What should be the political economy of tertiary education in the next decade and beyond?
This seminar will focus on funding and economic policy issues facing Australian tertiary education in the future. The task of the current national review is not just to strengthen the funding base of the sector to internationally competitive levels but to devise a stable long-term settlement of financing, consistent with university autonomy, student choice and cooperative national planning, that factors in both contributions from and benefits to students, employers, the public good and the institutions themselves. Questions include: What kind of national investment is appropriate and what are other nations doing? How can the support of business, government and public be secured for a sea-change on public investment? How should the funding of teaching be configured alongside the funding of research? How much should funding vary on the basis of discipline, mission and social need? How can HECS and student financial support be reforged and rationalized so as to maximize productivity, participation and equity?
Professor Ross Milbourne is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Technology Sydney and a previous Chair of the Research Grants Committee of the Australian Research Council. His recent policy research includes work on technology diffusion and transfer, and estimates of the effect of government funding reductions on human capital (slides)
Tom Bentley is Senior Policy Advisor to Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Director of Applied Learning at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. He is the former Director of Demos, a leading UK think-tank focused on policy and reform in government.
Professor Greg Craven, recently appointed as Vice-Chancellor of Australian Catholic University and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Curtin University, has had a distinguished career in constitutional law and public law and is a well known public commentator. He is also a columnist for the Australian Financial Review.
The session will be chaired by Professor Allan Fels AO, Dean of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government.
Light refreshments will be available in the Woodward Centre from 6.00pm – 6.30pm, followed by presentations from the speakers, and a period of discussion and audience participation.
Registration and further information:
The seminars are expected to attract considerable interest and pre-registration is essential. For information about the seminar series, speakers, parking arrangements and maps visit the Investing in the Future website
Inquiries:
Michelle Segal
Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE)
mjsegal@unimelb.edu.au
(03) 8344 4604
Location:
The Woodward Conference Centre
Melbourne Law School, Level 10
Coordinated by the Centre for the Study of Higher Education and the LH Martin Institute for Higher Education and Management