Is the Future of the University of Newcastle “Run of the Mill”?
21 July 2005
The National Tertiary Education Union has added its voice to the anger of the community over the controversy that has erupted in response to concerns about the viability of the Newcastle University Legal Centre.
“Of particular concern to the community must be the Vice-Chancellors statement that teaching should be “ordinary run of the mill”, said Ms Chris Game, NSW Division Secretary of the NTEU. “Does this mean that the Vice-Chancellor’s vision for the future of the University of Newcastle is that it should be a run of the mill, stock standard, military medium institution, rather than the high quality University it has become over many years?”
“Surely the people of the Hunter and the Central Coast deserve the maintenance of a high quality University. It is the job of the Vice-Chancellor to demonstrate, not just to staff of the University, but to the community as a whole, that the changes he has proposed can maintain the quality of education at the University”, said Ms Game.
“As reported over the last few days, the University of Newcastle has performed outstandingly in its research output, and is in the top fifteen of Australia’s research universities. This a great compliment both to the students and staff of the University”, said Ms Game, “but it is a performance that would be under threat if the direction of the University is to become “run of the mill” rather than reaching out to be the best.”
“The Vice-Chancellor must be prepared to stand up for the best quality University education for the Hunter and Central Coast, and as part of that he must be arguing the case strongly to the Federal Government for ongoing increases to the University’s funding. Increased funding would allow the University to continue to play the key role it has done in the community’s education, social development and economic growth”, said Ms Game.
For information and comment:
Ms Chris Game, State Secretary, NTEU (NSW), (02) 9212 5433