Managerialism in universities

Watching the 2003 film Luther the other day, reminded me of a Quadrant article by Malcolm Saunders on the topic of managerialism in Australia’s universities.

The revenue gathering fixation of today’s universities seems to have some similarities with the 16th Century Catholic Church’s preoccupation with selling indulgences.

According to Saunders, Australian university administrators are more concerned with securing research money and racking in tuition fees than with providing value for money.

The unfashionable researcher who works on the smell of an oily rag can be compared to the rebel priest who focused on serving his parish rather than his Church’s coffers.

Saunders goes on to say, this managerial culture of cynicism, cronyism and blind institutional allegiance is driving many Australian academics into early retirement. If this is true, it sounds pretty worrying (and wasteful) given that western nations are facing a looming shortage of high IQ workers.

Although Saunders appears to be writing from a liberal perspective, his dislike of the current cultural climate of academia should resonant with many conservatives. I particularly like the following comment, which could apply to many workplaces:

"While the physical conditions under which academics work has probably never been better, the cultural climate in which they pursue their disciplines has never been worse."

In response to Saunders article, US legal blogger Terrence Berres summed things up nicely with this pithy comment:

"The seemingly incompatible bed-partners – liberal economics and postmodernism – have joined forces to ensure that Australian universities serve economic rather than academic cum intellectual ends."