The UNE community has recently been focused on taking steps to address internal cultural and wellbeing issues. I have been encouraged by the commitment, insight and ideas of the many colleagues who have reached out in support. Together I believe we can resolve these challenges.
We are also in the midst of long-term shifts in the Higher Education sector. I believe we can position UNE to address the challenges and opportunities of these shifts as well. And it is these challenges and opportunities that I want to address here.
The past is no longer a sure guide to the future – if indeed it ever was. Throughout the sector, some longstanding assumptions and practices will change. Others, perhaps not yet perceptible, will flourish.
Nonetheless, we will be guided by our commitment to the fundamentals – the quality of our learning and teaching and of our research and scholarship – and our character as a leading regional university.
Globally, the COVID pandemic accelerated trends that were already playing out. The stampede to online delivery was an experiment that initially failed for many universities, but they will get better at it over time, potentially eroding UNE’s leading position in this market if we are not proactive.
External regulation has added to the administrative burdens we all face.
Domestically, we have near-full employment. When our mature-aged student cohort has a choice between paid work and the long-term commitment of an after-hours degree, they usually take the job. Our current admission numbers reflect this.
And there are the regular government policy changes and reviews. UNE both benefited from and was burdened by different elements of the JRG package. The Federal Government is now undertaking wide-ranging reviews of the Higher Education and skills environment, both teaching and research, that will produce new policy settings.
It has already made important policy announcements, including a commitment of $1 billion for an additional 180,000 fee-free TAFE places across the country by next year. The new places come on top of the 465,000 fee-free TAFE places announced prior to this year’s federal election.
By comparison, there have been 20,000 extra CSP places promised for Higher Education that will still demand a financial contribution from students. Inevitably, prospective students weighing their options will look a lot harder at TAFE.
Even the States have entered the education arms race. To address problems within its health system, the Victorian Government has announced bonded scholarships for nursing students. In 2023 and 2024, students enrolling in nursing and midwifery will receive $9,000 while they study and another $7,500 if they work in Victorian public health services for two years. This initiative seems likely to impact on NSW nursing enrolments.
While we will respond to each of these challenges – and are already doing so, it is impossible to separate UNE’s internal environment from the wider Higher Education environment.
That said, a strong supportive culture within UNE will offer a lot more resilience to the external pressures, and greater ability to respond to them.
In times of challenge, it is communities that are well-organised, who work together for the greater good, that prosper. We will draw on the insights of colleagues across the institution to adapt to these changes.
And the individuals who make up the UNE community are doing outstanding work. We need to amplify these efforts, support initiatives that could deliver impact if they are nurtured carefully, and have the courage to fix or stop things that are not working. (A couple of examples: Learn about Project Uplift and join the Uplift Festival that will ensure our digital first education offering remains sector leading. With colleagues, think through how we can simplify processes and complex offerings. Celebrate and join initiatives that support student experience and retention like the Atrium project.)
UNE is far from being alone in being challenged by fluxes in the Higher Education environment. But I hope the University can stand alone in the excellence of its response.