Private university to merge with University of Melbourne
Media Release, Tuesday 7 June 2005
Melbourne University Private’s (MUP) academic and business operations are to be merged with the University of Melbourne.
At its meeting on 6 June 2005, the University of Melbourne Council resolved that the private university’s business activities have significant value to offer the public university but could add more benefit if directly aligned with the public university’s strategies.
Council noted that over the past seven years Melbourne University Private has developed a range of innovative, client-focused education programs and client responsive processes and infrastructure which previously the public university would have been constrained from delivering.
University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor, Professor Glyn Davis, says that the private university was conceived in 1997 to do many things that the public university could not do at that time, such as delivering tailored courses to industry and offering quality courses with flexible entry requirements.
“Circumstances have changed and the public university can do those things. In the current higher education environment owning a separate university licence no longer has any advantage to the University of Melbourne.”
The University will work with MUP to hand back the private university’s licence to operate as a university to the State Government by the end of 2005. The University of Melbourne is the private university’s sole shareholder.
The University of Melbourne will meet all obligations to the private university’s students, ensuring that the high quality of their education experience is maintained. “No student will be disadvantaged, and all enrolled students and students to whom commitments to study have been made will be able to complete their courses,” Professor Davis said.
The University Council noted that Melbourne University Private had served a useful purpose as a pioneer across a spectrum of ventures in commercialisation of higher education.
Professor Davis paid tribute to the Board, Senate and staff of the private university. “Melbourne University Private has been governed by a strong and experienced Board of Directors and has operated in a highly competitive environment under the skilful direction of CEO David Lloyd, a committed advocate of the private university concept.”
David Lloyd who has led the private university for the past four years has decided to step down as Chief Executive Officer. Professor Davis said he regretted that Mr Lloyd has taken the decision not to move across to the University of Melbourne. “David Lloyd has been a loyal and staunch advocate of the private university. I wish him well in the future.”
Mr Allan Tait, Chief Financial Officer at Melbourne University Private, will take on the role of Chief Executive Officer.
Since its establishment seven years ago, the private university has accumulated operating losses totalling around $20 million.
Professor Davis said viable components of the private university will “live on within the public university, a constant challenge to be more entrepreneurial, to reach out to a broader set of partners”.
The courses offered by MUP’s three Schools – International Development, Applied Language Studies, and Enterprise – will continue to run, as they are merged with the public university.
The Hawthorn English Language Centres will be retained as a separate company, operating from the Hawthorn campus, with its programs more closely aligned with the University’s. ENDS
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