'Part of the business of learning': profession, purpose, provision and place in Australian university owned and operated colleges and halls from post-War to post-Pandemic

Abstract

As universities examine their future beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, including the nature of on campus learning and residential life, it is timely to reflect on developments since the first university owned and operated colleges and halls in Australia were established after World War II, and how significant aspects of collegiate residential life can or should be retained, redefined, reformed or renewed. What should be the nature of living, learning and leadership in such university residences post the disruptive and in many ways debilitating first years of the pandemic? This paper presents an overview of the establishment and development of university owned and operated colleges and halls, and argues for the value and importance of maintaining and/or developing collegiate arrangements in university owned and operated colleges and halls.