Women in Research Leadership
31 May 2011, by Anne-Marie Birkill
Last week a group of eminent alumni met at Princeton University to discuss a topic of great concern to them collectively - the subject was not technical in nature but rather the retention and promotion of women in science.Those present included Karen Drexler a graduate in 1981, and now chairman of the CellScape Corporation. Drexler acts as a mentor and adviser for young female scientists who are interested in starting their own companies. She noted that the young women she works with often temper their expectations about their futures before they have even started working. "Right out of the gate, they either decide that they're not going to be able to have a family, or they're not going to be ambitious about their career," Drexler explained. "And this just breaks my heart.”
Joint Research Engagement: Is the policy appropriate?
31 May 2011, by Professor Emeritus Frank Larkins
The Joint Research Engagement Policy has not been very successful in increasing the rewards to the top performing universities in terms of end-user research collaborations. Four of the top ten collaborating universities have had their funding reduced.
The Administrative “Burden”
31 May 2011, by Liz Bare
Recently, at a conference of university administrators in the UK, I was asked what Australian universities were doing about reducing the administrative “burden” for academic staff. My response was that I dislike the term “burden”, that administration was my job (and that of many other people), and we find those jobs interesting, challenging and absorbing.
A national professional association for the VET sector?
31 May 2011, by Denise Stevens
The recent reports from Skills Australia and the Productivity Commission have in their own ways identified issues that will impact on the future directions of the vocational education and training (VET) sector and the role of VET educators. New industry skills and knowledge requirements mean that educators must be at the forefront of their respective professions and possess the skills and knowledge to engage learners in new ways using new methods and technologies. Maintaining their own vocational currency and keeping abreast of excellence in teaching and learning is a challenge for many educators and educational leaders as they also navigate the complexity of new policy initiatives and budget parameters.