General
University of Adelaide, UniSA merger proposal failed after uncertainty over name and leadership
Documents obtained by the ABC shed new light on secret but failed negotiations to merge South Australia’s two largest universities, showing top officials disagreed over what to name the institution and how to choose its leaders.
Key points:
- The University of Adelaide and UniSA refused to go into detail when their merger talks failed in 2018
- Leadership and a name for the merged institution were key sticking points, documents show
- Proponents had argued a merger could be of economic and social benefit to the state
The proposal to amalgamate the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia (UniSA) was announced amid public fanfare in June 2018, but fell through without detailed explanation just months later.
“Ultimately,…
