News reaches subtext of Lancaster’s former Vice-Chancellor Paul Wellings, now VC at Wollongong in New South Wales. Prof Wellings’ enthusiasm for ‘collaborative provision’ has continued down under, it seems. The Age reported on April 11 that the Australian National Tertiary Education Union had ‘launched a legal bid to prevent the University of Wollongong’s deal with the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation going ahead, after it was fast-tracked by the Vice-Chancellor.’
The Ramsay Centre will reportedly fund ten academics to teach the three year BA in Western Civilisation, and award thirty students more than A$27,000 each per year towards their living expenses.
What did Wollongong’s senate make of this idea? Reportedly it wasn’t asked! The Age notes that Wellings ‘bypassed the university’s academic senate, which ordinarily approves new degrees, to fast-track approval of the Ramsay deal’. The fast-tracking procedure has never previously been used for an entirely new degree. The senate subsequently passed a resolution objecting to the move.
Luckily such practices wouldn’t be tolerated here, eh? More at: