Dr Jack Hobbs
Dr Jack Hobbs is one of two members on Council elected by the Graduates in 2010. He was previously an elected academic staff representative on Council from 1994 to 1996. Jack has had a long association with UNE. He held the positions of Teaching Fellow, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor in Geography from 1965 to 1998, and was Head of the Department of Geography and Planning from 1986 to 1992. His main research and teaching interests were in Climatology and Natural Hazards. From 1993 to 1998 he was Associate Dean and occasional Acting Dean in the Faculty of Arts. During his time as an academic Jack served on many University and Faculty committees, often as Chair. He currently chairs the UNE Convocation Standing Committee.
His experience outside UNE has included membership of the NSW State Government Emergency Services Customer Council, the National Emergency Management Curriculum Advisory Panel for Emergency Management Australia, External Advisory and Course Assessment Committees for other institutions, the International Geographical Union Study Group on Recent Climatic Change, representing Australasia, and the HSC Geography Syllabus Committee of the NSW Board of Senior School Studies.
He has held visiting positions at the Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia, the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, and the Institute for Disaster Research, Texas Tech University.
Jack’s long association with the UNE residential system has included Resident Tutor in Earle Page College, 1965 to 1969, Assistant Head, 2004 to 2009, and now SCR President. He also served a short spell as Head of Robb and Mary White Colleges in 2009 and 2010.
Jack is currently a Director on the SportUNE Board and previously has served several terms as President, Vice-President and committee member, and as President of the Hockey, Cricket and Fitness clubs.