Navigating the future of the Sector
21 June 2008
A return to Australia last week to a series of meetings in Sydney that gave an insight into the future of the sector.
It was a few days of wall-to-wall meetings including a national meeting of Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors. The genesis of these meetings was in response to the actions of the previous Federal government, at a time when there was a really strong emphasis on governance, an emphasis that has been downplayed by the current government. Yet the meetings proceed where the two groups’ agendas overlap. There is not much question that the greater involvement of Chancellors in university affairs is contributing to a redefinition of the UK model, on which much of the Australian system of separating management and governance is based.
Another important facet of the few days was the update on a number of the national reviews impacting directly on higher education, and which were reported on by Acting Prime Minister Gillard. We also had released the discussion paper on the ‘Review of Australian Higher Education’. The Review is being conducted by an experienced former Vice-Chancellor, and the discussion paper is replete with examples of how well the sector is understood by the Review panel. USC will now engage in a range of discussions before responding to the Paper by 31st July. Many in the sector are hopeful that the eventual report will provide the rationale for major investment in the sector, which is much needed if we are to be internationally competitive.
From our point of view I hope there will be a recognition of our wider regional role in economic capacity building, and as in Europe, we be funded for activities such as the Innovation Centre programs we have been running, which are not traditional core activities, but are expensive.
Some of the data on how poorly funded the Australian university system really is, is starkly evidenced in the Paper.
At a time when some universities are also struggling to attract students, it was the funding envelope for each university that was worrying Vice-Chancellors faced with a 27 percent staff pay rise proposal. There is little doubt that further job losses are looming in some universities where hundreds of staff have already been shed. The student demographics to 2020 are also not encouraging for such universities, as the relatively booming economy continues to seduce students into jobs ahead of qualifications.
The next year or so will undoubtedly be a watershed period for universities in this country, and the outcomes of the various reviews will be crucial in determining the funding framework for our operations.
Despite the issues, I have never known a period in my professional lifetime when graduates internationally are more sought after than they are at present.
Let us hope that for the sake of the future of this country, we can solve some of the major governance and finance issues that confront Australian universities.
Professor Paul Thomas AM is Vice-Chancellor at the University of the Sunshine Coast.