Raising the Stakes: Gambling with the Future of Universities

by Peter Coaldrake, Lawrence Stedman

This important new book looks at the future of Australia’s universities in the light of many years of nationally driven reform efforts, and the persistence of a number of policy myths about what can and should happen next. Prosperity in the future depends on the ability to play our part in a more globalized, technologically enhanced knowledge economy. Universities are widely seen as portals to success, and an ever greater proportion of Australians expect to attend at least one of these widely respected institutions. However, despite strong demand, universities are under pressure: they face constant criticism about their relevance and responsiveness, are subject to regular government review and reform, and their budgets have been squeezed for decades. International rankings, global competition for students, and the rise of new providers have heightened the risks of falling behind. Many academics are unhappy with their lot, and students are paying more. While solutions for these problems have been put forward, few have been completely resolved. It is widely held that universities will have to change radically if Australia is to compete on the world stage. Peter Coaldrake and Lawrence Stedman argue that neither the market nor central government will be able to shape higher education in an optimal way. Facing greater competition and reduced prospects for public funding, universities themselves must provide the impetus and take responsibility for change as they adapt to complex and uncertain futures.

Genres: Education

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The real action is not about how higher education is funded, which is the primary focus of policy interest, but about what universities do in defining their own futures."

An interesting overview of the Australian higher education system that should be required reading for politicians and university staff. Here are some of the parts I highlighted:

"[Universities'] basic ‘business model’ remains dependent on both highly specialised human work and leading-edge technology, both of which contribute to escalating costs."

"We can all agree that not all universities can or should be the same... But we should recognise the limitations in the capacity of governments to intervene and shape diversity directly"

"Students are referred to as ‘load’, with the implication of a burden. Also, academics seek ‘relief’ from teaching in order to pursue research as they would take medication to relieve a headache. It is part of the challenge of contemporary university management to foster a climate that does not reinforce or support a subordinate position for teaching."

"Three-quarters of [Australia's research] block funding for research goes to 13 out of 40 universities, while three-quarters of competitive funding goes to just eight. Nineteen institutions, nearly half of all Australia’s universities, account for less than 10 per cent of external research funding between them."

"Ultimately it is what students want and need rather than what academics or entrepreneurs want to provide that will determine the future form of university education. It is important not to over-romanticise the university as a provider of richer learning and social experience... The financial incentives for faculties to keep their courses and programs within their own fiefdoms are strong, many students do not mix as broadly as they could or take advantage of the range of experiences on offer, and some programs are narrower in their scope and focus than others." [My emphasis]

[Mark Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written overview of the higher education sector and its woes!

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raising the Stakes has clearly been put together over many years, and published at a particularly interesting and volatile time for the sector. If, like myself, you work in an Australian university you'll probably feel like we're on the cusp of big change. Coaldrake and Stedman have managed to capture that beautifully. They've delivered an astute and thought-provoking analysis of how Australian universities came to be the way they are, how they're tied to national and international politics, the diversity and impact of current challenges, what we're actually trying to achieve, and how the future may or may not take shape.

If you've ever felt like you 'just don't get it', this is for you.

That said, the reading is still pretty dense. If you don't work in the sector, these pages won't bring you a lot to love. There's a good amount of policy and political history, and great comparisons to how higher education operates in other countries. The writing can be a bit sparse at times, and there is definitely a level of assumed understanding. While the writing is of a high quality and practically flawless, it addresses a topic that is, on the whole, rather dry. That's not remedied by the generous smattering of colloquialisms and metaphors that are, I assume, designed to bring the text back to a level that appeals to the common reader. (Is university quality much like pornography, is it really??)

All up, I think I properly captured only about 1/3 of this book, and those parts gave me great understanding of the sector and provoked a great many thoughts, theories, and questions about the future in higher ed. I loved those parts. Of the rest, there are large tracts where I was just reading the text without processing any content. There's a large commitment to rankings and funding that washed straight past me. That's a result of many factors, probably more so about my other commitments than about the book itself. But it's by no means a piece of light reading.

For me, the book provided more of an analysis than a vision to influence industry change. I'm left wondering who is in control, who should be in control, and what exactly are we trying to achieve. As MOOCs gather steam and fee deregulation is mentioned time and time again, I'll be interested to see what the next few years has in store.

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a bit of a mystery. It is a general description of the changing nature of higher education, with particular attention to Australia. There is attention to the ERA, compliance mechanisms and the evaluation of teaching.

Yet the title and subtitle do not capture the argument or trajectory of the book. I was hoping for a passionate, engaged and powerful discussion of the challenges in balancing the development of new knowledge and the policy imperative to 'service industry.' This discussion is not present in this book.

This is a descriptive presentation of contemporary higher education. I did expect more - and the volatility of our universities demands rigour, precision, passion and clarity from our leaders.

[Peter Corke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to why we have the university system that we do, the history and politics of the journey. That could be done in a very dry way, but it's quite readable and engaging. For late comers to the higher education business it's a great introduction. The last part will no doubt have to be updated once the senate makes its mind up.