Regional Tertiary Education Conference
When: Tues 2nd & Wed 3rd August 2011
Where: Coffs Harbour Education Campus, NSW
The Southern Cross University, North Coast TAFE and the Business Higher Education Round Table presented the Inaugural Regional Tertiary Education Conference.
Regional development and sustainability lie at the core of discussions on nation building. A key question in this context is how regional tertiary education can serve their communities. This conference brought together leaders from across sectors, universities, VET, business, local, state and federal governments and community to discuss the nature and role of tertiary education in advancing a sustainable and innovative regional development agenda.
Speakers included:
- The Hon Rob Oakeshott MP, Federal Member for Lyne
- Keith Rhoades, Mayor, Coffs Harbour City Council
- Professor Peter Lee, Vice Chancellor, Southern Cross University
- Professor Jim Barber, Vice Chancellor, University of New England
- Professor Scott Bowman, Vice Chancellor, Central Queensland University
- Elizabeth McGregor, Institute Director, North Coast TAFE
- Professor Todd Walker, Pro Vice Chancellor & Chair Academic Board, University of Ballarat
- Professor Stephen Crump, Pro Vice Chancellor – External Relations, University of Newcastle
Event highlights included:
- Defining regional tertiary education
How effective have current definitions been in identifying regional institutions and how have existing criteria enabled policy to respond to the particular needs of a regional institutions? - Branding regional offerings
Is there a need to review offerings and focus on innate strengths and regional needs and to leverage local need and knowledge? - Sustainability in a thin market
Challenges for infrastructure, participation, workforce and student services - Funding the regions - Challenges in a demand driven model
Regional loading and base funding reviews Funding research and innovation - Higher education and VET
Models for regional partnership and engagement – rethinking the business model - Regional development and sustainability – implications for tertiary education
What do community, industry and local government seek from higher education? Collaboration and partnership between education, business and local government - Regional innovation
Leveraging the knowledge and assets of educational institutions and research centres for social and economic innovation and entrepreneurial development