Background
Herbison was born in Dunedin in 1923, and attended Southland Girls" High School.
Herbison was born in Dunedin in 1923, and attended Southland Girls" High School.
University of Canterbury.
She was the first woman to hold the post of chancellor at a New Zealand university. She earned a Bachelor from the University of Canterbury, a Diploma of Teaching from Auckland Teachers College, and an Master of Arts from the University of Northern Iowa. She was an Associate of the University of London Institute of Education.
She has held a Fulbright Scholarship and an Imperial Relations Trust Fellowship.
She taught at Avonside Girls" High School from 1952 to 1959, and in 1960 became Dean of Christchurch Teachers" College. From 1968 to 1974 she was Vice-Principal of the Teachers College and in 1975 became Associate Director of Christchurch Polytechnic, a position she held until her retirement in 1984.
She was elected to the Council of the University of Canterbury in 1970 and was Chancellor of the University from 1979 to 1984. Herbison was a Fellow of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and the New Zealand Educational Administration and Leadership Society (aka NZEALS. See ).
She was an Honorary Fellow of the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) and the New Zealand Institute of Management.
The at the New Zealand Association for Research in Education honours Dame Jean for her services to education. A leading New Zealand researcher is chosen each year to present the Herbison Lecture. The first Herbison Lecture was presented in 1990.