The Good University? Colourful Histories, Ongoing Troubles, and Changing Contexts

During the strict COVID restrictions in 2020, the ‘Critical Theory, Education and Social Work Reading Group’ based at the University of Sydney met via Zoom to discuss Raewyn Connell’s The good university (2019). The crisis faced by higher education institutions—set against broader social and political crises triggered by the pandemic—was the palpable backdrop for discussions. Drawing on examples offered by pioneering universities and educational reformers around the world, Connell outlines a vision for making universities more engaging and more productive places, driven by social good rather than profit, and helping to build fairer societies.

Connell’s book generated a rich stream of reflections and responses, especially from postgraduate students who are in a liminal space in the global higher education industry. They are often both students and precariously employed staff; both visible as sources of income for universities and invisible as its workers; both already within the university system and uncertain if they will remain.

In this chapter, three (former) postgraduates of the reading group—Meenakshi Krishnaraj, Ren-Hao Leo Xu, and Pat Norman—engage with Connell on university teaching, research, and professional work, respectively. Each in their own way raises the question: How can we reimagine ‘the good university’?