@michaelcollins51.bsky.social
38 followers 84 following 130 posts
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Reposted
govpritzker.illinois.gov
This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will. It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.
Reposted
thesiswhisperer.bsky.social
ANU colleagues and students - please share this post if you can:

The ANU governance project has extended our deadline to comment on the Draft report to next week - 7 October.

Here's a link to a feedback form, which also contains the link to the draft report:

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Feedback on ANU Governance Project Draft Report
The ANU Governance Project Working Group are proud to present the Draft Project Report for community feedback and consultation. The Draft Project Report is available on our website or through THIS LINK. Using a process that has involved deep listening and a participatory and deliberative process across the ANU community, we have compiled a unique and valuable body of evidence that documents what’s wrong with governance at the ANU and charts a way forward to help rebuild trust and to deliver best practice governance. Over 600 ANU staff, students, and stakeholders have participated in this project, and in contributing constructively to the future of ANU. This includes 590 members of the community who participated in our survey, 75 who participated in one-hour small group discussions, and over 40 from across the university who participated in our project workshop. The ANU community told us there a critical need for change: Over 96% of survey respondents and all discussion group participants believe current ANU governance is not fit for purpose and should be reformed. Over 92% of survey respondents and all discussion group participants expressed dissatisfaction with current ANU governance. Over 93% of survey respondents said they were dissatisfied with current practices of transparency at the ANU. Over 93% of survey respondents said they were dissatisfied with accountability frameworks at the ANU. The ANU Community has proposed the following near-term steps forward for a reformed ANU: Council must direct Finance to produce and publish a current budget breakdown. Council must revise and publish selection criteria for Executive positions. Council meetings must immediately be made fully accessible to the community. Academic Board must regularly review and assess the financial decisions of senior executives and Council. Commence senior leadership listening tours with the ANU community. Additional recommendations forwarded by the community are summarised in the full report, including a proposal to co-design legislative reform of the ANU Act with the community. The Working Group invites the ANU community and stakeholders to offer feedback via this form on the draft report by midnight on Tuesday 7 October. This deadline has been extended in order to allow us more time to hear and incorporate community feedback ahead of the release of our final report on Monday 20 October.
docs.google.com
Reposted
ouranu.bsky.social
“[The CASS Dean’s] confusing statements about the future of the College’s academic architecture, and her refusal to engage with the substance of issues raised by colleagues, continue the pattern that has been so destructive to the University”

www.canberratimes.com.au/story/907511...
'Rumours flying everywhere': ANU staff want to see tangible changes
Some staff are 'waiting to see signs' that relationships can be repaired.
www.canberratimes.com.au
Reposted
ouranu.bsky.social
“The university says it is saving itself from financial crisis, but a team of accounting professors have crunched the numbers and say they tell a different story.”

Depressingly familiar to our experience at ANU. Solidarity to colleagues at UTS. ✊

www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Academics dispute state of finances at leading Sydney university - ABC listen
Almost one in every two Australian universities has been restructured in the past year, and there is more to come. Thousands of jobs have been cut, and thousands more are in the firing line. At the ...
www.abc.net.au
Reposted
alisonbarnes.bsky.social
Much attention has been on ANU but the governance crisis is broad and deep across the sector. Close scrutiny needs to be applied *everywhere*. This is shameful from UTS management.
squigglyrick.bsky.social
University of Technology Sydney ordered a spreadsheet from KPMG targeting individual academics by research income, which might contravene the bargaining agreement. They repeatedly denied it even existed for several info requests. But that wasn't true. www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/educati...
Exclusive: University sought secret KPMG staff spreadsheet
The University of Technology Sydney denied the existence of a KPMG spreadsheet ranking the research performance of academics, in breach of its EBA, until it was forced to release it.
www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au
Reposted
squigglyrick.bsky.social
Even the external barrister hired to do the internal review of a NSW GIPA (FoI) decision was told it didn't exist. But it did. It had been emailed to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Prof. Kathryn McGrath, as requested. She said she discussed it with the VC. The VC signed the contract!
Reposted
squigglyrick.bsky.social
University of Technology Sydney ordered a spreadsheet from KPMG targeting individual academics by research income, which might contravene the bargaining agreement. They repeatedly denied it even existed for several info requests. But that wasn't true. www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/educati...
Exclusive: University sought secret KPMG staff spreadsheet
The University of Technology Sydney denied the existence of a KPMG spreadsheet ranking the research performance of academics, in breach of its EBA, until it was forced to release it.
www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au
Reposted
annettedittert.bsky.social
I feel like a broken record. But this is the wrong strategy.
implausibleblog.bsky.social
The scandal of using asylum seekers as cover to roll out digital IDs

This is yet another policy disaster from Keir Starmer and Labour, we can just sit back and watch it unravel itself over the upcoming months