University of Adelaide pulls out of The Conversation website

The financially troubled University of Adelaide has withdrawn from the online news and opinion website The Conversation.

The University of Adelaide in Adelaide. Picture: AAP

The financially troubled University of Adelaide has withdrawn from the online news and opinion website The Conversation, saving itself $100,000 a year as it tries to minimise job losses.

Explaining the move, the university told The Australian that its “primary focus is to protect as many jobs as possible in the current economic circumstances”.

It is in the middle of a cost-cutting drive as it deals with a $100m budget shortfall this year, due to the loss of international students and the added burden of putting classes online and other costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier The Conversation’s strategic partnerships manager, Susan Hornbeck, emailed University of Adelaide academics informing them their institution’s membership had been cancelled and that they would no longer be able to offer articles about their research and areas of expertise for publication.

“Unfortunately, this means we will no longer be able to ­accept pitches for articles from University of Adelaide academics and researchers,” she wrote. “Other member benefits such as access to institutional metrics and author dashboards, and the daily expert callout, will also no longer be available. We’re sorry to see our relationship end.”

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However, the university ­described its action differently, saying it had “paused our membership of The Conversation after a review of subscriptions and memberships”.

“It has been a difficult decision because we highly value The Conversation and their commitment to publishing academic works, but it comes at a substantial cost,” the university said. “We are committed to reviewing the membership again next year.”

The “paused” membership will save the university $100,000 a year, which is understood to be the fee charged by The Conversation to research-intensive Group of Eight universities like Adelaide, whose academics are the most prolific authors for the website.

Since 2016, when the University of Adelaide was first listed as a member of The Conversation, its academics have published 936 articles on the not-for-profit website.

Even though the higher education funding crisis is affecting all universities, Adelaide is the only institution so far to pull out of The Conversation. Thirty seven Australian universities remain as members, as well as five universities in New Zealand.

The Conversation’s editor, Misha Ketchell, welcomed the University of Adelaide’s commitment to reconsider next year its decision to withdraw.

“They’ve indicated they appreciate and value the connection (with The Conversation) but it is entirely a consequence of the circumstances they are facing,” he said.

“We’re very keen to work with them again as soon as they are able.”

The Conversation, founded in Australia in 2011, now operates globally with other websites in Africa, Canada, France, the UK, the US, Spain and Indonesia, and also has university members in those locations. It’s articles are free to read and republish.

Aside from facing a budget shortfall and harsh cost cuts, the University of Adelaide is also searching for a new vice-chancellor after the recent resignation of former chief Peter Rathjen following a probe by the South Australian Independent Commissioner Against Corruption into allegations about his conduct.