Academic Board

Emeritus Professor Jim Jackson (Chair)

Prior to his retirement from full time work in 2013, Jim worked in Singapore and Australia as Vice President – Academic, Kaplan Asia Pacific. Immediately before that he was Chair of the Academic Board and Foundation Dean of the Faculty of Law Southern Cross University. Jim is Emeritus Professor of Southern Cross University. Jim has held positions at the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education, and at the University of Wollongong and Bond University. He has written widely in the field of higher education law including papers on governance, regulation, dismissal processes, compulsory student unionism, marketing law, academic freedom, legal rights of international students, speech rights, and fiduciary obligations of university governing bodies. He has also published widely in the fields of corporate, commercial and competition law. He has also been an AUQA auditor and is on the TEQSA panel of experts. Jim currently teaches into summer and winter schools in the Law School at the University of the South Pacific in Suva and Port Vila.

Professor Elizabeth Margaret Deane

Elizabeth Deane has had over 30 years’ experience in the higher education sector. Her experience spans roles in teaching, research and senior management positions including Foundation Head of a department; Head of School; Dean of Faculty and Pro-Vice Chancellor Education and Students. Elizabeth holds a PhD from the University of Sydney and was until her progression into senior management, an active, funded researcher and postgraduate student supervisor in the area of developmental immunology and disease. Elizabeth has also held a number of national and international competitive grants for research into learning, teaching and higher education. Since retiring in 2015 Elizabeth has continued her active engagement with the sector. She has undertaken a number of institutional reviews addressing such diverse areas as students support services; governance and IT provision as well as reviews for new applicant higher education private providers. She continues to be an international reviewer for the Scottish, New Zealand and PNG higher education quality assurance agencies. Elizabeth is actively engaged in supporting higher education private providers and is a member or chair of a number of academic and governance boards of existing and aspiring providers. She is also currently Chair of the WSU Human Research Ethics committee and an external reviewer for the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Gibraltar. At CIC, Elizabeth is a member of the Academic Board and the Teaching and Learning Committee.

Gerald Ng (Dean)

Gerald has extensive experience in the higher education sector and has previously held leadership positions at the Australian Institute of Higher Education and Kaplan Australia. He is passionate about education and committed to providing students with a quality educational experience at CIC Higher Education.

Sharmin Sultana (Lecturer/Student Success Advisor)

Ms Sharmin Sultana joined CIC as a Lecturer in Accounting in 2013. She is well-known for establishing a positive teacher-student relationship. Sharmin has years of practical industry experience in different large organisations with the focus on customer service improvements, profitability and productivity, business strategies and management accounting. Sharmin holds a BBA majoring in Accounting from Independent University, Bangladesh and Masters in Professional Accounting from Victoria University, Australia. She is currently a member of CPA Australia & IPA.

Dr Margi Gibb

Dr Margi Gibb holds a Ph.D and a Master of Education from Victoria University. She has a broad background in inclusive education and has been working in the international education sector for the past fourteen years, as both a teacher and learning advisor. Margi is committed to the principles of lifelong learning, equity, engagement, and empowering people through education. She is a published author, and has taught at universities in Australia and China, as well as travelling widely throughout Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Margi is a dedicated advocated for the student voice and forming partnerships with students. She has represented CIC Higher Education at a HERDSA forum held at Melbourne University, presenting on the topic, ‘Supporting and Encouraging Resilience in Students’, and recently at the RAISE Conference held at Newcastle, UK showcasing CIC’s work in capturing the student voice on the topic of ‘Academic Integrity: What does it mean to you’. Margi was formerly the Senior Advisor: Academic Engagement and Success, advising students through transition and beyond, as well as working closely with academics and senior management to ensure positive learning outcomes for students.

Dr Emma Perri (Associate Dean, Academic Quality)

Dr Emma Perri holds a Ph.D from Macquarie University, a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) from La Trobe University and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (Learning and Teaching) from Deakin University. She has a keen interest in quantitative learning and building students' skills in numerical literary, and currently teaches a range of statistical and data analytic subjects. As Associate Dean (Academic Quality), she is charged with ensuring CIC upholds high standards of academic rigour, including in scholarly activity, benchmarking and academic integrity. Emma also chairs the CIC Academic Integrity Committee.