Academic board
February 2006
by Peter Cardwell
Issues For 2006
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Denise Bradley, gave a special presentation on issues the University face in 2006.
The external environment in which the University finds itself is extremely volatile. This follows a period of tumultuous reform in the higher education sector. If recent policy announcements are any indication, it is almost impossible to predict what the Government is going to do next, but there is clear push to differentiate universities by status, creating research and teaching only universities. Old threats such as privatisation and deregulation are also appearing under new guises.
In the national context, demand for undergraduate places has dropped from a high of 251,226 in 2004 to 232,304 in 2006. In South Australia the total number of first preference applications to the three universities has dropped from almost 30,000 to around 20,000 between 1992 and 2006. While demand has remained steady at a state level for the past few years, after 2010 it is predicted to decline rapidly.
In the next few months an American university, Carnegie Mellon, will open its doors in Adelaide with a generous subsidy from the State Government. Competition between the existing state universities is already strong and this move will only increase it.
The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) has a new Minister, the Hon Julie Bishop. It is clear that the new Minister will be different from her predecessor. However, what is not yet clear is how she will approach the major issues confronting universities such as the Research Quality Framework (RQF) and changes to the Learning and Teaching Performance Fund.
There are certain inevitabilities for the University in 2006. The University will need to meet its load targets or be forced to give the money back to the Commonwealth, because for every 100 equivalent full-time student loads it is under target, the University will lose $1.3 million.
It is critical that the University further improve its research performance in preparation for the introduction of the RQF. The Corporate Planning Group has built into forward projections an increase of $5 million in the Vice Chancellor’s Development Fund to support investment in research performance in 2006.
A major triennial academic profile project is planned. The project will look at a number of issues including: the impact of the internal resource allocation model on internal collaboration across the University; the structure of undergraduate degrees and the balance between general and professional content; the balance between undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees; how undergraduate programs relate to the University’s research strengths; and what new areas the University should be developing.
Student Services Advisory Committee
Academic Board approved a proposal to disestablish the Student Services Advisory Committee (SSAC), and establish a Student Services Advisory Group reporting to the Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic).
The SSAC was established in 2001 with a focus on identifying service issues and priorities. In recent years the findings of the Student Experience Questionnaire (SEQ) have become the principal source of information and feedback on concerns related to student services.
A systematic approach to identifying and dealing with these concerns is now possible through the use of the SEQ. Directors and Managers responsible for the provision of student services are required, as part of their performance management agreements, to respond to issues raised by the SEQ.
The disestablishment of the SSAC represents an operational change that is not intended to reduce student representation. The six working groups reporting to SSAC will continue their work, which will be complemented by the proposal to set up a new working group.
At the same time, the student services sub-committee of the finance committee will maintain responsibility for considering matters related to improving the quality of services to students.
Student Services Advisory Committee
Academic Board received a progress report on the Portfolio Entry Trial
2005-2006. The Portfolio Entry Trial is an important initiative targeting
Year 12 students in 12 schools in the northern metropolitan suburbs and one
in Whyalla with disadvantaged student populations and very low rates of
access to university education. Places have been made available in business,
computer and information science and visual communication. The trial has
been very successful.