We believe invigorating the civic life of the University will help us all to flourish, and all the more in times of heightened disagreement or conflict.
The Campus Collaboration began at the Sydney Policy Lab in 2024 to work with students and staff to understand the wealth of existing thinking and practices that go to the heart of how to invigorate campus life and foster a culture of thoughtful disagreement. It is important to us to take a community-led approach that invites the expertise and creativity of staff and students from across the University of Sydney.
The Collaboration is led by Dr Kate Harrison Brennan, Associate Professor Sophie Gee and Professor Danielle Celermajer, and project managed by Louise Cooper.
How might we make the University of Sydney a place where difference and disagreement are generative? How can we centre care and compassion in the University’s mission in an era of global crisis and dislocation?
Watch the team reflect with participants on the first phase of the Collaboration.
URL
embed-349c9efd36
Read an interview with the Collaboration leads about the initial explorations and next steps in taking a community-led approach to invigorating life on campus.
In 2024, the Collaboration held two arts-based events in collaborations the Chau Chak Wing museum's Culture Club, one at Sydney College of the Arts and another at the Conservatorium of Music.
In Semester 2, 2024, three seminars lead by colleagues from the Department of Philosophy gathered students from across the University. Together, they explored topics including "disagreeing well in an age of social media," "academic freedom and misinformation" and "good and bad leadership."
The Collaboration published a living bibliography – the first of a new interactive format created by the Lab – to provide resources to people interested in finding out how others are approaching the challenge of creating, retaining and nourishing social cohesion at universities. The collaborative effort launched with an initial 43 sources and invites your contributions.
Universities are foundational to our common life, but in Australia the face long-term questions and pressing concerns. A working paper by Dr Harrison Brennan and Professor Tom Bentley (RMIT) argues that it is essential universities answer an underlying question that is rightly asked by citizens: What do Australian universities owe communities?
