Transcript Slide 1

The future of Higher Education in Australia:
A Vice-Chancellor’s perspective
Nick Saunders
Vice-Chancellor and President
Current Characteristics of Australia’s
Higher Education Sector
• Uncertainty
• Discomfort
• Opportunity
The Nelson Agenda
• Building Better Foundations
• Building University Diversity
• Research Quality Framework
• Learning and Teaching Performance Fund
• National Governance Protocols
• Workplace Relations
• VET – University linkage
• Voluntary Student Unionism
Building Better Foundations
“Re-aligning Commonwealth-State responsibilities”
• Almost all Australian universities established by State
legislation yet almost all government funding for them comes
from the Commonwealth
• Other issues
– Commercial activities, management of intellectual property
– Governance arrangements
– Reporting requirements
– Recognition and accreditation
– State taxes, general legislative requirements
Building Better Foundations:
Vice-Chancellors’ Views
•
Not the main game
•
Need for a national vision for higher education
•
It ain’t broke, so why fix it?
•
Devil in the detail
•
State relationship valued
•
Moderation of political influence
Source: C.Ewan (2005) Draft Report to DEST
Building University Diversity
“What is a university?”
• Approval and accreditation
– MCEETYA protocols
• Breadth of activity
– Research?
– Comprehensive teaching programs?
• Nature of the university experience
“I have sometimes thought of it as a series of
individual faculty entrepreneurs held together by
a common grievance over parking.”
From Clark Kerr, The Uses of the University, Harvard University Press, 1964.
“The multiversity is an inconsistent institution. It is not one
community but several – the community of the
undergraduate and the postgraduate; the community of the
humanist…the social scientist and…the scientist; the
communities of the professional schools; the community of
all the non-academic personnel; the community of the
administrators.
Its edges are fuzzy – it reaches out to alumni, legislators,
farmers, businessman…..it looks far into the past and far into
the future, and is often at odds with the present….Devoted to
equality of opportunity, it is itself a class society.”
From Clark Kerr, The Uses of the University, Harvard University Press, 1964
Building University Diversity:
Vice-Chancellors’ Views
•
Mixed
•
Traditional view prevails
-
•
full range of awards
education across number of disciplines
research active
community engagement
commitment to public good
Arguments put forward by AVCC
-
are about quality and reputation
are NOT about limiting competition or private providers
Source: Quality and Diversity: A framework for approving higher education
providers, AVCC, 2005
Research Quality Framework
• No current institutional assessment of research
quality (other than AUQA)
• Commonwealth funding linked to quantitative
measures (a mix of inputs and outputs)
– Research grants
– HDR student numbers
- publications
- HDR student completions
• Funding formulae have changed behaviour
Research Quality Framework
• Aims to assess QUALITY and IMPACT of
publicly-funded research in Australia
• Emerging system
– Most (or all) University staff
– Peer-review panels, broad discipline focus
– Rating scale sensitive to discipline differences
• Implementation delayed until at least 2007
Research Quality Framework
Unresolved Issues
• Assessment process
• Research training
• Measurement of impact
• Multidisciplinary research
• Early career researchers
• “Third stream” funding
Learning and Teaching Performance Fund
• Aims to reward and provide incentives for excellence in
learning and teaching
• $252 million over 3 years (2006-2008)
• Two stage process
– Stage 1: strong strategic framework (eligibility)
– Stage 2: performance-based allocation
• Indicators
– Graduate perceptions (CEQ)
– Graduate outcomes (GDS)
– Student progression
Learning and Teaching Performance
Fund: Process
• Data on indicators collected by DEST
• Institution given opportunity to submit context statement
• Expert Panel
– considers scores and university statement
– recommends score amendments, if indicated
– recommends to Minister where the scores demonstrate clear differences
in learning and teaching outcomes
• Minister makes determination
Workplace Relations
• Higher Education Workplace Relations
Requirements (HEWRRs)
• Workplace Productivity Program
Higher Education Workplace Relations
Requirements
•
•
•
•
•
Choice in agreement making
Direct relationships with employees
Workplace flexibility
Productivity and performance
Freedom of association
The Nelson Agenda
• Building Better Foundations
• Building University Diversity
• Research Quality Framework
• Learning and Teaching Performance Fund
• National Governance Protocols
• Workplace Relations
• VET – University linkage
• Voluntary Student Unionism
Funding the Higher Education Sector
•Thanks for the
freebies.
Thanks for the freebies
Thanks for the mergers, HECS and poor
indexation.
Photographs courtesy of National Library of Australia and AUSPIC
Thanks for fees, red tape and…
Growth in university student numbers
1950 – 2003
1,000,000
900,000
800,000
700,000
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
2002
1998
1994
1990
1986
1982
1978
1974
1970
1966
1962
1958
1954
1950
0
Note: Includes all domestic and international (offshore and onshore) undergraduate and postgraduate
students
Source: DEST Higher Education Student Statistics (incl. unpublished data)
Commonwealth Expenses 2004 - 05
% total outlay
General public services
6.2
Defence
7.5
Health
18.2
Higher Education
2.5
Schools
3.8
Social security and welfare
43.0
Recreation and culture
1.2
Fuel and energy
2.0
Transport and communication
2.3
Source: Treasury’s 2004 – 05 Budget paper
Average Annual Increase (1998 – 2004)
Index
%
Schools Index
5.5
Average Weekly Earnings
4.5
Labor Force Index (Education)
3.8
Safety Net Adjustment
1.7
Impact of Under Indexation since 1996
State Contributions to Universities (2003)
State Contribution
$ millions
Payroll Tax Paid
$ millions
NSW
21.4
102.8
Victoria
58.4
80.5
Queensland
42.7
48.3
Western Australia
43.5
36.7
South Australia
23.0
22.9
Tasmania
6.5
6.8
Northern Territory
3.4
2.7
ACT
2.0
21.8
Source: Building Better Foundations for Higher Education in Australia, DEST 2005
University Income by Source
100%
80%
State
60%
Other
Student Fees
40%
HECS
20%
Commonwealth
0%
1961 1971 1981 1991 2001
Funding Per Commonwealth Funded Student Place, 2000 - 2008
End of Year Financial Results for NSW Universities
$ million
Charles Sturt
Macquarie
Southern Cross
New England
New South Wales
Newcastle
Sydney
UTS
Western Sydney
Wollongong
Total
2003
2004
10.5
19.2
(2.7)
4.0
16.6
(3.5)
94.7
12.4
0.0
16.5
168.5
4.0
20.6
(5.9)
3.0
(9.9)
(26.9)
77.9
(12.2)
(26.9)
25.4
49.0
Source: Auditor-General’s Report to Parliament 2005 Volume Two
“The role of Australian universities has changed beyond
recognition in the past 30 years. …..They provide
professional qualifications as well as generalist studies;
basic research together with fee-for-service consulting; and
teaching ranges from undergraduate humanities and
science to in-house corporate training.
These disparate and sometimes conflicting roles have
made the traditional government funding arrangements
obsolete.”
From S.P. King (2001). The Funding of Higher Education in Australia: Overview and
Alternatives Aust. Econ. Rev. 34:190-4
Index of revenue 1997 - 2003
1.60
1.50
1.40
1.30
Newcastle
All unis
1.20
1.10
1.00
0.90
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Newcastle revenue vs
expenditure 1997 - 2004
1.70
1.60
1.50
1.40
revenue
expenditure
1.30
1.20
1.10
1.00
0.90
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Financial Performance (Adjusted)
“No pressure, no diamonds”
- Mary Case
Grasping the Opportunity will depend on:
• Mission
• Focus
• Partnerships
• Flexibility