Successive waves of neoliberal reforms to higher education have taken their toll on the academy. This paper uses the zombie metaphor to discuss the causes and consequences of organisational change on Australian academics as a background to exploring zombiefication as a form of passive resistance and survival. The paper uses the literature and…

The rise of the managerialist university, in terms of a shift towards supposed corporate forms of governance in universities, associated also with greater competition between universities, has been the subject of considerable controversy. Dissent with respect to these developments has commonly appealed to the notion of the university as a special…

This article considers whether a threat is posed to academic independence in corporate universities by the United States Studies Centre (USSC) at the University of Sydney. The USSC rapidly worked its way into Australia's oldest university, building a unique governance structure in which a private business lobby vets senior academics and controls…

With particular regard to gender, this paper considers the rise and fall of EEO in Australian universities over the last 30 years. The paper argues that EEO, a product of social liberalism, had barely been introduced before it became a casualty of the Dawkins reforms and the transformation of the university. Corporatisation resulted in top-down…

This article attempts a critique of the higher education policy overview, with a particular view to how policy is made through that process. The higher education sector in Australia has become reliant for the answers to its most important policy questions on a process that has not delivered adequate answers, and which becomes less likely to…

In recent years university governance has come in from the cold, so to speak, and is now the subject of some debate in political and academic venues. The core issue for debate is the appropriateness and effectiveness of current university governance structures. This debate is particularly critical in light of the increased professionalisation of…

In recent years university governance has come in from the cold, so to speak, and is now the subject of some debate in political and academic venues. The core issue for debate is the appropriateness and effectiveness of current university governance structures. This debate is particularly critical in light of the increased professionalisation of…

The more immediate context of the events the author describes in this article is needed in order to identify the policy framework within which the Australian National University (ANU)-Canberra CAE (CCAE) merger was placed as a component of a wider public policy initiative undertaken by John Dawkins. There were four major components in that wider…

Academics are prone to mythologizing a lost golden age. As a result, it is often difficult to pinpoint what about new management methods that causes frustration and resentment. The authors look at the "audit culture" of contemporary universities, and suggest that such a culture promotes verbal dishonesty and an atmosphere of mistrust.

Introduces six articles that form this issue's feature section on international higher education. Uses the articles to explore issues of globalization in higher education, including the danger of a global convergence in models of higher education that may poorly serve the needs of different institutions. (EV)

Discusses the rise of entrepreneurialism in Australian universities as one response to globalization. Examines its positive and negative effects upon educational standards, academic morale, and structure of academic work. Highlights areas of fundamental change in the sector, including changes in university missions and culture and the uneven…

Proposes the establishment of a Deaprtment of the University with a mandate to seek and disseminate knowledge and insights concerning all aspects of the University so that the operation and activities of the University may be progressively and continuously improved on the basis of appropriate scholarly understanding and debate. (JT)

Proposals for a university of Western Sydney (Australia) are examined as examples of policy-making in postsecondary education. The state and federal framework of postsecondary education is sketched, some features of Western Sydney's society are noted, and the university movement and options are discussed. (MSE)

The major changes mandated by Australia for its higher education system and the apparent reasons for the changes are outlined, and the strategies adopted for change are critiqued. Changes relate primarily to administrative organization, governance, resource allocation, and accountability. (MSE)

The provisions in Australia's 1993 Higher Education Budget Statement regarding equity, diversity, and educational quality are examined. The discussion draws on current models of governance of public and private systems to examine ways in which the federal government has imposed accountability mechanisms on institutions. (Author/MSE)