Time to dare to be bold

I have been in higher education for four decades here and overseas, at many institutions. All had their own ways of delivering education, but I could not help but notice their nostalgic obsession with the “traditional” model of university that serves the needs of a very small and highly privileged proportion of the population.

This is an antiquated and inept model for our contemporary, and hopefully more inclusive, society.

The traditional university model, where every student is tested on their ability to memorise content, is severely outdated. Having been in Victoria for six years, I want to put my experiences to good use by co-creating the industries of the future.

I am dismayed and disappointed that universities have become political tools, the scapegoats of society's issues, from the housing crisis to social division. How did we come to this when we are, after all, the strongest drivers of national development, providing the future, industry-ready human capital our economy depends on.

At Swinburne University of Technology, we are doing things differently. A multisector university, we bring together vocational education and training and higher education, not as alternatives but to complement each other. Everything we do is grounded in our determination to offer tailored and innovative pathways for our learners.

The prototype of a new and different university, we are not afraid to embrace technological disruption and to face the challenges of a tech-rich future head on. Our learners acquire critical skills around effective and ethical use of technology like AI and build lifelong competencies to navigate the rapidly changing landscape of new and emerging technologies.

We have embraced global industry partnerships to make sure every learner gets hands-on work experience and ensure that every graduate gets or creates a job. We unashamedly see the world as our campus, and so should the rest of Victoria.

I hope that some day I can go back to the places I once studied or taught at and show them how Victoria has forged a path ahead and found a new way of delivering education to everyone.

We need universities that dare to be bold, to secure Victoria's future. Victoria needs universities that are different and dedicated to readying society for the future.

Professor Pascale Quester AO is the Vice-Chancellor and President of Swinburne University of Technology.