Australian Universities face uncertain future without radical overhaul

By Geoff Maslen. Universities will not survive the next 10 to 15 years unless they radically overhaul their current business models, according to a challenging report released this week. The report claims that the current university model – a broad-based teaching and research institution with a large base of assets and back office – will prove unviable in all but a few cases.
Although the 30-page report by the international professional services company Ernst & Young refers specifically to Australia’s higher education institutions, its conclusions would apply to those in many other Western countries.
The report, University of the Future: A thousand year old industry on the cusp of profound change, says at a minimum, universities will need significantly to streamline their operations and asset base at the same time as incorporating new teaching and learning delivery mechanisms, “a diffusion of channels to market, and stakeholder expectations for increased impact”. More...