More than 100 academic staff will be shed as part of a dramatic shake-up of teaching at Victoria University.
Staff, students and supporters staged a protest outside a Victoria University council meeting in the city yesterday morning against plans to cut staff as VU sets up a new first-year college.
The first-year college, outlined in a document signed off by vice-chancellor Peter Dawkins that was sent to staff on Friday, will be a stand-alone college delivering the first year of bachelor degrees and an integrated Certificate IV program.
The document, obtained by Star Weekly, notes that one in three VU students drop out in their first years, compared to 23 per cent across the sector.
Students report a relatively low level of satisfaction – 76.5 per cent, compared to a median of 81.7 per cent across other universities.
Satisfaction with support from the university sits at just 67.6 per cent, well below the 74.2 per cent sector-wide median.
The document also notes VU has been operating at a loss for four of the past five years and expects another deficit for 2017, placing the financial viability of VU at risk.
A VU spokeswoman said the new college will be unlike any other in Australia.
“Students will have access to an excellent support program, including enhanced access to teachers and a team with particular expertise in first year learning,” she said.
The spokeswoman said support tailored to the needs of students increased rates of student retention, engagement, success and quality of learning.
“The VU first-year model represents the systematic adoption and co-ordination of student support on a scale never before implemented in Australia,” she said.
But Dr Paul Adams, president of the National Tertiary Education Union’s VU branch, said plans to sack up to 115 academics would have a severe impact on education quality at VU.
He also slammed the decision to axe nine courses one week before semester starts in areas including communication and education.
“Many students had turned down offers from elsewhere on the promise of VU courses to which they had applied,” he said. “This really is not good enough.”
