UNE part of new, $10 million Higher Education Institute

May 02, 2007

The Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop, has announced funding of $10 million to establish a new national Higher Education Institute – proposed by the University of Melbourne – in which the University of New England will play a prominent role.

UNE, through its Centre for Higher Education Management and Policy, will work in direct collaboration with the University of Melbourne, where the L H Martin Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Management is to be based.

The Martin Institute would "provide a new national focus for enhancing the quality of higher education leadership, management and governance in Australia", Minister Bishop said when announcing the funding yesterday.

UNE will be a primary external collaborator, contributing extensive expertise and experience in distance education course delivery, its rural and Asia-Pacific focus, and its higher education management offerings.

The Vice-Chancellor of UNE, Professor Alan Pettigrew, said he was delighted that the Minister had approved the proposal.

"This is a major initiative that utilises the skills of a number of different institutions with complementary expertise to enhance the quality of higher education leadership," Professor Pettigrew said. "UNE is delighted to be part of this proposal and is looking forward to working with the University of Melbourne to ensure its success."

The Director of UNE's Centre for Higher Education Management and Policy, Professor Lynn Meek, explained that, among other things, UNE would be bringing its "expertise and vast experience in distance education" to the work of the Institute. He pointed out that the ultimate beneficiaries of a higher education system that delivered high-quality training and research were "Australian citizens".

Minister Bishop said the Institute, based at the University of Melbourne, would involve "direct collaboration with Victoria University and the University of New England, and an advisory council". She added that it would also involve "a high level of cross-sectoral collaboration with TAFE and other vocational education and training providers, and the private higher education sector".

Posted by Jim Scanlan at May 2, 2007 05:38 PM