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The Forum > Article Comments > The “Super University” where bigger might be better > Comments

The “Super University” where bigger might be better : Comments

By Peter Swannell, published 13/7/2005

Peter Swannell asks if Australian universities must amalgamate in order to survive.

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"Professor Poole is a cunning old fox." - some of us might have used the word vixen.

One point about amalgamations - Millicent Poole's 'university' has never been considered quite legitimate by many people in Perth: one reason for that might be it's resources, eg library resources. It's hugely expensive to provide top class (or even fairly mediocre) library resources. As a graduate of both Curtin and Murdoch universities I can see that with the savings they might obtain by cutting out duplication, together they might have one really good library system available to all students.
Posted by solomon, Wednesday, 13 July 2005 10:27:37 AM
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Swannell's last line "All our smaller universities need to decide which of their own behaviours set them above the rest and define the uniqueness of their contribution. If they don’t do this, they won’t survive."

University behaviour is often governed (as Swannell would know) by goegraphy and local economies. I'm not saying these are impediments to being competitive (when they often are) but that these variables need to be considered when suggesting behaviour modifications.
Compare UTS with USQ and you start to understand the differences that geography and demography have on market share and access.
From this you would be able to hybridise and couple universities together for beneficial gains. A critical examination of product and outcomes for students has yet to enter into this debate.
Posted by Rainier, Wednesday, 13 July 2005 10:39:40 AM
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I think Solomon is being polite in his comments about the Perth perception of Edith Cowan Uni (ECU). The widely brandished terms "Mickey Mouse University" and "Enid Blyton University" spring to mind.
Posted by fem, Wednesday, 13 July 2005 2:31:28 PM
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fem, much to cruel,but i love it - my university is often refered to as 'Super-Tafe'...ha!

A quote from PROF. ALLAN LUKE from the 4 corners program : Australian universities are caught between a rock and a very hard place. They've been cut and they've been cut and they've been cut. And, as they've been cut, they've been told to go get the money in the creation of the multibillion-dollar Asian student export business - to go get the money from elsewhere, okay. Now, what's that done is that in instances some of the bottom-end players have sacrificed quality. That has had somewhat of a detrimental effect to the reputation of Australian education more generally.
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2005/s1401933.htm

Unfortunately there are those who don't want to admit that the higher education ship is sinking OR there are those who have boarded the life rafts in haste. My prediction is that there will be strategic amalgamations between the middle rung universities,ie,- those with some research capacity will trade with those more reputable teaching universities - but not mergers. The bottom feeders will still have a market share but only as feeders into those above them.
Articulation between the Tafe and Vet sectors will play a bigger role than it has so far.
Posted by Rainier, Wednesday, 13 July 2005 2:48:11 PM
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