Lifelong Learner: Avondale University Awards PhD to Its Oldest Graduate

An adjunct senior lecturer became the oldest person to complete doctoral study at Avondale University when he graduated this past weekend.

Dr. Don Roy received a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) for a second time. “I’ve always been a curious person, and I’m not content unless I’ve got answers,” he said. “I don’t always expect to find answers because, as the adage goes, the more you know, the more you know you don’t know. But writing the thesis has created conversation, which has clarified my thinking and the thinking of others.”

Dr. Roy adopted a critical realist approach to explore the changing mission of Seventh-day Adventist education in Australia over the past 55 years, “a period where I’ve been involved as a teacher, an academic [Dr. Roy is a former head of school at Avondale], and an administrator.” His thesis supports a definition of mission: not as what Adventist education does, but why it does what it does—its motivation, its commitment. “My research also asks questions about how we can better engage with a population in our schools that is predominantly non-Adventist, even unchurched.”

The awarding of Dr Roy’s degree came a day before his 84th birthday.

Joining him as PhD graduates were Linda Cloete and Vladka Henley. Dr. Cloete, a lecturer in the School of Nursing and Health, used a multi-method approach to evaluate the possibility of reversing type 2 diabetes and assess their experience of doing so. Dr. Henley, a high school teacher, explored the factors influencing parents when choosing an Australian faith-based school for their children.

Photo: Maddy Voinea

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Dr. Roy, Dr. Cloete, and Dr. Henley are three of the 243 students who were eligible to march during the ceremonies at the Avondale University Church on Sunday, December 10, 2023. Almost half the graduation class members are undergraduate nurses, who, according to a government-endorsed national survey, rank their course #1 in Australia across all categories.

In a new graduation tradition, undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students who earn the highest grade point average from their school received the University Medal during the ceremonies. Recipients this year are: Brock Goodall and Isobel Plewright (School of Arts and Business); Katie Askin and David Lu (School of Ministry and Theology); Melinda Crevar and Rachael Curnuck (School of Education and Science); and Andrea Kross and Bryn McIlwain (School of Nursing and Health).

Students identified as high or consistent achievers received academic prizes. David Lu and Bailee McLeod are Lake Macquarie campus recipients of the prestigious Avondale Prize For Excellence; Lillian Martin is the Sydney campus recipient. Lu (Clifford Anderson Ministry Prize) is one of three students receiving multiple prizes. Zoe Cochrane is receiving three: Adventist Media Digital Media and Journalism Prize, Allen and Andrea Steele Huguenot History Prize, and W A Townend Christian Journalism Prize; and Hayley Dut, two: Barritt Primary Teacher’s Literacy Prize and Ministry of Teaching (Primary) Prize.

James Marape, prime minister of Papua New Guinea, worshiped with the graduates during the valedictory service on Sabbath, December 9. In a brief devotional and motivational message, Marape, a Seventh-day Adventist, told the class members, “You’re painting your life story on a canvas.” He added, “Paint it well” because every part of one’s story is a foundation for another. The message: You are creating something for eternity.

The graduation class motto, “Wherever you go,” comes from the Bible: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9, NKJV). This is a “reassuring” promise at a time when change and uncertainty are the new normal, wrote Prof. Kerri-Lee Krause, Avondale vice chancellor and president, in her graduation message. With COVID-19 lockdowns, social distancing, and pivots to online learning demanding “resilience, determination and grit,” Prof. Krause is “so proud of the personal, academic, and spiritual growth” of graduates. “May God continue to give you a greater vision of world needs,” she wrote, and “the courage to live that vision.”

The original version of this story was posted on the Adventist Record website.