Reclaiming purpose in higher education: a personal view

This paper examines the erosion of purpose in Australian universities and argues for a return to the public good mission that once defined the sector. Using an autoethnographic lens, the analysis integrates archival material with nineteen years of lived experience across academic and professional roles. Drawing on Davis’s conception of the public university and Palfreyman’s work on collegiality, the paper traces how governance failures, cultural fragmentation and the marginalisation of professional staff have weakened institutional coherence. The findings highlight persistent patterns of siloed practice, diminished trust and the acceptance of poor behaviour, issues signalled in the archive and echoed in contemporary governance reviews. The paper offers a personal yet sector-wide perspective on reclaiming purpose, arguing that renewal depends on restoring respectful collaboration between academic and professional staff and re centring universities’ commitment to education, knowledge and the public good.