ANU Vice-Chancellor Advocates funding and performance of universities must be far more tightly linked. (September 11, 2008)

To mark the launch of the second ANU poll Professor Ian Chubb, vice-chancellor of the Australian National University (ANU) spoke at length regarding its findings and his views of what needs to be done to boost higher education and research.

He concluded his remarks with: But the main takeaway messages for the Government as it grapples with the complexities of higher education reform are fairly simple: Australians are concerned about fair and equitable access to our universities; they view university as one important way of improving the job prospects of their kids, but not the only avenue to success; and they believe that the decline in public funding for universities has gone too far.

Professor Chubb told his audience: "[T]oday I am going to outline some of the key findings of the ANU Poll of public opinion towards higher education, and suggest some public policy responses that would address those issues... There is... a strong view amongst Australians that acquiring a university education is a much more important necessity in today’s world [than previously and] scholastic ability rather than capacity to pay should determine who receives a university education.

"The Bradley Review will need to tackle the issue of income support [for students] if it is to develop a comprehensive strategy for improving the socio-economic mix of student enrolments in universities.

"While I acknowledge that VET and higher education institutions have different roles, I also believe that structural reform is necessary to enable them to work better together, to meet the need for a skilled and productive workforce..."

The ANU vice-chancellor then asked the rhetorical question: "Do Australians support more Government funding for universities and how do they rate the performance of universities in providing value for money?"

"[As to] the extent to which universities have become preoccupied with managing limited funds and raising new sources of income, rather than with their core educational mission of…educating students... 48 percent of respondents view universities as being mainly concerned with operating as a business. Somewhat fewer, 39 percent, see universities as being mainly concerned with providing students with a good educational experience."

What the remaining 13% think the universities are doing isn't divulged, perhaps they are of the view as expressed by individuals formally occupying the political stage that the universities are indoctrinating their charges to get up to no good.

Then while conceding that "it is entirely possible that all universities will contain some high quality work" professor Chubb, as do the majority of Group of Eight vice-chancellors, want their institutions to be judged on a grouped basis, quite content with all the machinations that that will entail.

When it comes to judge research quality, not until federal funding significantly increases the support for individual researchers and their groups to near full funding will a true change occur. That doesn't preclude institutional funding, but it will increase the consequence of those who do the research and directly contribute to advancing knowledge.

Professor Chubb's address in full is at:  http://news.anu.edu.au/?p=677

For more on the ANU Poll:  http://www.anu.edu.au/anupoll/