Charles Darwin University
| Motto | "Change your World" |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Established | 2004 (as NTU, 1989) |
| Vice-Chancellor | Helen Garnett |
| Undergraduates | 3300 |
| Postgraduates | 1000 |
| Location | , , |
| Affiliations | ASAIHL |
| Website | http://www.cdu.edu.au/ |
Charles Darwin University (CDU) is located in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The primary campus, known as the Casuarina campus, is located in the Darwin suburb of Brinkin close to the Casuarina shopping centre, other campuses are in Alice Springs, Palmerston and Katherine (former Katherine Rural College), with some small education centres in Tennant Creek, Yulara, Jabiru, Mataranka Station) and Nhulunbuy (Gove). It was created on 1 January 2004 from the amalgamation of Northern Territory University (NTU) of Darwin and Centralian College of Alice Springs.
The university is named after Charles Darwin, the celebrated English naturalist.
History
The university has evolved over the years from mergers of several higher education institutions.
Darwin Community College
Darwin Community College, founded in 1974 and renamed Darwin Institute of Technology in 1984, was a combined College of Advanced Education and a TAFE College. It was situated on what is now the Casuarina Campus, although it used other buildings at various times in Darwin. By the time of the formation of the Northern Territory University, it gave degrees in Arts, Education, Business and Applied Science.
University College of the Northern Territory
On several occasions, the Government of the Northern Territory requested the Australian Commonwealth Government to finance a university in the Territory. The response was always that the population was too small. In 1985, it took the unusual step of financing the University College of the Northern Territory itself for a five year period from 1987 to 1991. The college was governed by a Council, chaired by Austin Asche and lead by a Warden, Professor Jim Thomson, from the University of Queensland. An arrangement was made with the University of Queensland that the College would awards degrees from that institution. Staff were recruited in 1986 and housed in the old Darwin Primary School buildings. Just prior to taking the first students in February 1987, the College moved to converted building of the former Royal Darwin Hospital at Myilly Point in Darwin. The former Nurses' Hostel became a student residence, named International House. The College had two Faculties, of Arts and Science. It awarded, through the University of Queensland link, the first Doctor of Philosophy degrees in the Northern Territory.
Centralian College
Centralian College was founded in 1993 from Sadadeen Senior Secondary College and the Alice Springs College of TAFE.
Northern Territory University
The Northern Territory University (NTU) was founded in January 1989 by merger of the Darwin Institute of Technology, and the University College of the Northern Territory. The merger was controversial, but forced by the so-called Dawkins Revolution under Federal Minister of Education John Dawkins. The new university started life on January 1st, 1999. Degrees of the University of Queensland continued to be awarded for a few years.
The first Vice-Chancellor was Professor Malcolm Nairn from Murdoch University in Western Australia. Under his leadership the university prospered and morale was high among both staff and students. However funding declined as student numbers rose. During his term of office the various study centres around the Territory, that previously had been run directly by the NT Government, became part of the University. The Palmerston campus, for a few years previously a TAFE College, also became part of the university. The Palmerston campus is situated on University Avenue as this was the proposed site for a new university in a submission to the Federal Government in 1981.
The second Vice-Chancellor was Professor Roger Holmes from Griffith University. After an initial excellent start to his period of office, he disappointed the university and local community by resigning after serving for only one semester to take up the post of Vice-Chancellor at University of Newcastle.
He was replaced as third Vice-Chancellor by the then Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ron McKay. Under his leadership, the financial constraints on the university increased. The environment of having to provide as wide as possible a tertiary education to a small population living in a very large area far from alternative institutions became even more hostile and the university did not prosper. In January 2001, the Katherine Rural College, including Mataranka Station, became part of the university.
After Ron McKay's resignation due to ill health in 2002, an interim Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ken McKinnon, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wollongong was appointed. He took various actions to improve the health of the university, some controversial, such as the proposal to merge with Centralian College with a new name for the university.
Charles Darwin University
On 21 August 2003, the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly passed the Charles Darwin University Bill, merging Alice Springs' Centralian College with the Northern Territory University to form Charles Darwin University from 1 January 2004. The inaugural university council meeting [1] was held on 26 November 2003.
Current situation
CDU is a dual-sector university which means the university offers courses from VET (Vocational Education and Training, formerly TAFE) through to Higher Education undergraduate and postgraduate over a wide range of subjects and disciplines.
There are three areas of study offered by the university's three faculties:
- Law, Business and Arts
- Education, Health and Science
- Technology (Engineering, Industrial Education and Information Technology)
The formerly independent Menzies School of Health Research has been incorporated as a school within the university's new Institute of Advanced Studies. The Menzies School of Health Research is a joint venture between the university, the Menzies Foundation and the University of Sydney and is located at the Royal Darwin Hospital, also in Casuarina.
The Vice Chancellor of the University is Professor Helen Garnett.
Student associations
Students are represented by the CDU Student Union, and postgraduate students by the CDU Postgraduate Student Association, a member of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations.