Podcast

Kent Anderson DVC at Newcastle joins us soon after a 2 year spell in Ministers’ Tehan and Tudge’s office guiding recent policy changes. He comments on the divide between chancelleries and ministry that has developed in recent years. He puts it down to the challenge of listening and who is in charge of the sandpit.

Professor Jennifer Whyte of University of Sydney joins the HEDx podcast to reflect on culture, leadership and partnerships as an AUstralian Head of School in a Go8 compared to her experiences at Imperial College in the UK. She outlines opportunities for Australian universities to take advantage of new modes of connections, in particular a forthcoming Olympic Games in 2032, to reintegrate with the rest of the world by harnessing technology and global perspectives.

Denice Pitt CEO of online learning pioneers OES joins Karl and Martin to reflect on the 10 year journey of her company supporting universities in bringing high quality online learning to non-traditional students.

Vice Chancellor of Torrens University, Professor Alwyn Louw joins HEDx to tell of its growth to close to 20,000 students in seven years. As a US-owned private university operating across Australia, the Torrens story is one of fast growth, differentiated strategy, and a unique set up of governance and executive roles.

Vice Chancellor of JCU Townsville, Sandra Harding, joins the HEDx team. She reflects on how the sector’s leaders and staff are feeling and of the culture change that is needed for a very different future than that she anticipated as UA Chair in 2013.

Vice Chancellor of Wollongong University, Patricia Davidson joins HEDx to outline the compassionate approach to leadership she has brought to her first 90 days. She outlines the challenges she perceives for the sector, its staff and its students. As she prepares the new strategy for Wollongong she celebrates the people, the community and the history. She sees genuine opportunities for universities to differentiate through digital disruption and with how technology and empathy for people can allow new expectations to be met by a sector whose time she sees as full of opportunity.

Vice-Chancellor of University of Newcastle, Alex Zelinsky joins HEDx to outline the 5 year strategy called Looking Ahead

Pro Vice-Chancellor International of Auckland University of Technology, Guy Littlefair joins HEDx to share insights into transitions between university and business environments and the importance of partnerships.

Professor of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies at University of British Columbia, Professor Lynn Bosetti gives insights into how Australian leaders in universities encounter academic workforces using incivility as behaviour to resist change and attempts at strategic direction.

Chair of our peak body Universities Australia and Vice Chancellor of La Trobe John Dewar assess how we are doing as a sector and interpret the gauntlet thrown at us by Minister Tudge in his recent speech. John gives a rich picture of the complexity of the commercialisation and campus return issues. He outlines how moves to differentiate on function and by discipline will continue to provide an opportunity for place-based strategies and major forays into the very competitive global online markets. But his message to the sector, in one of his first public statements as UA Chair, is to pay tribute to the culture change and skills development that has taken place sector-wide whilst recognising how much further there is still to travel.