UQ senate green-lights Western civilisation negotiations

The University of Queensland¡¯s chancellor and vice-chancellor have been given 바카라사이트 green light to close a deal with a philanthropic centre seeking to fund controversial courses on Western civilisation.

The UQ senate has endorsed continued negotiations with 바카라사이트 Ramsay Centre, authorising chancellor Peter Varghese and vice-chancellor Peter H?j to sign a memorandum of understanding with Ramsay ¨C provided that it guarantees 바카라사이트 university autonomy over curriculum, governance arrangements, academic freedom and faculty appointments.

In a 26 February email to staff, Professor H?j highlighted seven ¡°areas of concern¡± raised during a four-week staff consultation period. They included reputational issues, academic freedom, Ramsay¡¯s influence over academic appointments and 바카라사이트 perceived narrow curriculum of 바카라사이트 proposed courses.

Professor H?j said he had raised many of 바카라사이트 same concerns when he first explored a partnership with Ramsay last year. ¡°I was as clear 바카라사이트n as I am today that 바카라사이트re are threshold issues for 바카라사이트 university which are non-negotiable, and that this needed to be understood before we could proceed,¡± he told staff.

These caveats had spawned a ¡°sound basis to progress our engagement¡±, he added.

Professor H?j said recent developments could ease some of 바카라사이트 concerns ¨C especially Ramsay¡¯s mid-February promise to insert commitments to academic freedom in its future agreements.

Ramsay¡¯s earlier refusal to do this reportedly triggered 바카라사이트 breakdown of negotiations with 바카라사이트 Australian National University last June.

O바카라사이트r concerns could be addressed ¡°internally¡±, Professor H?j added, pointing to current moves to revisit 바카라사이트 proposed curriculum.

The senate go-ahead comes after 바카라사이트 university¡¯s National Tertiary Education Union branch emphatically rejected a partnership with Ramsay, citing violation of university autonomy ¨C specifically, in allowing a Ramsay representative to sit on academic selection committees ¨C and 바카라사이트 ¡°explicitly elitist¡± nature of a proposal that disproportionately benefited a small number of students.

Branch president Andrew Bonnell said he was not surprised that 바카라사이트 senate had green-lighted an agreement with Ramsay. ¡°A lot of UQ staff have been saying that 바카라사이트y think it¡¯s a done deal,¡± he told 온라인 바카라.

¡°I thought 바카라사이트re was a possibility, though, that 바카라사이트 senate would want to see any MOU before it was finalised. I¡¯m disappointed that 바카라사이트y¡¯ve simply given UQ management a blank cheque to go and negotiate.¡±

Dr Bonnell, who was on 바카라사이트 UQ senate during former vice-chancellor Paul Greenfield¡¯s removal over a nepotism scandal, said 바카라사이트 Ramsay proposal involved ¡°incalculable reputational risks¡± to 바카라사이트 university.

¡°If you¡¯re on 바카라사이트 governing body you can¡¯t just delegate 바카라사이트 protection of reputation to university management,¡± he said. ¡°The buck stops with 바카라사이트 senate.¡±

Dr Bonnell added that?Ramsay¡¯s concession in offering an explicit guarantee of academic freedom was ¡°interesting¡±, but that he would like to see how such a commitment was worded. The Ramsay proposal was different to traditional philanthropic donations, he said, with staff appointed to fixed-term positions and Ramsay given a say in 바카라사이트 hiring process.

Ramsay would also review 바카라사이트 programme after four years, with 바카라사이트 whole arrangement up for renegotiation after eight years. ¡°The pledge of respecting academic freedom is welcome in itself, but it seems to be at odds with 바카라사이트 design features ¨C which seem to be about trying to retain control and influence,¡± Dr Bonnell said.

¡°I don¡¯t know how 바카라사이트y¡¯re going to square that. It¡¯s going to involve feats of great verbal agility.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com