Welcome to the March edition of the Noticeboard, a monthly update with news and opportunities from around the sector. If you have anything you’d like to share with members please contact our Policy and Communications Officer Rebekah Harms.
The DASSH Lounge
Join the DASSH Lounge, our exclusive LinkedIn group for DASSH Members where we share the latest news, jobs and opportunities from DASSH and around the sector.
The DASSH Lounge is reserved for members and is a great place to let people know you’re hiring, hosting an event or working on a collaborative project, so feel free to post any updates. You can also use it to simply engage with colleagues in conversation.
News from dassh
Universities Accord Final Report
The Universities Accord Final Report was released late last month. Several of the key recommendations made by DASSH have been adopted in the Final Report, including:
- Scrapping Job-ready Graduates
- Establishing a new needs-based funding model
- Greater support for non-traditional students
- Establishing a First Nations Council
- Undertaking a First Nations review
- Increasing investment in research and development to fund the full cost of research
- Improving the quality of university education.
We released a full statement on the Final Report which you can read here.
We will keep you posted as the government works through these recommendations.
Enrolment and staffing trends to be shared at member gathering
DASSH has spent the last few months engaging with the Department of Education, QILT and the Australian Research Council to gather and collate data on student and staffing trends in the arts, social sciences and humanities. We will be sharing highlights from this 12-year data set at the upcoming member gathering in Brisbane. This will be a preview session where we will be looking to you for feedback and insights on our initial findings through a workshop setting. It’s a free event with lunch provided.
Queensland University of Technology
Wednesday April 10
10:30am – 2pm
You can register for the event here.
Getting the word out
National Skills Passport
DASSH made a submission to the National Skills Passport consultation. We had a great online consultation with representatives from universities in almost every state and territory. As part of our submission members said the Skills Passport represents a great opportunity for humanities, arts and social sciences educators to think about the skills their disciplines deliver and how best to communicate them with prospective students and their families. We also warned about the risks associated with a purely vocational approach to skills. Our submission was also reported on in Research Professional News.
Ministerial research vetoes
DASSH President Nick Bisley has written an opinion piece published in Research Professional News calling on Senators to support the Australian Research Council legislative amendments currently before the Senate. The changes would prevent the minister from vetoing funding for individual research projects. The changes are based on recommendations from the ARC Review Panel last year and would bring Australia in line with global standards.
Read the article here.
We have also engaged directly with a number of key Senators urging them to support these changes. DASSH wrote to Senators David Pocock, Pauline Hanson and Jacqui Lambie and engaged directly with their staff to urge them to support the changes when the Bill is read for a second time in coming weeks.
Want a good job, good pay and a happy boss? Do an Arts degree.
Humanities, arts and social sciences students continue to have outstanding outcomes post-graduation according to the latest Graduate Outcomes Survey. The 2023 longitudinal together with other Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) surveys shows employers are highly satisfied, that students have had positive experiences at university followed by great employment outcomes and enjoy very good salaries after graduation.
Read our statement here.
Around the traps
National Student Ombudsman
The Australian government has announced that it will be establishing an independent National Student Ombudsman to investigate student complaints. The student ombudsman stems from the government’s Action Plan Addressing Gender-based Violence in Higher Education.
See here for details.
New Discussion Paper on Indigenous Data Governance
The Maiam nayri Wingara Indigenous Data Sovereignty Collective, a network of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander academics, has recently released a step-by-step guide to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations to put Indigenous data governance into practice.
Read the Discussion Paper here.
Jobs board
Visiting Professorship in Australian Studies 2024-25
This senior position will be based in the Graduate School of International Studies, part of Seoul National University, and located at the Gwanak campus in Seoul, Republic of Korea (ROK). Applications are open to academics currently at Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, and/or Professor level, or those who have held a similarly senior position within Australian Government. The Visiting Professor will conduct a research program in their area of speciality, with publications and presentations arising from that research. The appointment is expected to occur over ten to twelve months, beginning in January – February 2025 and ending in December 2025.
Applications are due by 15 April.
See here for more details.
Events
Member gathering
Queensland University of Technology
Wednesday 10 April
Register here
Register now for our first member gathering for 2024. We will talk policy, provide professional development and give you the chance to talk to your colleagues from around Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand about the issues that matter most to you.
Member gathering
Wednesday 24 July
Melbourne
Register here
Register now for our second member gathering for 2024. We will talk policy, provide professional development and give you the chance to talk to your colleagues from around Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand about the issues that matter most to you.
DASSH Conference
Adelaide
Wednesday to Friday, 18-20 September
More information
Join with colleagues from across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand in Adelaide as we explore issues such as interdisciplinarity in teaching and research, partnering on policy, and the importance of community. This year’s Conference will focus on connecting – connecting with other disciplines, connecting with community, connecting with industry, and connecting with each other.
Member gathering
Wednesday 13 November
Sydney
Register here
Register now for our third member gathering for 2024. We will talk policy, provide professional development and give you the chance to talk to your colleagues from around Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand about the issues that matter most to you.