New University of Melbourne institute to train higher education leaders
Media Release, Tuesday 1 May 2007
A new institute, led by the University of Melbourne, is set to train the next generation of leaders of Australia’s $25 billion higher education sector.
The L H Martin Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Management – which today received $10 million in Commonwealth funding - will be located in the University’s Faculty of Education. Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop today announced the funding for the new Institute, under the second round of the Workplace Productivity Program.
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.
The L H Martin Institute will be led by a Director, reporting to the University’s Dean of Education. It will be 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.
University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor, Professor Glyn Davis, says Commonwealth Government support for the Institute means a critical gap in leadership and management education for the Australian higher education sector will be filled.
“Our post-secondary education sector accounts for some $25 billion of revenue, managed through individual universities, VET providers and private institutions, all operating in a rapidly changing environment.
“Until now, Australia has lacked a focussed and systematic approach to preparing higher education leaders and managers to deal with the increasing complexity of their institutions.”
The L H Martin Institute will provide these leaders – in Australia and the region – with 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 conference and symposia, take on consultancy projects and offer executive coaching.
Professor Davis says a key feature of the Institute’s approach will be collaboration 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 highly-regarded 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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