VC’ s corner
Australian universities who churn out events, newsletters and“ asks”. Yet little of this presses the button that says,‘ Lend us a hand financially and we’ ll enrich your life through your own generosity.’
In a country where ordinary people give to disadvantaged children offshore, we have trouble selling the idea of giving an academically advanced, first-in-family 17-year-old kid next-door a crack at life with a university degree. Ask those alumni office staff what’ s missing here and I’ d be surprised if it varied – we don’ t have an alma mater culture here, because grads just don’ t know why they should support us at all, let alone from lecture theatre to grave.
Individuals in Australia claimed nearly $ 2 billion in charitable gifts in 2009-10, according to the ATO. We don’ t know how much went to education, but donations from private ancillary funds showed education per se was about 10 per cent. It is unlikely much of that went to higher ed.
When universities talked about how much they raised from individuals that same year, they mentioned 10, 15 or, in one case, 30 million dollars, less than three per cent. It’ s reasonable to guess that the rest goes to high schools, where education tribalism has been nurtured for years through inter-school rivalries, sporting contests, old boys’ and girls’ networks and pride in the school anthem, uniform and motto. Good work, schools.
Perhaps we should concern ourselves less with the fact that fundraising has produced a pale result in Australia and more with the gains. We have the start of major alumni giving. We have infrastructure – welldesigned, professional fundraising units like the 2004 British review recommended. We have conference networks and knowledgesharing initiatives to back that up.
It won’ t be enough. We’ ll need all of the British reforms and will have to take a grassroots approach and make hard decisions. Do we build accommodation in an era of growing online education and encourage students to live on campus? Do we launch our own football teams, sponsor local sporting heroes, support our high school debating societies? Do we treat our students like members of the family and build them into tribal followers who understand the value of what they have gained? Certainly.
Otherwise one thing is guaranteed – in 20 years’ time we will still be looking across the Pacific to the sports stadia, research centres, business towers and glowing, mascot-clutching graduates with their giving forms in hand, wishing we had started years ago. n
Professor Ian O’ Connor is vice-chancellor of Griffith University.
www. campusreview. com. au March 2013 | 33