Fear and Loathing in University Staffing: The Case of Australian Academic and General Staff

Academic staff and the academic research, teaching and scholarship they undertake are quite properly the prime focus in universities. However, in the modern university, these functions could not be carried out without the input of general (AKA “nonacademic”) staff. Staff who are not members of academe represent about 50% of all staff, and as a group are treated with antipathy by many academics. The terms “governance” and “administration” are misunderstood by many academics and used interchangeably when it suits them. This paper considers the binary divide between “academic” and “non-academic” staff, and considers the importance of terminology in ensuring that the total university can operate as efficiently as possible...