Local higher education in a global age

In the wake of the Dawkins expansion of higher education, Australia acquired many very small campuses, typically satellites of regional universities. Rationalised primarily in terms of providing better access and equity, their present role and status is problematic. The advent of online education threatens to render them redundant, though an integration of online delivery with face-to-face tuition at distributed sites could be beneficial. Intensive university-community partnerships to develop regional economies promise a revitalised role but there is little debate about how far size matters. Lack of information about the present functions and effectiveness of small campuses suggests that poor strategic planning will continue to characterise these facilities.