How Australia's biggest pokies dynasty is rewriting its legacy
By Maddison Connaughton
Len Ainsworth built an empire on poker machines — devices that changed gambling forever. Over the last few decades, he's quietly shifted his attention, and power, towards philanthropy.
“By the way, this is why I keep insisting that the revival of #humanism and the #humanities won’t come from the #universities. The real rebirth will happen in #society at large, spurred by #individuals - not #academics.” open.substack.com/pub/tedgioia...
The New Romanticism Just Found...
What kinds of #insights are being suggested to unlock the “potential” of #Universities like ANU? Here is the nouse 
flagship report for 2025.
“Internationalisation in the midst of Snowbalisation 2025 Survey of International Education Leaders” (cant anybody write concise headlines anymore?)
To read the report you have to ask permission to read. Take a peek at the summary.
I like point #3 ‘Universities expect to increase revenue through higher fees, reduced scholarships, and for some Institutions, lower entry requirements.’
High quality advice at a premium cost, gives you the race to the bottom solution.
#NousGroup / #education / #ANU / #AusPol <https://nousgroup.com/gsiel-2025>
What does the AFR say about University administration?
“Are Australian university #bosses worth the big bucks? Australian vice chancellors earn far more than their #peers in the #UK, #US, #Canada and #NewZealand. Is this justifiable?”
“Australian #universities, it seems to me, are subject to two different forces: #managerialism and a heightened #regulatory state. By having so much #RedTape attached to universities by #government, we end up needing a lot of processes and the VCs are there to make sure their universities are fulfilling all those sets of #regulations,” Forsyth says.
She agrees with Robinson that university governance is at the core of the explosion in executive salaries. Whereas Robinson points to a lack of #experience and #expertise on university boards, Forsyth blames the loading of #CorporateTypes on university #councils and in #Chancellor positions, which she says fundamentally changes the focus from academia to money-making #enterprises.
“I think this has enabled councils to leave the managers in charge and act in solidarity with them,” she says. “Councils are stacked with people who are going to be on the vice chancellor’s side from an ideological perspective.”
Forsyth, author of “A History of the Modern Australian University”, was made redundant last year from #AustralianCatholicUniversity after it shut down a raft of courses in the humanities, including #ResearchInstitutes in #philosophy and #history.
She notes that for decades, #ViceChancellors have been whinging about the lack of #GovernmentFunding, but achieved very little in return. At the same time, they have overseen mass #casualisation of staff – #HigherEducation has the largest proportion of causal and contract staff of any sector in the economy – while ignoring widespread #WageTheft – now estimated to be as high as $160 million affecting 100,000 employees in almost all universities”
<https://archive.md/uJS5u> / <https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/education/are-australian-university-bosses-worth-the-big-bucks-20240122-p5ez5x> (paywall)
“They’re running the place like a #startup, rather than like a public entity governed by federal law.”
Its a sad day for Australian Universities. Uni is a place of #learning, #study and #research where new ideas are explored, theories are proposed, tested and understood in exquisite detail. Hogwarts.
They are not, and never will be places where new technical ideas are translated into a product that may or may not work, for fickle comercial customers, while on a short cash timer. Animal House.
Academics are a bad #peopleware fit for Startups. Specialists instead of scrappy generalists. The kind of people who do successful startups “DO”, then “quickly adapt”. Or fail, go out of business and wash dishes.
#ANU / #australia / #universities <https://archive.md/Dd41c> / <https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/education/2025/05/10/exclusive-the-consultancy-driving-anu-cuts> (paywall)
Michigan State basketball HC Tom Izzo endorses SVSU head coach hire https://www.rawchili.com/nba/22517/ #Basketball #coaching #College #CollegeSports #Colleges #CollegesU0026Universities #Izzo #Michigan #MichiganStateBasketball #News #Overall #OverallPositive #Positive #Saginaw #SaginawValleyStateUniversity #Sports #SportsCoachingU0026Training #SportsNews #state #Tom #TomIzzo #Training #u0026 #Universities #University #Valley
_The Evening Post_, 10 May 1924:
CAPPING CEREMONY
VICTORIA UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE
DECOROUS PROCEEDINGS
PROGRESS OF INSTITUTION
The graduation or “Capping” ceremony of Victoria University College—an annual event—took place in the Town Hall yesterday afternoon. There was a large attendance of students and friends, and the group of graduates, with their hoods, on the platform under the decorations left from the Navy League ball made a very pretty picture.
The chair was taken by Mr. Clement Watson, of the College Council, who referred cordially to the attainment of the 25th anniversary of the college… the number of students now exceeded 800, and was still increasing.… and the time had come to consider the establishment of day classes. Most of the students had to work at present.…
The Vice-Chancellor of the New Zealand University, Professor J. Rankine Brown, congratulated the graduates… He hoped that the graduates of the year—
Here the students popped a number of paper bags and sang the song about “John Brown’s Body.”
The Vice-Chancellor concluded.
…
The following is the list of graduates:…
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19240510.2.129
(Accompanying photo from the next year).
Here is Reuters run down of today’s hearing for #RumeysaOzturk.
#Tufts student detained by #US #immigration authorities must be released, judge rules
If you want to read Anna Bower’s notes from the entire proceeding in #RumeysaOzturk’s case, here’s the thread unrolled:
https://skywriter.blue/pages/did:plc:t4x2ruk2qmob2b2cx55h4v7r/post/3loqnq26d7c2a
#immigration #law #Trump #StudentVisas #Universities #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #FreePress
The judge in #RumeysaOzturk’s case noted that the govt presented no evidence other than #Ozturk’s op-ed raising a very significant & substantial claim that 1st Amendment protected speech formed the basis for her detention.
Which suggests the reason she was detained was punishment for her opinion.
#immigration #law #Trump #StudentVisas #Universities #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #FreePress
#RumeysaOzturk’s hearing is coming to a close. Importantly, just now the judge stated that the court finds #Ozturk meets all 3 requirements for granting #bail.
1) Substantial claims, (2) extraordinary
circumstances, (3) necessary to make #habeas effective
#immigration #law #Trump #StudentVisas #Universities #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #FreePress
#ColumbiaUniversity undergrad & activist #MohsenMahdawi can stay #free on bail, per UNANIMOUS US Court of Appeals for Second Circuit. It denies govt's stay & mandamus requests.
In declining the writ of mandamus, the court cites #RumeysaOzturk’s case. [see pic]
Several #ColumbiaUniversity student #journalists are #suspended after covering #protests (while wearing #press ID) in the main library.
Their access to campus is blocked, & they can't take final exams.
Columbia's acting president is a fmr ABC journo.
#law #Trump #Universities #Constitution #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #FreePress #censorship #Dictatorship #tyranny #AmericanAutocracy
https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2025/05/09/barnard-suspends-wkcr-and-spectator-reporters-who-covered-butler-library-protest/
#RumeysaOzturk’s hearing is still going. I’ll post an unrolled thread from Anna Bower of Lawfare when it concludes.
The high stakes of driving non-US students away from US doctoral programs, whether by govt action or by fear and deterrence:
"Of the 57,862 doctorate recipients in 2023, 35,566 (61%) were U.S. citizens and permanent residents; 19,393 (34%) were temporary visa holders; and 2,903 (5%) did not report citizenship."
https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf25336
#Academia #DefendResearch #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics
@academicchatter
Is the 'attainment gap' in higher eduction that sees black students less likely to get 2:1s a reflection of not seeing themselves represented in the academic staff cohorts that teach them?
Well, David Mea (Birmingham U) thinks that is the case & if so suggests that universities attempts to widen participation & ensure inclusiveness of ethnic grounds may not extend as far into staffing as might be needed.
Universities need to do better
Since returning to office, #Trump has moved quickly to assert control over American #cultural institutions, taking over the John F. #KennedyCenter for the Performing Arts & declaring war on Ivy League #universities.
A push to purge references to #diversity & #inclusion led to a page on Jackie Robinson’s life & military career temporarily vanishing from the #Pentagon website. #ArlingtonNationalCemetery web pages highlighting the graves of #Black & #female #ServiceMembers disappeared.
“It has several hundred #billionaires; dozens of #LawFirms that earn at least a billion dollars a year; more than 1,700 private #universities & #colleges; a vast infrastructure of #churches, #labor #unions, private foundations & #nonprofit organizations; & a well-organized & well-financed opposition party.”
“But civil society must act collectively.
Excellent: "More than 100 institutions and funders worldwide have confirmed that research published in #eLife continues to be considered in hiring, promotion, and funding decisions, following the journal’s bold move to forgo its Journal Impact Factor."
https://elifesciences.org/for-the-press/bf74b86e/more-than-100-institutions-and-funders-confirm-recognition-of-elife-papers-signalling-support-for-open-science
PS: This is not just a step to support eLife, but a step to break the stranglehold of bad metrics in research assessment. For the same reason, it's a step toward more honest and less simplistic assessment.
#Academia #Assessment #JIF #Metrics #Universities
@academicchatter
The #Trump admin has earmarked dozens of #NationalPark Service [#NPS] #grants for elimination, including several that aim to protect #PublicLands from the effects of #ClimateChange, acc/to an internal agency document detailing the plans.
A spreadsheet of grants likely to be canceled claims the cuts could *save* $26 million by canceling grants to #universities, state #historic #preservation offices, #tribes & #YouthCorps.
#Science #ClimateCrisis #Musk #DOGE
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/07/climate/trump-park-service-grants-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=p&pvid=95AB81FC-B895-41F9-84B1-1D58443EA184
♬ 
