UNE hosted the 3rd annual conference of the Australian Association of University Professors (AAUP) last week, providing a platform, both virtual and in-person at the Oorala Lecture Theatre, for the Professoriate to discuss university matters of national concern.
The AAUP is a relatively new body and was conceived at the University of Sydney before being registered as an Incorporated Association in NSW on 30 Jan 2019. It currently has 750 members.
One of the Association’s goals is to establish a chapter at each of the 39 Australian universities. UNE joined the growing number of chapters in 2020, with Professor Thomas Fudge as president, and is now the second largest chapter of the AAUP.
“As the third chapter to join the AAUP, UNE was chosen to host this third annual conference,” Professor Fudge said.
“The conference provides opportunity for senior academics to exercise a voice in university governance and in decisions that affect core business, namely teaching and research, to exercise academic judgement and to contribute to dialogue across the sector and within the University.”
Over 80 participants from 18 Australian universities registered for the conference with a number of UNE professors presenting, including Professor Robyn Bartel who talked about academic freedom and collegiality, Professor Fudge and Emeritus Professor Trevor Brown who discussed the lead-up and legislation around UNE’s historic meeting of Convocation held in December last year, and Professor Paul Martin who explored performance criteria for university councils/senates.
Emeritus Professor Jenny Gregory, Warden of the University of Western Australia’s Convocation, also presented on their now 110-year-old Convocation. This discussion around Convocation generated significant interest from other universities, particularly as a means for graduates and staff to provide input into university governance and management. Many are now exploring ways to follow the UNE and UWA models to establish influential and effective Convocations at their respective universities.
Other topics discussed on the day included the work of the professoriate and others at the University of Tasmania to ‘Save UniTas’ from campus relocation to the central city; a professional ethical framework for Australian academics; changing pathways into the roles and composition of the professoriate; and the history of the AAUP.
“I would like to extend my thanks to Professors Gabriel Donleavy and Brown who organised this highly successful event,” Professor Fudge said.
The UNE was born out of a vision leading identities and benefactors had of establishing a centre of excellence in research and education in northern NSW. The faculties of Rural Science and Agricultural Economics underpinned the close relationship between the UNE and the New England community. It also demonstrated to Australia and the rest of the world the necessity for decentralisation and development as urban populations exploded. 80% of the NSW electorate now live in Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong. Expenditure in these areas is seriously damaging the image of country living to the extent where basic services as expected wherever one lives are dwindling. There are community minded individuals intent on fighting for the principle of a fair go for all Australians. UNE needs a strong local voice to re-establish its reputation and re-connect with New England, be they townsfolk or those responsible for rural land management in the wool and meat industries. There was a time when UNE conducted rural residential schools thereby providing a conduit to demonstrate new technological advances as well as connectivity to the district. Rural suicide is now at record levels where a farmer dies every ten days and this could be because there is less and less opportunity for interaction between academics and industry wherever they are. I make the plea to UNE to get back to those grass roots who had the foresight to create the institution enjoyed more by those within it than the district which underpins its success. Richard B. Wright
Agree with all of the above but probably what is needed also is a sound economic base which will necessarily require it to spread its wings beyond New England.