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 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 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 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...
By DAVID MYTONA common contemporary trope is that universities are facing a future in which they will be disrupted beyond recognition. In this scenario, the digital revolution – with its artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and new and aggressive private providers – will force many institutions...
By DAVID MYTONIn the closing decades of the 20th century postmodernism was the philosophy of choice within the humanities, with the likes of Foucault and Derrida the sages du jour. Their influence was felt particularly within the history discipline, where skepticism abounded, micro histories flourished, and ‘metanarratives’...
By DAVID MYTONWhat’s the link between metaphysics, history, a MOOC in Hindi, blockchain, a Tumblr blog, and innovation education?The answer can only be Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington, DVC Academic at the Australian National University in Canberra.In one incarnation Hughes-Warrington is a philosopher-metaphysician with a specialty in the theory...
By DAVID MYTON It is summer in the northern hemisphere and that means a lengthy holiday for university managers, academics and students. But just because the halls of learning are relatively empty that doesn’t mean higher education has slipped out of sight and mind. It hasn’t. As David...
By DAVID MYTON On any measure higher education today is a big enterprise. In Australia alone, the sector employs more than 100,000 staff, educates over a million students, total operating revenue amounts to around $27 billion, and conducts often ground-breaking research across diverse fields. The university “business model”...