Universities have great stories to tell – our future success depends on how well we share them

Most universities protect and nurture their reputations, and for good reason. This isn’t done for vanity but because our reputation makes a significant difference to how others choose to engage with us. A good reputation makes us more attractive to both students and staff, it opens doors for collaboration and influence for change, and it increases the opportunities available for our students. It reflects what we do well and maybe also not so well.  

That work is now more important than ever. For all of us, the challenges of Covid-19 are, naturally enough, top of mind. But even as we face these immediate difficulties, it is crucial to plan for longer term changes, such as those driven by the impact of technology on teaching, learning and research.

My experience in running Australia’s public broadcasting network informs me that our future competitors won’t necessarily be those we know today; they will be new players from places we don’t expect. Over the next decade, we should expect continued disruption in our sector.

Thankfully universities are uniquely placed to meet future challenges; at our core, our mission is to create and share new knowledge that improves people’s lives.

Around the world, academics have been working closely with their governments and industry to contribute expertise and inform policy and I’ve seen many wonderful stories that illustrate the adaptability and ingenuity staff and students have shown during this crisis.

One of the outcomes of this pandemic has been a better understanding of the role of research across disciplines and the impact that multidisciplinary teams can have when working together to tackle challenges. From the early work to identify the virus and treatment options to the development of life-saving vaccines, experts in public health, infectious disease and clinical care have been working non-stop for the benefit of society.

How well we continue to share these stories with government, industry and an increasingly sceptical public will be fundamental to our shared future success.

I am optimistic that we can do this. Our institutions have been around for a long time and have faced adversity before, including other historic pandemics as well as world wars. So while this is an unsettling time, there is a way through.

It’s something I am keeping in mind. After many months of avoiding the worst, Sydney and other parts of Australia are in a long lockdown while our government works hard to increase vaccination rates. I began my tenure as vice-chancellor on Zoom and my first formal meeting was a discussion about how we protect our teachers, researchers, staff and students from the impact of the Covid-19 Delta strain.

As we meet that challenge, my focus will be on developing a new long-term strategy for the university, one that builds on our strengths and reputation and safeguards our institution in the face of future challenges. The strategy will outline how we plan to continue to support our world-leading researchers and teachers and ensure our students have a truly transformational experience during their time with us.

My experience as a student in Sydney resulted in an arts degree that set me up for a future career across different sectors and roles, a chance meeting with my future wife and lifelong friendships. It changed my life, and it is that kind of experience that I want for every student at the University of Sydney.

Our students give us up to four, or even more, of the most important years of their life. We must do all we can to ensure that their time with us is transformative, not just because of what they will do after they leave but because of the people they meet, the knowledge they acquire, and the skills they develop. By the time they graduate, they should be equipped not just for their first job but for the rest of their lives as learners.

That must include learning how to collaborate, and a reflection of the value we place on this is that we’ve made collaboration across subjects and with external partners a key component of our undergraduate degrees. At Sydney, every undergraduate student is given the opportunity to work with academics, industry and other stakeholders to solve real-world problems, and this work counts towards their final degree. To facilitate this, we’ve established partnerships with companies, government and community organisations across Australia, India, China, Japan, Italy, France, the US and the UK.

I firmly believe that collaboration, as opposed to competition, is vital. We have terrific examples of partnerships with other universities, industry, the community and governments and I am keen to understand how we can build on that work to ensure we are sharing the collective benefits and resources with our broader communities.

One example of this is our Sydney Knowledge Hub, where we provide co-working space on campus for innovative start-ups, non-profits and corporates seeking to collaborate with our researchers and students. A recent project developed at the hub includes a groundbreaking device to help save babies struggling to breathe at birth. More than 1 million babies die from birth asphyxia worldwide and this low-cost paediatric device and training system aims to drastically reduce those numbers. The team, led by two biomedical students and hospital clinicians, has secured funding and is planning to roll it out in developing countries, as well as in Australia. 

In another long-term partnership, with Microsoft, our researchers are positioning Australia at the forefront of the quantum revolution. This partnership represents the largest single investment in quantum computing ever made in Australia. Based in our Nanoscience Hub, the Microsoft quantum laboratory is one of just five experimental facilities worldwide in which Microsoft has invested, where academics and students work alongside the company’s personnel. Their work will eventually change the way we all live, work and play.

It’s stories like these that will ensure we are well equipped to meet future challenges and that will deepen our reputation for transformational teaching and learning and groundbreaking research that changes the world for good.

Mark Scott is vice-chancellor and principal at the University of Sydney.

The Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings will be published at 1pm BST on 27 October. The results will be exclusively revealed at the THE Leadership & Management Summit, where Professor Scott will talk about civic leadership post-Covid.