"This can’t be the new norm": Academics\u27 Perspectives on the COVID-19 Crisis for the Australian University Sector

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the university sector globally. This article reports on the Australian findings from a large-scale survey of academic staff and their experiences and predictions of the impact of the pandemic on their wellbeing. We report the perceptions of n=370 Australian academics and accounts of their institutions’ responses to COVID-19, analysed using self-determination theory. Respondents report work-related stress, digital fatigue, and a negative impact on work-life balance; as well as significant concerns over potential longer-term changes to academia as a result of the pandemic. Respondents also articulate their frustration with Australia’s neoliberal policy architecture and the myopia of quasi-market reform, which has spawned an excessive reliance on international students as a pillar of income generation, and therefore jeopardised institutional solvency – particularly during the pandemic. Conversely, respondents identify a number of ‘silver linings’ which speak to the resilience of academics.World Universities Network18 month embargo once published - AC -- 2021-08-19 JG: embargo removed due to COVID-19 content -- added embargo at author\u27s request -- ACCheck for published version during checkdate report - A