Alumnus gives the gift of education
Dr Paul Gardner AM (PhD 1974) has expressed his gratitude to Monash University for a rewarding 36-year career by making a bequest to the Faculty of Education - the first ever bequest by a former staff member to the faculty.
“I was motivated to make this bequest through an overwhelming feeling of gratitude – gratitude to this country that provided a safe haven to my parents who were refugees from Nazi Germany and gratitude to the University for a professional life that was challenging and full of great opportunities to travel and pursue my research interests,” he said.
“Monash gave me the opportunity to teach and to pursue the research that I was interested in. It was a great place to work because we had a critical mass of people interested in science education, which was my area of interest.”
Dr Gardner said he believed in giving back to the community. He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2008 for service to the Jewish community through his involvement with organisations fostering inter-faith and inter-cultural relations and promoting human rights and social justice.
His donation will support students through scholarships and prizes.
“I hope that anyone who feels a sense of gratitude to Monash for the opportunities that it has given them will also consider making a bequest to the University as an expression of that gratitude,” Dr Gardner said.