[LINK] Agenda for Australian higher education 2013-2016

Roger Clarke Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
Wed Feb 27 18:02:52 AEDT 2013


At 17:30 +1100 27/2/13, Tom Worthington wrote:
>Four themes are proposed
>1. Increase Australians' university participation

It's already way over what's needed, so the very starting-point of 
the analysis is badly flawed.


>2. Develop Australia's globally engaged university sector
>3. A powerful research and innovation system that drives economic and
>social progress
>4. Efficiency, investment and regulation

So nothing whatsoever about the people whose quality and commitment 
is fundamental to the provision of an effective learning environment, 
and to the conduct of quality research.

After a decade of casualisation and demoralisation, that's a travesty.

The managerial era has delivered us a bunch of chief and senior 
executives who are driven by a combination of ego, quarterly-profit 
reports and accompanying bonuses, and who are interchangeable across 
sectors.  Universities have been reduced to a business sector that 
has no distinctive characteristics from any other.


Caveat:  These comments are based on nothing more than the above tiny 
excerpt overlaid over the cynicism that's been generated by exposure 
to the deterioration of university environments over the last few 
decades.


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law               University of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University



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