Student Analysis of UC Strategic Plan

The University of Canberra has recently published a strategic plan called ‘Breakthrough’. The document is designed to increase the University’s global standing and will be implemented over the next five years.

The plan itself is separated into three parts. While the three deal with different facets of education and networking, all of them follow the same business rhetoric: increase customer base through heavy marketing of a more diverse product.

To best understand the plan as a whole it is helpful to analyse it in two parts.

Rebuilding a Curriculum 

Objective one of the strategic plan highlights the importance of marketing and streamlining the University to increase national recognition. The plan claims this is achievable through offering a condensed course structure, added online capabilities for reduced contact hours and cross institutional study for more course diversity.

The University calendar has drastically changed over the past years to accommodate for a third semester during the Winter, known as the trimester system. By increasing student’s workload through this intensive study period, degrees can be shortened, preparing people for careers or postgraduate study faster.

While this may not look attractive to some 18-year-old prospective pupils, for interstate, international, mature aged and driven students this is a potential goldmine. The University of Canberra is also planning refurbishments of its campus. New student accommodation is  currently underway, as well as a hospital on campus, which will create a specialisation for the University in Health. Also, a dynamic partnership with CIT now offers Diplomas under the name of The University of Canberra College (UCC).

Bridging courses already exist at the University, on offer to anyone who did not gain a UAI, HSC or the equivalent in tertiary study. The UCC is a little different. UCC offers diplomas that do not require the same tertiary qualifications to enroll. Successfully completed diplomas can be credited at other international institutions as well as offer a path into shorter undergraduate degrees at the University of Canberra. For example, if I complete a diploma in IT at UCC for one year (trimester) it can be used to take up to 12 months off a UC nursing undergraduate degree.

The system is known as the ‘diploma to degree pathway’. While open to any prospective students, the program seems geared towards internationals. International student diplomas are offered for credit abroad, or transition into UC. Any diploma can be supplemented with English preparation classes, and are perfect for people who don’t already hold nationally certified qualifications.

Combine this with trimesters and you are looking at some of the shortest Bachelors in the game, accessible to almost anyone, regardless of previous tertiary experience.

Aggressive Marketing

For anyone who has been studying at the University over the past years, there has been an obvious spike in marketing.

The University has been rebranded, the website overhauled, the campus covered in live action graphics of young, beautiful people flying through fictional cyberspace with the lightening blue logo emblazoned behind them.

In 2011 UC reported spending $1,710,000 on advertising, an  increase of almost $400,000 from 2011.

The University of Canberra is now the official sponsor of the Canberra Brumbies. A massive deal, this will see the capital’s rugby union team’s HQ on campus, the Student Association already taking advantage of the arrangement to organize special staff and student offers for home games. To increase media exposure, the Brumbies head coach, a former P.E. teacher, was made Adjunct Professor at UC, a somewhat ceremonial position created for coverage.

While this media-savvy campaign is a fresh change from the two-tone orange and blue approach that ruled supreme for so long, it can question the credibility of the institution. With a Professor in Rugby and shorter semesters with fewer pre-requisites than ever, how can an institution hope to increase international standing? And so comes part two of the plan…

Going International

Objective two and three aim to international UC through a new cultural outlook and research. The goals include cross-institutional international research, specifically in Asia, providing international experiences as course work, and strengthen the impact of research, thereby increasing research grant income.

While seven individual goals make up the remaining sections, the overall narrative is clear. Increase scope and spread of research through international cross-institutional ventures. This will in turn increase research grants, giving way to further projects. While the international research base of the University increases, so to does the global ranking of the institution, giving way to further international opportunity, international students and project funding.

The University has proven its commitment to adding to the realm of knowledge; with all staff required to either be currently undertaking a PhD or have already completed PhD research a as part of the “Academic Renewal Program”. The program encourages performance based promotions for staff who publish certain amounts of work, while also increasing advertising and student intake to create more jobs.

Government Funding Programs

It is clear the objectives of the strategic plan are aimed improving the attractiveness of the university, thus increasing student volume. But why?

At the end of 2011 the Higher Education Support Amendment Bill passed through the house of Reps and the Senate. The major changes to the original bill were the adjustment of numbers of undergraduate students a university could accept and the implementation of a ‘demand driven funding system’.

The legislation allows universities to decide how many students they allow to enroll in undergraduate degrees, besides for medicine, due to the practical requirements of the course. Demand driven funding means that under the system, universities are paid for all of the undergraduate positions they provide.

To prepare universities for the change the Government issued a grant to higher education institutions that would have been unable to compete in the new demand driven funding system (chiefly in regional and outer metropolitan areas). Quality assurance measures needed to be put in place to accommodate for the influx of students once restriction on enrollments were removed, and universities were encouraged to offer more undergraduate positions with financial incentives.

$377.2 million was earmarked for the project in the last budget; $26 million was issued to UC in November last year.

In following the plan, the University now changes a ‘Student Amenities Fee’. The amenities fee is an additional charge per semester of study for students, and is designed to ensure the flood of arriving students are met with proper services. The fee is expected to net $880 000 in 2013.

UC has attempted to prepare for the student population increase caused by government policy improving the capacity of learning institution to make money from providing spaces for undergraduate students.

Our future in Asia

There are strong references to internationalization throughout the strategic plan, specifically Asia. The plan aims to put UC at the forefront of globalized education, developing student and research relationships with Asia and the world.

Asian-centric attitudes are not new to global politics. There has been a shift in global power of in the past decade that states are adjusting to.

The Australian Government has historically recognised that any changes to the power structure of global politics will eventually affect Australian security and interests.

Since World War 1 Australians have been involved in combat, an ally of the strong Western countries. After World War 2 the choice emerged between becoming a part of the New Asia regionalism, fraught with Communism, or joining the capitalist allies in the West, the United States. Considering the strength of the West at this point, the choice was easy.

However, trade relationships in a capitalized world led to a changed global political climate. By 1960 Australia’s greatest trading partner was Japan. 1961 saw China take no. 1 spot on Australia wheat market, ironically replacing the UK. And by 1967, Australia was the third largest supplier of goods to China.

By the 1980s North America and the European Union had begun trading in a regional focus, and due to it’s location, Australia was left out of these blocs. Measures were taken by Australia to ensure strength. And so, Asia-Pacific Economic Protocol was formed. By defining itself as Asian-Pacific, Australia was able to identify was the US, it’s strongest ally, while still taking part in the flowering economy of Asia.

Today, as China, India and Japan continue to drive development in Asia, Australian economic policy to more geared towards Asian markets than ever. This has played a large role in the creation of the UC strategic plan.

UC in Asia

In 2012 the Australia Government released the ‘Australia in the Asian Century White Paper’, preparing Australia to continue economic partnership with Asia. The paper outlines how Australia will increase relations in business and culture with Asia, in turn becoming a more prosperous nation.

$11m in funding has been made available to students who wish to undertake study in Asia. The Higher Education Support Amendment (Asian Century) Bill simplified requirements of students who wish to receive loans to assist in study abroad (specifically Asia), so more students are now eligible for the scheme. A supplementary loan is also available for those students who study an Asian language prior to departing. The encouragement by the Australia government for students to take part in Asian study is clear.

International students are critical to UC, and there has been reported growth over the past 3 years. The University’s budget is reliant on a minimum 2% increase in International Students. International student fee revenue has risen by 10% in 2013, and is expected to net the University around $40m, about 40% of on-shore student fee worth.

Considering the significant worth of international students (higher fees), the University’s goal of increasing the international student base is financially strong. Hence the need to increase the global ranking of the University.

Business as Usual

UC’s strategic plan seems to be aimed at increasing the revenue of the University to foster further financial growth.

Government implemented demand driven funding means that the University benefits most from an increase in undergraduate students. Marketing and rebranding of the University in Australia has attempted to expand this base. By simplifying access to the University, as well as shortening existing courses, UC is able to increase undergraduate turn over, further harvesting funding and fees.

Through joint research ventures, partnerships with Asia, and a PhD requirement for staff, UC is increasing the quality and quantity of research produced. Research grants will further increase research growth. The University will be measured in global rankings by the quality of research being completed.

By increasing global ranking the University is essentially marketing itself to the world. Targeting the economic powerhouse that is Asia is a financially sound plan that is parallel with existing Government policy. By doing do, the University is also able to gain more from international student fees.

Problem?

This analysis of the ‘Breakthrough’ strategic plan begins to raise questions about the undergraduate educational objectives. Of course the University must remain competitive in the global market. However, these aggressive strategies aimed at increasing capital gain resemble more of a big business rather than an educational institution.

Obvious questions arise about the quality of education students will receive in the newly streamlined undergraduate degrees. Are the shorter degrees with more simplified pathways simply designed to move students through the institution faster? Will this result in a “rushed” education, leaving persons without proper skills necessary, and rather an empty qualification, paid for in full?

Overcrowding and it’s impact on education quality is also a concern. In a system where overcrowding is encouraged by population boosting systems such as demand driven funding beg the question, how will my education be properly attended to?

With research growth becoming a cornerstone of global recognition, how will this affect current undergraduate students and their interactions with educators? Professors will be more engaged with individual and group research than ever, and will not be able to provide the same level of assistance to students.

The strategic plan demonstrates international relations are the prerogative of the University. International students equate to higher revenue for the university, and joint-research projects abroad further boost the image of the University globally.  Will a preference towards international students emerge? What will this mean for local and regional students?

The agenda of the University seems to be taking a neo-liberal edge, and one can only question how this will impact on undergraduate studies for regional students.