Doing Things Differently: Griffth University at 50

(Hardback)

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Description

Griffith University's first students arrived on its leafy bush campus in March 1975. Without the pedigree of age, Griffith set out from the start to be different.

Drawing on interviews with over 150 staff and students, as well as wide-ranging documentary sources, Patrick Weller investigates what the university as an institution stands for: its goals, its activities, its values and its considerable achievements. He considers how its early ambitions have influenced its development, and how it has evolved over its first five decades. Doing Things Differently includes snapshots of the work of outstanding members of the Griffith community and insights into teaching, research, extra-curricular activities and governance. It asks to what extent the university achieved its ambitions and whether the values it espoused are still retained.

It is a fascinating account of one of Australia's leading institutions, one that sought to distinguish itself from the traditional models of university governances and organisation.

Author Bio

Patrick Weller AO has taught and researched at Griffith University for over 40 years and is now Professor Emeritus in the School of Government and International Relations. He is the author of many books on Australian politics, including biographies of Malcolm Fraser, John Button and Kevin Rudd, and studies of governments in action: Australia's Mandarins, Cabinet Government in Australia and The Prime Ministers' Craft. He is co-author of From Postbox to Powerhouse (a centenary history of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet). He has also co-authored books on international organisations, including Inside the World Bank and The Working World of International Organizations. He has written reports and acted as a consultant for both federal and Queensland governments on issues of public management and organisation.