Emeritus Professor Andrew Scott (JCH 1981), from the Office of the Executive Dean, Arts and Education at Deakin University, recently sat down with Student Club President, Shanti Leimanis-Budden and Student Club Treasurer, Bee Woodman for a heartfelt conversation about JCH, the changing landscape of higher education, and the enduring importance of intellectual curiosity.
For Andrew, one of his fondest memories of College was its scale and spirit. “It felt like a big family,” he reflected. “Big enough for diversity, but not too big for anonymity.” He recalls long evenings spent debating the major political issues of the day — conversations that were often intense, occasionally divisive, but always intellectually generous.
One particularly vivid memory centres on a spirited discussion about Northern Ireland. A group of students, guided by an older postgraduate with deeper knowledge of the conflict, debated possible solutions late into the evening. “By the end, we’d agreed that United Nations peacekeepers would be more independent than the British Army,” he said. “It was a great example of what you learn when you really listen and challenge one another.”
Now a leading scholar of politics and public policy, Andrew continues to advocate strongly for the humanities and for equitable access to education. He has written extensively on Australian political life, including Running on Empty and Fading Loyalties, examining the changing character of the Australian Labor Party and the broader shifts within Australian democracy.
Reflecting on higher education today, Andrew expressed concern about increasing pressures on the arts and humanities. While acknowledging recent steps to ease student debt, he remains critical of policy settings that disproportionately affect humanities disciplines. For him, universities must remain places where debate, diversity of thought, and intellectual risk-taking are protected and encouraged.
His advice to current students is both practical and principled. “Stick to your values and what you’re passionate about,” he said. While realism matters, he cautions against pursuing a path simply because it appears prestigious or expected. “Do what genuinely interests you — not what others think you should do.”
Throughout his career, Andrew has encouraged students to engage deeply with big ideas. He rejects the notion that younger generations are apathetic, instead observing that waves of idealism emerge with each cohort and should be nurtured. Intellectual discussion — of politics, justice, environment, and equity — remains essential to education.
Reading, too, plays a central role in shaping perspective. Andrew speaks passionately about the power of literature and history to inform public life. He credits reading E.P. Thompson’s The Making of the English Working Class as transformative in his own intellectual journey, demonstrating that history can be rigorous and beautifully written at once.
His connection to Janet Clarke Hall carries a personal dimension as well. After choosing JCH independently, he later discovered that his mother had also been a resident — an unexpected link that has made the College part of his family story across generations.
Shanti Leimanis-Budden, Student Club President 2025/2026, and Bee Woodman Student Treasurer 2025/2026
