“Stay tuned, the next Aviation Leadership lecture will be in March 2020,” Swinburne promotion, via Twitter yesterday. Make you wish Christmas and the cricket, the tennis and the beach were all over-not.

In CMM Features this morning, Lambert Schuwirth (Flinders) on the five disruptors universities have a decade to deal with  here

Plus, part 3 of Dobson and Mulder on the international alumni opportunity  here.

And CMM commissioning editor Sally Kift on Connectedness 2.0, the best HE chance for all.

But neither announces what mark makes the cut

Days after Uni Queensland announcing it was taking the Ramsay Western Civ Centre’s shilling ($50bn over eight years worth) it is out offering $30 000 per annum student scholarships for “academic high-achievers who desire to make a difference in the world,” by “undertaking a sequence of study in western civilisation.”

But how high-achieving people using their high school academic rank to apply need to be is not stated.

The  other Ramsay-partner, Uni Wollongong, originally specified an ATAR of 95 but when CMM asked whether that universally applied, UoW responded, “we will not be making any announcements about the scholarship recipients until the completion of the student admissions process in early 2020.” Whatever the score, UoW has closed, applications, (there is an expression of interest list if there is a second round). Offers are expected next month.

NBN has just sent CMM a message by sedan-chair promising to connect him next year – meanwhile Uni Newcastle is firing up WiFi Six this month

The university announces Six “has the potential to be” 40 per cent faster than Mk Five, with its “biggest attribute” the capacity to, “support multiple devices in congested areas.” The new network goes into libraries first, where thousands of users now want to have two devices live.

The universities most-exposed to the international student market and the ones that aren’t

The Department of Education has compiled headline numbers on international students on-shore at Australian universities last year.

Those most dependent on students from all country-markets include Bond U (48 per cent), Torrens U (44 per cent) Uni Sydney (38 per cent), ANU (37 per cent), Uni Queensland (33 per cent), Uni Melbourne (32 per cent) and Monash U (30 per cent).

All expected, but Federation U is also up there, with 42 per cent.

Those which have never cracked the international market include; UNE (4 per cent), Uni Notre Dame Australia (2 per cent), Uni Southern Queensland and Murdoch U (9 per cent).

So, what about Macquarie U, where Vice Chancellor S Bruce Dowton says a volatile international market is one of the reasons he needs to make savings, including abolishing a faculty. At 21.1 per cent, just a touch under the national 21.9 per cent average.

CMM still didn’t get it right yesterday – Dan Tehan spoke last week at the National University of Malaysia

CDU management has been working on structure change for months – the NTEU isn’t happy

The university wants to work its way out of deficit and relying on Northern Territory Government assistance for the TAFE division (CMM August 20).  This has involved restructure proposals for nursing and midwifery (CMM May 23) and the library (September 16).

The National Tertiary Education Union hasn’t been happy from the start and now takes the argument to university council, presenting a petition from staff and supporters to the calling for it to intervene and commission an independent review of management’s plans.

The goals of establishing a university in the Territory were to stop the brain drain south, conduct research into the Territory’s unique desert and tropical environments, and aid the development towards statehood. … CDU’s current ‘restructure’ to compensate for poor management decisions and inadequate funding provisions threatens to jeopardise the university’s purpose,” the union states.

Wilma James joins KPMG from Uni Queensland’s commercialisation team.

Erin Rayment is leaving Uni Southern Queensland for QUT, where she will be ED, for industry and engagement. She is one of the Commonwealth’s 2019 women Superstars of STEM (CMM December 11 2018).

Science and Technology Australia announces its new executive committee, working with previously announced new president Jeremy Brownlie (Griffith U); Tanya Ha (independent consultant) Judith Dawes (Macquarie U), Lee Constable (science communicator) and Mark Bazzacco (CSIRO).

Uni Tasmania announces the VC’s awards

Distinguished service: Ann Ryan, (Arts, Law and Education)

Commitment to teaching excellence: Sankar Sinha (Health and Medicine)

Teaching excellence: Tracey Muir and Kristyn Harman (Arts, Law and Education)

Research medal:  * Roberta Julian (Arts, Law and Education) * IMAS Salmon Environmental Interaction Team, Jeff Ross, Catriona MacLeod, Camille White, Karen Alexander, Scott Hadley, Jason Beard, Flora Bush, Adam Davey, James Hortle, Samuel Kruimink, Andrew Pender, Benjamin Quigley, David Moreno, Olivia Johnson, Myriam Lacharite, Kylie Cahill, Jessica Kube

Early career researcher: Rodrigo Hamede Ross (Sciences and Engineering)

Service excellence: Melanie Greenwood (Health and Medicine)

Engagement: Michael Breadmore (Sciences and Engineering)

Leadership:  Anya Reading (Sciences and Engineering)

Innovation: * Pennelope Ratcliffe (Division of Chief Operating Officer) * Jason Smith and  Alex Bissember (College of Sciences and Engineering)