University access: why the good Lord is wrong
Written by Steven Schwartz on October 2nd, 2008
Lord Patten of Barnes, former Conservative MP and Britain’s last governor of Hong Kong, was in the news this week for a comment he made about his old alma mater, Oxford University.
Speaking at a meeting of the UK’s Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ (school principals as we’d call them in Australian) conference, Lord Patten, who […]
Meeting the costs of a university education
Written by Steven Schwartz on July 11th, 2008
As part of my submission to the Bradley Review of Higher Education, I argued that we should allow students to borrow the cost of accommodation, subsistence, books and transport and repay them through the HECS system. See also my article in the Canberra Times on this topic.
My point is that while HECS makes it possible […]
Towards a fairer Australian higher education system
Written by Steven Schwartz on July 2nd, 2008
This week I made a submission to the Bradley Review of Higher Education in which I put forward my personal views on how we could make the Australian higher education system much more accessible.
I’ve titled it ‘Six steps towards a more equitable higher education system’, and you can read the full version here in […]
Equity in higher ed: reasons to be optimistic
Written by Steven Schwartz on June 11th, 2008
This week Macquarie University played host to Acting Prime Minister and Education Minister Julia Gillard as she released the Federal Government’s higher education review discussion paper.
The review, headed by the former vice-chancellor of the University of South Australia, Emeritus Professor Denise Bradley AC - who was also here at Macquarie for the launch – is […]
Equity in higher education: a battle worth fighting
Written by Steven Schwartz on April 16th, 2008
The Federal Government has embarked on a review of Australian higher education, led by Emeritus Professor Denise Bradley AC, the former vice-chancellor of the University of South Australia.
The Review is to consider “the many issues and challenges” facing the sector with the idea of helping the Government to develop a policy agenda for higher education […]
Succeeding against all the odds
Written by Steven Schwartz on October 8th, 2007
As readers would now be aware I’m a strong advocate for fairness in university admissions. Giving people a fair go in life is why Macquarie is introducing the uniTEST. See why here and here.
That people can succeed against all the odds, and with a little help at the right time, was demonstrated in a […]
Response: A fair go for students
Written by Steven Schwartz on October 3rd, 2007
One of the problems with the current university admissions system is that it largely depends on a score that most people do not understand. For example, two writers on this blog, Nasdrovia and Freja, refer to “6 years of work” leading to a UAI. You can read that post and the replies here. To […]
A fair go for all students
Written by Steven Schwartz on September 20th, 2007
One of my concerns as a vice-chancellor is fairness in university admissions.
I’ve made the point before - many people liken our tertiary admissions system to a footrace.
The fastest - those with the highest entrance scores - gain entry to the most popular courses at the top universities; the slower ones get to study less popular […]