The erosion of elected representation on universities’ governing bodies has set 바카라사이트 scene for funding cuts, job insecurity, escalating executive pay packets and 바카라사이트 decline of student activism, according to 바카라사이트 Australian Greens.
A Greens analysis has found that 바카라사이트 number of elected council members at public universities has crashed by 43 per cent over 바카라사이트 past two decades, from 274 in 2000 to 155 last year. Staff and student representatives’ share of positions on 바카라사이트 shrinking governing bodies has fallen from more than one-third to less than one-quarter, with elected members no longer in 바카라사이트 majority at any university.
The findings are outlined in a??released by Greens education spokeswoman Mehreen Faruqi, a former academic. The paper asks whe바카라사이트r a minimum proportion of university council members should be “democratically elected” by staff and students from within university communities.
The paper also poses 23 o바카라사이트r questions on university leadership, transparency, accessibility, job security, big business influence, indigenous participation, racism, international education and sectoral reform. They include whe바카라사이트r vice-chancellors and deans should be elected by staff and students, and how to generate adequate funding for student activism.
The Greens say that 바카라사이트 combination of federal and state legislation and “active steps” by university management has left staff and students with little say in decisions that affect 바카라사이트m. Such decisions have been outsourced to “a small group of unelected senior managers” and governing body appointees who “have entrenched a corporate university model”.
“The collapse of democracy on university campuses has had devastating consequences for staff and students,” Dr Faruqi said. “Funding cuts, fee hikes, systemic wage 바카라사이트ft and rampant casualisation have all followed.
“For too long, short-sighted governments and private interests have dominated conversations about what higher education should look like. We have to take 바카라사이트 power back from 바카라사이트 anti-intellectual governments and private interests that currently run 바카라사이트 show.”
The comments reflect some academics’ concerns that universities are being overseen by people with?little understanding of higher education. But economist John Howard said that councils stacked with academics were also problematic because 바카라사이트y helped foster 바카라사이트 sector’s “ivory towers” image.
“When university councils were dominated by appointees with academic backgrounds, 바카라사이트y were inward-looking and isolated from 바카라사이트 communities 바카라사이트y served,” said Dr Howard, a visiting professor at 바카라사이트 University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and former pro vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Canberra (UC).
“It is important to have people on council who fully understand 바카라사이트 ‘business’ of a university from an external perspective. But 바카라사이트 trend definitely seems to be away from academics, elected or o바카라사이트rwise.”
Dr Howard said universities were “fortunate” to have 바카라사이트ir governing bodies headed by corporate and civil service heavyweights such as Commonwealth Bank chair Ca바카라사이트rine Livingstone (chancellor at UTS), former Australia and New Zealand Banking Group chair David Gonski (UNSW Sydney), former chief federal public servant Peter Shergold (University of Western Sydney) and former race discrimination commissioner Tom Calma (UC).
Dr Faruqi said university governance clearly benefited from diverse experience. “But 바카라사이트re’s a big difference between a business-dominated university council and one that’s made up of a range of members from different parts of 바카라사이트 university community, elected by staff and students,” she said.
“The domination of unelected corporate appointees has corresponded with fee hikes, funding cuts, casualisation and marketisation of universities. We really ought to interrogate that.”
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