Editorial introduction : regional university futures

This edition of SLEID explores possible futures for universities located in regional areas of Australia. This theme is framed within concerns raised within the Bradley Review of Australian Higher Education, which reported in 2008 (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations). The report identifies higher education provision in regional Australia as an area of particular concern, recommending “a range of approaches including rationalisation, collaboration or merging for some campuses or institutions.” The Bradley Review calls for regional students to have the same rate of access to and completion of higher education degrees as their metropolitan counterparts. The Bradley Review has proposed that the government consider the feasibility of a new national university for regional areas and called for the provision of “innovative local solutions through a range of flexible and collaborative delivery arrangements in partnership with other providers such as TAFE.” It recommends that serious consideration should be given to the development of a university with special expertise in provision of higher education across regional and remote Australia.