Rate My Professor Kerri-Lee Krause

Professor Kerri-Lee Krause PhD, GAICD, PFHEA is a leading figure in higher education, currently serving as Chief Commissioner of Australia's Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), appointed on 7 April 2025 for a five-year term. With over 30 years of experience across public universities and independent institutions, she has held pivotal leadership roles including Vice-Chancellor and President of Avondale University, where she oversaw its transition to full university status; Provost at Victoria University, implementing the block model curriculum and driving workforce renewal in higher education and TAFE sectors; Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at Western Sydney University and La Trobe University; and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Life) at the University of Melbourne, focusing on student engagement, safety, and wellbeing. She chaired Australia's Higher Education Standards Panel from 2017 to 2025, spearheading national admissions transparency efforts, and served as elected Chair of the Universities Australia Deputy Vice-Chancellors (Academic) group for four years. At the University of Newcastle, Krause is Strategic Change Leader and a member of the Executive Committee, appointed 21 October 2024. She also holds non-executive directorships on various boards and is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for the Study of Higher Education.

Krause's academic interests centre on higher education leadership, quality enhancement, student experiences for diverse cohorts, institutional turnaround, organisational renewal, curricula evolution, academic work, standards, and governance. Her influential research includes the landmark report 'The First Year Experience in Australian Universities: Findings from a Decade of National Studies' (2005, co-authored with R. Hartley, R. James, and C. McInnis), which shaped national understanding of student transitions. Her latest publication, 'Learner-Centred Leadership in Higher Education: A Practical Guide' (2024, Routledge), distils decades of scholarship into practical strategies emphasising learner-focused leadership. Internationally recognised, her work has profoundly impacted policy, practice, and equity in Australian higher education, including contributions to student success frameworks and regulatory standards.