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“Six white boomers! you can’t park them here”
People who cop a parking fine at Curtin U can make good by donating a new toy (receipt required) to a charity, for Christmas. Could be cost-effective, what with the way a sleigh and reindeer take up multiple spots.
Uni SA suspends travel to Hong Kong
And it provides counselling for students in Adelaide worried about people at home
As the news from Hong Kong got worse yesterday, Uni South Australia did not muck around, suspending staff and student travel there, “until further notice”.
“Uni SA is closely monitoring events in Hong Kong and their impact on its staff and students, particularly in in light of the increasing focus of activity on university campuses,” a university representative said.
Uni SA also announces it has “counselling support in place” for its students in Adelaide, “who may be concerned for the welfare of family and friends.”
Good move – signalling its concern for international students extends beyond the state of their fee account.
The university has an MOU with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the site of yesterday’s full-scale battle between police and protestors. Uni SA also has agreements at university/operating unit level with the School of Continuing Education at HK Baptist University, the HK Management Association, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Chinese University of Hong Kong.
There’s more in the Mail
In Features this morning, Commissioning Editor Sally Kift on Connectedness 2.0, the best higher education chance for all.
Plus, Gretchen Dobson and Dirk Mulder, on finding and activating the lost international alumni opportunity. Part two of a five-essay series.
Uni Wollongong expands in Malaysia
While universities make nice with India (Uni Sydney has a 60-strong delegation there), Uni Wollongong is going its own way off shore
Late last year Uni Wollongong announced it would buy, subject to regulatory approval a majority share in local provider KDU’s university colleges in Kuala Lumpur and Penang (CMM November 20 2018).
Which has now happened – the expanded UoW brand launched yesterday. The KDU campuses have 6 000 enrolments, but there said to be capacity to double that. The enrolment mix is 85 per cent Malaysian, with the balance from other SE Asian nations.
Smart move, diversifying the UoW base in a market where the Australian brand is long known. In the early ‘90s Monash U started there, in partnership with a local provider.
UoW has always charted its own international course – it has had a campus in Dubai for 30 years.
Ramsay-funded western civ courses to roll out at Uni Queensland
The university will teach “an extended major” on western civilisation to the first of five annual intakes next year
The Ramsay Centre for the Study of Western Civilisation will provide $50m over eight years to fund 150 students, ten academics and two support staff. Content will be offered in either an hons bachelor degree in advanced humanities or a double degree, with law. Courses in the programme are here.
Scholarships set at $30 000 per annum are available to students completing Year 12 this year, or who completed last.
The university reiterates “the philanthropic agreement” is “consistent with the university’s policies and principles.” Uni Queensland joins Uni Wollongong in offering Ramsay-funded courses. Both go ahead despite previous vocal staff opposition, although not as vocal as at ANU and the University of Sydney where deals with Ramsay did not happen.
Saini to speak on Uni Canberra research-building scheme
There is word of an imminent announcement on University of Canberra’s assistant professor scheme
The scheme was put to an independent review months back and participants are sweating on the outcome, to decide if they stick with it or take their chances as staff who do not have a promise of continuing employment if they meet research output requirements.
Word is that Vice Chancellor Deep Saini will brief staff after lunch today.
Shaky isles’ solid start for uni micro-credentials
Across the ditch, Victoria University of Wellington promotes HASS micro-credentials in “digital fluency” and “intercultural communication”
Both are on-line, take 50 hours and while not for-credit completion will be listed on students’ transcripts. VUW pitches them as, “helpful in any current and future job.”
VUW says it is the first NZ university to provide mcs, which the New Zealand Qualifications Authority started registering in August ’18. The QA suggested then it, “expects that micro-credentials will augment the formal qualification system, but also anticipates that over time employers and learners may well become increasingly comfortable valuing shorter modules of learning,” (CMM August 10 2018).
The Noonan review of the Australian Qualifications Framework suggests credit recognition for shorter-form credentials is the way to recognise them here.
TEQSA with teeth
Regulator TEQSA is working with the Australian Dental Council – “proving dental work is not always terrifying” (via Twitter)
It is part of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency’s push into professional accreditation regulation. In this case, the dentists, regulate requirements for university courses. In June, the council placed conditions on the registration of Charles Sturt U’s dental school (CMM June 6).
TEQSA is now getting involved after the feds extended its authority, to cooperate with industry association regulators, such as the dental council – the two signed an MOU in March.
TEQSA says it wants “a complementary approach to course accreditation processes and requirements and “the use of professional bodies as a source of expert advice.”
This follows the feds acting on a 2017 report from consultants KPA, to ensure TEQSA over-sees issues in professional accreditation which are in its chair- academic governance, facilities management, general student support and assessment integrity, for example (CMM February 28).
Appointments, achievements
Stacey Coates (Western Sydney U PhD candidate) is in-coming president of the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Association.
Jon Watson is appointed executive dean of UWA’s faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. He has been dean of medicine at Deakin U since 2014.
Recent Uni Adelaide graduates Amber Smith and Anthony Cox win the South Australian Water Award student prize.
The Academy of the Humanities announces 2019 Fellows
Elected Fellows: * Christian Barry (ANU). * Frank Bongiorno (ANU). * Mark Brett (Whitely College). * Denis Byrne (Western Sydney U). * Gerard Docherty (Griffith U). * Anne Dunlop (Uni Melbourne). Geoffrey Dunn (Australian Catholic U). * Terry Flew (QUT). * Christopher Hilliard (Uni Sydney). * Craig Jeffrey (Uni Melbourne). * Hyun Jin Kim (Uni Melbourne). * Tim Lindsey (Uni Melbourne). * Simone Murray (Monash U). * Nicolas Rasmussen (UNSW). * Claire Smith (Flinders U). * Joanne Tompkins (Uni Queensland). * Myfany Turpin (Uni Sydney).
Corresponding Fellows: * Felix Kofi Ameka (Universiteit Leiden). * John Nguyet Erni (Hong Kong Baptist University). * Alison Wylie (University of British Columbia).
Honorary Fellows: * Susan Cohn (artist and designer). * Richard Flanagan (author). Richard Mills (conductor and composer). * Julie Rose (translator). * Roger Woodward (pianist).
Deakin’s MOOC of the morning
Why happy meals might make you miserable
Deakin U launches, “Food and Mood: Improving Mental Health Through Diet and Nutrition,” (via Future Learn) on Monday. Tetyana Rocks and Felice Jacka, “explore the physiological ways your daily diet can affect your mental and brain health” and “uncover the steps that can be taken to change diet patterns which influence poor mental health.”