University of Adelaide
| File:Univ of adel.gif | |
| Motto | Sub Cruce Lumen "The light (of learning) under the (Southern) Cross" |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1874 |
| Chancellor | The Hon John von Doussa QC |
| Vice-Chancellor | Professor James McWha |
| Undergraduates | 12,936 |
| Postgraduates | 5,449 |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Urban (North Terrace (City), Roseworthy, Waite, Thebarton and the National Wine Centre of Australia) |
| Affiliations | Member of Group of Eight, ASAIIHL |
| Website | www.adelaide.edu.au |
The University of Adelaide (colloquially Adelaide University or Adelaide Uni) is a public university located in Adelaide. Established in 1874, the university is the third oldest in Australia. It has produced three Nobel laureates, one hundred Rhodes scholars and is a member of the Group of Eight.
Its main campus is located on the cultural boulevard of North Terrace in the city-centre alongside prominent institutions such as the Art Gallery of South Australia, the South Australian Museum and the State Library of South Australia. The university also has four other campuses throughout the city: Roseworthy College at Roseworthy; The Waite Institute at Glen Osmond; Adelaide University Research Park at Thebarton; and the National Wine Centre in the Adelaide Park Lands.
History
The University was established on 6 November 1874, after a 20,000 pound donation by grazier and copper miner Walter Watson Hughes. It is the third oldest university in Australia. The first Chancellor was Sir Richard Hanson and the first Vice-Chancellor was Dr Augustus Short. The first degree offered was the Bachelor of Arts and the University started teaching in March 1876. In 1881, the University of Adelaide was the first Australian university to admit women to science courses and its first female graduate was Edith Emily Dornwell. The great hall of the University, Bonython Hall, was built in 1936 following a donation from the owner of The Advertiser newspaper, Sir Langdon Bonython.
Campuses
North Terrace
The main campus of the University forms the centre of Adelaide's main cultural precinct, North Terrace. It is bordered by the Art Gallery of South Australia, the State Library of South Australia and the South Australian Museum.
The vast majority of students and staff of the University are based at the North Terrace campus, where the majority of courses are taught and schools are based. The central administration of the University and the main library, the Barr Smith Library, are both located on the campus. While many other universities have law and business schools or satellite campuses within the central business district, the University of Adelaide is unique among sandstone Australian universities for having its main presence so close to the main business and shopping precinct.
Bonython Hall, the great hall of the University, is located on North Terrace and forms the main North Terrace street frontage of the campus. It is one of the many historic and heritage listed buildings located at the North Terrace campus. Others include Elder Hall, the Mitchell Building and the reading room of the Barr Smith Library.
The North Terrace campus also regularly hosts live music and cultural events, particularly on the Barr Smith Lawns, in Union Hall and in the UniBar operated by the Adelaide University Union.
Waite
The Waite campus has a strong focus on agricultural science, plant breeding and biotechnology. A number of other organisations are based on the site, including the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG). The School of Agriculture, Food and Wine is based on the Waite campus and the campus contains components of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
It is situated in Adelaide's south-eastern foothills, in the suburb of Urrbrae on 1.74 square kilometres of land. A large amount of the land was donated in 1924 by the pastoralist Peter Waite. This donation was initially used to establish the Waite Agricultural Research Institute which later became the Waite campus.
Roseworthy
Located north of the city, the Roseworthy campus comprises 16 km² of farmland and is a large centre for agricultural research. Other organistations linked to the campus include SARDI and the Murray TAFE.
Thebarton
The Thebarton campus, which is also known as Adelaide University Research Park, is the base of the University's Office of Industry Liaison. The campus works in conjunction with the University's commercial partners. Commercial enterprises at Thebarton campus include businesses involved in materials engineering, biotechnology, environmental services, information technology, industrial design, laser/optics technology, health products, engineering services, radar systems, telecommunications and petroleum services. The campus also provides much of the infrastructure for the Graduate Entrepreneurial Program which allows recent graduates to start businesses with support from the University. The flames for the recent Sydney and Athens Olympic games were developed at the Thebarton campus by the TEC group.
Colleges
A number of residential colleges are affiliated with the University. They include Aquinas College, Lincoln College, St Ann's College, St. Mark's College and Kathleen Lumley College. All are located within close walking distance of the University in the Adelaide suburb of North Adelaide. In addition to providing accommodation and meals for local, interstate and international students, each college organises academic support, social activities and sporting opportunities for its members.
Academia
The University is divided into five faculties, with various subsidiary schools:
- Faculty of Engineering, Computer & Mathematical Sciences: Australian School of Petroleum (ASP); School of Chemical Engineering; School of Civil & Environmental Engineering; School of Computer Science; Education Centre for Innovation & Commercialisation; School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering; School of Mathematical Sciences; School of Mechanical Engineering.
- Faculty of Health Sciences: School of Dentistry; School of Medical Sciences; Medical School; School of Paediatrics & Reproductive Health; School of Population Health & Clinical Practice; School of Psychology.
- Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences: Elder Conservatorium of Music; School of History & Politics; School of Humanities; School of Social Sciences; Wilto Yerlo Centre for Australian Indigenous Research & Studies.
- Faculty of the Professions: Graduate School of Business; School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture & Urban Design; School of Commerce; School of Economics; School of Education; Law School.
- Faculty of Sciences: School of Agriculture, Food & Wine; School of Chemistry & Physics; School of Earth & Environmental Sciences; School of Molecular & Biomedical Science.
Some examples of recent influences to the University's teaching and research priorities are the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) in Adelaide's northern suburbs to which the University provides many physics, engineering and IT graduates, the growth in South Australia's wine industry which is supported by the Waite and National Wine Centre campuses producing oenology and agriculture/viticulture graduates.
In addition, the university participates in the Auto-ID Labs.
Student life
Associations
As of the first of July 2006, membership of the Adelaide University Union (AUU) has been voluntary for all students, following the passing of voluntary student unionism (VSU) legislation by the Federal Government. The AUU funds seven affiliates which carry out their functions autonomously. They are the Adelaide University Postgraduate Students’ Association (AUPGSA), the Clubs Association (CA), the Overseas Students’ Association (OSA), the Roseworthy Agricultural Campus Student Union Council (RACSUC), the Adelaide University Sports Association (AUSA), the Students’ Association of the University of Adelaide (SAUA) and the Waite Institute Students’ Association (WISA).
Media
Sports
Most University sport is organised by the Adelaide University Sports Association (AUSA). The Sports Association was founded in 1896 by the Adelaide University Boat, Tennis and Lacrosse Clubs. The Association is affiliated to the Adelaide University Union (AUU) and University of Adelaide. The AUSA supports 37 sporting clubs who provide a diverse range of sporting opportunities to students of the University of Adelaide (AU). The AUSA is a major stakeholder in the AU North Terrace Campus based Sports Hub fitness centre and the North Adelaide based university playing fields.
Student Enrolment
The University currently enrolls in excess of 19,000 students, including 4,500 international students from more than 90 countries. Although large by comparative standards, such when compared to North American Ivy League Schools, the University of Adelaide is Australia's second smallest Group of Eight university, and in that way, Australia's closest comparison to an elite North American college.
Notable people
See also
- Host of February 2007 ACELL Australasian Chemistry Enhanced Laboratory Learning event
- Adelaide Law School
- School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design
- Centre for Automotive Safety Research
- Elder Conservatorium of Music
- Adelaide creative writing course
- Le Cordon Bleu Graduate Program in Gastronomy
- Nobel Prize Ranking