Monash University is Being "Driven" to Changes it Wants to Have. (August 7, 2006)

    When the Prime Minister, John Howard, past the cudgel for Education, Science and Training to Julie Bishop, he must have enjoined her, in his briefing, to "shake 'em up" paraphrasing  Mr Smallweed somewhat.

From present appearances, Melbourne University intends to morph itself into something of a caricature of US state research universities, but Richard Larkins, Vice-Chancellor of Monash, is following a different course in allowing himself to be forced into making changes which look very much like alterations he had every intention of making.

Monash has plans to implement a degree of specialisation for at least some of  its six Victorian Campuses:

• the Clayton campus is to be its principal site for teaching and research in science, engineering, technology while humanities and the arts will also be available,

• Caulfield on the other hand will emphasise business studies, education and law.

Professor Richard Larkins

The overall plans have not been made public.

Professor Larkins told The Australian Financial Review that Monash had determined it would not engage in off-campus and teaching-only style education.

Those degrees will be available either from Australian Universities or international universities operating in Australia at a lesser cost to students.

 

We intend to be a campus-based, research-led university with a very strong international focus. To do that means we have to have the reputation, prestige and the quality of student experience to justify the premium we need to place on fees to continue to support that more expensive type of education.

While he didn't elaborate, Monash's V-C must fully realize that such ambitions mean his university must have the infrastructure and provide a milieu to attract and sustain a faculty of the first rank.

In the current higher education and research climate produced by the Federal Coalition government it is debatable if it is a realistic aspiration.

And will he take up the approach of what is now an increasing number of leading US research universities of providing means so that no prospective student that meets Monash's entrance criteria will not be prevented from attending Monash because of lack of means?