Sculptor Andrew Rogers donates 88 works

The collection includes a one-ton marble relief, which will be displayed at the Specialised Indoor Exercise and Sport Science Teaching centre, at the entrance of the Burwood campus. Vice Chancellor Iain Martin calls it the “most significant gift” to the university’s art collection.

It is the second big gift of art to a Victorian university this week, yesterday Geoff Raby donated his contemporary Chinese collection to La Trobe U.

In Features this morning, Debra Bateman (RMIT) on universities caught between a compliance rock and a quality hard place.  It’s a new essay in commissioning editor Sally Kift’s series on what is needed now in teaching and learning, here.

Just like last year

Scientist pay increased 2 per cent in the last year, according to the annual earnings survey by Science and Technology Australia and Professional Scientists Australia. And, while overall income is static so is the gender pay gap. The survey shows women in STEM earned 13.8 per cent less than men, down 0.3 per cent on last year, (CMM November 20 2018).

Things are much the same as in last year’s survey, which reported an overall 2.1 per cent per annum pay rise. And respondents are consistent in their pessimism over scientists being asked what they think. This year 26.9 per cent of respondents said the decline in the number of scientists in decision-making roles is a “concern,” last year a third reported a decline of scientists making decisions, (CMM November 20 2018).

Charles Sturt U has two teams in the final of the Big Idea all-university marketing comms competition

It’s run by the International Advertising Association and involves student teams creating a campaign for a real-world client. This year the brief is for Coca Cola, which wants to increase plastic bottle recycling.

This is the 11^th straight year CSU’s Anne Llewellynn has had a team (often two) in the final, winning 12 out of 16 years. Uni Canberra won last year with a brief for a breakfast food (CMM December 14 2018).

A couple of weeks back a CSU student team won the first all-comers “Pitch This” competition, from the Public Relations Institute of Australia with a work-safety campaign for manufacturer Amcor, (CMM, October 16).

Skills minister Michaelia Cash announces a “rapid review” of ASQA, “to inform a 12 to 18 month program of improvements that will ensure regulation by Australian Skills Quality Authority is  transparent and effective”

The review will be over-sighted by the expert panel advising the government on implementing recommendations in Steven Joyce’s training review – Mr Joyce, Peter Noonan (chair of the newly completed review of the Australian Qualifications Framework) and business leader Vanessa Guthrie.

Ms Cash says there is $18m “in response” to Mr Joyce’s report and Valerie Braithwaite’s review of the ASQA legislation, to;

* expand ASQA’s role in explaining their regulatory requirements to training providers

* improve the Authority’s “regulatory approach to support quality delivery”

* ensure “audit decisions are transparent, and training providers have the right information and support to deliver training best practice”

* ensure ASQA “has the data and feedback it needs to identify and remove poor quality providers”

Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia was quick to endorse the announcement; “this is great news for quality VET providers that have a strong focus on supporting students within the confines of a complex regulatory system.  ASQA had argued in the past that its role was not to educate the sector. We always disagreed with this view, so the new pathway is most welcome,” CEO Troy Williams said yesterday.

MU is “disestablishing” the University Services and Strategy portfolio.

Yes, that’s the one, the portfolio unit created a year back, with Saveria Dimasi hired from Uni Queensland to run it. “This critical role plays a huge part in our ability to deliver a range of key services to our students, our staff and in their engagement with other stakeholders.  I look forward to working closely with Saveria,” Vice Chancellor S Bruce Dowton said when he announced the portfolio in September ’18.

A year on Professor Dowton tells staff closing it , “will reduce the size of the executive, simplify the professional services structure, align organisational units with cognate groups of colleagues and deliver savings in costs.”

Portfolio functions will be reallocated to People and Services, Finance and Resources and the General Counsel

On Monday Professor Dowton announced the Human Sciences faculty will be abolished, with its constituent departments reallocated, (CMM October 29).

Martin Cole is the new head of the University of Adelaide School of Agriculture, Food and Wine. He moves from CSIRO, where he is deputy director, agriculture and food.

Sebastian Kaempf (Uni Queensland, political science) wins the 2019 Deborah Gerner Innovative Teaching Award from the International Studies Association.  Dr Kaempf created the Global media, war and technology MOOC (via edX) which has had 9600 enrollments.

Queensland’s chief entrepreneur, Leanne Kemp becomes an adjunct professor at QUT, where she will, “boost entrepreneurship and blockchain initiatives.”

Green energy business founder (Zen Energy) Richard Turner joins Uni SA as entrepreneur in residence and professor of practice.

Sax Institute (health policy) awards best papers published in its journal, Public Health Research and Practice.

Best paper: Sue Kirby (UNSW, Uni Sydney), David Lyle (Uni Sydney) Debra Jones (Uni Sydney), Claire Brunero, (Uni Sydney), Alison Purcell (Uni Sydney) and Pascale Dettwiller (Port Lincoln Hospital and Health Service), “Design and delivery of an innovative speech pathology service-learning program for primary school children in Far West NSW, Australia” Best in-practice paper: Megan Smith (UNSW), Ian Hammond (UWA) and Marion Saville (VCS Foundation), “Lessons from the renewal of the National Cervical Screening Program in Australia”

Southern Cross U announces its inaugural impact awards. Staff winners are,

Community impact; David Lloyd (Environment and Engineering)

Teaching: Desiree Kozlowski (Health and Human Services)

Research partnerships: Terry Rose (Plant Science)

Early career researcher: Kathomi Gatwiri (Arts and Social Sciences)

Student experience Unit warm-up

Professional services: Sophie Andrews (HR)

Social justice:  3Es to Freedom (Arts and Social Sciences)