An Australian university network has hitched its wagon to government policy by renaming itself after the deadline for Labor’s defining higher education target.
The Innovative Research Universities (IRU) group has also accrued two new members in relaunching itself as the “2050 Alliance”.
A launch is scheduled at the University of Canberra on 27 May. The name signifies the association’s commitment to the goal of increasing tertiary attainment to 80 per cent of the working-age population by 2050 – the central recommendation of the Australian Universities Accord.
“We are in the middle of the biggest transformation in our higher education system since the 1980s,” said the group’s chair, Western Sydney University (WSU) vice-chancellor George Williams. “The time is right for universities to come together with a clear focus on the public good – serving our students and communities and helping to deliver on major national priorities including intergenerational equity and productivity growth.”
The new group adds Victoria University (VU) and the multistate Australian Catholic University to the core IRU group of WSU, UC and Flinders, Griffith, James Cook, La Trobe and Murdoch universities.
