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Thursday, 2 April 1998

That's just one of the many questions being raised in Adelaide this month at a major national conference on postgraduate studies.

Called Quality in Postgraduate Research-Managing the New Agenda, the conference will draw 250 delegates from Australia and overseas. Presented by the three South Australian universities, this is the third bi-annual national conference dealing with the issue of quality in postgraduate studies.

"Australian universities are facing dramatic changes as they approach the 21st century," says conference convener and the University of Adelaide's Dean of Graduate Studies, Dr David Liljegren.

"Issues such as internationalisation, restricted resources and competitive marketing, demands for increased accountability, the impact of information and communication technology, and the changing demands of professional education are all playing a major role in the shaping of Australian universities.

"It's not surprising that postgraduate supervisors and their students are experiencing similar pressures and tensions. This conference poses the question: amid all these pressures and changes, how can we ensure the quality of the postgraduate experience in the University of the 21st Century?"

Some of the main issues to be considered at the conference include:

• identifying the 'new agenda'
• implications of the West Review for postgraduate students
• how postgraduate research fits into the push for internationalisation and entrepreneurial development
• what form PhDs might take in the future.

The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Lauchlan Chipman, Vice-Chancellor of Central Queensland University and a member of the West Review. Other main features of the conference include a panel response to the keynote address and a panel discussion.

Delegates at the conference range from university administrators and policy makers-from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa-to postgraduate students and supervisors.

Quality in Postgraduate Research-Managing the New Agenda will be heldat the Hilton International Hotel Adelaide from 23-24 April.