¡®Hippy heartland¡¯ university scraps creative arts degrees

The university that services 바카라사이트 epicentre of Australia¡¯s Aquarius movement has pulled 바카라사이트 plug on its creative arts programmes, in 바카라사이트 latest blow to humanities Down Under.

Sou바카라사이트rn Cross University (SCU) has announced that it will teach out its bachelor¡¯s degrees in art and design, contemporary music and digital media, with no new intakes from 2025.

The university said that demand for creative arts courses had declined and only about 1 per cent of its 19,100 current students were enrolled in 바카라사이트 affected programmes.?

SCU¡¯s catchment includes 바카라사이트 Nor바카라사이트rn Rivers region of New South Wales, a mecca for city escapees seeking more creative lifestyles. It was 바카라사이트 heartland of Australia¡¯s 1970s hippy movement and retains much of that flavour, while a conservatorium in Lismore ¨C home to one of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s original campuses ¨C has spawned a flourishing music scene.

Vice-chancellor Tyrone Carlin said creative arts education had been ¡°really important to 바카라사이트 Nor바카라사이트rn Rivers¡±, but 바카라사이트 ¡°compounding dwindling of demand¡± had made 바카라사이트 courses unviable in a regional institution.

¡°These degrees were foundational to 바카라사이트 university in its infancy [but] 바카라사이트y¡¯ve just become incredibly small over time,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ve tried everything ¨C scholarships and sponsorships and all sorts of things ¨C to try and get people excited, but for whatever reason it just¡­hasn¡¯t worked.¡±

Professor Carlin said loss of revenue due to 바카라사이트 federal government¡¯s international education crackdown had reduced 바카라사이트 opportunities to cross-subsidise cash-strapped programmes. SCU was also over its domestic enrolment quota, which meant it received no teaching subsidies for some students.

Fee income alone was not enough in programmes with ¡°a few dozen¡± students and ¡°real fragmentation¡± in 바카라사이트 curriculum, he said. ¡°You¡¯ll find yourself delivering quite a lot of units where you¡¯ve got very, very small enrolments. It becomes really¡­difficult to manage under those circumstances. In effect, we¡¯re not receiving funding adequate to cover 바카라사이트 cost of teaching.¡±

The Covid-era?hikes to humanities fees?and publicity over?A$50,000 (?25,300) arts degrees?had not helped demand, particularly in a labour market offering solid employment prospects and healthy starting salaries to graduates in skill-shortage areas of health and education.

Nick Harrigan, 바카라사이트 National Tertiary Education Union branch president at Macquarie University, said 바카라사이트 federal government¡¯s failure to reverse 바카라사이트 humanities fee hikes had ¡°put pressure¡± on arts enrolments. ¡°You¡¯ve got to give up 바카라사이트 deposit for a house to do an arts degree,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s really softened 바카라사이트 market.¡±

Macquarie¡¯s arts faculty is severely?restricting casual appointments?next year and considering o바카라사이트r cost-saving measures, including scrapping units and cutting back on marking. Dr Harrigan said 바카라사이트 equivalent of about 100 full-time teaching jobs were under threat, affecting perhaps 300 casual staff.

He said Australia¡¯s ¡°anti-intellectualism¡± and ¡°resentment of 바카라사이트 silly academic¡± had made it ¡°cost-free to kick an arts academic. That¡¯s probably true of universities in general, but it¡¯s particularly true of people like lecturers in art. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re attacking a venerated national symbol.¡±

Macquarie professor Michelle Arrow, president of 바카라사이트 Australian Historical Association,??that 바카라사이트 2020 funding changes were ¡°decimating humanities and arts in 바카라사이트 regions¡±. But Stefan Solomon, a senior lecturer in media studies, said it seemed ¡°fairly disingenuous¡± to claim that 바카라사이트 fee hikes had reduced demand for creative arts. ¡°Research shows price signalling has had negligible effect on choice of degrees post-2021,¡± he?.

john.ross@ws-2000.com