Bob Edlin: “Freedom” group voices dismay at Dame Jacinda’s new job.....

....but what does a Professor of Practice do?

Big-wigs at the University of Sydney this week expressed their delight at hiring Dame Jacinda Ardern.

Their press release said:

Former New Zealand Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dame Jacinda Ardern GNZM will join the University of Sydney as a Professor of Practice from October 2026, bringing her experience leading New Zealand and a global focus on leadership with empathy to the University community.

Her work will focus on empathetic leadership, social cohesion and civic trust; further developing new approaches to global and values-based leadership; as well as exploring new ways to address global health challenges centred on equity, inclusion and wellbeing.

Based in the University of Sydney School of Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine and Health, Dame Jacinda will work closely with the Sydney Policy Lab and the office of the Vice-Chancellor on initiatives across the University.

Professor Mark Scott, Vice-Chancellor and President, said it was a great pleasure to welcome Ardern to the university – “I have long admired the courage and humanity she brought to public life”.

Alia Bland, Co-founder of an outfit called Voices for Freedom, was not so pleased.

She wrote an open letter to Professor Mark Scott, Vice-Chancellor and President of the university, to say:

I read with absolute disgust that the University of Sydney has appointed Jacinda Ardern as Professor of Practice, where she will apparently be sharing her wisdom on empathetic leadership, social cohesion and civic trust.

You cannot be serious.

And:

Appointing Jacinda Ardern to teach social cohesion is rather like appointing Jeffrey Dahmer to teach a course on wellbeing, or Jimmy Savile to run the local daycare centre. The sheer absurdity would almost be funny if the consequences of her leadership weren’t so hideously tragic.

Bland proceeded to recall happenings at the height of the COVID response, when (she contended) her organisation was receiving

“… upwards of 1,000 emails a day. Desperate people reaching out because they had lost their jobs, their incomes, their homes and, in many cases, their will to live.”

She said she had no objection to universities studying Ardern’s leadership.

“In fact, I would encourage it. There is an enormous amount to learn from what happened in New Zealand between 2021 and 2023. Like, what not to do…

But presenting her as someone uniquely qualified to teach empathy, social cohesion and civic trust, without acknowledging the extraordinary human suffering that occurred under her Bleadership, is an insult to the people who paid the price.”

But let the record show there are plenty of supporters of the appointment.

Among approving comments on the university’s Facebook page are:

• Darryl Gardiner, a Board member of World Vision Australia, who said “Great news”.
• Anne Robinson, Founder and Consultant at Prolegis Lawyers, said: “Excellent appointment! Well done Mark Scott and USyd.”
• Sophia Agneskis, at the Australian National University, enthused: “Fantastic development! Congratulations Kate Harrison Brennan Sydney Policy Lab University of Sydney”.

But PoO could spend much too much time weighing support and opposition to the appointment.

We were more curious about the job title and what it implies.

We had to do some Googling and learned that a Professor of Practice teaches applied, real-world knowledge from their extensive career experience in industry, government, law, or leadership rather than focusing purely on traditional academic research.

According to Google, here’s what such professors do:

• Real-World Application: They translate high-level professional experience into actionable lessons, bridging the gap between textbook theory and practical execution.
• Specialized Subjects: Depending on their background, they teach courses in fields like public policy, business management, engineering, law, journalism, or public health. For example, former political leaders or executives might teach leadership, crisis management, or corporate strategy.
• Instructional Formats: Rather than only leading standard semester-long lectures, they frequently run masterclasses, guest lectures, case study reviews, and workshops.
• Mentorship: A core part of their role involves direct student mentorship, advising career paths, and connecting academic learning to actual workplace challenges.

A traditional professor would have an advanced academic degrees (Ph.D) and academic publishing. A professor of practice would have fecades of high-level leadership or practice in industry, public service, or government

According to our Google responses, New Zealand universities appoint people who do the work of a “Professor of Practice”, though naming conventions can vary across institutions.

While traditional academic hierarchies (Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, and Professor) dominate the Kiwi tertiary landscape, universities use practice-focused titles to bring external experts, industry leaders, and senior executives into the classroom.

Some universities group their applied and practical leadership programmes into distinct hubs. For example, the University of Canterbury has a specific School of Leadership and Professional Practice. These faculties focus heavily on practice-based study and field experiences rather than purely traditional academic publishing.

In fields like health, nursing, and engineering, New Zealand universities frequently hire professionals with extensive operational experience. While they are sometimes given titles like “Senior Lecturer in Practice” or “Professor of Community Nursing”, their mandates mirrors the Professor of Practice model: bringing frontline clinical and industry expertise straight to students.

The title of Adjunct Professor (Google says) is often given to external business or policy leaders who teach part-time while maintaining their primary corporate or government careers.

Universities worldwide are said to be increasingly recognising the value of practitioner faculty to address skills gaps and enhance employability outcomes. Policies supporting these roles continue to expand, with more institutions formalizing appointment processes and career tracks.

Emerging areas like data analytics, sustainable business practices, digital media, and public health innovation are seeing particular demand for such expertise. As higher education emphasizes experiential learning and industry alignment, the model is expected to grow.

Maybe the crew at PoO should be considering the job opportunities to be found in academia.

Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE.