Uni Adelaide VC Peter Høj and Uni SA VC David Lloyd commit to a decision on a merger of their universities  in July. If it is a go, the new Adelaide Uni would be “operational” by January 2026

They began public work on a merger before Christmas (CMM December 9) , perhaps because they like the idea, perhaps because they prefer doing it themselves, than leaving it to SA premier Peter Maliauskas, who had talked of establishing a university merger commission (CMM March 18 2022)

In a “vision statement” released yesterday the two VCs commit to;

* aiming to be national number one for industry income from research, “or commercialisation outcomes”

* (on unspecified metrics) being “top in Australia” for student employment “outcomes”

* in the top five for “student experience”

* every student to have “an experience of entrepreneurship,” plus industry engagement “through placements or internships”

* “aim” to have more low SES students completing degrees “than at any other higher education institution in Australia”

* “work confidently to be recognised among the world’s top 100 universities on an ongoing and sustainable basis”