Review confirms world-class status of ANU

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The Australian National University’s position as one of the world’s top research-led universities has been confirmed by an independent external review released today.

After reviewing all the available evidence, the report of the 2004 Quality Review of ANU, ANU — ‘university with a difference’, broadly confirms the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Institute of Higher Education ranking.

Around 90 per cent of ANU academic staff submitted their best research work over the period 1995-2004 for review by 285 external, mostly international assessors — resulting in critical evaluations of more than 7,500 works.

Independent international assessors provided detailed feedback, including:
· Around 77 per cent of assessors ranked the ANU as one of the top 50 universities in their field in the world — including 44 per cent who rated ANU in the world’s top 25 universities;
· Almost 30 per cent of ANU research was rated in the top 5 per cent in the world, covering a wide range of fields: astronomy and astrophysics; physical sciences; neurosciences; biochemistry and molecular genetics; information sciences and engineering; international relations, strategic and defence studies; demography; linguistics; mathematical sciences; and philosophy.

In addition, a comprehensive review of the University’s administration was conducted, and a range of other data including surveys of student and alumni opinion were compiled.

The Committee also highlighted the distinctive nature of research-led education at ANU:

“ANU offers an exceptional environment for undergraduate and postgraduate education. At their best, programs within the university present an ideal of the teaching-research nexus, with students benefiting from exposure to the scholarship of enquiry and discovery.”

These assessments were analysed by a committee of 12 eminent international and national experts, chaired by Professor Deryck Schreuder, who delivered the report to the ANU Council today.

The 2004 Quality Review of ANU is the most comprehensive quality review of an Australian university ever conducted.

An external member of the Review Committee, Professor Jeremy Knowles, who served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University from 1991-2002, stated in the report:

“… by all accepted international standards, the ANU is a distinguished, attractive, and impressive institution of which Australia must be proud. The assessment exercise that you have generated has been undertaken with care and independence, and essentially all the metrics confirmed for us that the ANU is very highly regarded, even when measured against the best institutions of higher learning, world-wide.”

ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb welcomed the report and said it would be a vital guide for the future of the University.

“This report confirms ANU can confidently be ranked among the best research universities in the world, drawing on evidence from an extraordinary range of sources,” Professor Chubb said.

“Crucially, the report also provides valuable signposts to us, highlighting the paths which will lead to an even stronger future for the nation’s flagship university.

“ANU is an icon to Australia — the only national university, founded by the Australian Parliament for the good of the nation. This report makes clear that the future of the nation is inextricably entwined with the future of the ANU — so there is a monumental responsibility to ensure this University has a strong, sustainable plan for growth matched by an unflagging commitment to excellence.

“The report also makes it clear that ANU is different from other Australian universities — and the future of the university relies on building on those elements that make us distinct.”

The Review Committee made 15 detailed recommendations, below.

SUMMARISED RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 2004 QUALITY REVIEW OF ANU
For the full detail of each recommendation, please refer to the full text of the Committee’s report.

1. The ANU Council should reaffirm the University’s special national mission.

2. The ANU Council should commit to a far-reaching vision that includes extending and deepening international links; expanding the use of the University’s research training capacity; developing distinctive research-led undergraduate education and helping build the resources required to sustain the university in future.

3. ANU should strengthen national and international ties through alliances with business, research and government communities in the ACT, Australia and the rest of the world.

4. ANU should aspire to offer an elite, residential undergraduate experience, led by research and including work experience.

5. The Australian Government should remove its restrictions on the University’s intake of Australian higher degree research students.

6. ANU should develop more postgraduate scholarships to expand research training.

7. ANU should expand its revenue base through public policy development and professional and graduate training.

8. ANU should develop closer relationships with other research-intensive universities in order to benchmark research and education, and offer more overseas study.

9. ANU should collaborate with government to expand its policy development role in keeping with its national capital location and national mission.

10. ANU should strengthen its links with other national institutions, such as the National Library of Australia and CSIRO.

11. ANU should become a pre-eminent ‘Asia university’ both through collaboration with the region and as a gateway for the rest of the world into the region.

12. ANU researchers should ‘aim higher’ when publishing their results and approach the most prestigious journals.

13. ANU should expand its revenues through greater levels of national public policy service and expanding professional and graduate education to meet national and international needs.

14. The Australian Government should sustain and progressively increase block grant funding for ANU research because of the University’s key national role.

15. ANU should improve internal cooperation and integration to enable more cross-disciplinary collaboration.

The Review will be used to develop a strategic plan for the strengthening of ANU over the next five years.

The full report of the Review Committee is available at: www.anu.edu.au/review

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Further Information

Tim Winkler
Media Liaison
Tel: 02 6125 5001 / 0416 249 231
Email: Tim.Winkler@anu.edu.au

Amanda Morgan
Media Liaison
Tel: 02 6125 5575 / 0416 249 245
Email: Amanda.Morgan@anu.edu.au