The Australian | 20 July 2013 University student places will be reduced under a planned Rudd government reorganisation of Julia Gillard's $2.8 billion across-the-board higher education cuts to fund the Gonski school reforms, according to The Australian. Vice-chancellors were given a 72-hour deadline on Monday to put alternative plans to Higher Education Minister Kim Carr to avoid the former prime minister's 2 per cent efficiency dividend from next January, which was designed to save $900 million. The universities and the government are now considering plans to save money on government-funded university places by cutting the overall student intake through higher … [Read more...]
UNSW to impose minimum ATAR of 80 for entry
19/07/2013 By
UNSW Newsroom | 19 July 2013Which is about what an aspiring student needs anyway__________________________________________________________In what has the hallmarks of a political stunt, University of NSW will require a minimum an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank of 80 or above to enrol in any of its courses next year. Vice-chancellor Fred Hilmer told staff in a video announcement he was concerned that the quality of degrees may be slipping as universities rushed to enrol as many undergraduates as they could take in order to maximise government funding. Hilmer saidWe have given a lot of thought to where we're heading with enrolments. Over the last few years we have grown … [Read more...]
Science literacy falling – survey
19/07/2013 By
UNSW News Room | 17 July 2013 A national survey has found that the science literacy of young Australian adults has fallen in the last three years with less than two-thirds correctly identifying the time it takes for the Earth to travel around the sun, compared with three-quarters in 2010. The popular survey, Science literacy in Australia, conducted by Auspoll on behalf of the Australian Academy of Science, asked respondents questions of basic scientific fact. The proportion of 18-24 year-olds who correctly answered that it takes one year for the Earth to orbit the sun fell to 62%, from 74%. People aged 65 and older were the lowest scoring age group, with only … [Read more...]
Go8 argues for tighter entry standards
15/07/2013 By
Australian Financial Review | 15 July 2013 University places for school leavers would be restricted to those who get an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 60 or more under a proposal the Group of Eight has taken to the federal government, reports Joanna Mather in the Australian Financial Review. Go8 chairman and University of NSW vice-chancellor Fred Hilmer is pressing higher education minister Kim Carr to clamp down on entry standards, dampening enrolment growth to help save $1.4 billion. Carr is due to meet with peak body Universities Australia this week. Hilmer is responding to Carr’s invitation to bring forward budget-neutral alternatives to … [Read more...]
New centre to boost Asia links
09/07/2013 By
UNSW News Room | 8 July 2013 The Commonwealth government has announced $36 million in funding over 10 years for a $60 million National Centre for Asia Capability, which will be administered by the Australian School of Business at UNSW and by the University of Melbourne, in a collaboration between business, government, philanthropy and the tertiary sector. Additional funding will come from the corporate and philanthropic communities, including $1 million already pledged by The Myer Foundation, as well as income from services delivered. The Centre will combine the expertise of government, business and universities to build an Asia capable workforce through training … [Read more...]
The Scan Early Edition 18 June 2013 – #124
18/06/2013 By
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ Not happy Universities launch regional ad campaign against cuts Universities Australia has launched a print advertising campaign in over 80 regional and local areas around the country, aimed at informing residents of the potential consequences to local economies of the Government's $2.8 billion in cuts to university funding and student support measures. The regional and local advertising blitz forms part of Universities Australia's $5 million Smartest Investment Campaign which has been running nationally on TV, radio, print and online since the end of February.....[READ MORE]..... Australian … [Read more...]
UNSW to borrow for capital works
07/06/2013 By
Australian Financial Review | 3 June 2013 University of NSW vice-chancellor Fred Hilmer says the university will borrow money to fund capital works in the face of government funding cuts that equal a $30 million annual hit to the budget. The university is investigating options for borrowing at least$150 million more. The life of the loan would likely be 10 to 15 years. “We expect a future government would come up with a funding model that will resource universities properly and allow us to repay the loan,” Hilmer said, adding that the university’s priority was to continue with capital works already in the pipeline, including new buildings for … [Read more...]
Australian Financial Review 3 June 2013
03/06/2013 By
This is the Australian Financial Review's own summary of lead items in its online education supplement. As this is a subscription service, you or your organisation will need to have a subscription to The Australian Financial Review to view the full article. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Monash enthusiastic about graduate campus in China Monash is the first foreign university to be granted a licence to operate in China in more than a decade. $23bn crisis looms for university buildings Australian universities are let down by the poor quality of their buildings and … [Read more...]
Cuts take a toll
28/05/2013 By
The Australian | 28 May 2013 The heads of Australia's research-intensive universities say their standing in international rankings is set to fall as budget cuts of $3.8 billion to higher education and research take their toll. "We won't see a drop in rankings over the next couple of years, but we can expect to see our international standing compromised after that," said Peter Hoj, vice-chancellor of the University of Queensland, which has had $90 million cut from its budget over three years. Australian National University vice-chancellor Ian Young has asked staff and students to attend one of 17 forums over the next two weeks to "discuss the challenges we confront and … [Read more...]
The Scan Main Edition 16 May 2013 # 116
16/05/2013 By
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________HECS debt up one third in a yearSnowballing debt could alienate students and challenge the bottom line of future budgets, with debts from just one year expected to exceed those accumulated over the first 20 years of the HECS scheme. Budget papers predict that students will owe the government $42.1 billion by the end of the forward estimates in 2016-17. Last year’s projection, for 2015-16, was $30.6bn. ....[READ MORE]..... Melbourne & ANU dominate subject rankingsThe University of Melbourne and Australian National University have dominated Australian institutions in the … [Read more...]