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Professor Keedy, the University of Newcastle, Australia

About the original

DescriptionThis photo appeared in the University News, Volume 11, Number 4, March 29 to April 19, 1985. The text was: "Computing Science Chair Filled Professor Leslie Keedy has taken up his appointment to the Foundation Chair of Computer Science at the University. Professor Keedy, who is 44 years of age, was educated in the United Kingdom, and first studied theology at King's College, London University graduating B.D. (Hons) in 1964. This was followed by a Doctor of Philosophy in theology from Trinity College, Oxford University (1968). From 1968 to 1974 he worked with International Computers Ltd in the UK and West Germany, initially ass a systems programmer. After being promoted to design consultant he became a member of the central design team responsible for VME-B, the main general purpose operating system for the ICL2900 series of computers. He came to Monash University in 1974 as a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science. He was promoted to senior Lecturer in 1978 and completed a further PhD (Computer Science) as a staff member of that University. In 1982 he was appointed full professor of Computer Science and head of the Operating Systems Research Group at the Technical University of Darmstadt, West Germany, with seven academic and technical staff. In 1984 he became Director of the Institute of Practical Computer Science, which had a staff of five professors with their research groups. Professor Keedy's research interests (in which he has gained a notable international reputation) are in the areas of operating systems, computer architecture and hardware, software engineering and programming language design. In 1976 he established the MONADS Project at Monash with the aim of developing techniques which improve the quality of large software engineering projects and which provide a better technological basis for guaranteeing the privacy of information in computer systems. This research has led to the development of a workstation computer, the MONADS-PC, which recently attracted international recognition at the 1985 Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, where a paper describing its design was designated best paper in the hardware section. The other main achievement of the project has been the development of a new very high level programming language LENIBNIZ, the work on which has mainly been carried out in Darmstadt The Chair of Computer Science is located in the Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science. The policy of the Department is to promote the application of mathematical disciplines to other fields including physical, social and life sciences, engineering, economics, commerce and the management sciences. Professor Keedy's initial aims are to re-establish the MNADS Project here in Newcastle and to introduce a first year Computer Science course in the near future. He is also interested in promoting the use of computing throughout the University, including areas not conventionally associated with modern technology. Professor Keedy's background of research and teaching will greatly aid the integration of computing studies within the University. In particular, with the appointment also of Professor Cantoni to a Chair of Computer Engineering last year, the University is now in a very strong position to provide academic leadership in this growing and all-important area of contemporary study." This photo also appeared in the Campus bulletin, Number 2, May 16, 1988. The text was: "PROFESSOR LES KEEDY, the University's Foundation Professor of computer Science, has resigned. He expects to take up his new position - Professor of Computer Science (operating systems) at the University of Bremen, West Germany - in November. He also becomes Director of a new Institute for Operating systems and Computer Architecture within a new Computer Science Technology Centre currently being established by the State of Bremen. Bremen is a major seaport, with a population of about 750,000. It has a long commercial and cultural history, being one of the mediaeval free city states of the Hanseatic League. Even today it is a separate free city-state within the Federal Republic of Germany, and is one of the most important commercial centres in northern Europe. Professor Keedy said there was a separate Faculty of computer Science at the University of Bremen, with seven full professors and four associate professors. His establishment would include four personal research assistants and a secretary. He expected to use the research positions to gather together his former research team from his earlier period as Professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt. He had also been offered an extremely generous establishment grant (about A$170,000) and funding which would enable him to visit Australia regularly to maintain links with the MONADS research group, which would continue at the University of Newcastle under the leadership of Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, Dr John Rosenberg. He has also resigned as Head of the Department of Computer Science with effect from June 10. He said this was the earliest date at which Council can appoint a replacement, following an election in the Department. He believed that there should be a period of transition for the new Head of Department, since there were several decisions to be made of the next few months which were of particular importance for the future of the Department, including whether the Department was to be permitted to move into the new computing and Teaching building, and the resolution of some difficulties perceived to exist in connection with quotas on students entering Computer Science I. Professor Keedy took up this appointment at this University in March, 1985. He resigns after having worked hard to establish a viable computer science discipline, which he says he sees as important to the University as a potential growth area, and to Newcastle and the Hunter Region for the contribution it can make to the future economic prosperity of the region. The Department of Computer Science now offers a full major in Computer Science, which can be taken as part of the degrees of BA, BCom, BEc, BMath and Bsc, and part of which is also included in the BEng(comp) degree; a degree of Bachelor of Computer Science, which, since its introduction in 1987, has proved to be immensely popular with students; a degree of Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours), which has also proved to be popular; a new Diploma in Computing, a Master of Computer Science (by research thesis) and a Master of Computing (by coursework and project). The new Department of Computer Science, of which Professor Keedy became first Head in January 1987, has grown to six academics. He said that through its research programme it had established itself as one of Australia's leading computer science research centres, attracting higher research funding that most other Australian computer science departments, including those at the University of Sydney, the ANU and Monash University. Professor Keedy said that during his time in Newcastle he had had to spend a great deal of time on administrative matters, to the detriment of his research. It became clear that he had reached a decision point in his career: either to become a full-time administrator - a possibility which he considered very seriously - or concentrate on research. In the end, 'the opportunities favoured the later,' he said. 'As one of several computer science professors at Bremen I will have much more opportunity - and better resources - to concentrate on my research than in Newcastle. Since taking the decision to resign I have worked hard to ensure that I will leave behind a viable department. I feel confident that I have achieved this, but fear that if the department is not treated fairly in future matters such as allocation of new academic and technical positions, or with respect to proposed changes in quota arrangements, or if, for example, the department is not permitted to relocate into the new computing building, then the stability of the department could perhaps be put at risk. No good computer scientist has any difficulty finding suitable positions in other universities.' Professor Keedy said he was a strong supporter of the thrust behind the Green Paper, although he did not agree with all the details. He expressed doubts that some academics in the University were capable of coming to terms with the changed climate, and felt that this would be a key issue affecting the future success and prosperity of the University. He also expressed some doubts about the ability of University bodies to come to terms with the changed climate and made special mention of what he described as the poor performance of the Senate Research Committee over the past year. One of the key events which had contributed towards his decision to leave Newcastle, he said, had been the rule change in 1986 which allowed academics below the rank of professor to become Deans. He had in fact applied for his new position a few weeks after the election of a new Dean of Mathematics under the new rules. 'Although I understand the arguments for democracy in universities, I firmly believe that it is a great mistake to elect academic leaders in the way it now occurs in Newcastle. In such a system, one cannot expect to attract or retain good professors.' Professor Keedy added that he welcomed the changes now being planned in the University's structure, including both the new school structure, where he particularly welcomed the formation of a new Faculty of Information Sciences, and the prospect of amalgamation with the Hunter Institute of Higher Education. He hoped that academics would work together in support of these changes, without which the University's future would be 'bleak indeed'. This image was scanned from a photograph in the University's historical photographic collection held by Cultural Collections. If you would like to comment on the photograph, please contact Cultural Collections or add a Recollection, using these instructions.InformationDatenot specifiedSourcehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/uon/2654218645/

IdentifierP799B-7b

Relates to

CollectionUniversity of Newcastle HistorySubjectUniversity of Newcastle (N.S.W.)Newcastle UniversityKeedy

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RestrictionsThe image can be used for study and personal research purposes. If you wish to reproduce this image for any other purpose please contact Special Collections. Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

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