VCs dismiss merger plan for University of WA, Edith Cowan, Murdoch and Curtin universities

WA’s university vice-chancellors have poured scorn on the idea of merging all four public institutions to create one super-university. WA chief scientist Peter Klinken recently proposed amalgamating the University of WA with Edith Cowan, Curtin and Murdoch universities to create a single Perth-based entity that would be more viable with a higher standing on world rankings. But the leaders of WA’s five universities hit back at the idea during a vice-chancellors’ panel discussion in front of some of Perth’s most influential business identities at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia event on Wednesday. ECU vice-chancellor Steve Chapman slammed the thought bubble — which was raised in Parliament last week after Professor Klinken floated it at a committee hearing — as “superficial and flawed”. He said the main argument appeared to be that a bigger university would perform better on league tables — but almost all of the world’s 25 top institutions were small. Professor Chapman said the proposal did not appear to be about what was best for students and ignored the role of a university. “I believe ... we’re here to transform students, to give them a place in society, to make them good citizens, get them good jobs and make them grounded individuals,” he said. “Choice is a good thing, competition is a good thing — it makes universities try and do better for their students. So the idea you would have a homogenous, one-culture university in WA is, I think, an appalling idea.” The panel also warned that a Federal Government push for universities to focus on finding ways to commercialise their research was unlikely to be a solution to their financial problems. Curtin vice-chancellor Harlene Hayne said a university was a school and its research mission should be to create knowledge. “It should not be creating a bunch of stuff that we can flog off to the market and then keep ourselves going,” she said. “We need to start ranking and considering our universities on the basis of the quality of the education that they produce, rather than all these other markers that are tied to their economic contribution. “At our shop, we will be in the business of teaching and the research that we do will be done in partnership with our students.”