campusreview.com.au
These universities mustn’t become complacent, the report also
warned, and they shouldn’t seek to replicate elite institutions.
A president of a European university told the report’s authors:
“An academic world consisting only of Harvard-like institutions
would be extremely boring.” CDU vice-chancellor professor Simon
Maddocks, agrees and adds, “If we all did the same thing, why
would you need 42 universities [in Australia]?”
Maddocks sits down with Campus Review to discuss what
universities like his have done to earn themselves this latest
recognition, and what they will need to get right for Firetail’s
predictions to pan out.
CR: What needs to be done within Charles Darwin University to
maintain the upwards trajectory that Firetail has recognised?
SM: There’s a whole range of things that we’ve targeted. We’ve
just released a new strategic plan and in that plan we took a 10- to
15-year outlook. The traditional, short-term, three-year steps were
[certainly] an important implementation frame work, but you’ve got
to have a much broader understanding of where you’re positioning
in the world, given the amount of global change going on. For
CDU, we realised that as a young university, we want to remain
adaptable, flexible. But we’ve got a sound understanding of where
we sit in the world.
One of the big key things is not only putting students’ success
first and foremost in how we manage things, but also remaining
research strong and taking a much greater international outlook. As
Australia’s northern-most university, we’re closer to most key Asian
markets than we are the rest of Australia, so it’s also understanding
our position in this region.
What does the federal government need to do to maintain the
upwards trajectory of young universities in Australia?
There’s a clear position that, because the government’s talking
about helping Australia transition its economy from traditional
manufacturing to something much more information-based,
education is a significant part of our capacity to manage our
workforce development.
It’s clear globally that countries with substantially growing GDPs
have a significant commitment to education investment in people
and growth. Australia’s no different. There’s no argument that strong
and sustained investment in education and innovation are going to be
critical to our future. That’s a strong message to government.
How do you view CDU’s position and role in the region?
As I say, we’re closer to key Asian capital cities than we are to the rest
of the Australian mainland cities. Australia’s making an awful lot of
its future about trade and economic positioning with Asian markets.
CDU, given where we sit in the country, ought to be looking north
for the opportunities not south at the domestic competition. We’re
taking a strong approach to internationalising the university.
International students are a significant part of what we deliver,
and they will be a significant part of our future. Not so much
in providing a traditional Australian study experience, because
we’re not traditional. We’re in a unique part of Australia. We have
many things that [have less in common with Australia than with]
environments from which we’re drawing increasing interest, such
as the broader Asian region, with students from that area. Our trade
and engagement positions are also Asia-focused. We are trying to
position ourselves as an Australian, Asia-engaged university.
POLICY & REFORM
Do you believe a report such as Firetail’s will help show the world
that academic excellence in Australia isn’t confined to the Go8?
No doubt. We’ve been showing that for some time, in fact. It’s
hard when you’re comparing a university like Charles Darwin
University that’s got 25 years of existence and has grown from a
small base to institutions that have been around for more than
100 years and have much greater financial and other resources to
draw upon [but CDU is ranked alongside those now]. We’ve got
to be flexible, adaptive, innovative. Maybe because of our size, we
can be more responsive to market opportunities than our Go8
colleagues, and that’s part of the opportunity.
What this report highlights is that when you look at what the
world might be trying to deliver in 2030, the sort of models and
modus operandi that the educational institutions will have to
us, it may well be that some of the smaller, younger, innovative
universities will be challenging some of the more traditional
education bastions.
Charles Darwin University was Australia’s first dual-sector
university, so from day one there was a different approach
taken with an institution like this and it continues. It got online
before any other universities did, so it’s had to do many
things differently.
In the Class of 2030 report, one European vice-chancellor was
quoted as saying, “The world would be a boring place if we were
just full of Harvard-style institutions.” Would you agree?
It’s true. The point is, as we move into a globalised world,
the challenge has been the fact that universities can both
tailor themselves for the local community, the needs of the
community they specifically service, but with new technologies.
[Things we need to consider] may be not just about what sort
of courses we offer, but how we choose to engage our students.
Again, the bigger universities, the more traditional universities
in the south, tend to be dependent upon school-leaver type
enrolments. Charles Darwin University has a much greater cohort
of [students] that we would put in the mature-age bracket. Most
of our students are not school leavers, they’re 25–30 plus, and
most of them are working and studying part time. It’s a different
sort of metric. There’s an example of differentiation.
Aside from CDU’s listing, is there anything else you found
interesting in the report?
I saw no surprises in terms of the way they were hallmarking
institutions that were likely to be game-changers; it’s about being
aware of what your strategy is. Do you understand your market?
Have you got a long-term vision even though you need shortterm responsive implementation and engagement?
So there weren’t too many surpr