gordo
Resident Jew
Looks interesting
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national...d-for-us-centre/2006/11/14/1163266550295.html
CONTRARY to all expectations, except perhaps its own, the University of Sydney has won its bid to host a US Studies Centre worth at least $50 million.
The six-month race for the rare opportunity for millions of dollars in sponsorship and incalculable prestige ended last night at the Four Seasons Hotel on George Street, where the American Australian Association announced the successful bidder at a dinner honouring Rupert Murdoch.
Gavin Brown, Sydney University's vice-chancellor, said it would be a centre for all Australia and the university was honoured to host it.
The university plans to run short courses, debates, public lectures and forums through the centre.
It will also conduct a national survey measuring what Australians think of the United States, a summit on US studies and a classic American film festival.
The broadcaster SBS has indicated it would like to join as a media partner, to increase its coverage of American issues.
The academics will be employed by the University of Sydney and seconded to the centre.
Professor Brown yesterday denied there would be any pressure for researchers to take a favourable stance towards America. "It will be pro-America in a certain sense of the word because we've got a whole lot of American scholars who are in love with America, [but] they may have disagreements with the things that go on in the US at time to time," he said.
The Federal Government has promised $25 million, which is likely to be more than matched by contributions from the university, the NSW Government, the Murdoch family company, News Corporation, and the Lowy family.
Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull have already agreed to put $25,000 towards bringing a leading US thinker to the centre.
Professor Brown said that $50 million was likely to be a conservative figure, but "I don't want to say how much because I don't want to put a limit on it".
The University of Melbourne had been tipped as the winner after running a public campaign that wooed the Murdoch family and assembling a national consortium of universities from around Australia.
But Sydney University had put together a better proposal, said Malcolm Binks, chairman of the American Australian Association, which was in charge of selecting the winning university.
The vice-chancellor of Melbourne University, Glyn Davis, did not attend the dinner last night but sent a congratulatory email to Professor Brown.
It is understood that the Melbourne team feels the process was Sydney-centric and therefore skewed in favour of its rival.
At least publicly, the University of Sydney promoted its location as a selling point.
Professor Davis said he was "very disappointed" by the decision to award the centre to Sydney. "The great strength of our bid was its truly national character," he said.
But Mr Binks said the process was "absolutely not" Sydney-centric. The selection committee was comprised of more Melbourne natives than Sydneysiders, he said.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national...d-for-us-centre/2006/11/14/1163266550295.html
CONTRARY to all expectations, except perhaps its own, the University of Sydney has won its bid to host a US Studies Centre worth at least $50 million.
The six-month race for the rare opportunity for millions of dollars in sponsorship and incalculable prestige ended last night at the Four Seasons Hotel on George Street, where the American Australian Association announced the successful bidder at a dinner honouring Rupert Murdoch.
Gavin Brown, Sydney University's vice-chancellor, said it would be a centre for all Australia and the university was honoured to host it.
The university plans to run short courses, debates, public lectures and forums through the centre.
It will also conduct a national survey measuring what Australians think of the United States, a summit on US studies and a classic American film festival.
The broadcaster SBS has indicated it would like to join as a media partner, to increase its coverage of American issues.
The academics will be employed by the University of Sydney and seconded to the centre.
Professor Brown yesterday denied there would be any pressure for researchers to take a favourable stance towards America. "It will be pro-America in a certain sense of the word because we've got a whole lot of American scholars who are in love with America, [but] they may have disagreements with the things that go on in the US at time to time," he said.
The Federal Government has promised $25 million, which is likely to be more than matched by contributions from the university, the NSW Government, the Murdoch family company, News Corporation, and the Lowy family.
Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull have already agreed to put $25,000 towards bringing a leading US thinker to the centre.
Professor Brown said that $50 million was likely to be a conservative figure, but "I don't want to say how much because I don't want to put a limit on it".
The University of Melbourne had been tipped as the winner after running a public campaign that wooed the Murdoch family and assembling a national consortium of universities from around Australia.
But Sydney University had put together a better proposal, said Malcolm Binks, chairman of the American Australian Association, which was in charge of selecting the winning university.
The vice-chancellor of Melbourne University, Glyn Davis, did not attend the dinner last night but sent a congratulatory email to Professor Brown.
It is understood that the Melbourne team feels the process was Sydney-centric and therefore skewed in favour of its rival.
At least publicly, the University of Sydney promoted its location as a selling point.
Professor Davis said he was "very disappointed" by the decision to award the centre to Sydney. "The great strength of our bid was its truly national character," he said.
But Mr Binks said the process was "absolutely not" Sydney-centric. The selection committee was comprised of more Melbourne natives than Sydneysiders, he said.