Margaret Elaine Gardner (born 19 January 1954) is an Australian academic and long serving university leader who is the current Vice-Chancellor of Monash University, in office since 2014. She was previously Vice-Chancellor and President of RMIT University from 2005 to 2014, and has a background in economics. Education Gardner earned a Bachelor of Economics with first class honours from the University of Sydney, and later a PhD with a thesis on Australian industrial relations. Following the completion of her PhD, she was awarded a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellowship and studied in the United States at the University of California, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cornell University. Career as an academic Gardner has had a prominent career as an academic, and has served in executive positions with Deakin University, Griffith University and Queensland University of Technology. Prior to her appointment as the Vice-Chancellor of RMIT, she was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Queensland. Gardner was appointed Vice-Chancellor of RMIT on 4 April 2005, taking over from care-taker Vice-Chancellor Chris Whitaker. She has been Vice-Chancellor of Monash University since 1 September 2014. Vice-chancellor of RMIT At the time of Gardner's appointment as vice-chancellor, RMIT was at a crucial point in its 118-year history. RMIT's previous vice-chancellor, Ruth Dunkin, resigned after only four years in the position and the university was fighting to overcome a A$24 million budget shortfall in 2004 that left it teetering on the edge of disaster. By the end of her first year as vice-chancellor, RMIT had posted a A$23.2 million surplus for 2005 which increased to a A$50.1 million surplus by 2007. The fast turn around in finances at RMIT was achieved through the sale of property in the university's extensive real estate portfolio, a 9% increase in student fees and cutting 180 staff positions. Other current leadership roles Executive: Chair of Universities Australia President of RMIT International University Holdings Pty. Ltd. President of the Museum Board of Victoria Chair of the Australian Technology Network Chair of the Education Advisory Group of the Council for Australia-Latin America Relations Director of the Australian Teaching and Learning Council Membership: Business-Higher Education Collaboration Council of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Learning and Teaching Performance Fund Advisory Committee of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Enterprise-Connect Centre Advisory Board of the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Melbourne Graduate School of Business' LH Martin