Universities and policymakers must share the blame for ¡°selling out the generational bargain¡±, with higher education students now ¡°paying much more but getting less than their predecessors¡±, according to Western Sydney University vice-chancellor George Williams.

In a new booklet published on 3 November, Williams argues that universities have been stricken by ¡°crises beyond their control¡±, such as policy about-turns?that saw industrial-scale recruitment of international students incited and then quashed. Upheavals like the Job-ready Graduates (JRG) reforms have also exacerbated ¡°perverse¡± funding incentives?that ¡°encourage corporatisation and the pursuit of rankings over student success¡±.

But universities ¡°must take responsibility for their own failings¡±, including those caused by ¡°governments steering universities in the wrong direction¡±, Williams insists in Aiming higher: universities and Australia¡¯s future.

¡°Universities are not victims, nor are they powerless,¡± he writes. ¡°It is time for universities to rediscover their mission and voice as public institutions operating for the public good. With our social licence under threat, we must genuinely acknowledge where we have made mistakes and take corrective action.

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¡°Above all, universities need to return students to the centre of everything we do. We need to care for our people and build trust through transparency and consistency.¡±

The is part of the Vantage Point series of long-form essays published by the Australia Institute thinktank. Williams described it as deliberately unacademic.

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¡°As academics, we¡¯re trained to speak to the academy. If there¡¯s one thing I know at the moment, it¡¯s that we¡¯ve got to speak to people at large. This is a thought piece for the community. The fact we haven¡¯t connected with community is¡­one of the reasons we¡¯re in some difficulty at the moment.¡±

He argues that universities have been sitting ducks for Australia¡¯s ¡°tall poppy syndrome¡± and ¡°gotcha¡± culture. Competitive threats such as? risk consigning them to irrelevance, while social media and generative artificial intelligence have erased the last traces of what was once a monopoly on knowledge.

But he begins the book by exploring the hunger assailing many contemporary students. Income support, for those lucky enough to get it, is 35 per cent of the minimum wage and covers less than half of a median rent, ¡°let alone food, transport, medicine and textbooks¡±.

People are ¡°shocked¡± to hear this, Williams told ̽»¨ÊÓƵ. ¡°They have no idea about the pressures on students. The most important perspective is often missing in the debate about universities.

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¡°We need sensible regulatory settings¡­but at the university end, we have enormous agency in this. It is pretty straightforward. We¡¯ve just got to play true to mission, starting first and foremost with educating students. Hopefully, it¡¯s reassuring that we don¡¯t need a radical break. We need [to] get back to what we are here for ¨C in particular, look after the students that we serve. We are defined by who we fight for.¡±

He said the sector had ¡°rolled over¡± on the JRG reforms and ¡°gone along willingly¡± with a rationale of focusing on international rankings to bolster their international education revenue.

¡°Rankings drive research, which drives income from international students, which drives rankings. [That] cycle¡­excludes domestic students from being front of mind [and] has been at the expense of international students and their experience. About one in four students say they¡¯re unhappy with their education. We can¡¯t deny our own agency in those things.

¡°Even if you¡¯ve got most of your money from the private sector, it shouldn¡¯t alter your character as a university. As a public sector body and a public sector leader¡­you¡¯ve got to be transparent about what you do. We have a lot of social licence issues and a good number of those are related to transparency.¡±

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He cited survey findings that most Australians think current universities¡¯ primary purpose is to turn a profit, even though only a small fraction believe that should be the case. ¡°If you¡¯re not transparent, it lends itself to perceptions coming to roost.¡±

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com