Mr Baker said the university had taken the wrong approach to developing the campus, resulting in falling enrolments. 

He said rather than trying to offer the same course as everywhere else, the university needed to create specialised training and research programs to attract people to the campus. 

“The university has depended largely on local support for enrolments, hoping they feel obliged to stay in the area,” he said. 

“That works well for a group of people who may not be financially able to go to Melbourne. But the reality is, some students, who can afford to, want to try a different lifestyle. 

“The university should be looking to develop speciality programs to not only provide for local people, but attract people from across the state and beyond."

He said the campus had lost ground over the past decade by becoming a “generalist university”. 

“Warrnambool once had a well regarded accounting degree, specialised to what regional employers needed. That has been lost in favour of a general accounting degree you can get at any campus.”

Mr Baker said the university’s aquatic science and medical school programs had gone some way in establishing specialised course offerings, but he said it could go further. 

“Two obvious local industries are alternative energies and agriculture/food processing,” he said. 

“We are in an agricultural region which is dominated by the dairy industry, but we have no substantial farming or food processing training facility – a facility that could have national or if not national relevance.”

He said both areas of study could be run parallel with “technician level” programs with South West TAFE using common facilities and equipment. 

“You could run an agricultural diploma, while running an agri-business management degree,” he said. 

Mr Baker said new study fields may need a cash injection, but being an election year local politicians may be interested.