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‘voices from the chalkface’: the senate inquiry into the capacity of public universities to meet australia’s higher education needs.
| Content Provider | CiteSeerX |
|---|---|
| Author | Anderson, Gina |
| Abstract | In October 2000 the Senate instigated a formal inquiry into the capacity of public universities to meet Australia’s higher education needs. On 22 March 2001 the Committee began hearing evidence, ultimately from 219 witnesses at 14 public and one in camera hearings around the country. The inquiry also received a total of 364 written submissions. The evidence and written submissions represent a variety of viewpoints including those of individual academics. On 27 September, 2001, the Committee released its comprehensive report, entitled ‘Universities in Crisis. ’ This paper examines the extent to which 'ordinary working academics ' utilised this inquiry as a means of focusing attention on the widespread demoralisation, anger and alienation experienced by academic staff. It questions whether Australian academics took effective advantage of the opportunity afforded by this inquiry to position themselves- and the conditions under which they work- at the centre of the current debate over the future of higher education. Just how loud, how strategic, and how effectual were these voices from the chalkface? A story is sometimes wistfully repeated within academic circles of an Oxford don, who, when referred to as an employee of the university, replied indignantly, ‘Sir, we are not employees of the university. We are the university. ’ While the contemporary Australian university is arguably |
| File Format | |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
