Reclaiming ‘provincialism’ – and the regional university

Abstract

<p>Some months ago, news of the federal freeze on base funding to universities sent waves of worry and discontent across regional campuses around Australia. As the ABC reported, regional universities would be hit harder than the happy sandstone few – a sobering realisation that sparked an immediate response by the Regional University Network (RUN), whose motto is 'Regional Strength. National Success'. In the press release, Professor Greg Hill, who chairs the Network, explained that the freeze 'disproportionately affected regional universities as the institutions are more dependent on government funding than larger, metropolitan universities.'</p>