Australia’s university model could become unviable in the next 10 to 15 years, according to a report by Ernst & Young. University of the Future: A Thousand Year Old Industry on the Cusp of Profound Change claims that universities will have to “significantly streamline their operations” and incorporate “new teaching and learning delivery mechanisms” to survive. “The dominant university model in Australia – a broad-based teaching and research institution, supported by a large asset base and a large, predominantly in-house back office – will prove unviable in all but a few cases over the next 10-15 years,” the report says. It cites developments in digital technology, the availability of information online and increased competition between institutions at a time of budgetary constraint as reasons for its worrying prognosis.
Source: Times Higher Education http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=421641&c=1