Happy 20th anniversary to the Crawford School

By Emeritus Professor Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt AO 

My time at Crawford was most wonderful. Looking back on the more than fifteen magnificent years I spent as part of your vibrant community, specifically within the Resources, Environment and Development (RE&D) Program, my heart is filled with immense, enduring gratitude. It was here that my academic life truly flourished, nourished by clear, inspiring horizons, generous space, and milestones that allowed me to grow into the scholar and mentor I am today. Crawford did not merely host my work; it shaped how I view the world and my place within it.  

Crawford's hallmark has always been its uncompromising focus on real-world impact. It is not a detached ivory tower where theory exists for its own sake. Instead, it operates at the vibrant, sometimes messy intersection of rigorous academic research, deep regional expertise, and active policy engagement. Whether shaping debates in the Parliament House or working alongside local communities across Asia and the Pacific, Crawford scholars don't just study policy: they help shape it, influence it and sometimes create it from scratch.  

Crawford has always been so much more than an academic institution. To me, it is a sanctuary of big ideas, deep camaraderie, and relentless dedication to the public good. To walk through Crawford’s doors was to enter a place where global impact always felt within reach, yet grounded in profound humility. Crawford has a rare but beautiful culture: it is a place free of self-important 'stars'. It is a community that treats everyone with equal measure: with dignity, with deep respect, and with the genuine affection that allows people to take risks and flourish. 

Some of my fondest memories live in the quiet everyday rhythms of the building: the chance meetings in the mailroom, leaning against the counter by the sink in the kitchen, or running into someone at the fridge. In those unscripted corridor chats, casual hellos turned into rich intellectual debates, collaborative sparks, and friendships that have outlasted my time in the halls. 

A special note of warm appreciation goes to our capable Director, Janine O’Flynn, whose brilliant and thoughtful leadership continues to guide Crawford into this new decade with grace, clarity, and strength. My heartfelt thanks also go to our incredible professional staff. You are, and have always been, the beating heart and backbone of everything Crawford achieves. Your quiet dedication, administrative wisdom, and constant kindness behind the scenes make all the research, teaching, and policy impact possible. 

As Crawford enters its third decade, the question is what lies ahead. The future will belong to academics who can bridge the gap between high-level geopolitical shifts and power dynamics in the emergence of Global South countries and the grassroots realities these changes bring to these contexts. 

With this major paradigm shift, most traditional approaches and perspectives will no longer hold sway. This means leading the intellectual charge on how the Global South and the Pacific navigate climate resilience, energy transition, resource scarcity, and shifting livelihoods. Crawford's future success will depend on its ability to keep its research fiercely independent, interdisciplinary, intersectional, and deeply empathetic to the communities at the margins of global policy decisions. 

Challenges in teaching will be no less immense to navigate. Already, the use of AI has posed challenges to conventional course development, delivery and assessment. We need to completely revamp the learning experience by thinking outside the box. One possibility is to adopt a one-to-one teaching-learning experience that embraces AI and helps students (and staff) use this tool to their advantage.  

Finally, all these changes would also require introducing radical changes in how space is organised within Crawford. With fewer staff and students physically attending classes and seminars, the emphasis would increasingly be on informal, communal events and spaces for one-to-one teaching, mid-sized and large gatherings, and creating more communal spaces equipped with academic resources, as well as fridges and food. 

Thank you, Crawford, for the memories, the quiet victories, the lifelong friendships, and the extraordinary home you created for so many of us to thrive. Here is to twenty phenomenal years of policy excellence, community, and heart, and to many, many more to come.