Response of the Association of Heads of Australian University Colleges and Halls Inc to the Review of Higher Education Discussion Paper

Fiona Crowe, President of University Colleges Australia (2008-1010), Head of St Catherine's College, The University of Western Australia

A dormitory is organized to provide food and shelter; a college, to provide for the student’s intellectual, social, and personal development.(M.Ryan A Collegiate Way of Living)

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Conspicuously missing from the Review of the Higher Education Discussion Paper is appropriate recognition of the role and place of residential colleges in Australian universities. The best universities in the world are largely residential[1]. It is no surprise that these universities acknowledge the importance of collegiate living in making their learning environments so distinctive and so successful.

Table 19: Percentage of students in residence at top the world’s 10 universities[2]

World’s Top Ranked Universities	Percentage of Students in Residence
Harvard	98
Cambridge	c. 100
Yale	88
Caltech	92
Oxford	c. 100
MIT	91
Stanford	95
Columbia	94
Princeton	98
UC Berkeley	35

Note: UC Berkley offers a broad range of accommodation located on campus and within walking distance.

In Australia the collegiate tradition is just as rich, and one that continues to nurture excellence at our leading universities. The colleges make a proud contribution to university education, ensuring that as at all great universities of the world, the collegiate experience enriches the university experience[3].

In a briefing paper to staff, Vice-Chancellor Alan Gilbert at Manchester University states,

‘the kinds of multi-layered, close-knit, highly-interactive learning communities that good university colleges and halls of residence create are likely to remain among the hallmarks of any great undergraduate educational experience’.[4]

A Sense of Belonging and Academic Achievement

Advantages of residential colleges include a strong sense of community, opportunities to interact with faculty and students outside of your major, and a dorm that feels more like home. The idea is to link academics [study] and daily life, so that dorm life supports and adds to students’ intellectual and social development.[5]

In Australian residential colleges academic support and academic outcomes are synonymous with the success of the collegiate model.  Most colleges run academic programs, offering small group tutorials that provide students with the opportunity to delve deeper into issues that interest them. These opportunities are designed to develop skills central to course outcomes, encourage academic enquiry and stimulate peer group learning. Ultimately, they develop skills in collaborative problem solving, critical thinking, and clear communication that will make students most competitive as graduates.

At leading universities in Australia, including the University of Melbourne, the Australian National University and the University of Western Australia, the marks of students living in colleges are benchmarked against those living off campus. Students living in colleges consistently achieve well above university pass rates.

At the University of Toronto, such academic enrichment programs are seen as essential to the success of the University in recruiting and producing top academic performers[6].

Colleges regularly host meals and functions to which staff and visiting fellows of the university are invited. These occasions enable members of staff and students to get to know each other better, making a large campus feel smaller and a more familiar community.

In Making the Most of College, Richard Light argues strongly from the Harvard experience for this type of close interaction between students and teachers:

the single most important bit of advice [that it’s possible to give to first-year students] is to get to know one faculty member reasonably well this semester, and also to have that faculty member get to know you reasonably well.[7]

Students in colleges have a strong sense of belonging and where data exist; it suggests better overall retention rates than students living out of college.

Student Welfare

Data indicate that students on Australian campuses and abroad are presenting in greater numbers and frequency to medical centres and counselling services with complex mental health issues. These issues threaten a student’s safety as well as their ability to achieve their academic potential.

‘College students frequently have more complex problems today than they did over a decade ago, including both the typical or expected college student problems - difficulties in relationships and developmental issues - as well as the more severe problems, such as depression, sexual assault and thoughts of suicide. That is the finding of a study involving 13,257 students seeking help at a large Midwestern university counseling center over a 13-year period. Some of these increases were dramatic. The number of students seen each year with depression doubled, while the number of suicidal students tripled and the number of students seen after a sexual assault quadrupled’[8].

Colleges work closely with student services on campus; doctors, nurses, and counsellors to offer a range of preventive health education. These courses and programs include education around drug and alcohol related issues, mental health first-aid, diet and exercise, as well as education on healthy relationships and good communication skills.

Colleges employ a range of residential staff to assist students resolve minor day to day problems of a practical or academic nature and the stress or anxiety associated with them. The network of support provided to students in residential colleges often assist students cope with issues of transition, isolation, loneliness and homesickness. It also acts as an early warning system for more serious issues, in cases of which staff are trained to assist students access the professional support they require.

Colleges act in all cases to assist students to navigate their way safely through their university experience, making it less daunting while assisting them to develop life skills ranging from organisation and time management to personal health management.  

Diversity and Global Education

‘The colleges also bring great benefits to their universities, providing much of their colour and cultural engagement…’ (Julie Bishop, St John’s College, University of Queensland, August, 2007)

Diversity is key to the college experience. There are few other campus locations where staff and students sit down to meals every day with likeminded people from over twenty different countries. In a residential college, diversity is a constant reality, one that demands to be lived rather than contemplated at a safe distance. Sharing a roof, sharing meals, sharing stories, sharing space and time and friendship with fellow scholars, from around the country and across the globe, guarantees an exchange of ideas and realities that cannot fail to be life changing and enriching.

Residential colleges often represent the most culturally diverse communities on campus. In Australia, where many students can choose to live at home while they study, colleges represent home to those who do not – students from regional and remote locations, and from around the globe, as well as locals who choose the benefits of living on campus. In a residential environment, students do not simply learn about difference, they learn to live it.

It is critical that universities prepare undergraduates for citizenship and leadership in diverse, global environments. Graduates from Australian universities must be able to live and work abroad effectively, be culturally sensitive, understand the strength and complexity of religious belief and respect difference in its multitude of forms.

The type of intellectual and social experience provided by residential college communities was recently acknowledged by the President of the National University of Singapore, Shih Choon Fong, when he spoke of borrowing from the traditions of liberal arts colleges, such as Claremont College in the US, in the development of a University Scholars Program and NUS’s University Town:

‘Claremont students also enjoy an enriching residential campus experience complemented by close mentorships amid an intimate and supportive atmosphere.  We have taken a leaf from Claremont in developing an integrated learning and living environment.

Our Prime Minister recently broke ground for the physical development of an initiative we call University Town built around residential colleges.  These residential colleges will be home to a global mix of students and faculty.  It is envisaged that more than a third of the residents will come from around the world, facilitating peer learning across disciplines, cultures and continents.  By integrating the intellectual and social spaces, University Town seeks to catalyze a transformative educational experience for our students’.[9] 

Columbia University’s Dean, Austen Quigley, is of the same mind when discussing the importance of the residential university experience:

‘What they learn from and with each other in the residence halls is every bit as important as what they learn from faculty in the classroom. The remarkable diversity of the Columbia College student community is a social and educational resource for everyone.’[10]

Through scholarships and dedicated access programs, Australian colleges ensure that diversity is also represented in the social and economic backgrounds of students. For a range of students, subsidised college accommodation and the transitional support it provides is a deciding factor in being able to access and complete a university qualification.

Indigenous Access to Higher Education

Residential colleges around Australia run dedicated Indigenous access programs that have a proven track record in improving the retention rates and educational outcomes of Indigenous students at university. This success is recognised by the ability of colleges around Australia to attract philanthropic and corporate sponsorship of residential scholarships for Indigenous students. For example, BHP Billiton has recently committed over $2.5 million to funding residential college scholarships for Indigenous students. The scholarships cover the full cost of college fees, living, travel and book allowances. The scholarships recognise that the most successful outcomes for Indigenous tertiary education are achieved through a combination of opportunity, mentoring and accommodation - a combination clearly provided in the university residential college environment.

Colleges also run cross-cultural awareness programs to foster a better understanding of Indigenous history in Australia and engage Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in a shared commitment to equal opportunities for all Australians. For international and local students alike, these programs often provide a singular tertiary learning opportunity around Indigenous issues. Community service programs, including programs in remote communities, cultural awareness programs and ongoing opportunities for constructive dialogue, demonstrate to students the need for communities to commit to greater equality in Indigenous health and education outcomes. These opportunities also provide a counterpoint of hope to the often black media coverage of Indigenous issues, and demonstrate the real commitment of communities and government in Australia to work together for positive change.

International Student Experience

For international students, living in a college is often the means to a far more positive university experience. In a 2007 study of 200 international students across Australia, Sawir et al found two thirds of the group had experienced problems of loneliness and/or isolation. The study identified personal loneliness caused by the loss of contact with families, social loneliness because of the loss of networks, and cultural loneliness, triggered by the absence of the preferred cultural and/or linguistic environment. The study found that the loneliness experienced by international students has to be addressed by universities through adequate pastoral care. The study also concluded that the creation of stronger bonds between international and local students in the educational setting was key to helping international students move forward through their loneliness[11].

The study also showed that international students living in residential colleges suffered less loneliness, made greater social networks, including Australians, and adjusted more quickly to living and studying abroad.

The great thing about staying at college is that you don’t get lonely, because your friends are always around. (Malaysian student)[12]

I think I was lucky to be in a college environment, because I’m not the only one who is new and lonely. There are other people out there, so I think when you are faced with that, there are always two things you can do. You can hide in your room and cry alone, or you can go out and meet people and talk to them, and say “hey, hello, how are you”. . . and then you say “I’m sad and lonely,” and they say “hey I’m sad and lonely too, let’s talk, okay.” That is how I developed one of my closest friendships here. A Pakistani friend, totally from the other side of the world. I’d never really heard of Pakistan, he’s Muslim and – but we became really good friends and within a year we were the best of friends. (Singaporean student)[13]

Increasingly Australian residential colleges are actively ensuring cultural diversity within their communities. This means among other things, admissions policies that encourage diversity, social and academic programs that are inclusive and culturally sensitive, forums for respectful interfaith discussion, the provision of appropriate menus, and opportunities to celebrate cultural and religious festivals.  

In an increasingly global education market, the provision of residential accommodation on campus that provides targeted support to international students will be a key factor in Australia’s ability to attract the best students to its universities.

Student Engagement and Future Leadership

Innovative education programs are offered in Australian residential colleges to enhance the student learning experience, including community service programs, courses in cultural awareness and in leadership and team building. In some universities these programs have successfully competed for funds from the Federal Government’s Learning and Teaching Performance Fund (LTPF).

Artists in residence, art workshops, music programs and theatre are part and parcel of the wide range of activities offered to our students. Individual colleges have also created specific centres of expertise which contribute to the intellectual life of the wider university community: from theological centres, to centres of women’s leadership, men’s studies and spirituality.

Programs run within colleges are focused on inclusiveness, broadening personal development, and serving the community. In turn, participation builds friendship networks that provide ongoing professional networks with a strong sense of community responsibility.

Students who live in college are more easily able to engage in, and contribute to the full spectrum of activities that mark a university as a thriving intellectual community. Living on campus and surrounded by like-minded people, college students are noted for their engagement in a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including participation in student and university governance, student clubs and organisations, programs in the creative and performing arts, as well as a wide range of intramural and varsity athletic programs.

At Queen’s University, Ontario, such participation in extra-curricular activities is understood to enrich the academic experience and offer a wide range of opportunities for students to learn and grow as contributing members of a community and as future leaders[14].

At Harvard, Richard Light’s research into the student experience at the world’s top ranked university, suggests that the most memorable and valuable student experiences occur outside the classroom and in the relationships established with others in the community, especially with fellow students. [15]

that the most important and memorable academic learning goes on inside the classroom, while outside activities provide a useful but modest supplement. The evidence shows that the opposite is true: learning outside of classes, especially in residential settings and extra-curricular activities such as the arts, is vital. When we asked students to think of a specific, critical incident or moment that had changed them profoundly, four-fifths of them chose a situation or event outside of the classroom.[16]

Measuring the Contribution of Residential Colleges to Higher Education Outcomes:

The positive and essential contribution residential colleges make to the higher education environment in Australia should be measured and acknowledged. The world’s top ranked universities recognise and build upon the strengths of their residential learning environment. Around the world, in the UK, the US, China and Singapore, universities are increasing their residential places or building new universities around a residential model[17].

In Australia, the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) is not only designed to measure the quality of teaching within Australian universities, but to acknowledge the ‘full variety of educational and social experiences of students’, including the ‘extent to which students were engaged in a community of learners’. [18] The experience of residential and non-residential students should be captured in the CEQ to better understand and develop the residential contribution to the university learning environment.

Academic results from colleges can be readily benchmarked against those of the non-residential population and should be collated to improve our understanding of what assists universities to attract and develop high achievers.

Retention rates among residential and non-residential students should also be collated. Doing so will assist universities to better understand the support needed for target groups such as first year students, Indigenous students, international students, etc.