The Australian University of the Future

The Australian University of the Future
hrc.cass.anu.edu.au/events/au...
Held online, Thursday 28 March, 2024
This conversation was presented by the ANU Humanities Research Centre in partnership with U3A Canberra as part of Zooming into the Future - of Australia, a new series of online discussions dedicated to understanding what the Australia of the future might look like.
The Australian Universities Accord Final Report has finally been released and the sector has had time to digest and reflect on the 400 page document. As we await the Government’s response to the report’s recommendations, this expert panel will continue to discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with first in family participation in higher education, Indigenous engagement, low SES and disability aspects of the Accord’s equity agenda, dual sector relationships (TAFE and higher ed), the role of rural and regional institutions. and the future of research across all tertiary providers in Australia. The broader context underpinning all presentations is the urgent need for changes in ways that university research and education is funded, a point that is reinforced by all presenters.
Presenters:
- Dr Liz Allen is a demographer and senior lecturer at ANU Centre for Social Policy Research, where she researches population dynamics and teaches research methods. She is a member of ANU Council and an advocate for inclusive and accessible higher education. Liz was named among the ABC Top 5 Humanities and Social Sciences academics in Australia in 2018, and a woman to watch by the Australian Financial Review in 2023. Dr Allen is a member of the National Foundation of Australian Women social policy committee, and a regular media commentator for all things demography. Her book, The Future of Us (2020), is a call to action to build a stronger Australia through fairness and equality.
- Professor Peter Anderson, from the Walpiri and Murinpatha peoples, is the Director of the Indigenous Research Unit at Griffith University. He focuses on Australian Indigenous education, examining educational systems, curriculum, and pedagogical strategies, and how they affect indigenous communities. Professor Anderson is a recognized expert in the field and has received fellowships from several prestigious institutions.
- Dr Victoria Kuttainen, chairs the Humanities in the Regions Community of Practice for the ACHRC Australasian Consortium of Humanities Researchers and Centres. She is the Director of the Roderick Centre for Australian Literature and Creative Writing and an Associate Professor of English and Writing at James Cook University.
- James Verdon is Professor of Film and Animation, and Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Media, Film and Education at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. James also chairs Swinburne’s NTRO assessment committee. His screen-based creative practice research interrogates the nexus between ideas of the real and screen-based representations of reality, particularly focussing on technological mediation. James’ most recent research project output is exhibition work in partnership with Cancer Council Victoria, for ACMI’s Story of the Moving Image permanent exhibition.
The session was chaired by Professor Kylie Message-Jones, Director ANU Humanities Research Centre.