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University of Newcastle (Australia)

Coordinates: 32°52′54″S 151°41′4″E / 32.88167°S 151.68444°E / -32.88167; 151.68444
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Not to be confused with Newcastle University.
The University of Newcastle
File:UoN logo square.gif
Latin: Universitas Novuscastrum
MottoI look ahead
TypePublic
Established1965
ChancellorProfessor Trevor Waring AM
Vice-ChancellorProfessor Nicholas Saunders
Studentsover 26,000
Location
Newcastle
,
NSW
,
Australia

32°52′54″S 151°41′4″E / 32.88167°S 151.68444°E / -32.88167; 151.68444
CampusUrban
OrganisationsMember of IRU Australia
Websitehttp://www.newcastle.edu.au

The University of Newcastle (UoN) is an Australian public university that was established in 1965 and is located in Callaghan, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales.

It was founded as part of a newer generation of universities which intended to depart from the traditional methods of the older universities of Australia. The University of Newcastle is committed to the highest possible standards in teaching, learning and research. The university has five faculties: Business and Law; Education and Arts; Engineering and Built Environment; Health; and Science and Information Technology.

The university has enrolled approximately 17,000 full-time students (including more than 14,600 undergraduates) and about 9,000 part-time students.

Historically, the university is known for its educational innovation such as pioneering the Problem-based learning system for its undergraduate Bachelor of Medicine programme - a system later mandatorily implemented by the Australian Medical Council throughout Australia. The University of Newcastle is recognised nationally and internationally for excellence in key areas, including engineering and research performance.

The University of Newcastle is a member of Innovative Research Universities Australia (IRU Australia).

Campuses

A walkway within the Callaghan Campus of the University

There are four main campuses, located at Callaghan, Ourimbah, Port Macquarie and Singapore.[1]

The Callaghan Campus is the largest campus, built on a 140 hectares (346 acres) bushland site, which lies about 12 kilometres (7 mi) from the centre of Newcastle. Some of its buildings have won national awards for architecture and sympathetic environmental management.[citation needed]

The University of Newcastle also has a presence on three sites within the Newcastle C.B.D. The School of Music and Conservatorium is located in the Civic Theatre precinct, the School of Law, Legal Centre, and Graduate School of Business are located in University House, and the Newcastle Institute of Public Health is located in the David Maddison Building on the site of the Royal Newcastle Hospital. University House is a landmark art-deco sandstone building directly opposite Civic Park.

History

The University has its origins in the Newcastle University College of the University of New South Wales, first established in 1951 at the site of Newcastle Technical College. After considerable agitation at the local level, the fully autonomous University of Newcastle was established in 1965. According to folk legend, our understanding is autonomy for the University officially began on the 1st January 1965 with a symbolic ceremonial bonfire held at the site of the Great Hall and officiated by the legendary Professor Godfrey Tanner who poured wine libations on the ground to sanctify the land upon which the University rests. The bonfire signified the “the joy of attaining long sought destiny”.

The student body annually celebrates the anniversary of the institution's independence in July on Autonomy Day.

The University's old crest, used until 2 April 2007 - the new brand

Again according to Don Wright, Autonomy day is normally held in early July, and students interpreted it as celebrating the autonomy of the University of Newcastle, from the University of New South Wales. The date actually coincided with the winning of autonomy by the University of Technology from the Public Service Board control on the 1st July 1954. The students were entitled to give the celebration whatever meaning they chose. The fact that they called it ‘autonomy day’ heightened the students’ sense of the importance of autonomy and their need to defend it against outside interference. (Wright, 1992):113

In 1998, the University established a partnership with the Institut Wira, a Malaysian private business school. In 2002, Ian Firms, a lecturer at Newcastle, failed a large number of student papers from Wira for academic dishonesty, but his actions were reversed by the Newcastle administration and he was discharged. He then appealed to the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption, which supported his actions; the University eventually accepted the conclusions of their report. [2]

In 2003, The University of Newcastle, together with five other Australian universities (Macquarie, La Trobe, Flinders, Griffith and Murdoch) established Innovative Research Universities Australia (IRUA).

Forty years after obtaining autonomy, The University of Newcastle has developed a reputed history in their national and international university standings; ranked top 10 among the 38 universities in Australia by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University consecutively in 2005, 2006 and 2007, and 286th in the world by the Times Higher Education Supplement in 2008, see topuniversities.com. The University of Newcastle was also ranked as one of the top 100 global universities (at rank 97th) in August 2006 by Newsweek International, see msnbc.msn.com

On 11 May 2007, the university launched its new campus in Singapore at the PSB Academy campus.[3][4] The new campus covers an area of 19,000 square metres (204,514 sq ft) behind the Tiong Bahru Plaza.

Student body and organisations

The University has a student population of just over 26,000 (including part time students) as of 2006, including 4422 international students from more than 80 countries. Enrolment increased to almost 9% in 2005/2006 despite a national trend showing decreases in acceptance for university offers. [citation needed]

The university is recognised for its commitment to equity in education and consistently enrols more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders than any other Australian university. The university has also graduated more than 60% of the nation's indigenous doctors, see The Medical Journal of Australia

Students at the Callaghan Campus of the university are represented by the Newcastle University Students' Association (NUSA), UoN Services Limited (UoN Services), Newcastle University Postgraduate Student Association (NUPSA); while students at Ourimbah Campus are represented by Campus Central.

UoN Services is responsible for the social life of the university, as well as most of the commercial facilities on campus. It organises all the main entertainment events, usually performed at the University's two licensed venues, the Bar on the Hill and the Tanner Bar. Apart from student contributions (which have dropped significantly since the abolition of universal student unionism), the UoN Services generates income from the stores, restaurants and bars on the Callaghan and city campuses.

NUSA and NUPSA are primarily advocacy organisations, representing students on a variety of issues from political activism to the internal organisation of the University. NUSA also produces Opus, the University's magazine written by and for students.

Campus Central (Central Coast Campus Union Limited T/A Campus Central) is a single organisation looking after all the interests (commercial, sporting and advocacy) of students at the Ourimbah campus.

Sports

The Forum Sports and Aquatic Centre lies within Callaghan campus grounds, with sporting facilities that include an Olympic-sized swimming pool and one of the highest climbing walls in the country. It is also the site of training for sport teams including the Sydney Swans from Australian Football League (AFL), the Newcastle Knights from National Rugby League (NRL) and the Hunter Hurricanes National League Water Polo team.

In 2005, more than 370 students competed at the Eastern University Games in Tamworth and, the Australian University Games in Brisbane winning several gold and silver medals.

Administration

Student Hubs

In mid 2006, the University introduced the concept of Student Hubs[5], restructuring the previously existing Faculty Student Services offices into 4 major points of contact for students to gain information and advice about their programs and general student administration.

Faculties and Schools

The Medical Sciences Builiding

The University has five faculties covering a wide range of available programs. The faculties are Business and Law, Education and Arts, Engineering and the Built Environment, Science and Information Technology, and Health.

Faculty of Business and Law

The Faculty of Business and Law contains the following schools:

Faculty of Education and Arts

The Faculty of Education and Arts contains the following schools:

Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment

The Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment contains the following schools:

Faculty of Science and Information Technology

The Faculty of Science and Information Technology contains the following schools:

The school of Environmental and Life Science offers teaching to undergraduate, honours and post-graduate students. The school is focused on five disciplines; Applied Science, Biological Science, Chemistry, Earth Sciences and Geography.

Faculty of Health

The Faculty of Health contains the following schools:

The Ourimbah Campus is one where services and infrastructure are shared between education providers. The partnership titled The Central Coast Campuses is a partnership of:

  • The University of Newcastle
  • TAFE-NSW - Hunter Institute
  • Central Coast Community College
  • affiliated with the Central Coast Conservatorium of Music

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ http://www.newcastle.edu.au/location/
  2. ^ "A Tarnished Reputation: Australia's universities wrestle with criticism that they're cutting corners to attract foreign students" by David Cohen. Chronicle of Higher Education 14 October 2005. 52(8) A39 online version subscription required.
  3. ^ http://www.newcastle.edu.au/location/singapore/
  4. ^ PSB Academy: Our Heritage (2006-Present)
  5. ^ Student Hubs

External links

Template:IRU Australia

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