Change agent a smooth operator

Never one to sit on his hands, Alan Robson has plenty of work lined up for when he steps down as UWA vice-chancellor.

AS Alan Robson prepares to hand over the reins at the University of Western Australia, he also passes on a legacy of change that seems incompatible with the period he held the office of vice-chancellor.

In just seven years the energetic agricultural scientist has transformed UWA in several remarkable ways, often invisible to those beyond academia. In part this is because the big changes Professor Robson has introduced have taken place without the sort of protest that might be expected from such a traditional institution.

The latest of several key changes is the introduction of a new structure of broad undergraduate studies followed by a postgraduate professional qualification over a five-year course starting next academic year – UWA is only the second university in Australia to adopt this model.

Professor Robson says even he was unsure that the idea would be favoured by the university’s academia when first mooted.

“We had eight options in the options paper,” he says.

“To my surprise the university community went for the most radical option, which was this one.”

That, of course, may be somewhat understated. Others who know him well suggest Professor Robson’s leadership skills and the respect the staff have for him might explain his ability to introduce such significant change so smoothly.

Academic support for the decision to adopt the new course structure may well stem from what has been, arguably, a more dramatic change within the university during Professor Robson’s tenure.

That is a push towards a performance-based culture, which has set ambitious targets such as cracking Shanghai Jiaotong University’s Academic Ranking of World Universities top 100 by 2013 and the top 50 by 2050 – the latter being a status that Professor Robson acknowledges will require a significant amount of additional funding per student than UWA currently attains.

This year, UWA was ranked 110, up from near 200 in 2005.

Professor Robson explains this push as being about taking the university out of its comfort zone, one that is easily understandable as the dominant institution in a very isolated marketplace.

The move was about avoiding complacency, he says.

“I think we settle back in WA,” Professor Robson told WA Business News.

“It is a comfortable environment. I don’t want that, I want people to stretch themselves.

“This idea is well accepted by our staff; they like the idea of aspiration.”

In some ways, such a move synchronised UWA with what was happening in academia, even if the traditional sandstone universities had been somewhat immune to changes that included bigger student class sizes, more measurement of university performance, and a more competitive funding environment.

“Life in universities has got a lot tougher,” Professor Robson says.

Another change is UWA’s involvement in two international networks: Worldwide University Network, which revolves around research; and Matariki, which is about improving the student experience.

Professor Robson is also proud of the institution’s record on diversity, noting improvement in areas such as female and indigenous involvement.

The other big change at the university during Professor Robson’s time is the introduction of various internal institutes covering important areas such as agriculture, energy and minerals, and oceans.

These institutes are designed to assist the community to better interact with the university, especially in areas that tend to need the involvement of different faculties and schools.

Professor Robson acknowledges the role of the recently built University Club in improving community engagement through the many functions and events held there.

But others note that the university chief is a tireless promoter of UWA and is very visible in the community.

“I have been out there a lot,” Professor Robson admits.

“There was a tendency for the university to wait until people came to it.

“I don’t think we can be like that. You have to be engaged.”

Part of this engagement includes UWA’s involvement in community organisations such as the Committee for Economic Development of Australia and the Committee for Perth. There was also the university’s own In the Zone conference.

“We have to be more of a thought leader,” Professor Robson says.

Professor Robson courted a bit of controversy earlier this year when he publically distanced UWA from the views of climate change sceptic Christopher Monkton. 

Although clearly uncomfortable with criticism he received on the grounds of free speech and open debate, Professor Robson says that, with the benefit of hindsight, he would do the same again.

“You have to take a stand,” he says.

“The university has to engage in debate but it has to be scientific, evidence-based.”

His concern is that the power of communication can sway the argument, rather than the evidence.

Professor Robson still smarts from an experience as a young scientist when he took on a quack fertiliser salesman in public.

“He killed me in the debate,” Professor Robson
remembers.

Professor Robson’s vehement belief that universities should be contributing to human progress sits comfortably with his own specialist knowledge base and plans for the future. After stepping out of the vice-chancellor’s role, Professor Robson intends to take up a role with the university’s faculty of agriculture, returning to the area he was dedicated to at UWA from when he joined as a lecturer in 1974 and until he became deputy vice-chancellor in 1993.

He strongly believes the issue of feeding the world is a
big one, and will require scientific endeavour to improve productivity.

This includes genetically modified organisms, which have been a subject of much controversy in WA.

“I am totally in favour,” Professor Robson says.

“Getting our people not to use GMO is playing with your arms tied behind your back.”

Professor Robson is also assisting the state government review into local government, a role that could lead to other work, and is also open to the idea of being engaged as a director, a field in which he has significant experience. 

But he is also conscious of not taking on too much. He is hoping to enjoy travelling without it being part of work, especially what he refers to as the relentless trips over east required to ensure WA is properly represented.

“I have a saying: ‘you can either sit and complain or get on a plane’,” Professor Robson says.

“It doesn’t get you anywhere sitting in Perth.”