Australian higher education perpetuates inequality, and ATAR should be scrapped and university places recapped to help fix the situation. That's the argument University of Canberra vice-chancellor professor Stephen Parker made in remarks to the TJ Ryan Foundation this week. Parker's comments came after a ...
More »It will take talent to navigate a turbulent 2016
It’s hard to predict just what’s next for the sector with so many shifting factors in play – but let’s try anyway. It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future, the Danish proverb runs. This is particularly true in ...
More »How to engineer a better STEM future?
Getting enough students into STEM subjects to keep Australia competitive will require starting early and focusing on girls. Linda Kristjanson interviewed by Amie Larter With the federal government recently spruiking the need for higher numbers of STEM graduates in order ...
More »Uni chiefs urge fresh research funding debate
Go8 vice-chancellors have combined to call for fresh debate on research funding in universities. The leaders warn that without adequate federal investment, institutions have few options to make up the shortfall. Each university chief penned thoughts on the topic in the group’s ...
More »Authentic, worldwide
There is much more to being an international university than attracting foreign students. Australia, we proudly tell ourselves, has one of the most international university systems in the world. The recently released Draft National Strategy for International Education shows a ...
More »The challenge is to spread innovation everywhere
“If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.” Perhaps not one of the most famous quotes ever, but it sums up precisely why Australia must be innovative. It would appear that here ...
More »Schmidt to lead ANU from 2016
Nobel laureate professor Brian Schmidt has been announced as ANU’s next vice-chancellor. Schmidt, who most recently made headlines calling for the establishment of a national agency to address Australia’s poor track record in science, technology and innovation, has worked at the ...
More »Opinion: Research needs a better sales pitch
The competition for funding dollars is intense; the sector needs to do a better job of showing the public the benefits of investment in science. By Deborah Terry The federal Budget announcement of continued NCRIS funding for two more years ...
More »Must-haves for today’s student
Essential attributes universities should embody to deliver solid student outcomes. More students than ever are making the decision to enrol in higher education in this country, an outstanding milestone, but it also comes at a time when students are more ...
More »Fresh calls to cap VC pay
The latest round of annual reports has led to fresh claims from the Greens of hypocrisy by universities for paying large salaries to vice-chancellors whilst pushing for the right to increase student fees. Annual reports from public universities show that some university chiefs are ...
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