University Governance and Management

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) cautiously welcomed the announcement today from Minister for Youth and Sport, Kate Ellis, of measures to address the impact of the former Federal Government’s “VSU” legislation.

Compulsory fee reintroduced

On measures announced today, universities would be able to charge students a compulsory fee of up to $250 per year as early as July 1 2009. Students would have the option of deferring the fee to a HECS-style loan scheme.

SOME of the biggest universities in NSW have been hiding the salaries of their vice-chancellors by deliberately writing their employment contracts to make them exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, the NSW Ombudsman has found.

The Ombudsman has accused some universities of effectively "contracting out" of the FoI law by including a clause in the contracts that said disclosing their contents would be a breach of confidence.

CHARLES Darwin University is setting a new standard for Australian universities with its latest appointment.

Darwin-born Steven Larkin will be the highest-ranking indigenous person in an Australian university when he takes up the position of pro vice-chancellor of indigenous leadership in January next year.

"I'm still somewhat overwhelmed," he said.

"This appointment is history-making."

The position, which is intended to make the university's indigenous studies the best in the nation, is the first of its kind in Australia.

The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) will launch a major campaign tomorrow, Thursday 24 July, under the banner of “Our Universities Matter – Investing in People and Society”.

Details of the launch are:

THURSDAY 24 JULY 2008, 12.45 PM

KALEIDE THEATRE,
RMIT UNIVERSITY, SWANSTON ST MELBOURNE (enter from Swanston St)

LAUNCH PARTICIPANTS:

Professor Margaret Gardner, Vice-Chancellor, RMIT University (host)

Dr Carolyn Allport, National President, NTEU
Sarah Cole, Victorian President, National Union of Students (NUS)

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) welcomes the outcome of the 2007 Federal Election. “We look forward to working with Labor to rebuild the higher education sector, to support the promise of an education revolution, and to ensure that Australia remains a leader of innovation and research, in the sciences, in the humanities and in the arts. There will be many opportunities for the new Labor government to demonstrate “new leadership”.

A report card on the higher education policies of the Coalition and Labor parties released by university staff and students on Tuesday has failed the Howard Government for its record on universities.

The report card, prepared by National Tertiary Education Union, the National Union of Students and the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations, awarded Labor a pass on the basis of the well targeted but limited commitments announced during the campaign and its stated commitment to build on these in office.

A report card on the higher education policies of the Coalition and Labor parties released by university staff and students on Tuesday has failed the Howard Government for its record on universities.

The report card, prepared by National Tertiary Education Union, the National Union of Students and the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations, awarded Labor a pass on the basis of the well targeted but limited commitments announced during the campaign and its stated commitment to build on these in office.

The National Governance Protocols were implemented under the Federal Government’s reforms in higher education and became effective in June 2004. The Protocols were to improve governance practices at universities by providing standards to ensure that governing bodies were effectively overseeing the operations of universities.

Report from the 2002 inquiry into the implications for universities of changes in the academic workforce and work conditions.

Nigel Palmer is President of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA). He also has a number of years experience as a casual academic. He retells his exposure to academia as a sessional lecturer, and talks about the ‘elephant in the class room’ that is casual/ sessional teaching.