Dear People

Student Demand Driven Education Conference 2012
19 and 20 March 2012, Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel

With the introduction of the student demand driven model in 2012, this historic macroeconomic reform will change the face of higher education in Australia. The implications of this change will be far reaching and will affect tertiary providers in a fundamental way whilst having a broader impact on the Australian economy. The introduction of these reforms however also brings new challenges and uncertainties for institutions, from the practicalities of attracting students to maintaining and enhancing the quality of teaching and learning, the sector enters a new chapter in the provision of education in Australia.  With this in mind, the Conference will bring together stakeholders from across the sector to discuss and deliberate the key challenges in this new era of education.

Dr Stephen Weller, ATEM President, will be speaking at this conference

ATEM will be involved in supporting the conference program and as part of our agreement with the organisers we have secured an exclusive 10% discount for you to attend this event.

To register go herehttp://www.informa.com.au/demand-driven-education/ATEM

ATEM Council Call for Nominations

Last Wednesday the Returning Officer called for nominations for Vice-President, Association Secretary, and General Councillor.  Nominations close on Monday 27 February 2012.  I f you did not get a copy of the Call please contact the Returning Officer on giles.pickford@atem.org.au

Borderless Higher Education

The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education has announced the Observatory's 2012 Global Forum http://tinyurl.com/7g34du3and is calling for proposals.

The theme is New Players and New Directions: The Challenges of International Branch Campus Management.  It will be held at the Prince Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, on 25-26 April 2012.  Are international branch campuses a long-term investment worth making for universities? The Observatory's 2012 Global Forum in Kuala Lumpur will help to answer this question.  The 2012 Global Forum is built around the Observatory's new report: International Branch Campuses: Data and Developments. This new report, with six annexes of primary data, was published in January 2012.

Survey of PD for Professional Staff

If you are a person who allocates training opportunities to professional staff, you should have participated in Barbara May’s research project which will explore the decision making process and methods used in allocating professional development resources to professional staff. Please go here if you have not yet taken part in the survey: http://tinyurl.com/82376qw

New Zealand Report

Going abroad: What do we know about people going overseas after tertiary study?

This report looks at people who used the Student Loan Scheme while undertaking tertiary study, and then went overseas. It profiles those overseas and looks at the characteristics of those who return to New Zealand and of those who stay away.

The analysis finds that at any point in time, a high proportion of borrowers will be overseas-based. Of those who were found to have returned, most did so after a reasonably short period – three years or less. But a large proportion had been away for longer than three years and was still based overseas at the end of our data series.

 While those overseas have poor student loan repayment records overall, those who return make good progress in repaying loans. Those who return repay at a slightly faster rate than those who never went overseas, in part because they are more likely to have higher qualifications that lead to higher earnings.

This report is available on the Education Counts website http://tinyurl.com/7bmrt57

Mapping Australian Higher Education - A Grattan report

The Grattan Institute is about to launch a report into higher education in Australia. The report suggests that Australia’s higher education system is performing reasonably well or has positive trends.

Despite a long-term increase in the number of graduates, most continue to get good jobs at pay rates that are significantly above what other workers receive. Australian universities have improved their position in global rankings in recent years, and student satisfaction with teaching has increased since the 1990s.

Yet the report also notes weaknesses, vulnerabilities and anomalies. Australian higher education students are much less engaged with academic staff than their American counterparts. An international survey shows that Australian academics have the fourth lowest preference for teaching of the 18 countries surveyed.

For more information, and to attend the launch in Sydney, go to http://www.grattan.edu.au/programs/higher_education.php

Professional Development and Events

http://www.atem.org.au/professional-development/c/all-programs

Cutting Through Complicated Issues – Perth

Date 22 to 23 March: Venue - The Pivot Institute, Level 4, 231 Adelaide Terrace, Perth

Following the very successful Leadership for Contentious Issues program in Melbourne, leadership expert Don Dunoon brings his expertise to Perth. The Cutting through Complicated Issues program- applying the ARIES framework for diagnosis and action program, is a highly interactive, practically-oriented 2-day workshop designed to help participants develop their capacity for leadership and intervening productively with contentious – messy – issues, to bring about desired change.

This is one of ATEM’s flagship programs were we provide in depth training for managers and aspiring leaders and a rare event in Perth. We are looking to bring more such programs to the Western region depending on demand.

Faculty General Managers Symposium – Melbourne

Date 19^th April: Venue Asian Pacific Business CentresSt Kilda Road Towers
1 Queens Road, Melbourne VIC 3004.

As Faculty General Managers, you are in a position of great authority and uniquely placed in your university or TAFE College. You need to be across a myriad of issues and circumstances.

ATEM is looking to form a special interest group of people who will liaise regularly in order to enhance their positions and to keep on top of best practice in this area.

To start this off, this symposium aims to bring as many active Faculty General Managers (or those in equivalent roles) together in one place to discuss the issues that matter most to your job.

Facilitated by Dr Antony Williams, this will be a directed and interactive program of like-minded individuals with similar issues. Participants will be surveyed before the program to ensure the most relevant issues are discussed.

The symposium will be repeated in Sydney and Brisbane later in the year

Cheers

Paul Abela and Giles Pickford

4 February 2012 info@atem.org.au