Back in November 2016, I posted a review of a new book about higher education in California in the 1960s. At the time it seemed relevant to Australia's own problems with growing demand for access, funding pressures and system-level reform. But the Australian tertiary system has not seen any comprehensive reform, then or since. So…
Debate quality in the university: how bad can it be?
Last month I looked at the uses and limits of academic freedom in Australia, taking the Peter Ridd affair at James Cook University as a case study. And also at how last year's French Review balanced two aspects of the work of universities: promoting free exchange as a way of exploring ideas, testing claims, exposing…
Let’s Glance: new OECD metrics on Australian tertiary spending
The 2020 edition of the OECD's Education at a Glance report landed on 8 September. In Australia it caused barely a ripple of public interest. With past editions, university sector press releases and media commentary usually appear within a few days. Typically, these highlight how low we look in the latest OECD "ranking" of tertiary…
