Checklist for Pre-War Universities

In the early 1960s Partridge characterised Australia's pre-war universities as under-funded, parochial, socially conformist, dominated by pass degree students, vocationally oriented, neglectful of research, isolated from the international academic community, with small staffs carrying a heavy pass level teaching load (Powell, 1994). As a checklist against which to review our universities as we move in to the year 2000, what comparisons can be made? Today's universities: under-funded certainly a concern in recent years; parochial perhaps much less so given the recent emphasis on collaboration, internationalisation and marketing of courses to students beyond the geographical catchment; dominated by pass degree students probably just as much today given the 'massification' of higher education; vocationally oriented more so in some institutions than others, but the terms of reference of the recent West Committee would suggest broader concerns; neglectful of research not in comparison with our early institutions; academically isolated internationally modern transport and communications have had a major impact; too few staff carrying too high a teaching load well that has a familiar ring to it.

• Powell, J.P. (1994). Australian Higher Education 1852-1972. In G. Ryan, P. Little & I. Dunn (Eds.), Research and Development in Higher Education: Vol. 16. Challenging the Conventional Wisdom in Higher Education (pp. 603-609). Sydney: University of New South Wales.