“it is easy to be pretty cynical about university strategic plans – they have a commonality that means Chat GPT can  create one in a few seconds that is pretty convincing,” ANU VC Brian Schmidt on those of other unis

In Features this morning

Tim Winkler on the return of students from China  – it’s a start international ed providers need to build on.

plus Jack Breen (UNSW) warns there are too many social-media platforms, sub-platforms and content formats in HE for anybody to keep up with – but all is not lost.

and Stephen Colbran, Colin Beer and Michael Cowling (all CQU) set out the ChatGPT challenge – regulate or liberate.

Independent medical research institutes copped a 7 cents in the dollar rise in indirect research costs 2018-2020

Medical research institute revenue was $2.43bn in 2020, 60 per cent from non-government sources, although cash from Canberra will pick up as the Medical Research Future Fund increases outlays.

But indirect cost increases mean the good news is not that great, according to the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes annual report for 2022.

Australian government grants cover 70 per cent of direct research costs and make no contribution to operational costs.

For every research dollar received independent MRIs had to find a further 63c.

Management goes it alone – with the union opposing

The university offer includes an 11 per cent pay rise across the life of the agreement, short of the National Tertiary Education Union’s 15 per cent national ask.

Management also points to improved leave entitlements and a staff right to request flexible/remote work.

However the union calls the pay offer “paltry … with inflation forecast to hit 8 per cent” and points to other unmet demands, including 100 new academic positions for casuals.

University managements that put offers to staff that unions oppose rarely win – while the majority of university workforces are not unionists they listen to the comrades on pay and conditions.  But Curtin U has been hanging tough in these negotiations. Last year it opposed the union holding a member ballot on taking industrial action –  the Fair Work Commission knocked it back on appeal.

The university now says, negotiations are “at a standstill, despite the best efforts of both bargaining teams” and that a vote is, “in the best interests” of staff,  so all “can have their say.”

To which NTEU branch president, Scott Fitzgerald responds, “we want to work to fix the problems identified by Curtin staff but the move to a non-union ballot avoids this.” AsPro Fitzgerald adds the pay offer is “well below” those at Australian Catholic U, Uni Tasmania  and QU and “will see Curtin staff real income go backwards.”

 

Southern Cross U asked ChatGPT what Disney character it would be

The programme suggested Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, “who values education and knowledge… Just as Belle is a well-rounded and adventurous character, SCU aims to produce well-grounded graduates who are prepared for the workforce and equipped to make a positive impact on the world,” (via Twitter).

With self-aggrandizing text like that, if SCU was a Warner Brothers character it could be Daffy Duck.

In his state of the university address yesterday ANU VC Brian Schmidt sets out what he wants to happen in his last year

“When I look at my job application from 2015, almost everything I said I wanted to achieve as vice chancellor is well on its way,” he said.

“This does not mean there is not still lots to do, and we won’t let the pace slacken this year just because I am finishing up. We are not following my plan – we are following our collective plan.”

* Digital Master Plan and Student First Programme: “make our digital and physical environments more seamless”
* more scholarships to eliminate financial barriers to studying at ANU

* de-mystify ANU to prospective students in their home communities

* the Engaged ANU programme, “to see how we can better communicate beyond our campus”

* continuing improved staff gender balance

* creating a First Nations “academic ecosystem” to “serve the nation into the future”

* “achieving a safe, equitable and inclusive campus”

* a professional staff career path

 

The university contacted former staff this week advising personal information was accessed off a central storage drive in the pre-Christmas cyber attack

The thieves accessed IDs and banking records. QUT confirms 11 405 people are “impacted” – including 70 students, and 2490 current staff.

So why, were the records of thousands of former members of the QUT community still held, CMM asked.

“Retention of records in our systems is done in accordance with the QUT retention policy, noting that the information was not in core university systems,” the university replied.

However, and it is a Himalaya of an “however”. “QUT acknowledges that this is an area of work for 2023 and will shortly begin systemically analysing older storage drives forensically. Going forward we will comprehensively and methodically review data storage and management practices.”

The university adds, “former staff who have not been contacted and would like to know if they have been affected, can email [email protected] “ They might also want to ask why university policy allowed for people’s personal info to be held for years after they left the university.

At Uni Melbourne, Cathy Mason becomes manager of the medical school. It’s an internal appointment.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek announces membership of the Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group. John Thwaites (Monash U) is chair and members include, Chief Scientist Cathy Foley, John Gertsakis (UTS), Romilly Madew (Engineers Australia), Larry Marshall (CSIRO), Robynne Quiggin (UTS), John Spoehr (Flinders U).

QUT announces a brace of senior appointments, * Lisa Bradley (chair Academic Board) * Nicholas Brown (head of clinical sciences school) * Sharon Christensen (law school head)  * Kathy Gleadhill (Director, Audit) * Udo Gottlieb (student ombudsman) * Kiri Pettigrew (General Counsel) *Emily Rosemond (sport director) * Bouchra Senadji (deputy chair, Academic Board)  * Joanne Travaglia (head of public health, social work school) * Chelsea Watego (ED, Carumba Institute)