Professor Cheryl de la Rey, ACU Chair of Council and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, was honoured with the Symons Award for outstanding service to the ACU at the gala dinner of the ACU Congress 2025.
Professor Cheryl de la Rey, ACU Chair of Council and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, was honoured with the Symons Award for outstanding service to the ACU at the gala dinner of the ACU Congress 2025.
Professor de la Rey first served as a Council member from 2013-2017, including as Vice-Chair from 2015-2019. She was re-elected in 2022 and took up the role of Chair of Council in 2023. Professor de la Rey’s term as Chair of Council ends on 31 December 2025, while her final term as a member of Council will end in July 2026.
Before her current role, Cheryl held a number of leadership positions in tertiary education in South Africa, including being Chief Executive of the Council of Higher Education and Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria for just under a decade. Cheryl’s academic background is in Psychology with a PhD in Social Psychology. She has published and edited chapters, books and journal articles on issues of intergroup relations with a specific focus on gender.
Upon conferring the Award, ACU Secretary General and Chief Executive Professor Colin Riordan said: ‘Professor Cheryl de la Rey has been an outstanding Chair of the ACU Council, as well as a powerful advocate for the role of higher education in building a better future for all. Throughout her tenure, Professor de la Rey has demonstrated a tireless commitment to strengthening the Commonwealth’s global community of universities, championing equitable access to education, driving progress on sustainable development and fostering meaningful collaboration across borders and cultures. Professor de la Rey’s leadership has helped to ensure that universities remain engines of innovation, opportunity and social transformation. It is a privilege to honour her exceptional service and lasting impact with the Symons Award, a truly fitting recognition of her dedication to the Commonwealth and its values.’
I am deeply honoured to receive the Symons Award from the Association of Commonwealth Universities. This recognition is especially meaningful because it reflects the collective spirit of collaboration and shared purpose that defines the ACU. In a world facing complex and interconnected challenges, organisations such as the ACU play a pivotal role in bringing together global knowledge, fostering cultural exchange and advancing equal opportunities through higher education. It has been a privilege to serve as a member and, especially, as Chair of the ACU Council and to contribute to a network so dedicated to creating a more inclusive, sustainable, and educated Commonwealth.
The Symons Award was established in 1973, supported by a generous gift from Professor Tom Symons, founding Vice-Chancellor of Trent University, Canada, former Chair of the ACU (1971-1974) and Honorary Treasurer (1974-1978). The bronze medal was specially designed for the ACU by the Canadian artist Dora de Pedery Hunt.
The Symons Award is awarded upon the recommendation of ACU Council to a person or persons who have given outstanding service to the ACU and/or universities of the Commonwealth. The Award was last presented in 2021 to Sir Edward Byrne, former President and Principal of King’s College London, UK and Monash University, Australia.