Cuts to international student numbers will have a significant impact well beyond campus boundaries, and particularly in the agriculture and hospitality sectors, Griffith University Vice-Chancellor Carolyn Evans has warned.
Both major parties are headed to the election with a platform to reduce international student numbers, but the impact of a reduced casual workforce for business appears not to have been considered, Professor Evans said.
“If government really does drive down the number of international students, that’s not only going to make it hard for us; it’s going to make it hard for fruit picking, for agricultural institutions, cafés, hotels,” Professor Evans said.
Immigration restrictions during COVID had provided a practice run for the nation – demonstrating what happened to business and the community when international student visas suddenly stopped, she said.
“It’s not just bad for us, it’s bad for a lot of local economies. We have to let this play out for a couple of years and see if it’s a ‘careful what you wish for’ moment.
“Will universities disappear? No. But will there be ever larger classes? Yes. Will there be more and more demands on staff? Yes. ”
With the squeeze on international enrolments suppressing revenue, it was important to start to look at how generative AI could reduce the administrative burden on staff, Professor Evans said.
“The only question for me is whether artificial intelligence allows us to take some of the busy work out of the organization that will allow us to focus more resources on the teaching and the research side,” Professor Evans said.
“But at the moment, AI is more of an expense than a currently-realised benefit.”
