The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has faced significant backlash from its staff and the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) following revelations that it spent nearly $1.5 million on an executive leadership coach prior to announcing substantial job and course cuts. This expenditure, which many view as excessive, has raised concerns about the university’s financial priorities and overall reputation.<\/p>\n
New governance regulations are anticipated from the federal government, mandating universities to transparently disclose and justify future consultant expenditures. Documents obtained by Four Corners via the Government Information (Public Access) Act reveal that UTS’s vice-chancellor, Andrew Parfitt, and his team engaged the coaching company Beyond Excellence for significant sums, particularly in the lead-up to proposed budget reductions aimed at addressing what the administration described as a financial crisis.<\/p>\n
In 2024 alone, UTS allocated approximately $783,000\u2014over half of the total amount\u2014on coaching services while planning cuts intended to save $100 million annually due to ongoing budget deficits. Instead of utilizing the expertise within its well-regarded Business School, the university also invested around $7 million in consulting services from KPMG for financial advice.<\/p>\n
The initial plan included the elimination of 400 jobs, equivalent to about 10% of the workforce, alongside the discontinuation of 167 courses and over 1,100 subjects. A revised strategy has since aimed for annual savings of $85 million, leading to the loss of approximately 120 academic positions, the cancellation of 143 courses, and the discontinuation of 839 subjects, with additional cuts to professional staff postponed.<\/p>\n
The NTEU has expressed particular frustration regarding the leadership coach’s fees, criticizing UTS executives for not delivering the promised improvements in leadership. Vince Caughley, the NTEU’s NSW secretary, stated that the focus on coaching has resulted in reputational damage, regulatory scrutiny, and a decline in staff morale, which he attributed to a lack of confidence in the vice-chancellor and his team.<\/p>\n
Documents from as far back as 2021 indicate that UTS began a six-month coaching program with Beyond Excellence, founded by Julie Birtles, who quickly expanded her role within the university. Insiders report that Birtles often worked closely with UTS leadership, successfully advocating for an increase in her consulting engagement despite the university’s financial challenges.<\/p>\n
Birtles communicated with Professor Parfitt through letters outlining her services aimed at facilitating significant organizational changes and enhancing leadership effectiveness. She highlighted the need for sophisticated leadership to foster trust and steer the institution through ongoing transitions.<\/p>\n
By 2025, UTS had spent a total of $1,487,461 on Beyond Excellence over the four-year period covered by the documents. That same year, a motion of no confidence in Parfitt’s leadership passed, garnering support from 95% of the more than 1,500 staff who participated in the vote.<\/p>\n
The recent expenditure on an executive coach has ignited outrage among UTS staff, particularly in light of cuts affecting the School of Public Health, which trains future health professionals. More than half of the faculty members and two degree programs have been eliminated, prompting Professor Andrew Hayen to take voluntary redundancy. He lamented the disparity between spending on external consultants and the funding available for essential public health education and research.<\/p>\n
Concerns have also been raised about the substantial costs incurred for travel and accommodations related to Birtles’s consulting work, which amounted to over $126,000 for airfares and lodging. As UTS navigates these financial challenges, staff members continue to question the university’s priorities and financial decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has faced significant backlash from its staff and the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) following revelations that it spent nearly $1.5 million on an executive leadership coach prior to announcing substantial job and course cuts. This expenditure, which many view as excessive, has raised concerns about the university’s financial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5335,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[43,1301,1302,1300],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia","category-au-consultants","category-au-education-and-training-industry","category-au-universities"],"yoast_head":"\n