An issue that kept coming back into the higher educator sector this year was the Ramsay Centre’s Western Civilisation degree and its attendant negotiations with the University of Wollongong, the University of Sydney and the University of Queensland. To date, only the University of Wollongong has committed to the western civilisation program, with the Ramsay Centre walking away from a negotiated deal with the University of Sydney recently. The Ramsay degree also failed to attract enough interest at UQ.

In some ways, the western civilisation degree was played out as a sort of culture war between the left and right and members of the Academic Senate at the University of Wollongong initiated litigation before withdrawing it after considering the costs involved.

Another important story this year originated from ABC TV’s Four Corners Program. In an episode called ‘Cash Cows’ allegations were made that some Australian universities were waiving important English requirement tests for international students who did not have the requisite IT skills to study a Master of IT, for instance. A coterie of academics, frustrated by what they believed was a clear case of putting profit before quality, blew the whistle on the issues occurring at Murdoch and one academic in particular has faced serious repercussions, .

These issues and more are revisited in our year in review and I look forward to bringing you the stories that matter to you next year. Wade Zaglas, Education Editor for Campus Review.

An issue that kept coming back into the higher educator sector this year was the Ramsay Centre’s Western Civilisation degree and its attendant negotiations with the University of Wollongong, the University of Sydney and the University of Queensland. To date, only the University of Wollongong has committed to the western civilisation program, with the Ramsay Centre walking away from a negotiated deal with the University of Sydney recently. The Ramsay degree also failed to attract enough interest at UQ. In some ways, the western civilisation degree was played out as a sort of culture war between the left and right and members of the Academic Senate at the University of Wollongong initiated litigation before withdrawing it after considering the costs involved. Another important story this year originated from ABC TV’s Four Corners Program. In an episode called ‘Cash Cows’ allegations were made that some Australian universities were waiving important English requirement tests for international students who did not have the requisite IT skills to study a Master of IT, for instance. A coterie of academics, frustrated by what they believed was a clear case of putting profit before quality, blew the whistle on the issues occurring at Murdoch and one academic in particular has faced serious repercussions, . These issues and more are revisited in our year in review and I look forward to bringing you the stories that matter to you next year. Wade Zaglas, Education Editor for Campus Review.

Higher education news, features, opinion and headlines.

Higher education news, features, opinion and headlines.

Campus Review

An issue that kept coming back into the higher ed…