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Building a reputation for regional universities
The university network believes there are ways of attracting more students to regional areas. By Aileen Macalintal and Antonia Maiolo
Students who choose to study at regional universities should have access to subsidised accommodation through a HECS loan.
This is just one part of a proposal launched recently by Professor David Battersby, chair of the Regional Universities Network.
The plan, Smarter Regions, Smarter Australia, details ways the government can unlock the potential of regional Australia, which comprises two-thirds of the nation’ s economic assets.
“ We know that access to reasonably priced student accommodation does make the difference about whether a student attends a regional university or foregoes the chance of accessing higher education,” Battersby said.
“ Given that higher education participation rates are still significantly lower in regional Australia than in the capital cities, there is a need to consider strategies to attract more students to attend regional universities,” he said.
Battersby said the HECS-HELP loan recommendation in the policy document is one mechanism to achieve this outcome.
Aside from attracting students to study at regional universities, the loans might be a mechanism to counter the flow of those who move from rural areas to cities, as students would be encouraged to build their careers in the region.
“ Students from the capital cities who attend a regional university have a reasonably high probability of taking up employment in the region following graduation,” Battersby said.“ Moreover, attracting students from capital cities to the regions is one effective mechanism to offset the migration flow of young folk from the regions to the capital cities.”
He said there are scholarship opportunities in the network that can strengthen enrolments in regional universities.
“ Each of the regional universities in RUN has its own scholarship scheme to support and strengthen enrolments, but there is also a need for governments – all tiers – to consider offering regional university scholarships to assist students to attend regional universities.
“ All tiers of governments [ would ] benefit from having a workforce of graduates in the regions, and investment in scholarships is a worthwhile strategy to ensure the continuing supply of graduates in a range of disciplines to meet regional workforce requirements,” he said.
Battersby believes that adoption of the policies would improve the level of graduate skills needed to ensure the international reputation of regional universities, as well as helping to strengthen communities across the nation.
The policy will also improve regional Australian communities, home to a third of the country’ s population.
The University of Southern Queensland vice-chancellor and president, professor Jan Thomas, said the recognition of the regional universities’ critical role in Australia is important as the nation prepares for the
federal election in September.
USQ, a founding member of RUN, significantly contributes to the Toowoomba economy, and supports the plan to unlock the potential of regional Australia.
“ This is a university that punches well above its weight in terms of the contribution it makes, and regional centres like Toowoomba are the economic engine rooms of our nation,” Thomas said.
USQ accounts for an estimated injection of $ 316.3 million into the Toowoomba economy every year, according to research conducted by RUN.
The study also shows that USQ is responsible for $ 195.3 million in household income and 2627 full-time equivalent jobs in Toowoomba alone.
“ USQ has a long history of success in the provision of accessible, high quality education to one of the country’ s most diverse cohort of students,” Thomas said.
She said the university had been positioning itself as the leading centre for solutions and expert adviser on issues specific to regional communities.
Shadow parliamentary secretary for regional education, Senator Fiona Nash said RUN’ s policy proposal outlines novel ideas on how the government can unlock the potential of regional Australia.
Nash said regional universities make up nine per cent of enrolments in Australian public universities, or 100,000 students.
They also educate 25 per cent of regional higher education students, six per cent of low socio-economic students and 15 per cent of indigenous students.
“ One of the reasons regional universities are so important is that two of every three students they educate go on to work in regional localities, thereby investing professional skills qualifications and knowhow into regional Australia,” Nash said. n
12 | April 2013