{"product_id":"aiming-higher-universities-australias-future-george-williams-pb-2025-education","title":"Aiming Higher Universities Australia's Future by George Williams","description":"\u003cfont size=\"4\" face=\"Arial\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);\"\u003eThe time has come for a reckoning in the Australian higher education.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);\"\u003eDecades of policy decisions have made access to higher education harder for those who need it most.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);\"\u003ePublic trust and community confidence in universities in Australia and overseas are at all-time lows.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);\"\u003ePolitical sentiment has shifted. Our centres of higher learning have leapfrogged big business to become easy political targets. And it's no surprise; the sector has scored its fair share of own goals over the handling of staff underpayment, Vice-Chancellor salaries, antisemitism, free speech and safety on campus.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);\"\u003eAd hoc and insufficient government funding has forced universities down the path of corporatisation, drifting away from their role as public institutions with the mission to serve the public good.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);\"\u003eProfessor George Williams, drawing on his expertise in Australian constitutional law and democracy, outlines necessary changes to Australian higher education. Universities need to claim agency, tackle the issues within their control, and replace self-interest with a genuine commitment to putting their students and communities first. Without a reset the future looks grim. Our universities need to guard against misinformation and foster the next generation; the nation requires critical thinkers, researchers and innovators more than ever.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Pearl Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46004457242821,"sku":"OF230326003","price":17.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0685\/7660\/8453\/files\/57_f4e7c10b-e06f-4e05-999e-e52d6658e94e.jpg?v=1774586781","url":"https:\/\/pearlpress.com.au\/products\/aiming-higher-universities-australias-future-george-williams-pb-2025-education","provider":"Pearl Press","version":"1.0","type":"link"}