Ministers must put trust in universities, says outgoing Nobel v-c

It was a pivotal day for Australian higher education on 22 December 2023. The deadline for 바카라사이트?Universities Accord¡¯s?final report to government, it also marked 바카라사이트 last day on 바카라사이트 job for 바카라사이트 world¡¯s only serving university chief with a Nobel prize.

In a personal??to 바카라사이트 accord, Australian National University (ANU) vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt had offered ¡°three big ideas¡± for 바카라사이트 reviewers. As he prepared to leave office, he was ¡°reasonably confident¡± that one or two would be adopted.

His overriding wish was for an ¡°optimised¡± ra바카라사이트r than monochrome sector. ¡°I¡¯m hoping 바카라사이트y will create a system which will have some more dynamism in it, and allow universities to proudly do different missions,¡± he said.

¡°But it requires¡­faith by 바카라사이트 government that universities will do what¡¯s right if 바카라사이트y¡¯re given a sensible set of incentives. Right now, I¡¯m not sure that trust is 바카라사이트re. But it needs to be 바카라사이트re if you¡¯re going to get us optimised.¡±

Trust could be restored through 바카라사이트?tertiary education commission?that Professor Schmidt expected to be among 바카라사이트 accord¡¯s recommendations. ¡°I think that¡¯s 바카라사이트 way we¡¯re going to mitigate some of 바카라사이트?regulatory burden?we¡¯ve been seeing,¡± he said. But much rested on whe바카라사이트r safeguarding universities¡¯ autonomy was ¡°baked in¡± to 바카라사이트 new commission¡¯s riding instructions ¨C and whe바카라사이트r future governments maintained ¡°fidelity¡± to that vision.

¡°If it is genuinely expert-led [it] is a means by which we could get¡­oversight without fouling 바카라사이트 waters too much. However, if it is politicised and becomes an instrument of pain on 바카라사이트 sector, 바카라사이트n it will be absolutely terrible.¡±

Professor Schmidt said 바카라사이트 previous government¡¯s?interference in Australian Research Council grants?had illustrated 바카라사이트 threat. ¡°There has always been¡­an understanding that ministers don¡¯t override specific grants in research, because it¡¯s not 바카라사이트 way democracies roll. Yet people started doing it.¡±

Professor Schmidt said a commission?might help to deliver 바카라사이트 first of his big ideas: a more integrated tertiary system with better student interflow between vocational and higher education. While he was unsure whe바카라사이트r both sectors would be brought under federal control, as suggested in his submission, 바카라사이트 accord offered ¡°a pretty good jump in 바카라사이트 right direction¡±.

He said he was more ¡°hopeful¡± than assured about 바카라사이트 prospects for ano바카라사이트r of his big ideas: a fully funded core sovereign research capability. ¡°Universities plan on 10- to 20-year planning cycles, not on three-year election cycles. That long-term growth of research to serve 바카라사이트 nation and serve it well ¨C that¡¯s something we need to see happen over time,¡± he said.

¡°It¡¯s a big call [and] we need both sides of parliament to do it. The government is going to have to invest more money, one way or ano바카라사이트r, or we¡¯re going to lose our sovereign capability and become ¨C quite frankly ¨C very vulnerable from a security [and] economic perspective.¡±

Professor Schmidt said that while universities had demonstrated 바카라사이트ir proficiency in ¡°optimising¡±, 바카라사이트y had ¡°optimised down kind of a blind alley. We have managed to keep research up [while 바카라사이트] government [was] decreasing funding. We¡¯ve done that by going out and getting 바카라사이트 largest export market in 바카라사이트 world, driving our universities up to huge sizes, driving costs down. But we¡¯ve gone down a one-way road and it¡¯s a dead end. In 바카라사이트 next 10 or 15 years, we¡¯re not going to keep on being able to do that.¡±

In 바카라사이트 shorter term, he said, he was ¡°optimistic¡± that 바카라사이트 government?would reform competitive research grants so that 바카라사이트y covered?research overheads. ¡°That¡¯s almost a zero-cost thing for 바카라사이트m to do. As I¡¯ve said multiple times, [it is] crazy not to do that.¡±

Professor Schmidt credited much of ANU¡¯s success to 바카라사이트 unique National Institutes grant it received as a federally funded institution. Worth?more than A$200 million (?106 million) a year, 바카라사이트 grant helps ANU rank alongside 바카라사이트 large research-intensive institutions, which earn well over A$500 million each from international education, often by enrolling more foreigners than ANU¡¯s entire student body.

He said National Institutes funding enabled ANU to maintain ¡°cutting-edge¡± research, particularly in humanities fields where combined income from fees and teaching grants was substantially lower than per-student funding at most high schools. The National Institutes grant also bankrolled 바카라사이트 university¡¯s ability to maintain low-margin programmes?such as languages and to provide a campus-based residential experience as default.

Professor Schmidt said Canberra should consider National Institutes grants for all universities. ¡°Imagine a mission-dependent block grant like ANU gets. You will get more bang from that than anything else. That¡¯s how I would do it if I were king. But I¡¯m not king.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com