Last week marked the end of an era in Western Australian education when Curtin University of Technology vice-chancellor Lance Twomey retired after nine years in the position and 37 years at the university.
Last week marked the end of an era in Western Australian education when Curtin University of Technology vice-chancellor Lance Twomey retired after nine years in the position and 37 years at the university.
His term as vice-chancellor was marked by enormous changes in the university’s operations, with total student numbers having grown from 24,500 to 39,300.
Curtin achieved even faster growth in two key performance measures – a tripling of research income to $50 million and a rise in international student numbers.
While Professor Twomey achieved many good outcomes, he was unable to achieve his goals on two key issues.
Like the vice-chancellors at most universities, he remained frustrated by federal government policies that require the universities to be enterprising yet impose what he called an “oppressive” level of regulation.
Professor Twomey said vice-chancellors have held “very encouraging conversations” with new Education Minister Julie Bishop on university regulation.
“She hadn’t realised how big and invasive it is,” Professor Twomey said.
Another disappointment was the failure last year of Curtin and Murdoch universities to negotiate a merger.
“It would have been great for WA,” he said.
Professor Twomey believes a merger will only happen if the state government actively supports the concept, in contrast to last year when it took a passive role.
Professor Twomey said he was taking a three-month break and would then seek work opportunities, mostly in consulting roles.
“This is not really retirement, it’s time to finish this job,” he said.
“I’m looking to do more work but at my pace and in my own time.”
Professor Twomey said the highlights of his time as vice-chancellor included the planning over the past three years for its resources and chemistry research and education precinct, being built at the southern end of the campus.
As reported in last week’s WA Business News, about $200 million is expected to be invested in the precinct during the next five years, with participants including the university, CSIRO, the state government’s chemistry centre, and mining companies BHP Billiton and Alcoa.
Professor Twomey said Curtin was ranked third in Australia in income received through research and development contracts with industry.
Major partners include Woodside Petroleum, Alcoa, BankWest and Optus.
The proposed merger with Murdoch was motivated in part by a desire to lift their ranking in research income, so they could compete with the ‘group of 8’ universities.
This group includes the University of Western Australia, which generates about $90 million in annual research income.
New research centres established at Curtin over the past eight years are in fields as diverse as nanochemistry, biosecurity, water quality and biomedicine.
Another major focus for Curtin was growth in international student numbers, which has made the university WA’s eighth largest exporter.
Professor Twomey said Curtin was the first Australian university to recruit large numbers of international students, starting around 1983.
He recalled that the then federal government initially did not support its plans but soon recognised the benefits of having fee-paying international students.
Only about half of Curtin’s 15,000 international students reside in Perth, with the balance studying at overseas campuses, including its Sarawak campus in Malaysia.
The establishment of the Sarawak campus was “extraordinary in many ways”, according to Professor Twomey. It was established in partnership with the government of Sarawak and now has 2,000 students from 31 countries.
Following Professor Twomey’s departure, Curtin’s deputy vice-chancellor Professor Jeanette Hacket has been appointed vice-chancellor until the position is permanently filled later this year.
The changes at Curtin follow the recent appointment of Professor Kerry Cox as vice-chancellor of Edith Cowan University, succeeding the long-serving Millicent Poole.
