The National Tertiary Education Union has called for an urgent investigation of Federation University’s abandoned decision to cut its Bachelor of Arts program.
The University made the welcome decision to continue its BA beyond 2023 after backlash from staff, regional communities and the Union.
While the NTEU praised the reversal, the initial decision highlights ongoing systemic problems with the university’s governance and mismanagement.
“FedUni’s decision to listen to staff, regional communities, and the Union was a win for regional students, as well as for the viability and academic credibility of the university,” said Dr Mathew Abbott, President of the NTEU Branch at FedUni.
“But the NTEU remains highly concerned about the unilateral nature of this decision, which was taken without any consultation, discussion, or even warning to staff members.
“We urge University Council and Academic Board members at FedUni to investigate how this decision was made, when it appears to have happened without their involvement or even knowledge.”
The NTEU is also calling on Federation University to abandon devastating cuts and mass redundancies on the table for the Institute for Innovation, Science, and Sustainability.
One third of staff in FedUni’s business programs are facing redundancy. The number of courses on offer is set to be reduced by two thirds. This huge reduction in courses and expertise on offer to regional students will undermine their future employability.
Dr Abbott said the university needed to involve staff in renewal of business, geosciences and other key programs.
“Rather than pursuing high-risk strategies and making dangerous bets on newly minted programs, the University needs to start investing in its core programs and integrating staff expertise in their renewal,” Dr Abbott said.
NTEU Victorian Division Assistant Secretary Sarah Roberts said FedUni Vice-Chancellor Duncan Bentley was touting his ‘cooperative learning’ education model despite scrapping its Bachelor of Human Resource Management program, which was well known for its high volume of industry placements.
“The University’s erratic and irrational cuts prove its failure to pursue a coherent or viable strategy,” Ms Roberts said.
“FedUni management regularly blames its problems on the impact of the pandemic, but there is clear evidence that they result from their poor decisions rather than Covid.
New programs have been introduced to replace old ones suffering from multiple rounds of cuts, exacerbating the problem of low enrolment rates.
“FedUni’s new Bachelor of Cognitive Enterprise currently only has two or three students enrolled,” Ms Roberts said.
“If it is to be revitalised through the energy transition process, the Gippsland region requires the economic expertise offered by academics in FedUni’s business and related programs.
“FedUni management needs to fulfill its obligations to regional communities by supporting core programs essential to creating skilled workforces.”
The Union is encouraged by clear public commitments from the university to involve BA teaching staff and students in the review and renewal of the BA program.
This should be a genuinely collaborative approach used in other under-threat programs.
“The expertise of FedUni staff must play a fundamental role in renewing and supporting sustainable programs in the coming years,” Dr Abbott said.
“Regional students and communities deserve better than FedUni’s typical approach to program reviews, which have been undertaken without proper staff input and regularly damage and undermine core offerings and student confidence in the University.”
