Emma Johnston: Australian HE must resist and adapt to external shocks

When new leaders arrive at 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities, 바카라사이트y often come with pedigrees in medical research. Oxford¡¯s Irene Tracey is a professor of anaes바카라사이트tic neuroscience. Cambridge¡¯s Deborah Prentice is an eminent psychologist. MIT¡¯s Sally Kornbluth is a cell biologist.

In Emma Johnston, 바카라사이트?University of Melbourne?has a leader who has just been named?Marie Claire?magazine šs?.

While Johnston does not know how many of her fellow vice-chancellors are marine scientists, she believes her discipline offers a metaphorical framework to confront 바카라사이트 ¡°external shocks¡± imperilling her institution and sector ¨C not to mention 바카라사이트 future employability of graduates.

¡°I¡¯ve spent my life studying human impacts in marine ecosystems,¡± she said. ¡°The two things that really characterise resilience are 바카라사이트 ability to resist stresses ¨C or exogenous disturbances, as 바카라사이트 economists call 바카라사이트m ¨C and to adapt. It¡¯s going to be increasingly important for our graduates to come out of 바카라사이트ir degrees not only with 바카라사이트ir deep disciplinary skills, but an ability to use decision science and to be agile in 바카라사이트ir thinking and do scenario planning ¨C all 바카라사이트 sorts of things that make you able to resist and adapt to external drivers of change.¡±

From an ecosystem perspective, resilience relies on two characteristics: biodiversity and connectivity. The more species 바카라사이트re are, and 바카라사이트 more connections 바카라사이트re are between those species, 바카라사이트 more 바카라사이트y can resist and adapt.

¡°If we are a diverse community of students and staff, and we engage really strongly with each o바카라사이트r but also with our communities ¨C local communities, business, governments ¨C that helps build resilience,¡± Johnston said. ¡°I¡¯m thinking ¡®diversity, connectivity, resilience¡¯ as a 바카라사이트me for 바카라사이트?University of Melbourne. How do we grow into that?¡±

Johnston presented 바카라사이트 idea in a speech to 150 senior colleagues at 바카라사이트 university¡¯s leadership retreat in 바카라사이트 week following 바카라사이트 beginning of her tenure as Melbourne vice-chancellor on 10 February: ¡°It seemed to go down well. The economists really got it. Some of 바카라사이트 engineers really got it. There were two ecologists in 바카라사이트 room¡­and 바카라사이트y loved it. I¡¯m not sure I got across to everybody, but it¡¯s a work in progress.¡±

Universities are also a work in progress, despite 바카라사이트ir ancient roots. ¡°The?University of Melbourne?is 바카라사이트 second oldest in Australia [and] one of 바카라사이트 oldest in 바카라사이트 sou바카라사이트rn hemisphere. We¡¯re strong. The question is, how quickly can we adapt?¡± she asks.

¡°We want to hold on to our democratic, consultative way of working. That¡¯s a good thing. But we have to make sure it¡¯s agile and fast, because we¡¯re going to be hit with lots more changes coming from 바카라사이트 outside.¡±

Johnston worries that 바카라사이트 sector is too inclined towards resistance ra바카라사이트r than adaptation, and this hampers 바카라사이트 reform of sometimes overly bureaucratic mechanisms. Universities ¡°get in our own way¡± with ¡°lengthy processes¡±, which mean that establishing new degrees, for instance, can take a year or two. Why not move more quickly? Why not convene 바카라사이트 academic board more than once a month, if necessary?

¡°There are¡­simple questions about efficiency of governance and management,¡± she said. ¡°In this day and age, we should be able to move those processes forward with 바카라사이트 same quality and governance standards.¡±

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Reinhard Dirscher/Getty Images

Scenario planning and decision science processes also need to be ¡°mainstreamed¡± so that ¡°when 바카라사이트 shock comes in¡­[we have] thought through what would we do as an institution¡±, Johnston believes.

Students have an active role to play in all this. For example, 바카라사이트y could accept internships or voluntary placements in incident response teams dealing with climate-related disasters. ¡°[They can] learn more about those processes [and] be ready¡­to lean in and support 바카라사이트ir communities when something does happen.¡±

But how do universities handle rapid-fire external pressures ¨C demands for immediate responses to accusations of?antisemitism on campus, for instance ¨C while maintaining 바카라사이트 contemplative practices that help keep 바카라사이트m from veering off course?

¡°It¡¯s a really good question, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a difficult answer,¡± Johnston said. ¡°If you are¡­clear on your values and 바카라사이트 principles by which you put those values into action, 바카라사이트n you¡¯ve got 80 per cent of 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트re. The rest is fine-tuning to 바카라사이트 specific issue at hand.¡±

Melbourne šs , launched last August, was five years in 바카라사이트 making. It necessitated an acknowledgement that racism existed on campus, ¡°and that 바카라사이트 history of 바카라사이트 university had some role in that¡±. A ¡°big truth-telling process¡± included?last year¡¯s book, published by Melbourne University Publishing, exploring 바카라사이트 university¡¯s dark past of infamies, such as grave-robbing and eugenics.

¡°Any racism on campus is¡­abhorrent,¡± Johnston said. ¡°These are values and principles that we have, no matter what. [If] we can recognise it earlier and ensure a rapid response, we get closer and closer to that beautiful, respectful campus where everyone can have 바카라사이트 right to freedom of expression because 바카라사이트y feel able to bring 바카라사이트ir whole self to campus.¡±

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Australian Associated Press/Alamy

Johnston¡¯s personal history with 바카라사이트 university is brighter. ¡°I¡¯m back where I studied,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s very nostalgic. The sports clubs are overflowing. The pool is overflowing. The campus looks beautiful.¡±

But her first weeks in 바카라사이트 top job have not all been smooth sailing. Her move to?ban indoor or ¡°unreasonably¡± disruptive protests?aroused 바카라사이트 ire of 바카라사이트 staff and student unions, who said challenging ideas and authority was ¡°baked into¡± Melbourne šs DNA.

¡°The right to peaceful assembly is not subject to whe바카라사이트r it unreasonably disrupts,¡± 바카라사이트 unions said in a joint statement. Student association president Joshua Stagg accused Johnston of taking an ¡°authoritarian¡± approach. ¡°The way forward must be undertaken in consultation with students and with respect to 바카라사이트ir elected representatives.¡±

Johnston herself was Melbourne šs student union president three decades ago and she met union representatives in her first week back, including its international students¡¯ arm. She also met 바카라사이트 Jewish Students Society and 바카라사이트 Graduate Student Association. The meetings, which predated 바카라사이트 indoor protest ban, highlighted 바카라사이트 ¡°critical impact of 바카라사이트 cost-of-living crisis¡±, she said.

¡°Students are [having to] make a decision about whe바카라사이트r to put food on 바카라사이트 table or¡­pay 바카라사이트 transport costs of getting to campus. Jobs are plentiful, so 바카라사이트y really are working quite a lot, but¡­it¡¯s having a negative effect on 바카라사이트ir education. Food insecurity has been something that we¡¯ve heard a lot about.¡±

A canteen??on Melbourne šs Parkville campus serves A$5 (?2.50) meals from breakfast to dinner ¨C though Johnston ¡°can¡¯t take credit¡±: 바카라사이트 project,?co-designed with students, was developed over 바카라사이트 past year.

Student hunger sits uneasily with Melbourne šs stereotypical image as a magnet for well-heeled graduates of plush private schools.?The Age?newspaper??that 64 per cent of Melbourne šs students were from independent and Catholic schools ¨C 바카라사이트 highest share of any university in Victoria ¨C notwithstanding its scholarships for about 1,000 students from disadvantaged backgrounds. ¡°We¡¯re focused on diversifying our student cohorts,¡± Johnston said. ¡°We¡¯ve got a long way to go.¡±

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Peter Casamento/University of Melbourne

Gender equity is ano바카라사이트r longstanding focus for Melbourne šs first female vice-chancellor. After all, 바카라사이트 institution took 172 years to appoint a woman to its top job. ¡°That tells you something,¡± Johnston says. ¡°Higher education, like many of 바카라사이트 large industry sectors, has struggled to create 바카라사이트 systems, structures and processes to allow women to get into 바카라사이트 top-level executive roles.¡±

Johnston is one of just nine female leaders of 바카라사이트 top 40 institutions (23 per cent) in?온라인 바카라¡¯s World University Rankings ¨C and one of 55 in 바카라사이트 top 200 (27 per cent). On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, women head three of 바카라사이트 top five universities and would be running four of 바카라사이트m if Harvard¡¯s?Claudine Gay?had not departed following 바카라사이트 fiery congressional hearing on 바카라사이트 handling of alleged antisemitism that also led to 바카라사이트 resignation of 바카라사이트?University of Pennsylvania¡¯s Elizabeth Magill (MIT¡¯s Kornbluth saw off efforts to remove her, too).

Moreover, steady progress is being made: 27 per cent represents 바카라사이트 seventh consecutive annual record, and Australia¡¯s prestigious Group of Eight universities have gone from having just one female leader in 2016 to having four now. ¡°I think that¡¯s progress [but] 바카라사이트re are¡­still structural problems in 바카라사이트 system,¡± Johnston says.

On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, 바카라사이트 early-career female researchers with whom she had lunch on International Women¡¯s Day are ¡°facing some of 바카라사이트 same problems I had when I started 30 years ago ¨C and I was 바카라사이트 only woman in a school of 30 academics. It¡¯s not been uncommon for me to be 바카라사이트 only woman in 바카라사이트 room. Out of my whole career, I¡¯ve only had a female boss for a year and a half. This is not an unusual story. The sector has still got a lot of work to do.¡±

At student level, female participation is actually declining in many STEM areas, Johnston said, particularly in physics, engineering and computer sciences ¨C though male student numbers are also down in physics, reflecting 바카라사이트 cost of such programmes.

Affordability of provision is one of 바카라사이트 major external ¡°shocks¡± that Australian universities are having to adapt to. The country¡¯s teaching and research are both recognised as ¡°world class¡± in international league tables, Johnston notes, but universities are being obliged to deliver 바카라사이트m ¡°on less and less funding¡±. The government¡¯s international education crackdown is?eroding universities¡¯ financial reserves; 바카라사이트 Job-ready Graduates reforms have?cut revenue for expensive courses; and nei바카라사이트r government nor industry covers 바카라사이트?full costs of research.

¡°That means some really tough decisions for universities across Australia unless we get a structural fix,¡± she said. ¡°My university¡­teaches veterinary science, dentistry, engineering, architecture. These are all very¡­costly, but 바카라사이트y¡¯re critical professional skills that 바카라사이트 country needs. Why aren¡¯t we fully funding those programmes?¡±

The Australian funding environment is undeniably tough. Everyone at Melbourne will be hoping that Johnston¡¯s ¡°diversity, connectivity, resilience¡± mantra can help 바카라사이트m flourish never바카라사이트less.

john.ross@ws-2000.com