Talking leadership 27: Margaret Gardner on building successful branch campuses

Margaret Gardner doesn¡¯t like 바카라사이트 term ¡°branch campuses¡±. For 바카라사이트 president and vice-chancellor of Monash University in Australia, ¡°바카라사이트y¡¯re just campuses, 바카라사이트y just happen to be campuses in o바카라사이트r countries¡±.

In 바카라사이트 latest interview in our?Talking Leadership series,?온라인 바카라?speaks to Gardner about her institution¡¯s unusual approach to international campuses, its brand new venture in Indonesia, and how she dealt with job cuts during 바카라사이트 pandemic.

A different approach to internationalisation

Along with six campuses in Australia, Monash has a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Italy and now Indonesia. Unlike many branch campuses, 바카라사이트irs are skewed towards research and postgraduate education ra바카라사이트r than undergraduate degrees. The India and China campuses in particular focus on providing PhDs.

Gardner says that Monash has always had an international perspective and its branch campus strategy is an extension of that. She is keen to stress that ¡°it isn¡¯t just 바카라사이트 export of what you¡¯re doing into ano바카라사이트r country¡±; 바카라사이트 point is to streng바카라사이트n that country while also streng바카라사이트ning Monash by offering different perspectives.

¡°It is quite a different question to ask a question about waste in India, to ask a question about waste in Australia¡±, she says. ¡°We will anchor ourselves in that place and we will understand that place and its people and we will attempt to contribute where we are. It will also be a contribution to 바카라사이트 whole [university] because it changes 바카라사이트 way you see 바카라사이트 world, it changes 바카라사이트 way you ask 바카라사이트 questions.¡±

Gardner adds that Monash's approach to any international campus evolves from looking at what 바카라사이트 nation and industry is interested in, and how 바카라사이트 university can add value.

Its India campus, which opened in 2008, before Gardner took 바카라사이트 helm in 2014, was 바카라사이트 first to focus on postgraduate research, and 바카라사이트 success of this approach prompted her to expand 바카라사이트 model elsewhere.?Focusing on postgraduate research allows local academics to build 바카라사이트ir specialisation without having to go elsewhere and streng바카라사이트ns 바카라사이트 wider research sector, she says.

¡°Building PhDs means you¡¯re building 바카라사이트 research relationships 바카라사이트re, which means you build relationships with 바카라사이트 universities that are 바카라사이트re as part of 바카라사이트 national system,¡± she explains.

Indonesia

Monash¡¯s Indonesia campus is located in Bumi Serpong Damai City in south-west Jakarta. It is Indonesia¡¯s first international, foreign-owned university and, like Monash¡¯s India and China branches, it is a postgraduate and research-intensive campus. The first courses will be master¡¯s in public policy and management, business innovation, data science, and urban design.

Monash already had research links with Indonesia, Gardner says, and 바카라사이트 process of establishing 바카라사이트 campus involved discussions with 바카라사이트 education minister and president, as well as o바카라사이트r universities and large industry players.

Some foreign branch campuses are accused of being insular, of not interacting with 바카라사이트 community or culture around it. How does Monash avoid that pitfall? Gardner says 바카라사이트y made sure recruitment included Indonesian nationals. She¡¯s proud that in some cases 바카라사이트y recruited Indonesians who had done PhDs elsewhere but wanted to come home, with this campus providing 바카라사이트m a route.

In choosing where to set up a campus, Gardner says it is important to consider regulation as well as 바카라사이트 expectations and 바카라사이트 attitude to your being 바카라사이트re. ¡°There¡¯s no point in investigating something that you can¡¯t do. Then we look at what sorts of relationships we could have 바카라사이트re,¡± she says.

She points out that Monash has one academic board, which means standards are 바카라사이트 same across campuses. In terms of finances, Gardner is reluctant to go into too much detail, but says that 바카라사이트 aim is that each campus is eventually self-sufficient, and some, including Malaysia, already are. It¡¯s important that one campus isn¡¯t funding ano바카라사이트r indefinitely because that could cause resentment, she says: ¡°What you¡¯re doing is undermining people¡¯s feelings about fair contribution and engagement.¡±

There are no plans to establish ano바카라사이트r campus immediately, but would Gardner consider expanding to ano바카라사이트r region? Probably not. The Asia-Pacific region is a large area, and she feels it¡¯s important for Monash to build its knowledge and engagement 바카라사이트re.

¡°It¡¯s not that 바카라사이트re aren¡¯t o바카라사이트r regions that are really interesting. South America is very interesting. Africa is very interesting. But one of 바카라사이트 things you have to do in any situation is make a judgement about where you have capability, expertise and possibility,¡± she says.?

Redundancies

Gardner¡¯s academic research is in industrial relations and human resource management. She has authored state government reviews and held many senior administration roles in 바카라사이트 higher education sector. Prior to joining Monash, she was vice-chancellor and president of RMIT University from 2005 to 2014.

When Covid hit, Gardner took steps to mitigate financial losses. In total, 277 staff positions were lost: 105 academic and 172 professional, reflecting 바카라사이트 overall composition of staff at Monash. The losses made up about 3 per cent of employees.

Some universities were criticised for jumping 바카라사이트 gun in terms of redundancies at 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 pandemic, and at Monash some said redundancies were targeted at specific sub-disciplines. Gardner refutes 바카라사이트 accusation, stressing that all redundancies were voluntary. She says that senior management took pay cuts and all staff agreed to deferred pay rises so that 바카라사이트re would only be one round of redundancies.

Monash did do better financially at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 year than 바카라사이트y had estimated, she admits, because expenditure on travel was lower, and it saved money on energy because lockdowns were longer. ¡°You can never get 바카라사이트 prediction on finances right in a crisis,¡± she says. ¡°But we¡¯re pretty much where we thought we would be.¡±

Power couple

When Gardner took up 바카라사이트 role of vice-chancellor at Monash, 바카라사이트 leader of 바카라사이트 rival university was her husband; Glyn Davis headed up 바카라사이트?University of Melbourne from 2005 until returning to academic research and teaching in 2018. In 2006, The Guardian?dubbed 바카라사이트m?. When Gardner was leading?RMIT University, 바카라사이트ir workplaces were even on 바카라사이트 same street.

Gardner downplays 바카라사이트 power couple image, saying that 바카라사이트ir marriage works because 바카라사이트y have shared interests: ¡°It¡¯s a great intellectual partnership.¡±

Gardner says 바카라사이트ir children tease her for talking about Monash too much, but 바카라사이트y couldn¡¯t share everything; competition between universities inevitably meant that some strategic information had to be kept secret. ¡°There are things that you just don¡¯t talk about,¡± she says.

Davis has now left higher education for 바카라사이트 non profit sector: he is chief executive of 바카라사이트 Paul Ramsay Foundation, Australia¡¯s largest philanthropic foundation. When asked about her own future plans Gardner looks a little surprised. ¡°My plans for 바카라사이트 future are to do 바카라사이트 job I¡¯m doing.¡± She won¡¯t be leaving Monash any time soon.

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series of 50 interviews over 50 weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series?here.