The New Social Contract

1. Universities and the public in the 20th century

How Australian universities will fare in a post pandemic world depends on an influential but rarely talked about relationship.    This is the relationship between the state, its institutions, and the public: what’s often referred to as “the social contract”.    The social contract universities had when COVID-19 erupted, was one that patched together a variety of largely unstated hopes and expectations and this has enormous consequences for where we find ourselves today.    What is the new social contract for Australian universities in the 21st century and how did we arrive at this place?    This podcast is hosted by Associate Professor Tamson Pietsch and produced by Impact Studios at the University of Technology Sydney.    Episode One Guests:  Dr. Hannah Forsyth [https://webapps.acu.edu.au/staffdirectory/index.php?hannah-forsyth], Senior Lecturer in history at the Australian Catholic University  Dr James Waghorne [https://melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/about/our-staff/james-waghorne], Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne    For show notes and transcripts visit: https://www.uts.edu.au/partners-and-community/initiatives/impact-studios/projects/new-social-contract-podcast    News grabs in the trailer feature the voices of:    Alison Barnes, National President of the NTEU on Sky News ‘Govt university package all 'smoke and mirrors' [https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6148931486001].    Lisa Jackson Pulver, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Sydney on the ABC, Education in the Age of Covid-19, Q+A [https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/2020-27-04/12165986].    Professor Des Manderson interdisciplinary scholar, (ANU) on Radio National Big Ideas [https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bigideas/the-purpose-and-future-of-the-university.-part-two/12101262] ‘The purpose and future of the university (part two)’ - a broadcast version of an event presented by the ANU College of Law and the ANU Centre for Law, Arts & the Humanities [https://law.anu.edu.au/event/60th-anniversary-celebrations/idea-university-crisis-or-adaptation], that was curated and facilitated by Natasha Cica of Kapacity.org at the National Library of Australia on 17 March 2020.    Professor Claire Macken Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching College of Business and Law at RMIT University on the KMPG podcast series, Talking Tertiary [https://home.kpmg/au/en/home/insights/2019/03/talking-tertiary-education-podcast.html].    Mark Scott, Head of the New South Wales Education Department, on the ABC, Education in the Age of Covid-19, Q+A [https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/2020-27-04/12165986].    Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia, on the ABC, 7.30 Report [https://www.pm.gov.au/media/interview-leigh-sales-730-report], 16 April 2020.

8. The future of higher education - who will set the settings?

In the season finale of The New Social Contract, host Tamson Pietsch is joined by Dr Gwilym Croucher, Senior Lecturer at the Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, to consider for the final time how the relationship between universities, the state and the public might be reshaped as we live through the COVID-19 pandemic.     In this episode we look beyond Federal Education Minister Tehan’s proposals to ask three questions:     1. What is the vision for higher education that lies behind the Coalition Government’s plans?  1. What bigger questions about universities do they raise?  1. What might be some of the other ways those questions could be answered?

7. The purpose of universities in the 21st century - A Vice-Chancellor and Shadow Education Minister’s perspective

Higher education leaders and policy makers in Australia are facing a lot of hard decisions right now.  The New Social Contract Podcast spoke with UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Attila Brungs  [https://www.uts.edu.au/about/university/senior-executive/vice-chancellor-and-president] and Shadow Minister for Education and Training Tanya Plibersek [https://www.tanyaplibersek.com/] to find out their different perspectives on the purpose and role of universities in the 21st century.  There are lots of factors contributing to the uncertainty in the tertiary sector at present - will international students return? How much debt can be sustained? What will happen to research funding?  But one thing that would make it easier to act in the present, is a clear plan for what universities should do in the future. What are universities in Australia for? The answer to that question will shape the kind of system we get.  *Note: The interview with Vice-Chancellor Professor Attila Brungs took place on Tuesday June 9 2020.  The interview with Tanya Plibersek, Shadow Minister for Education and Training took place on Tuesday June 16 2020.

6. Universities and Communities - who should they serve?

Who is it that makes up the constituencies of a 21st century university? And what should different sections of the public be demanding from those institutions?  These questions go to the core of higher education’s purpose. Do universities create communities - or do communities create universities? And why might we be seeing the answers to these questions change?  Thanks to The New Social Contract episode six guests:  Matthew Cox [https://logantogether.org.au/about-us/backbone-team/] - Director of Logan Together [https://logantogether.org.au/], a whole-of-community initiative based at Griffith University [https://www.griffith.edu.au/] and within the Logan community  And Professor [https://www.linkedin.com/in/professor-jim-nyland-68a46a43/?originalSubdomain=au] https://www.linkedin.com/in/professor-jim-nyland-68a46a43/?originalSubdomain=auJim Nyland [https://www.linkedin.com/in/professor-jim-nyland-68a46a43/?originalSubdomain=au] - Chair of Engagement Australia [https://engagementaustralia.org.au/] and Associate Vice-Chancellor Brisbane at the Australian Catholic University [https://www.acu.edu.au/].

5. Universities and the nation’s workforce

What kinds of work will we be doing in 2040? What industries will still be going strong and which will have fallen away?  The training and education we need now will depend on the kinds of work - the industries and services - around which, as a nation we want to build our economy and society.  Australia is facing possibly the worst economic downturn in its history. So how should that sobering prospect reshape the relationship between universities, government and society - including industry?  Thanks to The New Social Contract episode five guests  Alison Pennington [https://www.futurework.org.au/meet_the_team], a Senior Economist at the Centre for Future Work [https://www.futurework.org.au/about] at The Australia Institute [https://www.tai.org.au/]  &  Megan Lilly, [https://www.aigroup.com.au/policy-and-research/mediacentre/management-team/] is head of Workforce Development at the Australian Industry Group [https://www.aigroup.com.au/] (or AIG) - Australia's peak industry association.  The news grabs and additional audio in this episode of The New Social Contract podcast came from the following sites:     ‘From Back in Black to recession [https://www.abc.net.au/radio/adelaide/programs/am/economy-recession/12319164]’, reported on AM, ABC, June 4, 2020.     ’The recession we couldn’t avoid’ [https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/the-recession-we-couldnt-avoid/12319320] on RN Breakfast with Fran Kelly, Abc, June 4, 2020.     ‘Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says Australia has officially entered recession’ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IABzXX920DU] from ABC News, June 2 2020.     ‘Treasurer warns the worst is yet to come as Australia's economy enters recession’ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnvwD4wluNY] from ABC News, June 3 2020.     The Paris Riots of 1968 ‘French students again clash with riot police, Paris, France’, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3weyKD1nlQ]published by British Pathe on Youtube.     ‘The May 1968 protests that paralysed France’ [https://www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-36288748/the-may-1968-protests-that-paralysed-france], published on Witness, by the BBC.     ‘May 1968 Paris Riots’ [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3cswqlg]on The History Hour, published by the BBC.