University Mergers: A Solution in Search of a Problem
Curtin VC lambasts proposed university merger, calling it an unnecessary fix to a non-existent issue. Bureaucracy over education once again.
University mergers are rarely about improving education. They are almost always about centralising power, cutting costs, and streamlining administration, often at the expense of academic diversity and student experience. This proposed Western Australian amalgamation is no different. It is a cynical exercise in managerialism, driven by a desire for grandiosity rather than genuine pedagogical advancement. We must resist this relentless urge to consolidate. Big is not better, it is merely bigger.
Mergers create economies of scale, allowing for shared resources, reduced overheads, and greater research collaboration. They can enhance a region's global educational standing and attract top talent.
- ·Mergers diminish diversity
- ·Bureaucracy over academics
- ·Students lose out
- ·Cost-cutting, not quality