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Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer

A higher level of academic and pastoral care among staff members and students encouraged Dr Philip Brown (pictured) to accept a call as vice-president (learning and teaching) at Avondale College.

Philip, appointed by Avondale College Council at its meeting on March 17, served most recently as executive principal at the University of Western Sydney College. "I've come from a secular workplace where there's no overarching ethos, a Christian worldview, that unites such a diverse staff," he says.

The Avondale alumnus--he graduated with a Bachelor of Education in 1986--replaces Dr Malcolm Coulson, who accepted a call as principal of Darling Downs Christian School in Toowoomba, Queensland.

"I enjoyed working with the staff here," says Philip of his time as acting registrar in 2002. "They're a tight group because they all share the same commitment to each other and to students."

Philip received a scholarship to complete his EdD at La Sierra University (Riverside, California, USA), from which he graduated in 1997. His doctoral thesis examined the factors contributing to administrative stress and job burnout among principals at year-round schools. The Seventh-day Adventist Church's North American Division implemented a number of Philip's recommendations.

Credit: Ann Stafford