Looking for equal footing on uneven ground

A decline in the monopoly on the provision of research and the awarding of degrees, and the competitive pressures of a demand-driven market were looming threats to the survival of non-viable Australian universities. Professor Paul Johnson, vice-chancellor of La Trobe University, last week outlined the short-term and long-term threats that he believed, if not addressed, would undermine the status of Australian universities and diminish their influence on society.