international education
Private Education and Training, the Council of Private Higher Education, English Australia, the Independent Schools Council of Australia, TAFE Directors Australia, Universities Australia and International Education Association of Australia.
Ironically, this means that whereas previously the government of the day had been able to sometimes‘ divide and conquer’ the various industry associations due to their competing priorities, this has now all changed.
In the lead-up to Australia’ s federal election in September this year, the various industry associations intend to have one combined policy strategy and wherever possible, speak with one united voice.
3. Streamline visa procedures The third initiative stemmed from another outcome of the federal government’ s 2011 review, which provided public higher education institutions with less cumbersome student visa hurdles.
Referred to as streamlined visa procedures, this policy change was a reaction to the large number of poor-quality diploma level colleges who were gaining a high proportion of international student enrolments. The challenge remains to ensure that good quality TAFE institutes and private colleges gain streamlined visa status.
4. Post-study work rights The fourth initiative is post-study work rights. At the same time that the UK was ditching the policy that allowed international students to stay and work in their economy after graduation, we in Australia were embracing it.
The decision in 2011 to uncouple migration from education had enormous negative implications for Australia’ s ability to continue to attract high numbers of fullfee-paying international students.
A solution was found by persuading the politicians that there had to be some alternative to just cancelling the migration option. Post-study work rights were seen as a legitimate compromise.
Lessons learned Some of the key lessons learned include:
1. Ensure that our sector / industry’ s data is robust enough to be able to prove the benefits that accrue to the economy from international education( obviously not just tuition fee income but the multiplier effects of accommodation, food, entertainment, family visiting from overseas as tourists and so on).
2. Be able to paint“ what if” negative scenarios – that suggest that if public university funding gaps are not filled( by for example additional full fee paying revenue from international students) then planned new campus buildings cannot be built, and cutting edge research cannot be funded.
3. Seek out“ champion MPs”,“ champion city councils” and“ champion public servants” and other community leaders who will assist in your lobbying efforts.
4. Put together an advocacy / lobbying strategy that sets out achievable goals( short, medium and longer term).
Clearly, the road ahead is fraught with challenges, but in reaching out to each other as international education professionals there is much that we can share and learn. n
Phil Honeywood is executive director of the International Education Association of Australia. He will be appearing regularly in these pages in forthcoming editions.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong. It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate, Master’ s, and Bachelor’ s degrees. It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1,200. The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK $ 5 billion per year.
DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND REAL ESTATE
The Department of Building and Real Estate is one of the constituent departments of the Faculty of Construction and Environment. The Department offers a full range of programmes leading to the awards of Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Philosophy, Master of Science and Bachelor of Science. It has an undergraduate student body of over 680 full-time students, over 350 part-time students and a postgraduate student body of over 400. The Department currently has a total of 42 full-time academic staff and 22 technical and administrative staff. The Department is committed to excellence in teaching, research and service to the community. Please visit the departmental website at http:// www. bre. polyu. edu. hk / for more information about the Department. The Department is looking for enthusiastic, established and suitably qualified persons with a PhD degree to join the Department to take part in a number of teaching and research activities.
( 1) Professor / Associate Professor / Assistant Professor in Planning and Development( 2) Research Assistant Professor in Construction Management / Sustainability / Environment( 3) Research Assistant Professor in Real Estate Finance and Economics( 4) Research Assistant Professor in Virtual Prototyping and Building Information Modeling Technologies( 5) Research Assistant Professor in Sustainable Urban Development
For post( 1), the appointee will be required to( a) undertake teaching duties at various levels;( b) supervise undergraduate and postgraduate research projects and theses;( c) conduct research in the areas related to policy for sustainable urban development and contribute to the development of its research strengths;( d) initiate, lead and participate in scholarly research in his / her area of expertise and be active in research leading to quality journal publications and in bidding for external research grants and applied research projects;( e) engage in programme / curriculum planning, development and administration; and( f) undertake relevant administrative duties.
For posts( 2),( 3) and( 4), the appointees will be required to( a) undertake teaching duties in related disciplines at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels; and( b) initiate, lead and participate in scholarly research in his / her area of expertise. For post( 5), the appointee will be required to( a) undertake teaching duties in related disciplines at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels on urban sustainability, green building, urban planning and design, institutional analysis and conservation for buildings, etc.; and( b) initiate, lead and participate in academic and policy research pertaining to sustainable urban development / green building and contribute to the development of its research strengths.
For posts( 2),( 3),( 4) and( 5), the appointees will also be required to( a) be active in research leading to quality journal publications and in bidding for external research grants and applied research projects;( b) supervise undergraduate and postgraduate research projects and theses;( c) engage in programme / curriculum planning, development and administration; and( d) provide administrative support for academic and departmental affairs.
For post( 1), applicants should( a) have a PhD degree in a related discipline( preferably with a first degree in Urban Planning or Architecture / Surveying);( b) have strong commitment to excellence in teaching and research;( c) have a proven record in research and scholarship; and( d) be able to demonstrate effective classroom teaching skills and have good interpersonal skills. Preference will be given to those with demonstrated track record and expertise in research on urban sustainability, land use and institutional analysis.
For posts( 2),( 3) and( 5), applicants should have( a) a doctoral degree in an appropriate related discipline;( b) the relevant postdoctoral research experience( as supported by evidence of research projects and outputs) and relevant teaching experience;( c) an outstanding publication record in refereed journals, and demonstrate good potential in bidding for research grants as well as in establishing significant externally funded research programmes;( d) strong commitment to excellence in teaching and learning; and( e) an excellent command of English. For post( 5), preference will be given to those with demonstrated track record and expertise in research on policy for urban sustainability and land use.
For post( 4), applicants should have( a) a doctoral degree in an appropriate related discipline;( b) at least three years’ relevant postdoctoral research experience( as supported by evidence of research projects and outputs) in developing and applying virtual prototyping and building information modeling technologies in the construction industry;( c) relevant teaching experience;( d) an outstanding publication record in refereed journals, and experience in bidding for research grants as well as in establishing significant externally funded research programmes;( e) strong commitment to excellence in teaching and learning; and( f) an excellent command of English.
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered. Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contract. Appointments for Research Assistant Professor( with remuneration package same as that for an Assistant Professor) will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contract for up to three years. Re-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement. An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels. Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application.
Application Please submit application form via email to hrstaff @ polyu. edu. hk; by fax at( 852) 2364 2166; or by mail to Human Resources Office, 13 / F, Li Ka Shing Tower, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae, please still complete the application form which will help speed up the recruitment process. Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded from http:// www. polyu. edu. hk / hro / job. htm. Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled. Initial consideration of applications will commence on 1 June 2013. Details of the University’ s Personal Information Collection Statement for recruitment can be found at http:// www. polyu. edu. hk / hro / jobpics. htm.
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