ANU Chancellor Julie Bishop, Vice Chancellor Genevieve Bell and a university in financial crisis

It was the end of the 1990s, and the technology company Intel was looking for social scientists to examine how people use technology in their homes. They wanted product ideas – the plan was to turn human behavior experts into technology soothing. During Bell’s interview, he warned the company that he was a “radical feminist and unprocessed neo-Marxist .. . New York Times Reported in 2014. Intel was stubborn. He welcomed his clarity to the newspaper that he could be a responsibility in the academic world. “In Stanford, they didn’t like the faculty when you say they were wrong, but this was a cultural value here,” he said.

In 2017, Bell was brought back to Australia by another rock star scientist, then Anu award -winning vice president and Nobel award -winning physicist Brian Schmidt to lead the intersection point of artificial intelligence, data and human experience.Now known as Cybernetic School).

The Anu Council, headed by Bishop, appointed him as an assistant chancellor in September 2023 (VC is the equivalent of a company general manager). Nevertheless, the highest work remained in Intel Bordre until November 2024 for 10 months (then the company reportedly earned about $ 70,000 for 24 hours of work). When the secondary employment ultimately emerged, many people in the third sector were surprised. “This was a shocking look,” he said, a ruler in another large institution, so that they could speak freely in the event of anonymity. “To be VC is a full -time concert.”

Questions about the announcement of the Intel concert; Bishop said he approved the wage nature of the regulation, but Anu later said that the Council did not require the members of the Council to explain the wages while calling for explanations of interest.

Stepping the role of VC was not an easy personal transition for Bell. Explained Times He wore French perfume and high -heeled shoes and embraced his femininity while working in the world of masculine computer. However, as a vice assistant, he was told to adjust his image in the first few weeks of his job. “Wild red hair straighten, watching his weight, it was recommended to change his backpack for a document bag, Amy Amy Capuano, President of Public Affairs, He wrote in an article in LinkedIn, It was published in response to the sneakers epic.

However, Bell’s professional struggle was much larger. He took over a university in poor financial state. Before Covid, Schmidt deliberately kept a lid of the number of students to prevent the university from mass market education, such as the major institutions in Sydney and Melbourne, which tries to hire as many international students as possible. The university also rebuilds the aging infrastructure and a Wild Air Event in 2018.

All this meant that Pandemic stroke was not Anu’s financial buffer, and the coalitation government at that time refused to allow universities to demand job -seeking payments. The budgets of the coalition are further wear Ready graduates package packageIt has reduced the applicability of smaller courses for many universities, not only for anu, but for many universities – a policy in which the worker has not been abolished in many universities.

Bell also entered cultural problems. A report on Eski Anu Health and Medicine College Former NSW Police Commissioner Christine Nixon, published in May, described the personnel that the personnel defined a deepest more university marked with a deep dysfunctional culture and bureaucracy, regionalism, bullying, authority and change in the college, and that the university could not provide a psychological security environment when this behavior was accepted.

“You may argue that he has inherited a situation that has been built for several years, Andrew Norton, a Higher Education Policy Specialist, who has been working in Anu until last year and is currently at the University of Monash. “On the other hand, you should consider the appointments of the Council, two in a row without the previous university management experience in a row.”

There is a confusion of the scope of the financial problem in Anu and how it gets so worse. Bell and Bishop says it’s terrible; In late July, Bell said that Anu has been operating with an explanation since Covid and spent 2.7 million dollars more than he won in the week last year. The 2024 -year report is summarized by an operational deficit of $ 140 million. They say that the financial crisis position justifies the plan to reduce 250 million dollars from the budget and contains $ 100 million personnel interruptions; More than 220 people have already left voluntary or forced dismissal (Bell on Wednesday, said there would be no more forced job interruptions).

However, Pocock remains uncertain of the scope of financial problems. “Because there is such a lack of transparency, [it’s uncertain] Whether finance really guarantee this level. ”

Norton says that if the university’s position is as bad as Bell said, he should answer questions about how the council allows it to reach there. “This is one of Teqsa’s most important problems [Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency] Looking. “He says.” If Anu’s financing is as bad as Bell and Bishop said, why has this problem not dealt with? How [ANU] Enter this situation and have it hired the right people to be in this situation to get it out? “

The anger of staff, students and graduates, Chancellor, is inflamed by revelation about the cost of supporting the bishop (Chancellor is like the president of the company and works with the assistant chancellor on strategy and financial surveillance). In 2023, the university spent the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Anu hosted a $ 78,000 reception, Schmidt, Bell and three other executives flying $ 186,000. The bishop does not receive a salary for the role (he has an honorary right of approximately $ 75,000), but Costs are important; Perth office, travel expenses and staff last year about $ 790,000, Australia Financial Review reported. Bishop was also accused of accusing his former media advisor to write his speeches of his former media consultant, friends and partner Murray Hansen (Anu says that this was done by Bishop’s Length of ARM activities)).

Scandal, last week, an anu demography and former council member Dr. Liz Allen said to a federal committee that Bishop was confronted with allegations of leaking secret information to the media. “I believe that Bishop is arrogant to hostile and staff,” he said to the Senate investigation. Bishop rejected the allegations, saying that the staff always respected.

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Glass cliff position

Bishop Since January 2020But Bell is only there for a year and a half. Some say that the chancellor is pushed from a “glass cliff ((the identifier of the work given to women when there is no possibility of success in them).

Bell described the campaign against him as tall poppy syndrome. “Genderism is alive and good and lives in Australia” He told ABCHe stated that the campaign was personal in a way that the male predecessor would never experience. Some have the same agreement. One Canberra Times The piece that disrupts the campaign against the National Higher Education Association against him, Anu Professor John Blaxland He argued that Bell was in a stubborn position. “Now it’s not time to go beyond the cliff,” he said. “It’s time to get to know the scale of the challenge and go behind it.”

But female academics have returned. Anonymous by anonymous “Anu Gender Experts“He argues that they do not see evidence of sexism in the union’s campaign and that he is a privileged woman who failed in Bell’s business.“ Women in strong positions cannot be immune to criticism, they should not protect them without examining their gender. “

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Pocock also does not join the glass cliff argument. At first he gave Bell for the benefit of the suspicion, but he says, “When you see how things are managed, this argument is wearing very thin.” “Currently, many issues are a council that is clearly starving or willing to oppose them in the decision -making of Bishop and Bell.”

Bishop’s predecessor does not forgive. In addition, Gareth Evans (Anu Chancellor has a long political graduate history as anu Chancellor), a former Foreign Minister of the Hawke/Keating Labor Party, wrote to a group of Emeritus professors in March. . AFR Notified,“No competence. No judgment. No shame. How much of this can tolerate more?”

Issue Now in Teqsa’s hands. In late June, the CEO wrote to Bell and raised problems ranging from the lack of financial transparency to the management of certainty and concerns that the staff were very frightened to talk about the process by senior executives.

“Teqsa may not have fulfilled the obligation to use and be responsible for the use of competent governance of Anu’s Council, Anu’s Council, Anu’s Council, Anu.

Anu said in a statement that the changes were challenging and already saved $ 59.9 million, he said. Uz We know that this transformation period is not easy and we thank our community for their efforts and commitment to support Anu during this change and to continue to strive for colleague relations, ”he said.

In an interview Canberra Times In June, Bell said he believes Anu was on the right path. “I was raised because I was really clear about why you were doing something,” he said. “Believing that your work must make the world different with your labor sewing.”

Bell also discussed the “aesthetic pleasure ğı he found in shoes with much wider options for men than black or brown. “I have many,” he said – but ” [Imelda] Marcos. I cannot remember any comments about the last VC’s shoe selection. “

The immortal, the shoes of the Anu campaign are walking. Pictures are worn -out work boots, rotten thongs and the assembly of “Despair UGGS ..

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