Tertiary funding heading in right direction

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Tertiary funding heading in right direction

Vice-Chancellor Professor Judith Kinnear welcomes today’s announcement by Tertiary Education Minister Dr Michael Cullen and agrees with the proposal for a new funding model for tertiary education.

"We very much welcome the direction the Minister has signalled,” Professor Kinnear says.

“It is pleasing to note that the issues he identifies echo the concerns of the university sector, and Massey in particular.

“Dr Cullen’s ‘way forward’ is entirely consistent with what we have been doing. For example, for the past 12 months we have been working on a project across our campuses to define the distinctive contribution each makes to its community.

“Other examples are the collaboration Massey has formed with Victoria University in the New Zealand School of Music, and with Lincoln University in the Partnerships for Excellence.

“We have been advocating the need for a more appropriate funding model for some time. It is gratifying to see these calls are finally being addressed."

Professor Kinnear says while the details of any future funding model are still to be worked through, Massey will support any moves from volume-driven revenue to a greater focus on quality outcomes in learning and teaching.

She says this, coupled with a linking of funding to the profiles of tertiary providers and their contribution toward national goals, is a sensible way forward.

Professor Kinnear is also pleased to note the Government indicating that institutions must meet the needs of their communities. This is particularly important to Massey as it has campuses in Wellington, Palmerston North and Auckland that are committed to meeting the research and learning requirements of the unique communities in which they are located.

The suggestion that programmes incurring higher provision costs and that are in the national interest or of strategic importance will be funded appropriately is also welcome, she says.

"We look forward to taking the opportunity offered by Dr Cullen to contribute to the consultation process. It will be very interesting to see how the goals he outlined today are translated into policy."

ENDS

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