Obiter dicta by Professor Gavin Brown AO

Balancing Acts

1 August 1996

‘Tis the season for Christmas in July; a time for exploding bonbons, for musical entertainment and for meeting and greeting. It was a great pleasure to attend the successful fundraising dinner for Breast Cancer Research and to enjoy the elegant surroundings of MacLaurin Hall. We were enchanted by recitals from the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Deborah Reidel, from Jennifer McGregor accompanied by Sharolyn Kimmorley. We also heard from the scientists responsible for encouraging breakthroughs.

White-draped chairs and tables, miniature trees with tiny lights, fostered an ambience in which we played like children with Yuletide novelties. I was something of a novelty myself - a new funambulist, the juggler lately come to town - so I thought of yin and yang and some of the balancing acts that challenge our University.

Magnificent buildings evoke proud thoughts of past achievements and symbolise the continuity and permanence of heartfelt scholarly ideals. They must not, however, encourage us to nod off to sleep suffused with a warm glow of complacency. Thankfully I have no sense that this is true, but worry that such a perception may be held by some and promulgated by others. Our very history makes it doubly important that we show everyone how creative and innovative our culture really is.

In that connection, I was pleased to be able to tell some 800 participants in our parent seminars last weekend that we out-perform every other NSW university in winning competitive grants based on teaching excellence. Nonetheless, with our symbolic sandstone image we have to work harder to convince the world that there is froth and bubble beneath our activities.

In a similar vein, we are often accused of serving a social elite. It was breath-catching to hear the ignorant remarks of the leader of the Opposition last week: “If you want to do your heart good, don’t go to a graduation at the University of Sydney…go to the University of Western Sydney and what you’ll see are cheer squads because every kid that stands up there, or not always kids…are the first of their families ever to go to a university”.

Perhaps, Mr Beazley, blinded by his own privileged background, does not understand that he is patronising students from the Western Suburbs. Again, we have a balancing act. Our purpose is to attract the high achievers independent of background, but we recognise potential also, through such ventures as the Broadway Scheme which takes account of past educational disadvantage.

We have another strength. I have invited Mr Beazley to visit the University of Sydney and meet a vice-chancellor, three deputy vice-chancellors, an assistant vice-chancellor and an academic board president, every one of whom was the first in their families ever to go to a university. This University understands first hand the everlasting joy of high-quality educational opportunity.