Prof Richard James
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Participation & Engagement); Director, Centre for the Study of Higher Education
A member of the LH Martin Institute's Advisory Board, representing the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE).
Richard James is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Participation and Engagement) and Professor of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne. Since 2006 he has been the Director of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education. He is a Fellow of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders.
Richard has wide-ranging research interests in higher education that centre on the quality of the student experience. His research program spans access and equity, the transition to university, student finances, student engagement, quality assurance and academic standards. He has published widely on the effects of social class on higher education aspirations and participation.
Much of his academic work is related to policy development. Richard has led significant national studies of equity and student finances for Universities Australia that were influential in the 2008 Review of Australian Higher Education. In 2008 he co-directed the DEEWR commissioned project that developed the Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS). He has recently been a member of the advisory group for the Learning and Teaching Performance Fund (LTPF) and conducted extensive policy development for the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council (IHEAC).
