Michael Still and the crisis plaguing Australia’s universities

Nobody, least of all the good citizens of the Illawarra, had much heard of Michael Still, who was appointed chancellor of the University of Wollongong in December 2023. With a background in finance and real estate, he had few qualifications and experience to suit such an important role.

“He is incredibly naive, incredibly arrogant and condescending,” one academic who met with Still several times and found himself unemployed, along with 130 other faculty and staff, thanks to the restructuring he implemented, told me.