AAIR Newsletter July 2018 NEW FUNDING|NEW CHALLENGES FOR REGIONAL INSTITUTIONS LATEST MUSINGS FROM THE INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH BOOK REVIEWS PRESIDENT CORNER INTERVIEW … PLUS A RANGE OF INTERSTING PAGE 2 FIVE QUICK QUESTIONS WITH REPORTS AND NEW PUBLICATIONS KERRY MARTIN, UNIVERSITY OF THIS MONTH. SEE PAGE 7-9 THE SUNSHINE COAST PAGE 12 Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash CONTENT From the President Learning and Positions Vacant and Trainings and Development Teaching Editorial Research Trainings, Higher Education Conferences and Events Sector News and Views Reports and Institutional Researcher’s Corner Resources Big Data, Online Learning, Analytics On the Move Graduate Outcomes and Book Reviews Employability FROM THE PRESIDENT To Rank or Not to Rank? The US News and World Report Best I also learned about a new ranking Global Universities Ranking seems to called the Taiwanese NTU ranking, be the most popular ’next’ exercise, which the respondent said was an That is the question with 71% following the results there. excellent measure for viewing the You might be interested to know long- and short-term research Thanks to those who responded to that US News has been doing their performance of a university. our little survey last month on The rankings in the US since 1983, but Ranking Game. that they only started the Global And for those of you who need a Universities Ranking in 2014. They do good chuckle or at least a broad Of the 51 people who responded, a great deal of ranking exercises at smile, you should check out these 78% said that their institution does US News, including an Overall Best rankings that one person shared. worry about the ranking exercises, Countries Ranking that scores and 86% said their organisations do Australia 7th and New Zealand 13th All New Dumbest University make a conscious effort to improve in the world. Rankings 2018 performance. Interestingly, only 47% said that they had a dedicated team Several survey respondents made So, happy ranking to you all! involved. One person commented comments, including one person that there were several people who noted that although the On another note, I will be attending involved who all had other improvement in ranking the AAIR SIG Forum in Canberra responsibilities, so they were not performance was a strategic aim, from 26 to 27 July, so I hope to see sure it could actually be called a that it was secondary to the strategic many of you there. ’team’, and another commented that aims of improving teaching quality it was a collaboration across the and research performance. Another QUICK! Register for the SIG Forum areas of finance, HR, research and person noted that senior staff student reporting. seemed to be more concerned with rankings than with ‘on the ground The most ’watched’ exercise was excellence’, while another observed THE World University Ranking (96%) that the reputation measures were followed closely by the QS World the hardest to predict and manage University Ranking (88%), with 67% for a regional university. following the ARWU out of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Kathie Rabel, AAIR President 3 THE INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCHER ISSUE 7/2018 Regional Universities Network (RUN), SECTOR NEWS AND Professor Greg Hill, said that the Nous VIEWS Group had developed a performance EDITORIAL framework, in collaboration with RUN, that captures the contribution of The New Work Reality universities against the broad objectives Models and Mergers Since 2015 the Foundation of Young of the Higher Education Support Act: Australians (FYA) have been releasing teaching quality, equity, and contribution Last month we noted with reports focused squarely on the to social cultural and economic needs. interest two new education experiences of young Australians and the models for teaching (ANU’s ‘New implications of disruption on the world of The agreement to explore a merger Admissions for 2020’ model and work. Their latest report identifies four between South Australia’s two largest Victoria University’s new ‘First significant figures accelerating the universities announced in June has Year Model’). This month’s news transition from full-time education to already hit a major obstacle: the National that the University of Adelaide full-time work – summary page 7. Tertiary Education Union said it would and the University of South Alarmingly, only half of 25-year-olds not accept forced redundancies and Australia have begun formal have full-time secure jobs even though would demand the best employment conditions from each institution apply to processes to merge to create a six in ten have post-school qualifications. all staff of a merged super institution. ‘super-institution’—involving a Regional universities dominate the Grattan Institute higher education six-month consultation period—is focus of this month’s news with analyst Andrew Norton has warned that indicative of the disruption commentary related to a series of a proposed merger of two major South occurring across the Australian recent reports: Australian universities will reduce higher education sector – watch competition because of the many areas this space! Funding freeze hits regional unis hardest in which the two institutions compete. RUN calls for National Regional For those attending the AAIR SIG Education Commissioner. Other news Forum on 26–27 July, don’t miss The Regional Universities Network calls Good news: There is three more years of the panel discussion on Day 1 for a national commissioner to oversee public funding for the National Centre for with the new Chief Executive of the national education strategy for the Study of Equity in in Higher Universities Australia Catriona regions. “In the national interest, we call Education. Based at Curtin University, Jackson, Phil Aungles from the on the government to take action to the Commonwealth funds the centre Department of Education and support the growth of regional university from the Higher Education Partnerships Training, and Lisa Bolton from campuses,” RUN chair and University of and Participation Program (HEPPP). the Social Research Centre the Sunshine Coast VC Greg Hill says. (QILT). As well, ANU Professor Universities Australia says government Bruce Chapman is the keynote Strong regional universities are central to and business must increase investment presentation in the morning. The driving regional development and central to support the university systems’ work. program itself has presentations to increasing regional prosperity – “Research expands Australia’s from Australia, New Zealand and according to a new report by the economy. Research saves lives. Research the US, and next month’s Australian House of Representatives creates new products and industries that newsletter will feature a Select Committee on Regional generate jobs”, UA CEO Catriona summary of the event. Development and Decentralisation. The Jackson says. UA sets out seven report, Regions at the Ready: Investing in recommendations, which are part of its And finally, it was a pleasure to Australia’s future, says the ‘pivotal’ role submission to a House of be able to interview Kerry Martin regional universities play in regional Representatives committee inquiry on in the Institutional Researcher’s development extends beyond the research funding. provision for tertiary courses and Corner this month. Kerry is conducting research. Director of the Strategic Australian Education Minister Simon Birmingham has appointed a panel to Information and Analysis Unit at From Universities Australia: Universities review the Australian Qualifications the University of the Sunshine serving communities in regional Australia Framework. Veteran education policy Coast (USC). She is also part of and the outer suburbs of capital cities expert Peter Noonan (Bradley Review, the hard-working AAIR Executive face cuts of up to 15 per cent of their core now at Victoria University) chairs the Committee, and we love her funding by 2021, new Government panel of Sally Kift, adjunct professor, at work! figures show. The Government’s own James Cook University, Megan Lilly, Ai data on its funding freeze, obtained by Group and Elizabeth More dean of the the ABC under Freedom of Information Australian Institute of Management laws, shows which universities will be the business school. They will be joined by a Happy reading – Tracy hardest hit by the backdoor cuts made in nominee from the COAG education the mid-year Budget update last council and another from the COAG skills December. council. As well: Australia’s growth in international Performance Framework Proposed for education has set another new record, Regional Universities. The Chair of the with more than 548,000 overseas 4 THE INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCHER ISSUE 7/2018 students studying here in the latest RMIT’s new Melbourne city campus has citation, impact and journal standing. official numbers from April. New won the Australian Institute of Architects’ URAP cites the top ten Australian Government figures show a jump of 12 top Victorian award for Lyons universities on its global ranking as; per cent from the same time last year. Architecture, NMBW Architecture UniSydney (26th in world), More than 50 per cent of these students Studio, Harrison and White, MvS UniMelbourne (30), UniQueensland (40), are enrolled in higher education Architects and Maddison Architects. Monash U (53), UNSW (60), UWA (106), institutions. ANU (130), UniAdelaide (157), Curtin U Newcastle University pushes on with new (272) and Griffith U (269). Universities Australia has welcomed the CBD development