By DAVID MYTON Intrinsic to much academic research is a spirit of discovery, adventure, and hope. Yes, it can be demanding hard work, but that’s ameliorated by all the thrilling boundary-pushing possibilities that lie just around the knowledge corner. Leah Bromfield’s research isn’t quite like that. To...
By DAVID MYTON Kerri-Lee Krause and Marcia Devlin were just a little apprehensive at the recent Universities Australia conference. As co-chairs of the Universities Australia Executive Women Group (UAEW), they had organised a lunch at which they would launch new best practice recruitment guidelines aimed at boosting the number of women in senior executive...
By DAVID MYTONAt heart Michelle Simmons is a builder and a maker. Her raw materials differ from those of more traditional trades and crafts. They are not bricks or wood, metals or glass. They are the fundamental building blocks of nature itself – atoms.The UNSW professor has always loved...
By DAVID MYTONA quiet but potentially powerful revolution is unfolding in higher education – a drive towards sustainability that has become something more than recycling paper and turning off the lights. It now integrates into the very infrastructure of the institutions and, beyond even that,...
By DAVID MYTONWhen it comes to higher education in Australia, Glenn Withers has been there and done that. From Menzies and Whitlam to Hawke, Keating and Howard, and through to the present day – he’s seen it all. He’s an insider who’s been outside often...
Higher Education Consulting Group's Dr Susie Robinson takes a closer look at the ARC engagement and impact exerciseAll around the country, universities are busily preparing engagement narratives and impact case studies, ready for ERA submission in May/June. Many are now realising the significant resources required...
By DAVID MYTONFrom little things bigger things grow. In the case of Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) it all started with an email list 28 years ago connecting like-minded individuals concerned about how universities could become more sustainable across their operations.Today, ACTS – a non-profit, member based...
By DAVID MYTONWisdom, to paraphrase George Bernard Shaw, comes from taking responsibility for our futures. By that yardstick, Hugh Bradlow is wise indeed.For Bradlow, the future is not something to be passively accepted. It is to be measured, analysed, strategised, constructively considered, and prepared for...
By DAVID MYTONEngland’s higher education sector looks set to encounter some turbulence this year in the shape of a new government-approved regulatory and competition body bearing the title Office for Students, aka Ofs.Unless it becomes mired in bureaucracy and the exigencies of realpolitik, this new body could...
By DAVID MYTONTanya Monro is something of a regular at the Rob Roy Hotel, a popular watering hole in Adelaide’s CBD. But she’s not there for the grog. Rather, she can be found talking with her customary passion, answering questions about subjects such as string...