Campus Review Vol 29. Issue 6 June 2019 | Seite 23

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an hour has passed since its launch in April
without seeing someone searching the
names or simply admiring the art piece.”
Brailsford adds the concept of Limitless
aligns with both student and institutional
aspirations, linking the challenges of the past
with the university’s modern-day success.
“When I say, ‘How will the next 30 years
look?,’ I would like to see our alumni become
more involved in determining the future of
the university. If you look at where our alumni
are now placed, they are leaders, captains of
industry, media figures, in government circles
and in charge of non-profits.”
Brailsford talks enthusiastically, and with a
touch of apprehension, about the so-called
Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“The changes we are living through present
new opportunities. Sure there is disruption,
and the world of work will continue to
change, but universities are remarkably
resilient and adaptable. After all, much of the
innovation actually comes from inside the
sector itself,” he says.
“We’ve been undertaking research about
what employers think and they’ve been
giving us consistent feedback that the world
is changing. What we’re trying to do is get
ahead of the curve and identify what the new
roles of the future will be in industries – and
the skill sets that are required for them.”
To keep up with this changing workforce,
Bond has introduced new initiatives at speeds
unlike any other university. Graduates still
require deep content knowledge in their
chosen discipline, but they also need to
develop broader skills to meet the challenges
of the future. Brailsford quotes a McKinsey
report that estimates automation will have
eliminated 3.6 million jobs by 2030, but the
focus is rarely drawn to how it will also create
over four million new jobs in Australia alone.
Brailsford is acutely aware of aligning the
needs of business and industry with the
attributes of a modern graduate.
“We undertook some important research
last year where we surveyed a broad
spectrum of employers, entrepreneurs,
recent graduates and some not so recent.
The overwhelming skills deficit reported
back was ‘collaboration’, especially across
disciplines – so part of Bond’s focus
at the moment is how we can embed
transdisciplinary abilities both within and
across degree programs.”
Bond has always been strong in the area of
industry collaborations and is forging ahead
with a new creative hub that is a joint initiative
with Screen Queensland.
The Limitless sculpture under the iconic arch at Bond campus. Photo: Bond University
On the broader issue of post-secondary
skills training, Brailsford is open to new
thinking. He has recently returned from the
UK and was impressed with their degree-level
apprenticeship scheme whereby employers
pay a training levy but can receive benefit
back through professional apprenticeships.
In between his various appointments
have been the almost-obligatory short stints
overseas, as well as a trail of international
commitments.
“I think my first overseas trip related to
international education was in 1989 to
Malaysia, ironically the same year that Bond
opened its doors. Since then, I have travelled
every year developing new markets, seeking
new partners and learning different systems.”
When asked about the current debate
around international education in Australia,
Brailsford says it has become “confused and
too narrowly focused”, and that “international
education is far more than just international
students”. He is concerned about the implicit
signal that Australia is becoming too insular.
While acknowledging the wider
geopolitical context of China, he is cautious
about being drawn into a China debate,
saying, “Don’t forget there are 193 member
states of the United Nations.”
Brailsford is quick to point out that Bond’s
largest international student cohort originates
from North America, with a large contingent
from Canada, and says there is a consistent
stream of students from Europe.
His broadest smile, though, comes when
he mentions the work Bond undertakes in
the Pacific. The university has a long-standing
program in the Solomon Islands that is a
cross-disciplinary effort involving medicine,
planning, construction and law. A steady flow
of students and academics from PNG come
through Bond’s doors.
Through its rugby program, there are
strong links to Fiji, and the Business School is
now in its 15th year of co-teaching in Tokyo.
“We have to do things differently at Bond.
It is in our DNA. Part of our international
strategy is to avoid running with the pack.”
One thing that draws together the
university’s alumni and current students is
a camaraderie that is summed up in the
catchphrase “once a Bondy, always a Bondy”.
“The only thing I can lay a little bit of claim
to is mixing the ingredients that were already
here and shaping it into a recipe for success.”
Brailsford says rather than shy away
from its beginnings, Bond is now proud to
wear the mantle of Australia’s first private
university. What was perhaps once a ball
and chain is now a distinctive brand that the
university leverages.
“The battle for Bond to be accepted as
part of the landscape has been won. We
perform well on all the public metrics,
especially in teaching and learning, and
student satisfaction. Our ERA outcomes are
good particularly in our specialist research
areas, and when I travel I do not have to
explain who we are.”
Indeed, Bond’s student metrics are the
envy of many. The university consistently
sits at the top end on the various surveys,
and a quick analysis of QILT reveals Bond as
a stand-out performer.
Brailsford is quick to point out that at
the 2018 Australian Awards for University
Teaching, Bond staff won two of just 13
awards, proving – to use the words of his
former mentor – that the university certainly
does punch above its weight.
His final remark is that Bond University
should be regarded as one of Australia’s most
successful educational startups. It is a bold
claim but not without merit.  ■
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