Regional Universities Network: Engaging with regions, building a stronger nation

Professor Mike HefferanPro Vice-Chancellor Engagement

15 November 2013

Premise

• The Regional Universities Network (RUN) has in 2 years established itself as providing representation for its 6 members and an increased profile for regional tertiary education

• It has a number of committees, dealing with various aspects of university activity and also undertakes specific projects of common interests and information sharing (e.g. alumni, fundraising etc.)

• From that base, is there another major opportunity where RUN collaboration could provide the best vehicle to advance the initiative?

Premise (con’t)

• Any such initiative would have to be a matter:

– of genuine, common and national interest

– that is inherently ‘regional’ or where a collaboration of regional universities has particular advantage

– where there an ability to ramp up significant funds

– where RUN universities already have some expertise, research interest / capability.

… such an opportunity would lie in making regional development (and its related areas) a

flagship of ‘engagement’ strategies.

Definition of ‘Engagement’

‘The cultivation of relationships that lead to

productive partnerships which yield mutually

beneficial outcomes to universities and their

partners through the application and utilisation of

university resources including staff, students,

infrastructure and knowledge and across the

breadth of university activities including

Research, Education and Service.’

Australian Higher Education Engagement Executives

2013

Engagement (done well!) has three key components:

1. Position of the university -accepted/valued as independent, ethical, trusted, knowledgeable – ‘truth well told’ not populist.

2. Outreach – (selling) applying the actual product

– relevant T&L

– problem solving

– path finding

– (and financially successful)

3. Internal – understanding / commitment– all involved (including apt staff)

– integrated

– recognised, rewarded

A discipline

A methodology

Best practice

… to do relevant

things, that are

respected and

supported by

respective

stakeholders

Teaching

Problem-

solving/

Partnerships

Research

Skills

Resources

Culture &

learning

University Region

Source: Based on Goddard and Chatterton 2003

The normative notion of university-region strategic management interface

SUSTAINABILITY

INNOVATION

Human capital formation

Regional and business

innovation

Social, cultural & environmental development

A core mission of university … particularly in a regional context

An important characteristic of knowledge is in its TACIT forms:

Know-how

Know-who

Specialist knowledge builds up in host regions.

Regional development?

Bases on some preliminary investigations/discussions between some RUN members:

• The area needs to be properly defined for our purposes (could be everything!)

• This is a genuine and pre-existing discreet area involving a number of disciplines and with an association (ANZRSAI)

• It is of national significance/profile that is currently undergoing major change (= opportunity)

• Major stakeholders are available in Commonwealth Government and in regional councils – the efforts of both would be enhanced by research, professional development and education offers

• It is currently underrepresented in research and in grants etc.

• Too economic focussed (?)

Context

• Prosperity of Australia is based on the sum of 55 regions (RDA) – and they all have major differences/nuances

• Economies are driven by cities however (physical) growth is driven by the peri-urban areas which influence cities wealth

• RUN universities (and their research agendas) are more important to their regions than city universities are to their host cities

• There is a rapidly growing regional acceptance of the importance of education and higher end employment and skills in regional development

• ‘The new regional great divide’ - education

The two parts of a contemporary economy/region

Trading Non-trading

Global trading

Professional Services

HealthEducation

Property/Finance

Most Trades

PersonalServices

Retail

Trading with nearby regions

Trading nationally

Tourism

Construction

A scan …

• Under-represented

• Academic association (ANZRSAI); industry association (SEGRA)

• Federal government change – RDA?

• Large councils – scaling up and interested but low skill, research and evidence base capacity

• Regional Australia Institute

• Engagement Australia (formerly AUCEA)

• RUN appears a good vehicle to bring this together

Opportunity now

• All RUN universities have a genuine interest in this area but their current responses are varied from whole centres (USQ) through to scattered single academic-based interest

• Can be the major vehicle for university engagement

• Coordination through RUN would have obvious benefits to all.

If RUN is to advance this …• Regional development needs to be identified as a

priority (but would involved limited expenditure in proving/establishment phase)

• Would need to be lead at executive level

• Has to link with research agenda (but T&L would probably be in professional development areas)

• Focus on a relatively small number of areas (probably different for each university but with common threads, and likely to involve regional ‘trading sectors’)

• Political target and lobbying (now urgent, given political environment)

• Be willing to ‘give a bit’ – establish profile/credibility

Sunshine Coast Futures Conference Series

2010 2011 2012 2013

If RUN is to advance this … (con’t.)

• Establish the key things that each RUN university would feature (not just ‘an audit of what we are doing’)

• First half 2014, executive committee to:

– Identify the specifics of what we can jointly do in this area

– Targeting of key stakeholders and future sources of funds

– Establishing a (simple) organisational structure to hold the initiative together

Regional Universities Network: Engaging with regions, building a stronger nation

Professor Mike HefferanPro Vice-Chancellor Engagement

15 November 2013