COVID-19 has packed another unexpected punch, this time bringing an end to Carnegie Mellon University’s 16-year tenure in Adelaide.
When big wigs from Carnegie Mellon University’s Pittsburgh campus landed in South Australia last week, they formally brought closure to former premier Mike Rann’s bold vision to turn Adelaide into aWhen the end came, it was abrupt. Emil Bolongaita, head of CMU Adelaide for nine years, was in the Philippines pitching to potential students and selling his vision for the CMU outpost to possible partners.
Legend has it the global university city scheme was dreamt up by Mr Rann, Alexander Downer and then Adelaide University chancellor Robert Champion de Crespigny on the Ghan somewhere in the middle of the outback over several bottles of Barossa red wine.David Travers was assigned the task of attracting global universities to Adelaide by Mr Rann, along with an 18-month timeframe and $20 million to achieve the goal.
“COVID-19 created a very significant shift in transnational education, with new models emerging like micro-campuses, dual awards, dual ventures and so on. In a way, it has turned the whole global international student market on its head,” he said.