Murdoch leader plans ‘brains trust’ on regional issues

PROFESSOR Richard Higgott might be the new vice-chancellor at the smallest of Western Australia’s public universities but he is not letting that get in the way of some big ideas.

The former pro vice-chancellor for research at the United Kingdom’s University of Warwick wants to see Murdoch change its inward focus on recruiting school leavers as undergraduates to develop a reputation that means it gets noticed internationally, including through its research capability.

Following on from a successful concept deployed at Warwick, he plans to bring together a ‘brains trust’ to examine regional issues, which will put forward white paper recommendations under the banner Murdoch Commissions.

“There is a lot of obsessing on China and obsessing on making money,” Professor Higgott said.

“That is important but we need to have some context in our region.”

He also wants to leverage Murdoch’s strengths in health sciences, which he believes are largely overlooked by the wider community, with the massive Fiona Stanley Hospital development on his university’s doorstep.

Professor Higgott believes the university should capitalise on the new hospital and the private sector’s St John of God Hospital Murdoch expansion, with a new eastern precinct on its campus which connects to this important infrastructure.

“The idea is to create a health education complex,” he said.

“We want to develop Murdoch’s eastern precinct; we have developed an initial blueprint for that.”

As part of gearing up Murdoch for this change, Professor Higgott has revamped the institution’s leadership team, introducing three key new faces to the five-person team, which he leads.

Deputy vice-chancellor for education Ann Capling has come across from the University of Melbourne, DVC for research David Morrison, who joins from the University of Western Australia, and DVC for professional services Jon Baldwin, who has come from Warwick.

Professor Higgott cites Mr Baldwin’s role in the governance of Warwick as one of the key reasons for his former employer’s recognition as one of the world’s most innovative universities.

“There has not been a purge,” Professor Higgott said.

“They (previous leadership team members) have gone for their own reasons and because there is an intention to reboot what you might call the academic vision of Murdoch.”

“It was set up as a university, it has still got this fantastic research capability.

“We are trying to recalibrate the relationship between teaching and research.”

Murdoch has also initiated a global search for a new business dean.