Australian Universities
A conversation about public good
Australian Universities: A conversation about public good highlights contemporary challenges facing Australian universities and offers new ideas for expanding public good.
More than 20 experts take up the debate about our public universities: who they are for; what their mission is (or should be); what strong higher education policy entails; and how to cultivate a robust and constructive relationship between government and Australian universities. Issues covered include:
- How to change a culture of exclusion to ensure all are welcome in universities, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students as well as those from low socio-economic backgrounds
- How 'educational disadvantage' in Australia often begins in school and is still the major barrier to full university participation
- The reality that funding for research and major infrastructure requires significant additional funds from non-government sources (e.g. international student fees)
- A lack of policy recognition that international university students increase Australia’s social, cultural and economic capital
- Pathways to making policy decisions wide-ranging, consultative, inclusive and inspired rather than politically partisan and ideologically driven
- The impact of COVID-19 on universities, and particularly how the pandemic and governmental responses exacerbated extant and emerging issues
Australian Universities rekindles a much-needed conversation about the vital role of public universities in our society, arguing for initiatives informed by the realities of university life and offering a way forward for government, communities, students and public universities — together — to advance public good.
Julia Horne is Professor of History at the University of Sydney. She works on the history and politics of Australian higher education, and her publications include Sydney: The Making of a Public University (Miegunyah Press, 2012, co-authored with Geoffrey Sherington) and Preserving the Past: The University of Sydney and the Unified National System of Higher Education 1987–96 (Melbourne University Publishing, 2017, co-authored with Stephen Garton).
Matthew A.M. Thomas is a Senior Lecturer in Comparative Education and Sociology of Education at the University of Sydney. His research examines educational policies, pedagogical practices, and teacher and higher education. Most recently, Matthew is the co-editor of Examining Teach for All (Routledge, 2021) and the Handbook of Theory in Comparative and International Education (Bloomsbury, 2021).
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