Professor Newman brings a mix of design and business experiences to higher education and a business acumen to the management of projects and academic units. He completed his studies in Industrial Design at the National Art School (NAS) in the early 1970s and has held various design and design management positions in Australia and Europe. For five years in the late 1980s he was the Chief Executive Officer of the public company, Exhibit Resources, that was involved in design and fabrication of museums and exhibitions. He has held many board directorships and consultancy positions to major companies. He was Head of School of Design Studies, College of Fine Arts (COFA), the University of New South Wales (UNSW) for seven years. He was Director & Dean of Sydney College of the Arts, the visual arts Faculty of the University of Sydney. In January 2005 Auckland University appointed him as Entrepreneur in Residence, a residency designed to initiate new collaborations within Auckland University and encouraging outreach to the commercial community of New Zealand. In September 2006 Professor Newman left the University of Sydney, and is currently President, Raffles University, at its headquarters in Singapore.
Throughout my career in design practice and design education I have been challenged on the designers expanded or exaggerated view of their role and the "mass production" of designers by design schools. I have often been caused to reflect that Design is Access. Design learning, design skills and design knowledge prepare people to participate is all aspects of social, cultural and business life. In this talk I will reflect on the essence of design and how that essence provides real access.
