Prof. Sarah McDonald

Biography:

Professor Sarah McDonald is the inaugural Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience) and Senior Vice-President at Monash University, appointed in September 2024 following the establishment of the University’s Student Experience Portfolio.

In this role, she is responsible for the strategic leadership of student experience and the continuous implementation of equity initiatives, including the award-winning Global Immersion Guarantee and other flagship rich educational experiences such as the Monash Innovation Guarantee and the Research, Experimentation and Discovery program.

Professor McDonald is an exceptional leader with an established reputation for educational excellence and inclusion. Her innovative teaching supports students in becoming global, mobile and flexible graduates who are equipped to operate efficiently across diverse cultural and professional contexts. As a researcher, she examines the emerging field of cultural literacy and the development of research-based practice models for embedding cultural literacy skills in the curriculum.

Prior to her current role, Professor McDonald served as Academic Director (Student Experience) before being appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience), in which she led the enhancement of the educational journey and experiences for Monash students
through developing and implementing collaborative programs between the University’s faculties, portfolios and external partners.

Since joining Monash in 2004, she has also held academic leadership positions in the Faculty of Arts, including Deputy Dean (Education); Deputy Associate Dean (Education); Director, Bachelor of Global Studies; and Deputy Head of School, School of Languages,
Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics. Professor McDonald is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and the
recipient of numerous education awards, including the Australian Financial Review Education Award in International Education for the Global Immersion Guarantee: Transforming Transnational Student Mobility (2020), and the IEAA Best Practice in International Education for the Global Immersion Guarantee (2020).

She holds a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Auckland (New Zealand).