University of Sydney to withdraw from AGSM joint venture
11 November 2005
The Senate of the University of Sydney has voted unanimously to withdraw from its formal association with the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM), after a six year joint venture with the University of New South Wales.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gavin Brown, said today the decision by Senate had been communicated to the Board of the AGSM and to staff, and followed several months of negotiations between the two universities.
The joint venture involved the merging of the Graduate School of Business at the University of Sydney with the AGSM in 1999. Since then, the AGSM has been administered and funded by the two universities, with the current agreement due to be renegotiated by the end of this year.
Professor Brown described the separation as amicable, adding that the University of Sydney would continue to collaborate extensively with the AGSM in a number of areas, including health management programs.
He said the two universities would also ensure that the decision to end the formal joint venture did not disadvantage current students at the AGSM.
“The University of Sydney will continue to collaborate with the AGSM in a number of important areas, but the joint venture itself will be terminated by mutual agreement and in line with the decision by the Senate,” he said.
“In making this decision, we are fully aware that the strategic priorities of both universities have evolved over the past six years, which means the obvious fit we identified with a joint venture at the AGSM back in 1999 is no longer quite as relevant,” he said.
“At the same time, there is general agreement that the way in which management education is being delivered around the world has also evolved significantly.
“This decision gives the University of Sydney an opportunity to look at other ways we can provide management education, strengthening our own offerings in this area in a way that complements the excellent work being undertaken by the AGSM.”
Professor Brown paid tribute to the leadership provided by the current Dean of the AGSM and his predecessors and wished the School continuing success in the years ahead.
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