The plight of New Zealand universities competing in the international marketplace is concerning.
This newspaper last week reported University of Otago vice-chancellor Prof Harlene Hayne, who is also chairwoman of Universities New Zealand, warned more government funding was needed to arrest a long-term downward trend in the global rankings of New Zealand universities or they risked hitting a ''tipping point'', ''where the best academics choose to work elsewhere and the best students choose to study elsewhere'' .
She claimed government funding per student had declined ''in real terms'' during the past two decades, meaning staff cuts and pressures which contributed to a drop in global performance rankings, the latest of which were released recently.
The University of Otago is now ranked in the 251-275 bracket (down from the 226-250 bracket last year) in the Times Higher Education rankings, and is ranked 159th (down from 155th last year and 114th in 2007) in education information provider Quacquarelli Symonds' rankings.
Prof Hayne's concerns are backed by the Tertiary Education Union, but their claims have been emphatically denied by the Government, with Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce saying the Government had increased direct university funding by 18.6% during the past five years, including significant increases in research funding, and that universities needed to ''lift their game''.
Mr Joyce said Otago should increase its enrolment of international students, which would also ''bring significant economic benefits to Dunedin''.
The funding figures can be endlessly debated. What is clear is those working at the coalface believe there are real problems which are only going to get worse over time.
While word of mouth plays a large part in generating domestic students, the international ''report cards'' are increasingly important in a competitive global environment, where big Asian universities are having a growing impact, and rankings are important evaluation tools used by prospective students, their families and staff the world over to help in selecting where to study or base their careers.
Some of the criticism from Mr Joyce is undeniably difficult to hear. It seems offensive to imply Otago is not doing enough in its own right to attract students.
It is of course incumbent on the university to continue striving for excellence in its teaching, research and reputation, to use its funding wisely, search other avenues for additional funding, to adapt its practices in the face of an ever-changing high-tech world.
But it has worked hard over many years to achieve a world-class reputation for cutting-edge research, high-quality teaching and student performance.
The university is putting its money where its mouth is, recently announcing plans to spend $650 million over 15 years on more than 20 priority projects,
designed to improve the campus environment for staff, students and the community. The schedule also includes major seismic strengthening and maintenance, as well as work on its Wellington and Christchurch facilities.
That investment is vital for, and welcomed by, the city. The tertiary sector makes up a fifth of Dunedin's population and is a major economic contributor.
Its significance is all the more important given the raft of job losses, business relocations and restructuring in the city and region in recent months and years.
The global recession, the strength of the New Zealand dollar and an increasing emphasis on centralisation and economic development in the major cities are cause for real concern in regional centres throughout New Zealand.
While it is not necessarily the Government's role to consider the University of Otago's importance to Dunedin (and one of the country's problems is we have a relatively small pool of taxpayers contributing to a very large wishlist across a variety of fundamental sectors), it is undeniably a consideration for the university and the city.
Safeguarding our biggest asset is essential for Dunedin and Otago. Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull has said the city cannot afford to take the university for granted and must ensure its infrastructure and diversity means the city is an attractive place to live as well as work and study.
But safeguarding our academic reputation, our research and development capabilities, and training and retaining the best minds, is essential for our country's knowledge economy and progress, too. Prof Hayne's words are clearly no idle warning.
The Government would be wise not to dismiss them outright.
