Billions of dollars of HELP loans are never repaid. But the scheme was designed with non-recovery in mind, its architect says. By John Ross. Australians owe the federal government over $20 billion in accumulated Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt, ...

Professor Caroline McMillen has been appointed next vice-chancellor and president of the University of Newcastle. McMillen will take up the position late this year, following the October retirement of vice-chancellor Professor Nicholas Saunders. At present McMillen is deputy vice-chancellor (research ...

Professor Andy Flitman (pictured) has been appointed acting vice-chancellor of Swinburne University of Technology, starting early next month. Currently Swinburne’s deputy vice-chancellor (research), Flitman will fill in between the departure of vice-chancellor Professor Ian Young – who is taking up ...

Swinburne University’s Council has extended Bill Scales’s appointment as chancellor for another five years until September 2016. Scales has been Swinburne chancellor since 2005. He also chairs the Port of Melbourne Corporation and holds senior council and committee positions with the ...

University of South Australia lecturer David Blaiklock has edged out artists from 43 countries to claim two awards at the Hong Kong International Poster Triennial. Blaiklock was awarded the gold and bronze medals in the Act category – one of ...

Victoria University’s Berwyn Clayton has been named VET Researcher of the Year by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research. Clayton is director of the Work-based Education Research Centre at VU. She previously headed the Centre Undertaking Research in Vocational ...

Professor Pauline Nugent takes over next month as deputy vice-chancellor (academic) at the Australian Catholic University. A former nurse and the 2009 Victorian Businesswoman of the Year, Nugent has been ACU’s dean of health sciences since 2007. Before that she ...

Conor King will stay on as executive director of Innovative Research Universities (IRU), following a four-month stint as the group’s acting director. Previously, King spent two years as principal consultant with the tertiary sector consulting group PhillipsKPA, following a two-year ...

The University of Melbourne has appointed directors for two projects funded under the commonwealth government’s Super Science scheme. Associate Professor Glenn Moloney will lead National eResearch Collaboration Tools and Resources (NeCTAR), a $47 million four-year project to develop infrastructure for ...

Universities and research organisations could enjoy network speeds thousands of times as fast as the NBN, writes Beverley Head. Australia’s Academic and Research Network, AARNet, plans a terabit per second communications trial for later this year and believes it will ...