Assessment, Evaluation and Improvement of University Council Performance
| Author | Zita Unger,Anona Armstrong |
| Published date | 01 March 2009 |
| Date | 01 March 2009 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/1035719X0900900107 |
| Subject Matter | Refereed Article |
R E F E R E E D A R T I C L E
E v a l u a t i o n J o u r n a l o f A u s t r a l a s i a , V o l . 9 , N o . 1 , 2 0 0 9 , p p . 4 6 – 5 4
Assessment, evaluation and
improvement of university
council performance
Higher education is the third-biggest export industry
Anona Armstrong
in Australia. Hence, the quality of the governance of
Zita Unger
educational institutions is of major concern to the
Australian Government. Although evaluation of board
performance is now used widely in both the private
and public sectors, little attention has been given to its
application in university contexts. This article addresses
this gap. It describes a comparative analysis of various
criteria used to conduct board assessments with a
framework developed in Australia to guide evaluation of a
university council’s performance. In particular, it describes
the components of the University Council Assessment
Questionnaire. This article concludes by making some
recommendations about how the use of assessment can
contribute to improving a council’s performance.
Introduction
Evaluation of performance in the higher education (HE) sector (see for example,
Stufflebeam & Shinkfield 2007) has traditionally focused on inputs (e.g. income,
student demographics and numbers, staff numbers and qualifications, student/
teacher ratios), outputs (such as student completions or satisfaction measured, for
example by the course evaluation questionnaire, or numbers of research projects
and publications) and outcomes (represented by graduate employment surveys).
Major changes in the HE system have shifted the focus of evaluation to the
systems and processes by which the governing bodies add value and contribute to
their HE entities’ performance. Assessment of the performance of the governing
Anona Armstrong (top) is Professor of
bodies is the subject of this article.
Governance and Director Centre for
Although evaluation of board performance is now used widely in both the
International Corporate Governance
private and public sectors, little attention has been given to its application in
Research in the Faculty of Business
university contexts. This article addresses this gap. The article describes the
and Law, Victoria University,
changes in government policy that have impacted on how higher education
Melbourne.
is delivered in Australia, notes in particular the changes to governance in
Email:
universities, and reports the results of a comparative analysis of criteria used
to conduct board assessments with a framework developed in Australia that
Zita Unger (bottom) is an evaluation
is suitable for use in evaluation of a university council’s performance. In
consultant and is founder and Director
particular, it describes the components of the University Council Assessment
of Evaluation Solutions, Melbourne.
Questionnaire.
Email:
The Australian HE sector has grown dramatically in the past 20 years. It now
com>
comprises (DEEWR 2009):
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R E F E R E E D A R T I C L E
39 universities of which 37 are public institutions
Australian Government policy
and 2 are private;
reforms in the higher education
1 Australian branch of an overseas university;
sector
Following decisions by the High Court (Moodie
4 other self-accrediting higher education
2007), the Commonwealth Government has the
institutions; and
power to regulate all corporations, including
non-self-accrediting higher education providers
universities, even if they are established under state
accredited by State and Territory authorities,
government Acts. The Australian Government policy
numbering more than 150 as listed on State and
designed to make the HE sector more competitive
Territory registers. These include several that are
started with the Dawkins Report in 1988 (Dawkins
registered in more than one State and Territory.
1988). The Dawkins Report opened the door to
growth in the sector and the establishment of new
universities. Minister Brendan Nelson continued the
The non-self-accrediting higher education
reform agenda. His paper Higher Education at the
providers are rapidly acquiring a major part of
Crossroads endorsed in the Ministerial statement
the HE market. They form a very diverse group of
Our Universities: Backing Australian’s Future
specialised, mainly private providers that range in size
(Nelson 2003) were instrumental in introducing a
and include theological colleges, some TAFE colleges
broad range of education reforms directed toward
and other providers, offering courses in areas such as
funding, specialisation of universities, workplace
business, information technology, natural therapies,
relations, information communications technology,
hospitality, health, law and accounting.
research priorities, commercialisation and quality
In 2009 international education is a $14.2
control. In more recent policy documents, research
billion industry, making it Australia’s third-biggest
was the focus of the Cutler Report on Innovation
export after coal and iron. Higher education brings
and the Ministerial Statement (Carr 2009) Powering
in the lion’s share of this revenue, accounting for
Ideas: an innovation Agenda for the 21st Century.
63 per cent of expenditure. The above description
In 2008, the Bradley Report (Bradley et al. 2008)
of the sector shows that HE today is no longer the
recommended the establishment of an independent
exclusive precinct of universities (AEI 2008). Many
national body to manage higher education
private providers and TAFE are seeking registration
accreditation, quality assurance and regulation, and
and accreditation of HE courses in order to take
in 2009 the May Budget confirmed the government’s
advantage of the lucrative international education
acceptance of these recommendations. Quality
market. In Victoria alone, there are now 185
assurance was again an issue in these educational
international education colleges offering training.
policy initiatives.
The growth in the sector was driven by a number
of factors, including massification of education,
competition from overseas and from private
University governance
providers in Australia, the growing complexity of
Among the quality control measures issued during
the institutions, the shift to managerialism and the
this period were National Protocols for the
business model and international student mobility
Approval of Higher Education Institutions, and
(Storey & Armstrong 2004)
National Governance Protocols for Public Higher
Universities rely on their fees from international
Education Institutions (listed in the legislation
students for an average of 15 per cent of their
applying to the grants under the Commonwealth
funding (Das 2008). The fees also cross-subsidise
Grant Scheme (Table A of the Commonwealth
research in Australia. According to the Vice-
Grant Scheme Guidelines, DEST 2006). Both
Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, teaching
Protocols were addressed in papers (Armstrong
funds close to $200 million fill the gap between
2003; Stokes 2004) presented at the University
what the university receives in research grants and
Governance Conference held in Melbourne at
the actual cost of research (Davis 2008).
Victoria University. Of interest to this article are the
It is clear that the economic sustainability of
Protocols on university governance.
higher education institutions is of major concern
Corporate governance is concerned with the
to both government and universities and that this
structures and processes for decision-making,
will be influenced by the ability of the sector to
accountability, control and behaviour at the top of
continue to attract international students. A global
organisations (Armstrong & Francis 2004). It can
survey of 80 000 students found that ‘quality and
be summed up (Figure 1) as the system or structure
reputation were extremely important’ for students
of rules and relationships, supervision and control
making decisions about studying overseas (Das
of those who exercise the authority, accountability,
2008). Similar results were found in a survey
stewardship, leadership, direction and control that
of international students studying in Australia
aims to ensure accountability and efficient use of
(Michael, Armstrong & King 2004).
resources in balancing the achievement of goals of
The increased competition and the concerns
corporations, society and individuals.
with quality have stimulated major policy reforms
designed to integrate Australia more competitively
into the world economy.
A r m s t r o n g a n d U n g e r — A s s e s s m e n t , e v a l u a t i o n a n d i m p r o v e m e n t o f u n i v e r s i t y c o u n c i l p e r f o r m a n c e
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