Summary

Higher education in Launceston is currently faced with something of a crisis given the unfolding revelations in regard to the University of Tasmania's view of the future. Almost daily in early 2016 the local press carries stories to do with the university's planned move to a site nearer to Launceston's CBD at Inveresk – CONCEPT PLAN.

A growing network of 'concerned citizens' have been exploring options and opportunities for higher education and training in not only the city but the Tamar/Esk region. 

Currently, there is a proposal that is being seriously discussed and investigated and that is to establish (re-establish?) a standalone institution of higher education and training in Launceston. 

The proposal's first step is to seek political support for the removal of the Tamar/Esk region's higher education assets and infrastructure from the administration and management of the University of Tasmania. 

Consequent to that, it is envisaged that there is a need to establish a stand-alone 21st Century multi-disciplinary institution in Tamar/Esk region that is a 21st Century community of teachers and scholars. 

This 'community' should not only serve the needs and aspirations of the region's wider community but also communities beyond Tasmania/Australia given the range of expertise and programs it will have on offer. 

Moreover, it is envisaged that any new institution will need to deliver quality outcomes by means of interfaces with government at all levels – Local, State & Federal. As 21st Century institution it will need to establish collaborative and cooperative arrangements with like institutions and the corporate sector. 

Consistent with all this it is acknowledged that there will be a need to develop entrepreneurial activities – institutional and community – that interface with both the corporate sector and other institutions of higher education engaged in teaching, training and scholarly research – Universities, Colleges, Institutes, Museums, etc. 

Background

Launceston is located at the confluence of two rivers and an estuary in northern Tasmania that come together to drain almost 20% of Tasmania. The city's human histories, geographies and eco-environments likewise come together in ways that gives the city, and the region, a cultural landscape that is shaped by all these things in convergence.

The distinctions between northern and southern Tasmania is often said to be "politically determined". Yet there is an equally compelling argument that says the politics comes about because of the region's inherent and inherited geographies and histories. It is these things more than politics that define the region's cultural realities and its distinctiveness.

In various ways Launceston's Aboriginal histories and heritage; the histories that came together via the region's colonisation; the region's postcolonial histories; together with histories present and evolving, lend a richness to the place that endows it with distinctive attributes.

Against this background the city, as a connected regional town/city, has transitioned from a colonial outpost to an industrial centre and is currently transitioning to a service centre that is becoming increasingly open to the world.

Currently the status of the city's university campus is in a state of flux. The underlying tensions to do with regional alliances that, if left unchecked, could well diminish the city's, indeed the region's, sense of wellbeing and prosperity.

The Tamar/Esk region offers 'come to' attractors in regard to cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary training, higher education and research. Likewise there are complementary opportunities for interfacing enterprise and business endeavours originating in the region that reach beyond Tasmania.

This letter is an initiative of a network of concerned citizen living in the region, all of whom themselves have Tasmanian, national and international networks.

Purpose and Vision

It is recognised that there is a need to reimagine Northern Tasmania's – the Tamar/Esk region in particular – education and training priorities and in a 21st Century context. Specifically, it is anticipate that this may be achieved via: 

• The present UTas Newnham and Inveresk Campus assets; 

• The 51ha Newnham site and related geographic locations; 

• The present physical and human resources and the current and refurbished infrastructure; 

• Being brought together as a competitive stand-alone 21st Century institution. 

Such an institution will need to be a highly competitive multi–disciplinary entity offering rigorous inter-related, education and training opportunities and delivering quality outcomes to Tasmanian, national and international students and candidates. 

Through such an institution the region will be better placed to meet the challenges of the future. Similarly, such an institution should interface with other Tasmanian, national and international institutions in collaborative and cooperative ways. 

Such an institution will also need to be a highly competitive multi–disciplined entity offering 21st Century education and training opportunities. 

Should these things be realised, the Tamar/Esk region will be better placed to meet the challenges of the future. 

The advancement of tertiary education in Northern Tasmania is currently hampered by a requirement of the Senate of UTas that developments in the North, which might be seen as having the potential to compete against Southern-based programs in UTas, will not be allowed by UTas. 

Freeing the North from these and other constraints will foster scholarship and entrepreneurship in Northern Tasmania.

Objectives

1. To locate in the Tamar/Esk region a stand-alone 21st Century multi-disciplinary institution that delivers its outcome by means of entrepreneurial interfaces with government and the corporate sector. 

2. To build long-term productive relationships and partnerships with other regional, national and international institutions and entrepreneurial networks. 

3. To facilitate the development of new networked and 'de-siloed' scholarship, research and enterprise opportunities that are place oriented and rhyzomically interconnected.  

4. To develop an economically and culturally dynamic region that sustains ongoing development within the constraints of the region’s resources – human and physical. 

5. To capitalise on the Tamar/Esk region’s natural resources, environmental opportunities and cultural wealth.

Guiding Principles

Placedness 

It is understood that the Tamar/Esk region’s physical and cultural landscapes are ‘place defining’. In the ways this manifests itself it offers particular opportunities for ‘operations’ working in a regional context – entrepreneurial, social and cultural. 

Conversely, there are countermanding constraints to do with place and in ways that in the end define places – the placescaping and placemaking that go on in the region. 

With this as a background it is envisaged that a stand-alone 21st Century multi-disciplinary institution located in the region, in order to be successful, it would need to be ‘place focused’. Moreover, in order to deliver on the ‘promise’ invested in ‘focusing upon place’ productive and innovative outcomes will need to be driven by an entrepreneurial interfacing between community sensibilities, government and corporate sector imperatives. 

Relationship Building 

In order to build long-term relationships and partnerships that deliver on their ‘place focused promise’ the institution will need to be oriented towards building collaborative and cooperative relationships with other regional, national and international institutions. 

These relationships will need to be not only ‘scholarship’ focused’ but also networks with a focus on mutually beneficial business and entrepreneurial outcomes. 

Interconnectivity
Given the social and cultural dynamics at work in regional communities, there is typically an imperative to facilitate the ongoing evolution and development of networks. 

Typically in an educational and training context these networks are cross cum multi-disciplinary. 

Consequently, place oriented paradigms are likely to be less tolerant of 'siloed scholarship', research and enterprise opportunities. Moreover, in a place-oriented context 'rhyzomic interconnectivity' offers clear advantages over isolating, insulating and synthetic rankings. 

Likewise, hierarchical relationships are limiting in ways that impact upon productive outcomes. It is therefore unsurprising that in such relationships longstanding collegial and serendipitous relationships are more easily fostered. 

The Economic Dynamic 

In order to develop a sustainable economically and culturally dynamic project that is viable in a ‘place focused’ environment there is a need focus on sustainability in every context. 

The ongoing development of any endeavour will need to work within the constraints of the region’s resources – human and physical – and requires a focus on outcomes relative to those resources. 

Resource Management 

To capitalise upon the Tamar/Esk region’s natural resources; its environmental opportunities; and its cultural wealth and evolving diversity there, is a need to be continually mindful of regional constraints and opportunities. 

Rather than any of this focusing on the limitations it is clear that by narrowing the focus on ‘place’ there is broadening range opportunity that can flow from the guiding principle articulated here.

Proposed Strategies

1. Seek political support for the removal of the Tamar/Esk region's higher education assets and infrastructure from the administration and management of UTas. Consequent to that, establish a stand-alone 21st Century multi-discipline institution in Tamar/Esk region that delivers its outcomes by means of: 

• Interfaces with governance at all levels – Local, State & Federal; 

• 21st Century collaborative and cooperative arrangements with like institutions and the corporate sector; and 

• The development of 21st Century entrepreneurial activities that interface with both the corporate sector and institutions of higher education engaged in teaching, training and scholarly research – Universities, Colleges, Institutes, Museums, etc.

2. Actively engage with like institutions and enterprises towards building ongoing long-term relationships and partnerships in regions with like regional circumstances, – nationally and internationally. 

These institutional arrangements will focus upon developing 21st Century entrepreneurial networks that interface with all aspects of the 'new institution' as it evolves and develops over time.

3. Proactively develop a range of interfacing teaching, training and research programs that is focused upon facilitating the development of 21st Century networking and the 'de-siloing' of scholarship and research alongside enterprise arrangements that are 'place oriented' and rhyzomically networked within the institution itself and the network of networks that evolve around it. 

Consequently, the institution will be well placed to offer a range of qualifications – academic and other – to students at various levels alongside research candidates. 

4. Given the region's now longstanding experience as a 'university city/region' there exists within the community a 'larder' of people with a diversity of experience, qualifications and skills – business world, academic and governance. Many of these people are semi-retired, some are underemployed, but many, if not all, would nonetheless be available for, and open to, 'honorary, adjunct and/or associate' positions if not employed in some role. 

Furthermore, given potential diversity, and the 21st Century dynamics in play, the institute will need to put in place an interfacing governance and operational structure that is rhyzomic rather than hierarchical in order function appropriately in a contemporary context. 

In a regional context the manner in which the institution reaches out to 'the community' beyond it will be important. On the one hand, it should be an exemplar for evolving enterprises in the region, on the other, it needs a 21st Century governance and operational structure. By example, the institution will have an important role to play in developing an economically and culturally dynamic region that works productively within the constraints of the region’s resources – human and physical. 

5. The Tamar/Esk region offers a range of natural resources and environmental opportunities that need to be assessed and reassessed in a 21st Century context. Alongside these things there are histories – Aboriginal, colonial and contemporary – and heritage that add to the region's cultural wealth.

Conclusions

The Federal Government's statements on, and apparent commitments to, proactively encouraging innovation is exciting in that it offers the possibility to commence potentially fruitful conversations to do with change in a 21st Century context. 

Likewise, it seems that there will be increasing opportunities to attract considerable support from business communities if they are given practical support 'on the ground' – particularly in regional Australia.

Approaching the end of the 21st Century's second decade there is a developing circumstance that may well be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Northern Tasmania. As UTas wishes to abandon it's current campus at Newnham and move it's operations closer to Launceston's CBD. Currently a move to a new sites at Inveresk are being actively discussed. 

Except for the Australian Maritime College, such a development would leave all of, or much of, the existing Newnham campus vacant save for infrastructure and buildings. Planning for the use of that site apparently has not progressed significantly, nevertheless the current state of flux presents opportunities. 

The 51 hectare Newnham campus is currently owned by the State government and despite the UTas proposal to abandon the campus it remains that there is valuable infrastructure located there that is in various degrees of good order. 

This proposal is for the use of both the UTas Newnham site and the Newnham campus

 as a new standalone 'institute'. There are many individuals and groups who could make valued use of the otherwise un-needed parts of the site at Newnham. These groups will very be likely to work closely with the/a new institute. 

Apart from the new standalone 'institute' being advocated here there are many individuals and groups who could make valued use of the vacated site at Newnham. 

These would include: 

• Community groups needing access to space – built and otherwise; 

• Educators and educational institutions needing both primary and auxiliary spaces; 

• Business innovators needing both access to appropriate infrastructure and to personnel with various levels of expertise; 

• Start up 21st Century enterprises and online operations requiring access to infrastructure and skilled personnel; and 

•  International institutions and groups who need access to the evolving regional 'institute(?)' and/or its partners, collaborators and networks. 

Key to the opportunities the site offers is: 

• Access to facilities which the site provides; and 

• Active partnerships with local business enterprises, public operations – councils, schools, colleges , research groups, etc. – and a network of academic institutions. 

If the site is not used for such purposes – e.g. sold for suburban development – then valuable buildings and infrastructure may need to be removed thereby eliminating the possibilities now becoming apparent.