Australian Catholic University (ACU) has a fourth Vice-Chancellor and President, Zlatko Skrbis, who held the role in January 2021 and was later reelected in late 2024 to serve a second five-year term until December 2030. Skrbis, being the chief executive officer of one of the most respected catholic institutions in Australia, has become the face of Australian higher learning and has managed to influence the future of the university in terms of academic excellence and social accountability. To people who are trying to find answers to the questions regarding the leadership structure within ACU, the understanding of Zlatko Skrbis and his vision sets the necessary context for the current direction of the university.
Who Is Professor Zlatko Skrbis?
Academic Background
Zlatko Skrbis was born in 1966 in Maribor, Slovenia, and brought with him a refreshing international perspective to the Australian higher education. He is a PhD holder in Sociology (Flinders University, 1991-1994) and has undergraduate degrees in Sociology of Culture and Philosophy. His academic background provided him with the theoretical background to look at the leadership of the university through an evidence-based approach.
After completing his doctoral studies, Skrbis had an impressive career in the Australian universities in the top institutions, such as the University of Queensland and Monash University, where he held a position as the Vice-Provost and Senior Pro Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs. These advanced institutions have made him a respected leader who has a deep appreciation of research excellence as well as transformative teaching practices.
Research and Scholarly Excellence
Zlatko Skrbis, as a scholar, has contributed a lot to the field of sociology, especially in the sphere of migration studies, cosmopolitanism, nationalism and life-course research. He is the Principal Chief Investigator on the multi-wave ARC Discovery Project “Our Lives”, a longitudinal study exploring the life journeys of young Queenslanders, which, through ongoing funding underpinned since 2006.
Skrbis is the author of such influential books as Cosmopolitanism: Uses of the Idea, which he wrote with Ian Woodward, that discusses the ways in which individuals experience cultural difference in modern society. His academic papers have been published in major international journals, and it has proven his qualifications as a strict academic with international impact on the intellectual world.
The Path to Vice-Chancellor
Leadership Journey
Skrbis was appointed to ACU as Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Students Learning and Teaching, in November 2018, before becoming the Vice-Chancellor in January 2021, changing to the post of Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education and Innovation. This advancement enabled him to gain a close understanding of the culture, challenges and opportunities of ACU.
His appointment was a breakthrough for the Australian Catholic University. According to Skrbis, then-Vice-Chancellor Greg Craven lauded “his practical style of assisting research and innovative learning and teaching practices” and his “substantial management abilities and resoluteness to enhance social equity.”
International Recognition
Skrbis has, since his appointment as Vice-Chancellor, reached further out of ACU. He also represented a major association of Catholic universities around the world as President of the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities (SACRU) from 2022 to 2024. He is also the President of the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association (AHEIA), a member of Universities Australia Board and the Athena Swan Australia Advisory Committee – a set of roles that reflect the trust that Australian higher education colleagues have in his vision.
Leadership Vision and Achievements
Vision 2033: Mission-Driven Strategy
During the leadership of Skrbis, the ACU has introduced Vision 2033, which is a transformative ten-year strategic plan in which human flourishing is at the core of the mission of the university. Such a framework binds ACU to empower lives, build prosperous communities, and create ethical future goals that meet the catholic values, yet not lost in the current Australian issues.
Academic Excellence and Growth
Skrbis put investment in the financial stability and quality of academics in his first term. ACU has undergone record student enrollments, both domestic and international, under his administration, with the building of the ACU Online campus to further open the possibilities of education to geographically isolated groups.
Research Leadership
This is one of the greatest contributions that Skrbis has made towards bringing the research profile of ACU to unprecedented heights. In October 2025, ACU was ranked 1st in Australia and 17th in the world regarding the quality of research in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings – a ranking it has retained after three consecutive years. The researchers at ACU have over 30 names on the Stanford University/Elsevier Global Researcher recognises 2% of the world, highlighting the quality of scholarship that is taking place in the university.
Second Term and Future Direction
Reappointment to 2030
Skrbis was reappointed by the Senate of ACU to a second five-year term of office running through January 2026 to December 2030 in December 2024. His appointment was the acknowledgement of his capability of managing the university in the changing policy and funding environments that characterise Australian higher education.
The peculiar feature of the leadership of Skorbis is that it is based on strict scholarship and experience at the same time. Instead of approaching the management in a university in an operationalistic way, he applies the sociological perspective to issues of institutional intent, fairness, and social relevance. His frequent blog posts on the ACU site respond to issues of today, like how to reconcile with the Indigenous people of Australia, to the importance of studying Western intellectual tradition, which reveals an intelligent leader who thinks about the role of education in society.
Frequently Asked Questions About Zlatko Skrbis and ACU
Who is the Vice-Chancellor of Australian Catholic University?
The fourth Vice-Chancellor and President of ACU is Zlatko Skrbis, who was appointed to the position in January 2021 and reappointed to a second term in December 2024 until December 2030. His job is to decide on the course of strategic direction of the university and to act as a representative of ACU in the country and abroad.
What is Zlatko Skrbis’s academic background?
Skrbis is a doctor of Sociology at Flinders University and undergraduate degree in Sociology of Culture and Philosophy at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He is also a graduate of Harvard Business School Program for Leadership Development, where he got a classical liberal education in conjunction with modern organisational leadership education.
What is ACU’s global reputation?
Australian Catholic University is one of the leading universities in the global system, as it is ranked 1st in Australia and 17th in the world in terms of research quality. The university is also among the top 100 young universities in the world and is ranked among the 10 best catholic universities in the world.
Is the Australian Catholic University good?
Yes, ACU has positioned itself as a great institution in various aspects. The university has the highest quality of research in Australia, high teaching results and satisfaction by the students and a high rate of graduate employment. ACU is a viable option for Australian students in search of quality education based on Catholic values.
Conclusion
Zlatko Skrbis is a reflective, visionary international university leader- a man with great intellectual insight and a strategic grasp. He leads an institution that is dedicated to excellence in academia, impact of research, and service to the community as the Vice-Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University. His re-appointment up to 2030 shows that his leadership is trusted in such a transformative time of Australian higher education.
Whether researching the options of universities, examining the higher education of the Catholic communities, or trying to comprehend the Australian university leadership, the path and vision of Zlatko Skrbis is a strong representation of where the ACU is going within the next ten years. Skrbis is making ACU a university where education can help the individual and the social good in general, through Vision 2033 and the dedication to research excellence.
