AUS Tertiary Update

Tertiary Update is also available on the AUS website
www.aus.ac.nz
Tragedy sparks staff-unions calls for peace and protection
Monday’s Virginia Tech shooting rampage that claimed the lives of thirty-three students and faculty members has prompted US staff unions to call for peace for protection for staff and students at all campuses.

In joining the mourning and deep concern felt for the Virginia Tech community, the President of the National Education Association (NEA), Reg Weaver, called for decisive action to protect students and teachers. His statement says:

”As Americans, we must have zero tolerance for violence in our institutions of higher learning, and we must—as a society—take the steps necessary to make school campuses and other education environments safe from violence and guns. Everyone has a role to play—elected officials, community and student leaders, and educators. Monday's shootings really underscore the importance of decisive action to address the issue of guns and violence in our society. It is clear that none of us are safe from these random acts. Developing realistic strategies to address this increasing threat is imperative and one of the ways that we can honor the memory of those who have lost their lives on America's school campuses across the nation.”

Mr Weaver added, “We will keep the families of the slain students and faculty members and the entire Virginia Tech student body, faculty and staff in our thoughts and prayers. The hours and days ahead will be tough as they face the aftermath of this horrific tragedy and begin to try to cope with their tremendous losses.”

The NEA represents 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers. It had seventy student members of the Virginia Tech chapter of the Student Virginia Education Association.

The President of the American Federation of Teachers, Edward J. McElroy, also sent his condolences and wishes for peace to those at Virginia Tech. “From those of us in the education community, our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to the Virginia Tech victims, their families and the community at large. Academic campuses - from preschool to higher education - must be havens for peaceful learning. Today, we see the painful evidence that this is not always so.”

In solidarity with the US unions, AUS National President, Professor Nigel Haworth, conveyed AUS members’ sincere condolences to the university staff and students of Virginia Tech and their families.
Also in Tertiary Update this week
1. Views sought on new tertiary-union proposal
2. TEC releases 2008-2010 investment guidance
3. Education Review predicts PBRF results
4. CTU seeks transparency in political-party funding
5. Conference to focus on Bolger years
6. UK embryo-ban proposal angers MPs
7. US marketers misuse student-loan database

Views sought on new tertiary-union proposal
The next stage of consultation on the proposed AUS, ASTE and TIASA amalgamation will begin with all AUS members receiving a leaflet within the next week explaining what a new union could look like and urging them to participate in the development of the proposal.
The leaflet is a summary of a much more comprehensive consultation kit that has been distributed to branch organisers and will be available on the AUS website. The kit contains a full proposal for a new union, questions and answers to commonly asked questions, a budget and feedback sheets. Members can also provide feedback on the AUS website.

AUS General Secretary Helen Kelly said that this process is not to determine whether there is an amalgamation, but what a new union would look like if there is an amalgamation. She said members will be balloted on a final proposal for amalgamation later in the year. Ms Kelly added that it is important that as many members as possible participate in this discussion.

The deadline for feedback is 20 June 2007.

Members will have another opportunity to contribute to the decision-making process when AUS National President, Professor Nigel Haworth, holds consultation meetings at each branch and with each branch committee. Members will soon be advised of the dates of these meetings.

For more information go to http://www.aus.ac.nz
TEC releases 2008-2010 investment guidance
The Tertiary Education Commission has released a document titled Investment Guidance 2008-2010 which, the Commission says, will guide the future direction and development of New Zealand’s tertiary education sector and be a principal tool in the implementation of the tertiary reforms. The document includes key changes to universities’ contributions and outlines the role that stakeholders are expected to play under the new funding system.

The document states that each sub-sector (for example, universities) will have to make a particular contribution to the tertiary sector as a whole. It identifies ways of enhancing differentiation and increasing complementarity as a key contribution by universities as a sub-sector. In contrast, a focus on regional facilitation and cross-sector understanding is to be a key contribution of the polytechnic sub-sector.

Universities will be asked to identify key performance indicators of their contribution to economic growth. This is defined widely and includes economic outcomes for graduates, creation of business spin-offs and effective research collaboration with business and universities will be asked to consider joint initiatives with the business community to further the commercialisation of research. The document outlines possible initiatives that may link research to economic transformation.

It also suggests key performance indicators to measure international connectedness, possibly including the number and areas of international sabbaticals that university staff undertake and the number of joint international projects.

Universities will also have to demonstrate how research quality is being managed “in between” the Performance-Based Research Fund rounds.

The document specifies that stakeholder engagement will be undertaken through the establishment of stakeholder engagement managers employed by TEC and that continued engagement with stakeholders will be monitored through the educational institution’s plan.

For a copy of the document go to
http://www.tec.govt.nz/templates/standard.aspx?id=1848
Education Review predicts PBRF results
Education Review has predicted that universities will dominate the Performance-Based Research Fund rankings and that most are likely to improve on their results from the previous round when the results are announced on 1 May 2007.

Editor John Gerritsen predicts that the four top-ranked institutions will be, in order, the University of Auckland, the University of Canterbury, the University of Otago and Victoria University of Wellington with probably so little difference among the top four that they should be considered first-equal. Despite this, Education Review expects a huge improvement for Otago as a result of a large increase in research outputs per full-time-equivalent staff member.

Education Review also predicts significant improvements for Massey University, the University of Waikato and Auckland University of Technology because more non-research staff will be left out of assessment and that there will be a greater proportion of A, B and C than R grades.
CTU seeks transparency in political-party funding
The President of the Council of Trade Unions, Ross Wilson, has called for complete disclosure of donations made to political parties, including names and amounts. In an article published this week he quoted international financier George Soros who warned that “[p]erhaps the greatest threat to freedom and democracy in the world today comes from the formation of unholy alliances between government and business”.

Mr Wilson supported that analysis and added, “The real threat to transparent, democratic elections comes from big-business donors that hide behind anonymous donation rules, not unions who are upfront about their political activity.”

Mr Wilson said unions take pride in the fact that they have achieved significant political influence for working people and secured many tangible policy gains such as increases to the minimum wage and four weeks’ annual leave. This has been possible with unions being completely open about their political activity.

“The identity of all political donors and the amounts donated must be publicly available. As member-driven organisations, unions are upfront about our activity and this would be of no concern to us,” he concluded.

The CTU is holding a public forum on how to restore transparency in election-campaign funding on 1 May 2007 at 7.30 pm at the University of Auckland, Lower Lecture Theatre (behind the Clocktower), City Campus, Princes St.
Speakers include Nicky Hager, journalist and author of ”The Hollow Men”, Dr Raymond Miller, Head of Department, Political Studies, University of Auckland and Laila Harré, union leader and commentator.
Conference to focus on Bolger years
The Dominion Post reports that the Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies and the Former Parliamentarians’ Association has organised The Bolger Years – the Seventh Parliamentary Conference on 27 to 28 April this year. The conference will focus on the years when Jim Bolger was Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Speakers include Rt Hon Winston Peters, Sir Bill Birch, Ruth Richardson, Ken Douglas, Sir Douglas Graham and Sir Tipene O’Regan. Mr Bolger will also attend as will his successor, Jenny Shipley.
Worldwatch
UK embryo-ban proposal angers MPs
The UK Government plans to outlaw the creation of embryos which are part-human, and part-animal. Some MPs are calling this ”unacceptable” because it would threaten Britain’s position in the forefront of stem-cell research.
A report by the Commons Science Committee calls on ministers to scrap the proposed ban and accuses the Government of basing its opposition to the research on a ”deeply flawed” consultation.
The Committee's demands, which follow a letter to the prime minister signed by 223 medical charities and patients’ groups supporting the research, leave the Government increasingly isolated in its intention to prohibit the experiments.
From The Guardian
US marketers misuse student-loan database
The Washington Post has reported that the US Department of Education suspects that some student-loan companies are misusing a Federal database to gain information about students for marketing purposes.

The National Student Loan Data System contains information on about sixty million student records and is covered by Federal privacy laws. Approximately 29,000 university financial-aid administrators and 7,500 loan-company employees have access to the database, the Post reported.

Department officials have apparently been taking steps to control misuse of the database for several years.
From the Chronicle of Higher Education

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AUS Tertiary Update is compiled weekly on Thursdays and distributed freely to members of the Association of University Staff and others. Back issues are available on the AUS website: www.aus.ac.nz . Between 5 April and 10 May 2007, all enquires should be made to either Camilla Belich or Rebecca Matthews, AUS Policy Analysts, Phone 04 801 4795 or Email rebecca.matthews@aus.ac.nz or camilla.belich@aus.ac.nz

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