Richard Mulgan Has Some Advice as to How Glyn Davis Can Get Real Support for His New Look University. (May 2, 2007)

    While Peter Høj on leaving his 30 month stint as chief executive of the Australian Research Council (he takes up the vice-chancellorship of the University of South Australia next month) told The Australian's Dorothy Illing what he thought of the interventionist policies of former Minister for Education, Science and Training, Brendan Nelson, and deplored the cone of silence the overwhelming majority of his academic scientific colleagues kept around themselves, Richard Mulgan offered some advice to Melbourne University  V-C Glyn Davis on how to garner wide support for his new model uni.

Dr Mulgan, the Higher Education Section of The Australian tells us, "has taught at universities in Britain, New Zealand and Australia."

Some excerpts. Dr Mulgan writes:

[Some] years ago I spent a semester's leave visiting universities across the US. Travelling on the cheap (as rank-and-file academics do), I came across many Americans who had no tertiary education but had a generally positive attitude towards universities. Coming from the other side of the world, I would, as normal, try to conceal my true profession. ("No one would ever know you are a professor" is the highest praise we can receive here.)

 

[But in the US] "So you are visiting X (the name of the university)? It's a fine school."

The person might go further with a comment such as: "It's been going through a lean patch recently, but under Y (person unknown to me) it looks like it's coming right."

 

Was their reference to the university's international rankings and an energetic president hiring bright new faculty? Of course not. It would be the football or basketball team and its new coach (paid more than the president and much better known).

 

[Now t]he city of Melbourne is a well-known centre for high culture and the arts. But, the thought occurs, for what is Melbourne really famous?

Melbourne is the undoubted capital of sport.

 

University sports would provide a constant stream of generous donations as moist-eyed captains of industry attended the big games, relived their misspent youth and emptied their wallets. Politicians, too, might become more sympathetic, particularly if Olympic sports were included.

Governments (and the voters) pay lip service to academic research. But they really care about gold medals.

Now while it's true that the Ivy League schools such as Harvard, Yale or Princeton tend to talk up their sports teams lack of prowess (Harvard students have been accused by Tom Lehrer of cheering their teams on with the cry, "Fight fiercely, Harvard"). On the other hand schools such as the University of California campuses and Stanford take their sporting teams very seriously.

Dr Mulgan's suggestion is worth more than fleeting consideration.

And now --Tom Lehrer's version of the Harvard Fight Song:

Fight fiercely, Harvard, fight, fight, fight!
Demonstrate to them our skill.
Albeit they possess the might,
Nonetheless we have the will.

How we will celebrate our victory,
We shall invite the whole team up for tea. (How jolly!)
Hurl that spheroid down the field,
And fight, fight, fight!

Fight fiercely, Harvard, fight, fight, fight!
Impress them with our prowess, do!
Oh, fellas, do not let the crimson down,
Be of stout heart and true.

Come on, chaps, fight for Harvard's glorious name!
Won't it be peachy if we win the game? (Oh, goody!)
Let's try not to injure them,
But fight, fight, fight!
Let's not be rough, though!
Fight, fight, fight!
And do fight fiercely!
Fight, fight, fight!