The Uni Merger Policy
WORDS BY LOUISE JACKSON.
South Australia is home to three universities: the University of Adelaide (established 1874), Flinders University (established 1966), and the University of South Australia (established 1991). All our universities are small in comparison to those interstate and have a significantly lower revenue. None rank in the global Top 100.
A merger was most recently discussed in 2018 between Adelaide Uni and UniSA, without government intervention. It fell apart quickly when the university councils could not come to a mutually beneficial agreement.
The Policy
The South Australian University Merger Policy was first put forward by SA Labor back in 2020. After Labor’s recent state election win, the policy has become a hotly debated topic.
The policy will establish a Commission (basically a group project the government sets up to investigate something) to determine ‘how the state can best be served by the university sector’. The Commission will make a recommendation to the government and the individual university councils based on their findings.
Labor has outlined 5 criteria that need to be met:
The need for a Top 100 uni
The sector benefiting the local community
Ensuring stability and productivity for academics and researchers
All students having access to internationally competitive tertiary education, regardless of socio-economic background
All the universities remaining strong despite their merger configuration
There are limitations to the influence the State government can have on the university sector. Tertiary funding comes from the Federal government. The State government can only really make recommendations to the university councils; they would have great difficulty forcing a restructure. Both Federal and State governments have taken a very hands-off approach to the university sector over the last decade; it is certainly an interesting climate for the policy to be implemented.
Pros
Labor’s main argument is around status. Outlined in the policy proposal are the major benefits of a Top 100 ranking. Students are more likely to choose to attend a Top 100 university and quality researchers prefer high-status institutions. Institutional collaboration is also based on rankings. The reputation of a high-ranked institution would be great for both the university and the state – status is an excellent branding tool.
The size of the three universities prevents them from being truly competitive with both national and international institutions. Experienced educators and researchers are likely to choose a large university just as much as a Top 100. It is another status symbol. Smaller student bodies ensure a lower revenue; Labor believes a merger would make the SA universities more economically and research competitive.
Revenue from international students is down. Supporters of the merger believe more students at a combined institution will equal more revenue. They argue that revenue can then be channelled into better degrees, higher quality staff, and funding research.
Labor also cites ‘the brain drain’ as a major argument for the merger. ‘The brain drain’ refers to the increasing number of students choosing to study interstate. This likely results in students choosing to start their careers interstate as well. Labor suggests this will continue to have a negative impact on the local economy and that a more competitive university sector will encourage more students to stay.
Cons
University restructures tend to bring job losses. The faculties merger at Adelaide Uni has already demonstrated this is the case. The university sector is one of the biggest employers in South Australia. Given the ongoing impact of the pandemic jobs crisis, many believe it dangerous to propose a policy that is almost guaranteed to leave more staff unemployed. Admin staff often fall victim to mergers, increasing the stress on teaching staff to provide admin services on top of their existing workload.
Student experience is also under threat. Conflicting university cultures and structures result in a long period of readjustment, to the disadvantage of those studying through it. This also reduces student choice. Many students are drawn to a specific university for reasons beyond just their degree. The culture, clubs, student governments and opportunities are important factors to consider; there is no guarantee how a merger would affect them.
Degrees are at risk. It is unlikely all the degrees currently offered at each uni would survive a merger. They will at least not survive in the same format. A university merger would have to carefully consider the impact a reduced degree choice will have on current and future students.
Why should you care?
There’s likely no right answer to the question of the university merger, and it would be arrogant of me to tell you where you should stand. But I can tell you that you should care. The results of the Commission could decide the future of tertiary education in South Australia – our future as students. We have a right to a voice in this debate and we deserve a seat at the table. Our universities may run like businesses, but they don’t work without us.
EDITORIAL NOTE: This article has been reuploaded and was originally published in 2022.