A Conversation About Values, Means and Directions
On 13 July 1998, the collection of essays which is the core of this book was endorsed for publication within the 'Ethics and Public Life' series by the publications committee of Melbourne University Press. On 27 July, the Board of the Press, chaired by the chief executive of the new Melbourne University Private, rejected this recommendation. Why? Why create a controversy which continues to this day?
The essays in 'Why Universities Matter' are contributions to a conversation made necessary by the far-reaching changes to universities provoked by a decade and a half of federal government "initiatives". The voices raised in the book are disputatious, sceptical, passionate and analytical. The reader will find variety in approach, in intent and in the experience brought o bear in each essay. The contributors, drawn from the sciences, humanities and social sciences, are well-versed in issues of "university management": most are professors, many have served as head of department, one has been a vice-chancellor.
Together, the essays do not present any "line". The meeting ground is a common concern about the ideals and values embodied in universities and the purposes universities have served, are now forced to serve, and should serve. In light of this concern, they cast a sharp eye upon the politics, values and rhetoric that drive developments in contemporary Australian universities.
Perhaps this is why the University of Melbourne, through the Board of its Press, chose to reject 'Why Universities Matter'.
