University of Melbourne

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The University of Melbourne, located in Melbourne, in Victoria, is the second oldest university in Australia, behind the University of Sydney, and is one of the country's most prestigious universities. In 2005, the University of Melbourne ranked nineteenth in The Times Higher Education Supplement's list of the world's best universities, the highest rank of any Australian university. ^[1]

It is a member of Australia's "Group of Eight" lobby group. The oldest and main campus is in Parkville, an inner suburb of Melbourne just north of the city centre. Other campuses in Melbourne and rural Victoria have been acquired through amalgamation with smaller colleges of advanced education.

Today, the University has almost 40,000 students, who are supported by nearly 6,000 staff members (full or part-time).

Contents 1 History 2 Academia 3 Colleges 4 Architecture 5 Student activities 6 Other Campuses 7 See also 8 References 8.1 Books 8.2 Newspaper 9 External links

History

The University was established by Hugh Childers in 1853 by an Act of the Victorian Parliament, and classes commenced in 1855 with three professors and sixteen students. The original University buildings were officially opened by the then Lieutenant Governor of the Colony of Victoria, Sir Charles Hotham, on 3 October 1855. The first Chancellor, Redmond Barry, held the position until his death in 1880. The inauguration of the University was made possible by the wealth resulting from Victoria's gold rush, and the University was designed to be a "civilising influence" at a time of rapid settlement and commercial growth (Selleck, 2003). The University was secular, and forbidden from offering degrees in divinity - the churches could only establish Colleges along the northern perimeter. The local population largely rejected the supposed elitism of its professoriate, favouring teaching of 'useful' subjects like law, over those they deemed 'useless' in the city's context, like classics. The townspeople won this debate, and law was introduced in 1857, and medicine and engineering in the 1860s. The admission of women in 1881 was a further victory for Victorians over the more conservative ruling council (Selleck 2003, p164–165). Subsequent years saw many tensions over the direction of the emerging University. For example, in 1902 it was effectively bankrupt, following the discovery of massive fraud by the Bursar, Frederick Dickson. This resulted in a Royal Commission recommending new funding structures, and an extension of disciplinary areas into agriculture and education.

By the time of World War I, governance was again a pressing concern. The Council, consisting of more businesspeople than professors, obtained real powers in 1923 at the expense of the Senate. Undergraduates could elect two members of the Council. In this period, the University tended to attract students drawn from affluent backgrounds, with a few opportunities for gifted scholarship students. The first Vice-Chancellor to be paid a salary was Raymond Priestley (1936) followed by John Medley in 1939.

After World War II, demand for Commonwealth-funded student places grew in Australia, and the University followed demand by becoming much larger and more inclusive.

The University celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2003.

Academia

The University has 11 faculties;

1)Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning,University of Melbourne

2)Faculty of Arts,University of Melbourne

3)Faculty of Economics and Commerce,University of Melbourne

4)Faculty of Education,University of Melbourne

5)Faculty of Engineering,University of Melbourne

6)Institute of Land and Food Resources,University of Melbourne

7)Faculty of Law,University of Melbourne

8)Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences,University of Melbourne

9)Faculty of Music,University of Melbourne

10)Faculty of Science,University of Melbourne

11)Faculty of Veterinary Science,University of Melbourne.

These faculties offer courses from Bachelor Degree to Doctorate level. Land and Food Resources offers TAFE, diplomas, but in June 2005 it was announced that these will be transferred to other providers. Arts is the largest (6,400 students in 2004), followed by Medicine, Dentistry and Health (5,800) and Economics & Commerce (4,700).

Pure and applied research had already grown in importance from the late 19th century, but increased its reach and depth in the second half of the 20th century. Academic staff have relatively low teaching loads by comparison with national and international norms, but are expected to maintain a programe of research and to apply for funding opportunities. The University leads Australia in the size and number of research grants it receives - some AU$199 million in 2003 alone (however, this falls short of comparative public institutions in the USA). Education and Medicine are the best-endowed Faculties in financial terms. The medical sciences benefit from proximity to a number of hospitals, and were enhanced by the opening of Bio21, a research centre focusing on pure and applied Biotechnology.

The university has probably the only significant endowment fund of any Australian university of approximately $908 million AUD as of June 2005, which has grown rapidly over the past few years [2]. It is still small compared to the massive endowments of the wealthiest US universities such as Harvard or Princeton.

Notable alumni of the university include writer Germaine Greer, philosopher Peter Singer, politician Robert Menzies, author Helen Garner,and a substantial number of Australia's most prominent academics, politicians, industry leaders, lawyers, doctors, and artists. Four Nobel Laureates work on campus: Profs. Peter Doherty and Bert Sakmann are currently based in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, while Sir James Mirrlees (Economic Science, 1996 - emeritus, Cambridge) and Sir Clive Granger (Economic Science, 2003 - emeritus, San Diego), will teach a couple of months each year at the University from 2005.

In recent years the University has expanded the numbers of international students from 2000 in 1996 to 8000 in 2004, achieved under the direction of controversial former Vice Chancellor, Alan Gilbert. A separate venture, Melbourne University Private was created in 1997 to tap this market via distance learning, but is scheduled to re-merge with the University by the end of 2005.

Colleges

Since 1872, the affiliated residential colleges have been an important part of the university. The earliest sought to emulate the finest European colleges, particularly those of Oxford. Most of the colleges are situated in an arc around the cricket oval at the northern edge of the campus, with a few further afield, also known as the College Cresent.

List of colleges

College	Founded	External link
Trinity College	1872	Website
Ormond College	1881	Website
Janet Clarke Hall	1886	Website
Queen's College	1887	Website
Whitley College	1891	Website
Ridley College	1910	Website
Newman College	1918	Website
Medley Hall	1954	Website
International House	1957	Website
Graduate House	1962	Website
St Hilda's College	1964	Website
St Mary's College		Website
University College		Website

The colleges provide accommodation to about 3000 students, which is a small fraction of the university's total student population. As well as accommodation, the colleges provide tutorials for their students (although unlike the Oxbridge colleges, the tutorials are purely extra assistance and do not form a fundamental part of any university course).

A larger proportion of students live in surrounding suburbs, and private city centre apartment complexes.

Architecture

Image:Potter gallery.jpg

Several of the original on-campus buildings, such as the Old Law and Old Arts buildings, feature beautiful period architecture. [3] The expansion during the post-World War Two period saw the construction a number of functional high-rise office buildings and laboratories, in response to space shortages. These include the Raymond Priestley building (used for administration), the Redmond Barry building, Wilson Hall(1956, replacing the old Wilson Hallwhich was destroyed by fire), and some of the additions to the colleges. The Architecture building is a monolithic modernist design - a "strong statement of architectural modernism influenced by Le Corbusier". An addition to it added new roof offices in 1997. Economics and Commerce, extended in 1997, is described as "two lacklustre if not downright unpleasant buildings" by the author of the University walking tour [4].

A recent spate of expansions have included the Ian Potter Gallery and the Sydney Myer Asia Centre (both designed by Nonda Katsalidis). The Potter Gallery in particular is highly regarded for its architecture, and won several awards when completed in 1999. The massive University Square development which has extended the campus far to the south, has been more contentiously received, with initial planning battles forcing the retention of 19th century residential townhouses as a facade.

A searchable archive of photos, can be used to view individual features of the campus.UMAIC

Student activities

The university has a rich student life due to the variety of clubs and services funded by the Melbourne University Student Union. Student extracurricular activities generally come under the loose umbrella of the Melbourne University Student Union [5], student sporting activities under the Sports Union and postgraduate students at UMPA [6]. Many student clubs are affiliated with MUSU, as well as student theatre and the "official" student newspaper, Farrago.

Other Campuses

The university has several other campuses located across Victoria.They are situated in Burnley, Creswick, Dookie, Terang, Werribee, Horsham, Warragul and Leongatha, and Southbank, Victorian College of the Arts.

The university also has its interests in Goulburn Valley, particularly in the areas of rural health, agriculture and education.

See also

• List of universities in Australia
• Melbourne University ALP Club
• Melbourne University Labor Club
• Bibliography of the history of the University of Melbourne

References

1. ^  “Melbourne Uni ranks in top 20”, The Age, October 28, 2005.

Books

• Macintyre, S. & Selleck, R.J.W. (2003). A short history of the University of Melbourne. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0-522-85058-8.
• Selleck, R.J.W. (2003). The Shop: The University of Melbourne, 1850–1939. Melbourne: University of Melbourne Press. 930pp
• Cain J II and J Hewitt. 2004. Off Course: From Public Place to Marketplace at Melbourne University. Melbourne: Scribe.

Newspaper

• McPhee, P. 2005. "From the Acting Vice-Chancellor." Uni News. The University of Melbourne. 03/10/05, p.3.

External links

• University website
• Map

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