Strategy 2016–2026, which, after consulting with industry, was approved by the Queensland Cabinet and State Treasury.
He brought to his consulting work 12 years’ experience from 2004 to 2016 as Director of The University of Queensland’s International Education Directorate and also held the post of International Development Manager at UQ from 2001 to 2004. Prior to 2001, he spent roughly five years at the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba, and prior to that, he worked in the banking and finance sector.
Andrew’s focus was always on the reciprocal nature of international education. He was instrumental in the development of mutually beneficial international relationships for both UQ and CDU and encouraged a more global view of international education, which in turn inspired other universities to work towards comprehensive internationalisation. His involvement in national and international boards and committees contributed to his influence on the Australian university sector. He was a Chair of the Universitas 21 (U21) International Directors group and was an elected member of the board of the International Education Association of Australia.
Jennie Lang recalls, “Our friendship even survived us both always seeking to book seat 16A on Qantas 747s, which became a long-standing joke when one of us had to settle for seat 16k if travelling on the same flight”.
During Andrew’s term as DVC Global at CDU, he contributed to major achievements for the university, such as the development of a CBD campus, plans to turn the Casuarina campus into a science park, and naming rights for the Marrara stadium. In late 2020, CDU worked with the NT Government to become the first Australian university to welcome international students back after the COVID-19 hiatus, with the first 60 students arriving in December 2020 (initially into mandatory quarantine at Howard Springs).
On completing his time in Darwin, Andrew returned to live in Brisbane and to independent consultancy work.
His legacy lives on in his beautiful daughters and the many student and staff lives he touched and the extraordinary contribution he made across global education networks such as the aforementioned Universitas21, APAIE, and NAFSA, and national internationalisation groups including the AUIDF, and those within the Go8 and Universities Australia to name a few.
In all he did, Andrew quietly added significant value. He only spoke when he had something significant to offer—and we all listened.
RIP, our good friend. You have left us with many treasured memories, and you made the world a better place.
Carmel Murphy, Jennie Lang, Joanne Barker and Dirk Mulder
Eulogy
Melissa Burton
Christine, Rebecca and Miranda have asked us to reflect briefly on Andrew’s time at UQ.
I knew Andrew for over 20 years and worked with him for 13. First, we were colleagues, then he was my boss, and then somehow (despite all that or maybe because of that) he was my friend. Andrew joined UQ as International Development Manager in 2001 and then became International Director a few years later. He started at UQ during a period of enormous growth in Australian International Education – growth that brought significant opportunities and enormous challenges. He played a central role in a team with Trevor Grigg, Alan Lawson and Christine Bundesen, as well as a score of other talented, dedicated people (a number of whom are here today). Andrew was critical to the success of many key UQ initiatives such as: the Atlantic Philanthropy funded Vietnam scholarship program, establishing UQ’s off-shore network (including Germany, the US, Latin America, South East Asia, Indonesia and China) and UQ offices in the US and Indonesia, and so many other initiatives – all amidst extremely complex federal legislative and compliance regimes. Not to mention internal UQ politics! After he left UQ, his unique skills were highly-valued in his role as Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Charles Darwin University. To those who worked with him, Andrew was incredibly generous in providing professional opportunities, while understanding that staff often were juggling significant and complex personal responsibilities. He nurtured talent and always listened with an open mind (even if his face sometimes said something else!) when you came to him with an issue or a proposal.
Just one short anecdote. Just after he started at UQ, we both went to our first Australian International Education Conference. After dinner, the music started and I literally dragged Andrew on to the dancefloor. I’ve never seen someone look so uncomfortable. He hung in there, after a few minutes I put him out of his misery and we went to sit back down. I learned a few things about Andrew then: he was always very polite, always a good sport, and always determined to do the right thing even in difficult circumstances. They were core elements of his personality that remained consistent throughout the time I knew him. He was someone with deep integrity who was a loyal and passionate advocate for his staff, his institution, and for the international education sector more broadly.
When someone leaves us suddenly, it’s natural to dwell on the things you feel you should have said to them; and you hope that they knew how you felt about them. So in finishing today, I would just like to say: “Thank you Andrew. Thank you for being an exceptional and much-valued colleague, leader and friend.”
