Victoria hosts ACU benchmarking conference

Victoria University is hosting the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) benchmarking conference this week.

The ACU University Management Benchmarking Programme offers universities the opportunity to compare key management processes with a range of other universities. The programme focuses on the effectiveness of university-wide processes and policies.

Eleven universities are part of the benchmarking conference at Victoria this week, from Australia, Botswana, Canada, South Africa, the South Pacific and the United Kingdom. Victoria is the only university from New Zealand.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Pat Walsh says that the benchmarking programme is an immensely valuable exercise.

"Benchmarking is an excellent tool for self-improvement and provides an opportunity to better understand the challenges facing universities of the future. The exercise is also beneficial in strengthening relationships between universities right across the Commonwealth.

"Despite geographical differences, we face similar challenges—doing more with less, ensuring good outcomes for students regardless of their background, and keeping pace with rapid advances in technology," says Professor Walsh.

The conference considers the future of universities in three areas—branding and marketing, HR, and management.