Greenwich University - legal place of degree issue

All of the Australian states have a degree of autonomy with regards to education, I believe. Norfolk Island creates some additional problems since it is a tiny territory with a population of only 1400, but its local government has also been given some state-like powers over local education.

As I see it (our Australians may not agree), this situation is an almost exact parallel to that existing in the United States. You have education powers invested in the states, and you have one or more of those states licensing what appear to be substandard universities.

And you also see the universities and professional organizations developing an accreditation system (RA in the US, AQF in Australia). Not all legally established universities qualify for accreditation. In Australia the legal but unaccredited class is restricted to Greenwich, and it is considered a bit of a scandal. In the US we have hundreds of these legal but unaccredited schools and just shrug them off.

So in American terms, Greenwich is a questionable state (actually territory) approved school that isn't accredited. Simple enough. The only novelty here is that it appears to be Australia's first.

 

I hope that they did, because they needed to.

In the other Australian states, education is basically a state function. Each of the states has an elaborate process for the creation of new universities and for overseeing those in operation. As I understand it, the AQF was created as a national body intended to make sure that each of the states was on the same page and that all of the states' universities (and other schools) were turning out broadly equivalent qualifications. That's largely a coordinating function.

Then along comes Norfolk Island, with a population of 1400 and virtually no education infrastructure at all. It passes legislation to legally establish Greenwich on Norfolk, *before* Greenwich had even set up an office there. Virtually all of Greenwich's students, staff and faculty live and work abroad. There is no evidence that I know of that the Norfolk education authorities subjected Greenwich to anything remotely like the process that is required on the mainland for creating a new university. In fact, there is little evidence that anyone on Norfolk was even qualified to do so.

So what are you gonna do? Somebody has to step into the breach and perform the expected evaluation of Greenwich if Norfolk is unwilling or unable to. That's particularly true if Greenwich is advertising itself as being "fully accredited" and equivalent to other Australian universities. Who better to perform that evaluation than the national standards coordinating body? But changing a coordinating body into an inspection body will necessarily involve creating some new procedures on the fly. It's inevitable.

 

Obviously Peter made a most accurate statement in regards to a seemingly very simple question. Oh my head hurts now.

 

Norfolk Island NOT Australia!

They are an external TERRITORY, not a STATE in any sense whatsoever.

Thye use our currency, not becuae ethey are a part of Australia, but because they don't have their own.

They don't use or subscribe to our domain names - they use "nf" not "au"

They do not pay Australian Income Taxes - their residents pay Australian taxes, but IN AUSTRALIA if they break some residency rules. In fact they do not adopt many of our laws, and from reading the 2 page "Act" that established Greenwich, compared to the 165 page Act for the Australian Catholic University, they don't adopt our 'recedents' either.

However, they are an alternative to an Australian university with an out of date restricted attitude, and being based on the US model, have a lot of benefits to offer over an outmoded model that renders 85% of the graduates unemployed, and around 65% who chuck their books away and piss off in frustration.

A separate post covers this a little later.

Peter French
Not and never an Australian doctorate holder

 

Re: Norfolk Island NOT Australia!

I can't wait to read it!

 

So there is a price to pay.

One little mutiny against Captain Bligh and your descendants are required to spend an eternity in legal limbo. Banished to paradise.

Many Norfolk Islanders are, of course, descendants of Pitcairn Islanders.

 

Re: Re: Norfolk Island NOT Australia!

...pondering these things over in my mind, I wondered whether i really needed more threatened legal action this week or not.

But I wouldn't do a PhD/EdD out here as it is too resticted and despite 2 unrequested offers this week, which when they found out the controversial nature of my research, all of a sudden couldn't locate a supervisor ... I'll stick with the flexibility of US and possibly non-RA because of cost. One of them referred to someone's having to be 'embargoed' last year and they don't want another like that. Is that freedom in research, or toeing the line?

So that is all that I have to say at this stage, but it clearly is another and really valid reason for a non-RA doctorate.

 

Tom Head: "...you might confuse it with the venerable and royally chartered Greenwich University, UK..."

John: I believe Greenwich UK came into existence within the last decade, having been one of the non-degree-granting polytechnics (West London?) before that.

Regarding Adelheid's question:

The only thing I know for certain is that whatever I write here, I will get an Email (probably within hours) from Greenwich's owner, John Walsh of Brannagh, either correcting me or further explaining.

Perhaps we could bypass this step by inviting Dr. Walsh of Brannagh to respond directly here, or invite one of his colleagues to do so.

 

Thames Polytechnic. Became University of Greenwich in 1992, so not very venerable (under this moniker) at all. My brother works at University of Westminster, which also sounds venerable (but is not).

 

While wrestling with what to call "SWAN," (School Without a Name), those of us working on it were given a chance to give our suggestions for the new name. Greenwich University won out. I believe the thinking at the time was that time begins each day at the meridian that passes through Greenwich, England, and it would be a neat name for the school. IIRC, there was no other university with that name in 1989.

(I wanted the Einstein Instutute. The Sagan Graduate School or Bucky Fuller U. would've been fine with me, too... )

 

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Gee, Peter, I am Australian & I am still confused.

Greenwich Uni. sounds like Australia's answer to US's California Coast Uni.

In other words, a Greenwich qualification is Legal & Legitimate albeit of a low quality ????

CFr