An internal University of Sydney report has eviscerated the institution over multiple levels of middle management, poor student support services and bureaucratic inefficiencies.
Staff fear the discussion paper released last week marks the first step to make the case for job cuts, a move numerous cash-strapped NSW universities have taken this year.
Sydney University staff have questioned the number of managers. Credit: Steven Siewert
While other universities have suffered an enrolment downturn, Sydney University has admitted an extra 10,000 international students since 2019, who each pay up to $50,000 per year to study. It posted a $545 million surplus last year.
The report said professional staff at the university had grown by 30 per cent to 5961 people between 2019 and 2024, outpacing the growth in students and academics over the same period.
“This increased investment has not, however, led to improvements in student or staff satisfaction with our professional service experience,” it said.
The discussion paper reminded staff that the institution was among the worst in the country for student experience and placed last for student support services.
“Why are there so many managers?” one staff member asked in feedback collected as part of the report. Another said: “It takes weeks to get a simple decision.”
The report said half of all people who were “supervisors” oversaw four direct reports or fewer, while 19 per cent of supervisors had two or fewer direct reports.
Staff at the institution have been given “thought starters” and asked to respond to the issues raised in the report, which also says “it is possible we will find adjustments to our staffing levels will be required”.