University of Ballarat

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University of Ballarat
File:University of Ballarat.png
TypePublic
Established1994
Vice-ChancellorProf David Battersby
Students27,500
(10,500 HE; 17,000 TAFE)
Location
Ballarat
,
Victoria
,
Australia
AffiliationsNew Generation Universities (NGU)
Websitehttp://www.ballarat.edu.au/

The University of Ballarat is a dual-sector university in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. It was formed by the passage of an Act of the Victorian Parliament in 1994, from the Ballarat College of Advanced Education. It subsequently merged with the Ballarat School of Mines and Industries (1870) and the Horsham based Wimmera Institute of TAFE in 1998 to create a larger University.

It has a total student population approaching 28,000 which consist of c. 10,500 Higher Education students and c. 17,000 Technical and Further Education (TAFE) students.

History

Heritage buildings and former Ballarat Gaol at the School of Mines and Industry. Lydiard Street, Ballarat CBD

[1]

The University of Ballarat has a long history that goes back to the famous gold rush era of the 1850s. Tertiary education at Ballarat began with the establishment of the School of Mines and Industries in 1870 making it Australia's third oldest tertiary institution. It is for this reason that the 1870 Founders Hall at the University of Ballarat came into existence.

People such as Redmond Barry were involved in the original establishment to create an institution of equivalent standing to a university to offer degree level courses at Ballarat.

The School of Mines had two divisions - a tertiary division and a technical division. The tertiary division provided higher education courses such as mining engineering, geology, education and business studies, while the technical division provided technical programs such as wool classing, plumbing and bricklaying.

The organisation remained in that form until the 1960s when it was split into two institutions. The School of Mines remained intact offering technical and secondary level programs, while the tertiary division became Ballarat Institute of Advanced Education. In the 1970s it was renamed Ballarat College of Advanced Education.

In the late 1980s the Dawkins Revolution had arrived and Ballarat CAE was in trouble in terms of losing its long historical identity. In an era where larger metropolitan colleges were opting for mergers with existing universities, such as Chisholm Institute of Technology with Monash University, Melbourne College of Advanced Education with Melbourne University, Philip Institute of Technology with RMIT University, Lincoln Institute of Health Science and Bendigo College of Advanced Education with La Trobe University, and Victoria College and Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education with Geelong's Deakin University, Ballarat was faced with the prospects of merging with Deakin University, an option the board of Ballarat CAE did not want to accept arguing in the words of the then director Professor John Sharpham who publicly declared that "Deakin is not strong" and who attempted to arrange a merger of "equal sides" where Ballarat CAE, Warrnambool IAE, and Deakin would merge to become the University of Western Victoria. Under this arrangement, Ballarat would get 50% of voting power, with Geelong and Warrnambool the other 50%.

The proposal was rejected by Deakin, which left Ballarat alone as the remaining college in Victoria not to become a university. Then along came the University of Melbourne which allowed Ballarat CAE to become an affiliated college of the University. The name of Ballarat CAE was changed to "Ballarat University College, an affiliated College of the University of Melbourne" which are the actual words put on graduates' testimurs. At this point it seemed that BUC was heading to become the Ballarat campus of Melbourne University which would have given it a sizable rural campus in Western Victoria. However, this did not eventuate with some critics suggesting that it was too prestigious.

Ballarat University College then pursued the push to become a fully-fledged university in its own right. This began when Professor John Sharpham asked the board of BUC, that if Southern Cross University is allowed to divorce the University of New England by becoming a university in its own right, then Ballarat should be allowed to do the same. This led to lobbying efforts to the Federal Government which responded by sending three Vice-Chancellors (incidentally one from University of New England) from Australian Universities to Ballarat to consider whether Ballarat could become a university in its own right. The result was favorable and the university college became a university in 1994 without any links to Melbourne University except that Melbourne would observe the academic standards at the new university for a five-year period.

Upon creation of the university, the announcement by the Foundation Chancellor Professor Geoffrey Blainey of the inaugural Vice-Chancellor of University of Ballarat proved controversial with Professor Sharpham being overlooked in favour of Professor David James (incidentally Deakin University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor!).

Status and rankings

For a young and small higher education institution, University of Ballarat did well in the 2007 edition of the Good Universities Guide scoring a total of 10 stars out of 20 in the status and standing section for the university. It scored 4/5 for research intensivity, 3/5 for non-government earnings, 1/5 for student demand and 2/5 for research grants. This puts the University of Ballarat on par with LaTrobe University's 10/20, and ahead of Victoria University's 8/20. Source: Hobsons Guides, The Good Universities Guide, 2007 edition.

In terms of its research intensivity score of 4/5, Ballarat equalled Monash University and Swinburne University of Technology, and outscored RMIT University 3/5, Deakin University 2/5, LaTrobe University 2/5, and Victoria University 1/5. Source: Hobsons Guides, The Good Universities Guide, 2007 edition.

The University of Ballarat's teaching performance was ranked in the top ten of Australian universities according to data released by the Federal Department of Education, Science and Training in 2005. Melbourne Institute Rankings.

Technology Park

The university has a technology park with the mission to facilitate the development of technology based companies or companies that benefit from the technological resources of the university.

The following organisations are current organisations that are operating from the park.

  • CFA Country Fire Authority
  • IBM South East Asia
  • IBM Regional Software Solutions Centre
  • Greenhill Enterprise Centre
  • Rural Ambulance Victoria
  • State Revenue Office
  • Conservation Volunteers
  • Global Innovation Centre
  • ID Research
  • Emergency Services Telecommunication

More than 1350 people are employed by tenants at the technology park with approximately half of those holding University of Ballarat qualifications. Recently IBM decided to expand its workforce with the construction of a new $10 million building on the park. It is Australia's leading regional technology park.[2]

Research

The University has an active research program in place. For example the School of Information Technology and Mathematical Sciences is engaged in research that looks at optimising space in buildings. This is being done through The Centre for Informatics and Applied Optimization (CIAO). See the University's Research and Graduate Office website for more information about research planning and achievements http://www.ballarat.edu.au/ard/ubresearch/

Beyond the formal research program, the University of Ballarat has a strong history of scholarly activity and research that pre-dates its accreditation as a University in 1994. Individual scholars and networks connecting the University to the wider academic world provide a strong underpinning to the institution's teaching and community work in many areas - maths, literature, welfare, business, nursing, psychology, philosophy - demonstrating the vital link between research and teaching that is often overlooked in the development of research plans and structures at the institutional and national levels.

Research Institutes

Institute for Regional and Rural Research and Innovation. The Institute is a research organisation that focuses on rural and regional issues.

Campuses

The University has six campuses: two in Ballarat, one each in Ararat, Horsham and Stawell and one in Mount Helen.

Ballarat

  • Camp Street Campus
  • SMB Campus

Located in central Ballarat and incorporates the original School of Mines Ballarat and old Ballaraat Gaol. The SMB Campus offers courses from Certificate level through to Applied Bachelor Degrees. Most courses offered by SMB Campus schools are designed to provide a pathway into a higher level qualification via articulation, offering Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer assessment that may give prospective students subject credit based on work skills and prior qualifications.

Western Victorian Campuses

  • Ararat Campus (offers TAFE courses)
  • Horsham Campus (offers TAFE courses and a Higher Education course in Nursing)
  • Stawell Campus (offers TAFE courses)

Mount Helen campus

Located in Mount Helen, 15km South West of Ballarat, an area of beautiful natural bushland. It contains 2 residences, Peter Lalor Hall and Bella Guerin Hall, and contains the following schools:

  1. Behavioural and Social Sciences and Humanities
  2. Business
  3. Education
  4. Human Movement and Sport Sciences
  5. Graduate School of Information Technology and Mathematical Sciences
  6. Nursing
  7. Science and Engineering

Camp Street Arts Academy

The Camp Street Campus is the newest of the University of Ballarat's 6 campuses. Bordered by Camp Street, Sturt Street and Lydiard Street, this campus houses the University of Ballarat's Arts Academy. The Campus consists the Old Post Office Building, the Old Courthouse Building and several new buildings which were completed in 2002. The Arts' Academy brings together many disciplines within the arts umbrella including visual arts, music and the respected Theatre Performance and Musical Theatre Performance courses. Kim Durban took over the position of Director of Performing Arts in 2001 and lectures in Acting. The Theatre/Musical Theatre courses have created such talent as Jai Law - actor/writer and drama educator, Libby Tanner - actress (All Saints), Karin Munitz cabaret/comedienne and Ashleigh Flanders - writer and actor of Fat Camp and bUMTOWN. Notable staff at the Arts Academy,Bruce Widdop (Acting, Theatre Studies), Anne Saunders (Painter and Print maker), Kim Durban (Acting and Director of Performing Arts) and Doug Wright (Painter) [3].

Student Association

Students are represented by the University of Ballarat Student Association (UBSA) and the University of Ballarat Postgraduate Association.

Notable alumni

Honorary graduates

  • Jeff Kennett, Former Premier of Victoria: Hon DBus (Honoris Causa)
  • Matthew Finnus, Former Education Minister: Hon DEdu

External links

Notes

  1. ^ UB Site Listing
  2. ^ Booming Ballarat aus
  3. ^ Arts Academy
  4. ^ UB Honour Roll
  5. ^ R. W. Richards - Antarctic Explorer
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