Structure of the new university. begins to emerge - Adm.monash.edu ...

Greater Monash gives more options The Vice-Chancellor,Professor Mal Logan talksabout how amalgamationswill affect the university.learn how' to handle attitudes and ap­ responsibility is to turn this to our advan­ • a continuation of the emphasis onproaches that come from a somewhat dif­ tage, maintaining all that Monash values so enterpri:,.ing activity. This includes enferentcultural milieu. But the basic highly but allowing new developments in trepreneurial activity but extends toMonash academic structure will remain new areas of knowledge that will take us creative ways of teaching and harnessingand we will have a more stimulating and into our second great phase of expansion. external support and 10 the introduction ofexciting institution than existed previously. What then are some of the characteristics innovative activities in the univerSity.It is far easier to provide an educational that will drive the new Monash? Briefly Many of the centres already establishedrationale for the future Monash than for the they are as follows:preservation of a binary system that funded • greater allemio" to teaching. Changeshave won excellent reputalions and attractedsubstantial funding in a relativelyshort time. Our policy will be one of furtherdeveloping a culture where it is possibleAS most readers of Monash Reporterwill know, the Council of MonashUniversity has resolved to merge withfor enterprising people to innovate: andto remove structures that prevent this fromhappening.Chisholm Institute of Technology and• an increase in 1M amount ofcollaboralionGippsland Institute of Advancedwith Ihe private sector. Many of themost successful research and teaching activitiesin Nonh American universities,Education as from) July 1990. Thiswill make Monash a much larger, anotably in Canada. have developedmore complex and potentially morethrough collaboration with business andexciting organisation extending overgovernment agencies. AI Monash some offour campuses.our best research groups are working inthis way; and our policy is to assist thisIn contrast to other mergers elsewhere inkind of collaboration in every way.Australia, the Monash-Chisholm­• greater participation in distanceGippsland merger has been achieved witheducation. In 1989 Monash-Gippsland wasa great amount of goodwill and with an attentionto detail that not only looks afterdesignated as a national distance educationprovider. There are potentially enormousthe staff working in aU three institutionsbenefits to flow from this new arrangementbut ensures that student views are taken intoaccount.- in the development of new courses andinnovative ways of teaching. and throughIn explaining this most important decision,it is necessary to consider previousthe application of new technologies.• greater flexibility and improved rewardgovernment decisions, notably those flowingfrom the recommendations of the Mar­systems to enable both general andacademic staff to have access 10 bellertin Committee in the early 1960s. as wellcareer paths on the basis of 'heas the policies set out by the currentachievement.Federal Minister and his State counterparts.• genuine efforts to open up career opportunitiesfor younger, non-tenuredThe major decision to be implementedmembers of stafffrom the Martin repon was the establishmentof a binary system of higher educa­• a willingness on the part of the university10 consider fairly all proposals thattion, consisting of a university sector,come to it from diverse sources.primarily engaged in teaching and fundamentalresearch and funded moregenerously. and a college system withmore emphasis on teaching and designed tomeet the immediate needs of industry andfunded less generously. It suited the viewsof the government of t1fe day, but therewas extremely little educational rationale engineering, technology and applied in patterns of student demand, worseninggiven for the binary system.. Over time the binary divide became anextremely troubled one, with collegesscience on the cheap.An area of major concern is research.Nowdays virtually all major research fundingstaff-student ratios in many disciplines andincreased student expectations combine topresent challenges and problems to in­has to be obtained externally in a novative and imaginative teachers. MONASH has signed an agreementmoving into what was seen by some as theterritory of the universities and vice versa. competitive process.• a continuation of the growth in with the Canberra College of AdvancedEducation to act as a sponsor]t was inevitable that some colleges such The Federal Government is taking graduate student numbers and in research.as RMIT, QIT and NSWIT shoutd move money' 'off Ihe top" of recurrent grants to Monash already has more graduatein the process whereby the college willtoward offering PhD programs in the institutions in order to suppon a research students than any other Australian universily.but new structural arrangements maysame way as it was inevitable that universitiesbecome the University of Canberra.fund in the Australian Research Council.should seek to develop the interface which then reallocates funds to individuals be necessary to devise strategies to fund The arrangements which will govern thewith business and industry. ]n shon the and research groups.and manage research.relationship include Monash approval ofsystem was fatally flawed and its continuationcould not be justified.anywhere other than some people being university. Monash already has an enviable academic staff appointments at the newII is diffICult to see this process leading • greater intemationalisation of the all higber degree programs and seniorThe current Federal Government resolvedthe problem by establishing a Unified others engaged more heavily in teaching. and research, but this can no longer be Monash would be represented on themore heavily involved in research and international reputation in both teaching university.National System and by encouraging, with The inescapable fact is that the resources taken for granted, and we must extend our Council and senior academic administrativecommittees. The two institu­the states, the merging of colleges with available to the institution will not allow efforts to recruit students not only fromuniversities.adequate research support for all members Asia and the Pacific but from North tions will promote academic interaction,Monash has worked closely and cooperativelywith Chisholm and Gippslandof staff. But Monash has to maintain anddevelop its excellent research tradition:America and Europe.The university needs greater understand~panicularlyeducation.in the area of distancetoward a merger; in fact our discussions this can only be achieved by imprOVed ing of the experience of Canadian universities,The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Loganfor example, and of the implications said the university would have the right towith Chisholm started before the publicationof the Green Paper.our research priorities and by seeking of Europe 1992 and of recent events in withdraw from any agreement at a m0­research management, clearly identifyingThe enlarged institution will offer larger amounts of non-government eastern Europe.ment's notice, and that he had insisted thatstudents access to a much wider range of funding.• the development of strategic linkages. all costs be met by the University ofcourses and allow transfer of students fromone course to another.The continuation of courses offered inthe fonner colleges will be essentialThe transformation of the Australianhigher education system over the past 18months has been remarkable. In NewSouth W~les almost all colleges have beenThese have to be built at a number oflevels. Some departments have built strongalliances with depanments in other institutions;examples include the link built byCanberra or the Commonwealth.To that end the Commonwealth alreadyhad promised support, be said.because of the very high student demand absorbed within existing universities or our Graduate School of Management withand the support they receive from a large renamed as universities in their own right. the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Monash Reporternumber of employers. Internally, then, In Victoria it is expected that the three the link with Sunway College in KualaMonash will have a greater diversity of larger universities each will have about Lumpur.The next Issue will be published Incourses and programs extending . from 25,000 students. Amongst all Vice- At the insti(utionaJ level, Monash is nowFebruary-Marcb, 1_.PhD tevel programs to those relating Chancellors, there is a general view that closely linked with the new University ofContributions (lett...., pbotos) andmore directly to business needs.the college system will completely Canberra. In a more competitive environmentthe winners will be those institutionssuggestions should be sent to theNone of this can be achieved quicldy or disappear.editor, Aileen Muldoon, Informationeasily. We have to appreciate the greater Whether we like it or not a new system which show a capacity to collaborate withomee, Gallery Building, or phonevariety of views inside the institution and of higher educalion has emerged; our others in achieving their objectives.ext 2OSS.MONASH REPORTER Page 2 DECEMBER 198')Monash agrees to sponsor ACT university J