Institute for HEd leaders
[ The University of Melbourne Voice Vol. 1, No. 5
14 - 28 May 2007 ] By Christina Buckridge
Leadership/management education to fill critical gap.
A new University of Melbourne institute is set to train the next generation of leaders of Australia’s higher education sector.
The L H Martin Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Management – which has received $10 million in Commonwealth funding under the second round of the Workplace Productivity Program – will be located in the University’s Faculty of Education.
The Institute is named after Professor Leslie Martin, one-time Chair of the Australian Universities Commission and author of the report that resulted in the establishment of colleges of advanced education.
It will be led by a Director, reporting to the University’s Dean of Education, and guided by an Advisory Board with a broad membership including senior representatives of the Group of Eight, the Innovative Research Universities, the Australian Technology Network, the Australian Council for Private Education and Training, and a State TAFE authority.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis sees the Institute filling a critical gap in leadership and management education for the Australian higher education sector.
“Until now, Australia has lacked a focused and systematic approach to preparing higher education leaders and managers in universities, VET providers and private institutions to deal with the increasing complexity of their institutions,” he says.
Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop says the Institute will provide a new national focus for enhancing the quality of higher education leadership, management and governance in Australia.
“The higher education sector needs leaders and managers with the skills to make strategic decisions to ensure our universities and colleges are dynamic organisations with the capacity to embrace change,” she says.
The Institute will provide a range of award and non-award courses in leadership and management, including a flagship Masters program. It will deliver training in strategic management and policy analysis, including interpretation of the local, national and global environment. It will also facilitate research and debate on important questions of leadership and management in higher education and VET.
The Institute will organise conferences and symposia, take on consultancy projects and offer executive coaching. It will collaborate with relevant organisations in Australia and overseas – including the University of New England, Victoria University, NSW TAFE and Community Education, and institutions in the UK, Europe and the US – to ensure access to the best available expertise.
Within the University, the Institute will draw on the expertise of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education, the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, and the Melbourne Business School. The Australian and New Zealand School of Government, of which the University is a member, will also be an important collaborator.
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