Professors hit back at universities that are ‘no longer about education’

Current and former professors have taken aim at what they call the corporatisation of universities, an addiction to international students and “astronomical” salaries for Australian vice chancellors as part of a Senate inquiry into the governance of higher education institutions.

The inquiry was called amid growing concern around executive remuneration, criticism of the handling of antisemitism on campus, and the widespread issue of underpayment of academics.

Graduation ceremonies at ANU have been “streamlined” to occur in one week of the year.Credit: Louie Douvis

University of Sydney professor Raffaele Ciriello said Australian public universities were no longer run for education. “They have been taken over by a managerial elite that prioritises profits over academic integrity. Vice-chancellors earn more than the prime minister,” he said in a submission to the inquiry.

“Universities have become addicted to international student fees, which account for up to 40 [per cent] of revenue. COVID-19 exposed this financial fragility, yet instead of reform, universities cut staff while chasing full-fee-paying enrolments.”

Emeritus Professor William Maley from Australian National University (ANU) cited Canadian research in his submission showing vice chancellor salaries in Australia were among the highest in the English-speaking world.

He outlined how last year, ANU stopped holding graduation ceremonies at two points in the year, meaning international students, who had spent thousands of dollars on their degree, faced being unable to attend if their visa had expired before the ceremony date. University management offered them a photo opportunity with their testamur before the official ceremony, Maley said. Students would also be given a graduation rubber duck.

A picture of a rubber duck included in Emeritus Professor William Maley’s submission to the inquiry on university governance.Credit: Australian National University; William Maley

“One might seriously doubt whether the offer of a free rubber duck would adequately compensate for the loss of the opportunity to celebrate one’s graduation with family and friends … one might reasonably expect that the students of what is a world-class university would benefit from world-class leadership decision-making,” Maley said. An ANU spokeswoman said ceremonies had been “streamlined to a single week per year”.

Last month, former Labor leader Bill Shorten told university heads that the sector’s social licence was at risk because of a rise in communication, governance and management failures.

“Now we can say people are just stupid, or we can say that people are bogans ... we can say whatever we want, but if people are not buying what we’re selling, then blaming everyone else is not necessarily the solution,” The Australian Financial Review quoted Shorten as saying.

“We can say that people are bogans … but if people are not buying what we’re selling, then blaming everyone else is not necessarily the solution,” says Bill Shorten.Credit: Oscar Colman

Universities Australia, a lobby group representing 39 of the country’s universities, said debate over vice-chancellor salaries was a distraction from the conversation about properly funding universities.

“Vice chancellors lead major organisations that underpin local economies, support thousands of jobs, educate thousands of students and generate private revenue streams which are reinvested in support of Australian employment, education and research,” its submission said.

Charles Sturt University senior law lecturer Dr Bede Harris said members of university councils were now drawn from the corporate world.

“Managers see themselves as the masters, rather than the servants, of the university community,” he said.

National Tertiary Education Union national president Dr Alison Barnes told the inquiry on Wednesday that she was pleased there was action being taken on governance after numerous underpayment scandals.

“Today we have a sector where unelected corporate influence holds disproportionate power on university senates and councils, where exorbitant executive pay, insecure jobs, wage theft, lavish spending on consultants and hiring, firing, firing cycles have become ingrained,” she said.

In its submission, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), which regulates universities, suggested legislation could be broadened to reflect its role in gathering and sharing information about systemic issues.

At the hearing, opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson told TEQSA chief executive Dr Mary Russell: “I would say this has taken far too long, because when we had the antisemitism crisis on university campuses, Dr Russell, TEQSA did basically nothing, wrote a few letters.”

Russell rejected the assertion that her organisation had not acted in relation to antisemitism on campus.

“[We] have, of course, now issued a statement of regulatory expectations in response to specific concerns raised by students about grievance and complaints processes,” she said.

Russell also said TEQSA was undertaking individual compliance case work with ANU, Sydney University, Macquarie University and Queensland University of Technology in relation to antisemitism.

“They may or may not, and by the conclusion of those matters, result in the imposition of conditions according to our findings.”

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