Features
There’s more in the Mail
In Features this morning
Pasifika education does not get much of a run in the international journals. Unaisi Walu Nabobo Baba (Fiji National U) and colleagues have done something about that, HERE.
plus Bradley Boron and Leonie Ellis (U Tas) on the way Zoom in the classroom creates opportunities for physical teaching space. Theirs is a new addition to Commissioning Editor Sally Kift’s celebrated series, Needed now in teaching and learning.
Ways to go on international arrivals
New ABS data reveals student numbers are still way lower than pre-pandemic
The Bureau of Statistic has released international arrival numbers for the first four months (April numbers are provisional).
YTD arrivals on temporary student visas are 127 000. The comparable figure for 209 was 390 800.
And most of those who arrive won’t stay forever
New research from the Grattan Institute reports that the share of international students who move to permanent residency over time is one in five. It’s in a comprehensive report by Will Mackey, Brendan Coates, and Henry Sherrell.
A welcome in WA
There were weeks a while back when the WA Government kept changing its mind about allowing international students into the state, despite the Commonwealth letting them into the country (CMM February 2, 17).
But now the government wants to welcome more of them. There’s a “massive $42.5m boost” in the state budget to fund projects including, “a pipeline” of future onshore international students, “reengagement” with international education agents and “financial support to assist the sector to recover.” Plus there is $2.4m for international students who go move to regions with skill shortages.
This all appears separate to the $16m in pandemic support for international students and providers announced in February (CMM February 14).
Money from the ether for UNSW
The university reports an A$ equivalent 5.3m crypto currency gift for research
It’s for an open access AI pandemic predictor, being developed at UNSW’s Kirby Institute. It comes from Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of blockchain Ethereum. The gift comes in crypto currency, presumably ETH (aka Ether) the currency of Ethereum apps.
Perhaps UNSWers who made a motza when the university and Ethereum last worked together will want to kick in. In 2017 people who participated in a campus promotion received an Ether for every ten purchases (CMM October 17 2017). Last night one Ether was worth $US 2298.
Strike at Uni Sydney
The campus branch of the National Tertiary Education Union owned cyberspace and got runs on TV news for coverage of its Wednesday-Thursday industrial action
Management announced it “fully supported” staff rights to strike and protest, which is true, Uni Sydney did not oppose the union’s application for a member vote on protected industrial action back in March, which all but unanimously backed industrial action.
But beyond that comment was of the more-in-sorrow-than-anger kind. The university stated enterprise bargaining is underway and some matters “haven’t been raised for full discussion yet.”
As to how many staff went out and how many classes did not happen, student newspaper Honi Soit reported the Camperdown campus was “a ghost town” Wednesday. However the university told CMM that only union members were eligible to strike and “we believe most staff worked a normal day and that most classes went ahead as usual.”
Of course, that could have been normal as in Covid normal. “Many colleagues advised us that they were planning to work from home and hold their classes online to minimise disruption for themselves and their students.”
Regardless of who was where doing what, or not – the NTEU made its point, and made it clear that it can make it again.
Appointments, achievements
Of the day
David Lynn (Flinders U) has a new term as scientific director of the South Australian Genomics Centre Advisory Board.
Zsuzsoka Kecskes will join Uni Wollongong in August as dean of Graduate Medicine. She moves from ANU.
Of the week
Meenakshi Arora (Uni Melbourne) receives the individual impact award from the India Australia Business and Community Alliance.
Laurie Buys joins Australian Catholic University, Brisbane as professor of healthy ageing. She is previous professor at QUT and Uni Queensland.
Keiran Davis (Auckland City Hospital) is the new dean of the Australasian Faculty of Pain Medicine
Erica Donner (Uni SA) is interim CEO of the new Cooperative Research Centre for Solving Antimicrobial resistance in Agribusiness, Food and Environment Cooperative Research Centre, announced Friday.
The ABC’s Stan Grant becomes a part-time industry professor at UTS. He has previously been a professor of global affairs at Griffith U and presently has a vice chancellor’s chair at Charles Sturt U.
Uni Wollongong announces company director and author John Green is the new chair of UoW Global Enterprises.
Khai Liew (Uni SA adjunct professor) wins the National President’s Prize from the Australian Institute of Architects.
The Royal Society (as in the original) announces 2022 Fellows, including, * Robert Pressey (James Cook U) * Richard Robson (Uni Melbourne) * Jamie Rossjohn (Monash U) * Carola Vinuesa (ANU)
Clare (Rutherford) Tubolets is the new CEO of the SmartCrete Cooperative Research Centre (concrete in engineering). She moves from COO at the Food Agility CRC.