News & Views item - March 2006

 

 

What are the Responsibilities of a Public University? (March 23, 2006)

    The Vice Chancellor of The University of Melbourne, Glyn Davis, has returned to his plea that public universities be allowed to set their own prices and choose which courses to teach. He also indicated that he is looking to tap philanthropic sources to make up for the continuing decline in federal funding and to compete against the growing private education sector.

 

According to Professor Davis his university sports a deficit of $1,100 per annum per HECS or Commonwealth-funded place, and it is clear that he has given up hope of seeing a significant increase in public funding to overcome that deficit, let alone raising the university to become one of the world's top 50 research universities.

 

As far as Victoria University vice-chancellor Elizabeth Harman is concerned Professor Davis' position is a "cop-out". She told The Age, "He is basically saying 'I give up, we can raise fees at Melbourne University … the rest of you are going to have to cope the best you can'."

 

The federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop, was equally adamant, "In order to deregulate, the sector needs to demonstrate to government and the community that they can deliver excellence, equity and access, and maintain the national interest in fields of study."

 

What Professor Davis has not done and which he would need to do as a minimum requirement were he to go down the road of deregulation is to guarantee that any individual that met the qualifications for entrance to the university would not be deprived of a place through lack of means. That's the "Princeton Model" and it's just about as private a university as is.

 

That said Melbourne University would still be required to meet the commonwealth requirements to maintain accreditation as a university and keeping in mind the lack of a culture of philanthropic support for higher education in Australia, does he really believe that The University of Melbourne would prosper?

 

And there is still no public indication that the university has undertaken a critical feasibility study.

 

It's at least as much a pipe dream as was Melbourne University, Private.