WA universities not in decline

This opinion piece was written by Professor Andrew J Deeks Vice Chancellor and President, Murdoch University and President, International Association of Universities. An abbreviated version first appeared in Fairfax Media on 22 August, 2023

The WA Chief Scientist, Professor Peter Klinken, has been quoted as saying WA universities have been in constant decline for 20 years, that there is ferocious warfare between universities (“the academic equivalent of the Hunger Games”), and that this could be solved by merging WA’s four public universities into a single institution, with different subjects taught on different campuses.

Furthermore, he has asserted that doing this would mean WA would climb up the global rankings and in turn attract more international students and increase revenue. 

This all sounds very dramatic and as if there is an easy fix.  

But perhaps we should look at the evidence. The assertion of “constant decline” is based on “market share” of domestic (Australian) students, international students, and national research grants. The number of West Australian students attending WA universities has increased over the past 20 years, but it hasn’t increased as quickly as student numbers in other states. So, although WA universities are educating more students, this apparently puts us “in decline”.  

Over the last 20 years the number of Chinese students coming to study in Australia has increased dramatically, but most of those students go to the big universities in Sydney and Melbourne (Brisbane to a lesser extent).

WA was an early mover in international education, particularly Curtin University in the 1980’s, drawing students from Southeast Asia. Those numbers are now dwarfed by the number of Chinese and Indian students attending eastern states universities.

This year Murdoch University has admitted more international students than at any time in our history, and by this time next year we will have a greater student load in the University than we have ever had before. But, according to our Chief Scientist, we are in decline.

In fact, most of the WA universities have held their international student numbers relatively constant over the last 10 years, after being early movers into the market.

So, with the number of international students coming to Australia increasing, yes, the WA “market share” is down, although the numbers are heading up. 

And what about research funding? The amount of research funding won by WA universities has in fact increased over the last 10 years. But with much of the additional research funding available in recent years through the Medical Research Futures Fund being won by universities and medical research institutes in the east, our share of the total funding pot available has decreased. Does that mean we are in decline even though the amount of research we are doing is increasing? 

What about this ferocious warfare? It is true that each university is doing their best to recruit WA students. At Murdoch University, we have just opened a new state-of-the-art teaching and learning building costing close to $200m which will significantly enhance student experience and facilitate the development of new teaching and learning pedagogies. It is also a beautiful building that has won the WA Building of the Year in the WA Architectural Awards this year.

We are offering a scholarship to each high school in the state for a student who aligns with one of our strategic themes of sustainability; equity, diversity and inclusion; and First Nations. The other WA universities have been enhancing their student offer and student scholarships in other ways. Who benefits from this competition? The university students of WA. Yet student experience and satisfaction is not included in world university rankings, leading Professor Klinken to assert there is no benefit to WA. 

Professor Klinken would apparently prefer a situation where WA students had no choice of which university to attend, where the universities would be free to concentrate their resources on research rather than on students. Where academic staff would only have one employer to choose from, no matter how poor the conditions of employment. Where a young upcoming academic would have no choice but to continue working in the research group of her Professor, rather than to look for an opportunity to establish her own research group at another university where she could pursue her own ideas, becoming a Professor herself. 

In fact, WA universities collaborate extensively in research. Almost one third of our research at Murdoch University is performed in collaboration with other West Australian universities, 20% of it with UWA.

There are significant joint research initiatives, such as the Western Australian Agricultural Research Collaboration, which includes the four public universities, CSIRO and the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

Yes, there is movement of staff between our universities, but no more than happens in other states and other parts of the world. Movement of staff allows for career development and cross pollination of ideas.  

But there is a university which aligns with Professor Klinken’s model. Following an approach established by the communist governments in Russia and China in the 1950’s, the Vietnam National University, Hanoi comprises constituent universities divided along subject lines – VNU University of Science, VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU University of Engineering and Technology, VNU University of Economics and Business, etc, etc. (Universities in Russia and China have since moved away from this model.) VNU has not rocketed up the world rankings (it’s ranked lower than any of the WA universities). It has not attracted large numbers of international students.  

Are there opportunities for improvement in the WA universities? Absolutely. Could we work better together? We could. Could we work better with government and business? Most probably. Is the answer a merger? Categorically not. WA is fortunate to have a diverse range of universities to choose from, each one of which offers a unique experience. And we are not in decline.