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Thursday, 24 November 2011

Respected Vice-Chancellor of The University of Western Australia, Professor Alan Robson, will chair a panel overseeing quality standards in the university sector.

Australian Tertiary Education Minister Chris Evans announced Professor Robson's appointment which he will take up following his retirement as UWA Vice-Chancellor at the end of the year.

Professor Robson said while in the role he would seek to reassure the public on quality he was mindful of being excessively intrusive on universities by trying to strictly define standards suggesting he favoured a peer review approach in maintaining standards.

"I look forward to the challenges ahead. It is a task that will embrace both technical content and generic skills such as communication. Employees are very concerned about communications skills," he said.

The other panel members are University of South Australia deputy vice-chancellor academic Joanne Wright, Melbourne University's pro vice-chancellor participation and engagement Richard James, former University of Queensland deputy vice-chancellor David Siddle and TEQSA director Adrienne Nieuwenhuis.

Also, UWA Chancellor Dr Michael Chaney will chair a new Education Advisory Council to advise the Australian Government in developing a new five-year strategy for the sector.

Mr Chaney, who is also chair of National Australia Bank and Woodside Petroleum, will lead a council of 11 eminent Australians comprised of five education specialists, three industry leaders, two former politicians and a former diplomat.

Building on the Government's response to the Knight Review of International Student Visas, the new council will provide advice to the Government on the challenges and opportunities facing international education.

Media references

Michael Sinclair-Jones (UWA Public Affairs) (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 00 700 783

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