The Real YouQ
Meet Professor Heather Zwicker, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at UQ
Welcome to another instalment of The Real YouQ, a Contact Q&A series offering a glimpse into the real lives of members of the UQ community – from alumni to students and staff.
In this edition, we catch up with Professor Heather Zwicker, the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) with specialty research areas that include postcolonial and feminist theories.
Heather is an Executive Champion with UQ’s Ally Network. The network is a group of well-informed staff who advocate, develop and maintain an inclusive environment for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual and queer (LGBTIAQ+).
Heather is also a huge fan of Australian birds and flying mammals – the more raucous the better!
What is your favourite UQ memory?
Walking to the City Cat after one of my first days of work, where we’d just interviewed a field of outstanding candidates. It was October. A crescent moon was rising over the Great Court and the air felt not just warm but fully alive with flying foxes and other denizens of the night. I thought, “I work here. I work here!” That feeling has never gone away.
Is there a place on campus you feel most connected to and why?
I love the Great Court, especially in the early evening, when the rainbow lorikeets reconvene after their busy, busy days and tell each other all about it – loudly! The riot of parrots in the middle of a major metropolitan campus is really special.
Looking back to the day you first set foot on campus, is there anything you wish to tell that person now?
You have no idea what’s coming. Buckle up.
What’s one fact that people wouldn’t know about you?
I was taught to surf by a bunch of Hawaiian firefighters. Very motivating!
Is there a skill you wish you had learnt, or one that you’re currently trying to master?
I am currently learning Vietnamese. Rất khó!
What are 3 things you can’t live without?
Strong coffee, regular exercise and a good laugh.
What are you currently reading?
I'm reading 3 books: Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead; Robin Diangelo’s White Fragility; and Brian Rosenberg’s Whatever It Is, I’m Against It: Resistance to Change in Higher Education. Life lessons in all.
Who are your real-life heroes?
Every physiotherapist who’s ever rehabbed my various ailments and a whole phalanx of writers: Adrienne Rich, Mike Davis, Raymond Williams, David Wojnarowicz, Kathryn Schulz, bell hooks… People who make living possible in unexpected ways.
The UQ Ally Network recently celebrated its 20th anniversary – what makes you most proud in achieving this milestone?
UQ’s Ally Network is incredibly strong. We have members in every organisational unit, on every one of UQ’s four campuses. The visibility of the Ally Network – whether it’s a gender diversity poster on the door, a rainbow lanyard around someone’s neck, or a progress flag sticker on a notebook – provides instant reassurance that you’re in a safe place. Even though I’ve been an out lesbian for thirty years, those visible signs immediately reinforce a sense of community.
Image: Heather Zwicker UQ
Image: Heather Zwicker UQ
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