The greatest threat to unis comes from their own leadership

Crikey, August 28 2014. Read the original here. In poll after poll, the public has demonstrated its overwhelming opposition to the deregulation of university fees, as to the other austerity measures in the budget. But university vice-chancellors don’t seem to share this opposition — and if they get what they want, it will change Australian society…

The Vice-Chancellors and the budget

New Matilda, July 3 2014. Read the original here. Any serious discussion of university funding and this year’s budget must recognise a simple fact: nothing good for higher education can come of the reforms Joe Hockey announced on May 13. The mood of public anger tapped by the recurrent student protests in the budget’s aftermath…

Why is Sydney University on strike? Because students are not our ‘clients’

The Guardian, Friday August 30 2013. Read the original here. On Saturday, thousands of Year 12 students and their parents will visit Sydney University for Open Day, one of the many such exercises around the country. A full brace of marketing techniques will be deployed to convince would-be “clients” to choose Sydney’s “brand” over those…

Intellectual freedom under threat at Sydney

New Matilda, April 18 2013. Read the original here. The University of Sydney’s cancelation of a June talk by the Dalai Lama, revealed last night by the ABC, is the latest in a series of failures of Sydney’s management to uphold the university’s elementary intellectual and social responsibilities. China forms a key international student market…

Management should pay for their mistakes

The Australian, February 29, 2012. Read the original here. A COUPLE of weeks ago, the University of Sydney asked 100 of my colleagues - the equivalent of three large departments - to show cause why they should not be sacked. Sydney's vice-chancellor, Michael Spence, said the savings would be spent on essential maintenance work and…