Dr Warrick Long is the new chief financial and operations officer at Avondale University.
Convenor of the Master of Business Administration, Dr Long has almost 30 years’ experience as a secretary–treasurer and company secretary and director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church across the South Pacific. His PhD, completed at Avondale, explored the lived experience of accounting academics at Australian universities.
“We’ll continue to put Dr Long’s expertise in corporate governance and his research about business in the higher education sector to good use,” said vice-chancellor and president Professor Malcolm Coulson. The appointment is as a secondment, which means Dr Long brings not only “a deep understanding of our strengths, challenges and future needs but also of the work of our lecturers and researchers”.
Dr Long began his academic tenure in 2013, so he is enjoying the challenge of getting “match fit” again. Serving as a member of the Avondale University Council Finance and Infrastructure Subcommittee has eased the classroom-to-boardroom transition.
He prays each day for Avondale. During one prayer, he asked “whether I could do anything else to help Avondale remain financially sustainable. Not long after, someone approached me about taking up the role. For this season of my life, this is where God wants me to be.”
Dr Long sees the wider Adventist community as part of his team. “While our staff members go above and beyond to provide a quality experience for our students, we also need our alumni and friends, our churches and pastors, our schools and teachers and our administrators and church members to pray and advocate for—and promote—Avondale,” he said. “This will help ensure we not only have an enrolment that enhances sustainability but more students who have the opportunity to experience a Christ-centred higher education.”
Dr Long replaces Matthew Brown, now senior accountant for Seventh-day Adventist Schools (North New South Wales). During his time as CFOO, Mr Brown supported the renewal taskforce, the university re-registration committees, negotiations on the enterprise agreement, improvements to capital infrastructure and the beginning of an upgrade to student management software.
Professor Coulson thanked Mr Brown for his service: “We’ve appreciated his diligent and valued contribution.”
