The reconstruction of higher education in Australia through the creation of the Unified National System of Higher Education at the end of the 1980s by John Dawkins is commonly seen as a watershed. It brought new ways;of funding, directing and organising universities, expanding their size, reorienting their activities and setting in train a far-reaching transformation of the academic enterprise. This volume examines how the University of Melbourne both adapted to and resisted the Unified National System, how it took advantage of the opportunities for growth while affirming its academic mission. While the Dawkins revolution changed little in the way that Melbourne understood itself and conducted its affairs, it changed everything.
Author Biography
Andre Brett is a historian of nineteenth century colonialism. His current research interests emphasise the role of railways and public works in shaping the colonial world. He is currently attached to multiple research projects at the University of Melbourne. Gwilym Croucher is a higher education researcher, analyst and policy adviser at the University of Melbourne. He is a Senior Lecturer in the Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education as well as Principal Policy Adviser in Chancellery at the University. Stuart Macintyre is Emeritus Laureate Professor of the University of Melbourne and a Professorial Fellow of the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies. He was president of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia from 2007 to 2009.
