La Trobe University
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| La Trobe University | |
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| Motto: | Qui cherche trouve ("Whoever seeks shall find") |
| Established: | 1967 |
| Type: | Public |
| Chancellor: | Sylvia Walton |
| Vice-Chancellor: | Paul Johnson |
| Staff: | 5,000 |
| Students: | 28,000 |
| Location: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Campus: | Metropolitan and Regional |
| Named after: | Charles La Trobe |
| Website: | http://www.latrobe.edu.au/ |
La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are located in the Victorian city of Bendigo and NSW-Victorian border centre of Albury-Wodonga. The university has a number of other minor campuses at Mildura, Shepparton, and Beechworth and as well as a campus in Melbourne's CBD. La Trobe also offers its courses offshore at international locations in places such as China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and France.
La Trobe is generally considered to be ranked amongst the top ten universities in Australia and in 2005 was ranked in the top 100 universities in the world.[1][2] La Trobe offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses across five major faculties, covering all the main learning areas. La Trobe is considered to be particularly strong in the area of arts and humanities; this was reflected in the 2005 THES, where it was ranked amongst the top 25 institutions in the world in this category and third best in Australia. It also has a strong international reputation in biomedicine and science.
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[edit] History
La Trobe University is a commissioned Victorian university. It was established by the passing of an Act in the Victorian Parliament in December 1964, upon a recommendation from the Third University Committee. La Trobe commenced operations in 1967, becoming the third university to be established in Melbourne, after the University of Melbourne (1853) and Monash University (1958). The University was named after Charles Joseph La Trobe, the first Governor of Victoria.
Many prominent Victorians were involved with the process to establish La Trobe, believing that it was important to increase research and learning in Victoria. One of the major individuals involved in the establishment process was Davis McCaughey, who later became Governor of Victoria. It was officially opened by Victorian premier Henry Bolte, whose government had been instrumental in creating the university, in 1967 in a ceremony that was attended by a number of dignitaries including the Prime Minister of Australia Sir Robert Menzies. Teaching commenced at the Bundoora campus in the first semester of that year. Complementing the strong humanities offering was a strong science underpinning and for several years, the state's leading agricultural science course (commenced 1968).
The Bendigo campus of La Trobe dates back to 1873: the Bendigo College of Advanced Education officially amalgamated with La Trobe University in 1991, completing a process that began in the late 1980s as part of the Dawkins reforms to higher education. During the merger process, a controversial issue erupted when the university's head office in Bundoora raised concerns about the academic standards at Bendigo CAE. This led to a public outcry in which Bendigo CAE students threatened the Bendigo Advertiser over publishing the matter in its newspapers. Several newspapers were burned in the protest.
The inclusion of the Wodonga Institute of Tertiary Education took place in the same year.
The university continued to prosper from the time of its opening, gaining a strong reputation in many areas. This was in part due to the calibre of the academic staff that were taken on by La Trobe. Several of these academics still remain, with many now amongst the most prominent intellectuals in Australia. (See List of La Trobe University people)
In recent times the University has suffered cutbacks in government funding, a problem experienced across most of the Australian higher education sector. In some areas though La Trobe has lost a greater proportion than others. For instance, the History Department at the university was once by far the largest of any institution in Australia, however funding restrictions have led to a significant reduction in its size. In 1999 the Music Department was closed due to funding cuts.
The funding problems have now for the most part been dealt with and La Trobe is one of only two Australian Universities with a AA credit rating (along with Australian National University).
Recent higher education reforms by the Howard government have allowed Australian universities to increase fees and take in a greater number of full-fee paying students, and despite a large student backlash, La Trobe has taken advantage of the reforms, increasing fees by 25% in 2005.
Paul Johnson, formerly a deputy director of the London School of Economics, is the Vice-Chancellor of La Trobe University since March 2007. Johnson was preceded by Roger Parish, who served as interim Vice-Chancellor for a few months, and Brian Stoddart, who took up the position in December 2005 (ratified February 6, 2006) after the resignation of previous incumbent Michael Osborne. Osborne had been in the position since 1990 and in one of the most controversial events in the university's administrative history, his tenure was extended for seven years in 1994 by then Chancellor Nancy Millis without consultation of the board. Paul Johnson, Deputy Director of the London School of Economics and professor of economic history, has recently been selected to replaced Brian Stoddart as the new Vice-Chancellor.
The current Chancellor is Sylvia Walton, AO, appointed by the University Council April 23, 2006 after Nancy Millis' retirement.
Former Governor of Victoria, Richard McGarvie, was Chancellor from 1981-1992.
The university has continued to expand, with the opening of the Research and Development Park at Bundoora, and the upcoming opening of a second Melbourne CBD site.
The university's African Research Institute, the only major African studies centre in Australasia, was closed at the end of 2006.[3]
La Trobe has strong affiliations with many Melbourne hospitals, including the Royal Women's Hospital, the Royal Children's Hospital and the Austin Hospital.
The University's motto, "Qui cherche trouve", is French with the meaning, Whoever seeks shall find. This is also the motto of the La Trobe family.
[edit] Student life
During the 1970s and 1980s, La Trobe, along with Monash, was considered to have the most politically active student body of any university in Australia. The Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) was a prominent organisation on campus, often with the cover of a front organisation sometimes encouraging the name 'La Trot'. The social activism of the university students is demonstrated by the following La Trobe students who were of a leftist persuasion that were all good friends at the time and played a major part in student politics; Bill Kelty from the ACTU and AFL Commissioner, former Treasurer Tony Sheehan, Don Watson, Geoff Walsh (Bob Hawke's press secretary, High profile union officials Brian Boyd, John Cummins and Garry Weaven, former federal treasury official and now Westpac CEO, David Morgan. Some other Labor figures and people from the left side of politics include Mary Delahunty, Phil Cleary and Michael Danby. Despite the general socialist/leftist atmosphere several conservative corporate/business figures and Liberal politicians have also emerged from La Trobe. In fact there are a number of current federal and state liberal politicians to have come out of La Trobe.
La Trobe University has three on-campus residential colleges: Menzies, Glenn and Chisholm.
Though the student body at La Trobe is no longer as politically active as it once was, the trend is similar at all Australian universities. Nonetheless, Socialist Alternative, and Australian Labor Students (ALS) are still very active, with both the SRC and Union President coming from ALS. La Trobe student organisations (both SRC and Union) have been largely run by ALS over previous years, in coalition with various independent groupings. The Federal Government's forthcoming introduction of Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU) is beginning to again politicise students.
There are two main student representative bodies on campus. The La Trobe University Students' Union is responsible for the Eagle Bar, Contact Student Services but its role has been considerably diminished as a consequence of VSU. It has now changed its name and is known as the La Trobe University Student Guild. The La Trobe University Student Representative Council, the principal representative body on campus, has a student advocate as well as student representatives for welfare, disability, women, queer, indigenous, environment, education and welfare. It also publishes a student magazine, the notorious Rabelais, which was the subject of a Federal Court case in 1995 after the Office of Film and Literature Classification ruled that it "...promotes, incites and instructs in matters of crime" because of an article on shoplifting (reprinted from elsewhere). The Student Representative Council has also been severely affected by VSU but its role continues to be one of the most significant in ensuring students are politically represented on campus.
The largest faculty-based student representative organisation on campus is the Law Students Association (LSA). Postgraduate students are dually represented by SRC and the La Trobe University Postgraduate Association.
The students at the Bendigo campus are represented by the Bendigo Student Association (BSA), a much less activist and political organisation than the student union. The BSA publishes the 3rd Degree magazine.
[edit] Campuses
[edit] Melbourne (Bundoora)
- Opened 1967
- 26,000 students (2007)
- Active faculties: education, health sciences, humanities and social sciences, law and management, science, technology and engineering
The Bundoora campus is the foundation campus of La Trobe and was officially opened in 1967, when La Trobe first began operations. The campus is set on 3.3 square kilometres (reputedly the largest university campus in the Southern Hemisphere) and is the home of most of the University's centres and institutions. The campus is the main base of all of La Trobe's faculties except education, which is based at Bendigo.
The campus is renowned for having the only Bachelor of Archaeology program in the southern hemisphere, with the Australian Institute of Archaeology literally over the road from the campus.
Bundoora has around 20,000 students on campus, and subsequently has many facilities such as restaurants, bars, shops, banks and an art gallery. The main library on the campus, the Borchardt[1], has well over one million volumes. Melbourne has the fourth highest population of international students (after New York City, Paris and London), this is reflected at La Trobe's Bundoora campus where over 60 nationalities are represented.
Bundoora also has substantial sporting and recreation facilities such as an indoor pool, gyms, playing fields, and indoor stadiums. The facilities are regularly used as a training base for the Essendon Football Club, and the Kangaroos Football Club considered moving their entire operations to the campus.
The Bundoora campus is also home to the La Trobe University Medical Centre and Hospital. The Melbourne Wildlife Sanctuary,[4] part of the university, is adjacent to the campus.
The University is also home to the Centre for Dialogue, an interdisciplinary research institution which delves into certain intercultural and inter-religious conflicts, both in the domestic setting and in international relations.
[edit] La Trobe University Research and Development Park
The R&D Park opened in 1993, adjacent to the Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus. Current tenants include a branch of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, the Victorian State Forensic Centre, a Rio Tinto Group research centre, Victorian Environment Protection Authority (EPA), the Co-operative Research Centre for Vaccine Technology and CAVAL.
In 2005, the Bracks government announced that $20 million would be spent developing the Victorian Bioscience Centre and the park.
Also on the R&D park is the Technical Enterprise Centre - a business incubator for new ventures in Information Technology, biotechnology and the life sciences.
[edit] Bendigo
- Opened 1883
- Affiliated with La Trobe 1991
- Joined La Trobe 1994
- 3966 students (2005)
- Active faculties: pharmacy, health sciences, education, humanities and social sciences, law and management, science, technology and engineering
The Bendigo campus operates on three sites.[5]
The largest is Edwards Rd Campus. This is located three kilometres from the centre of Bendigo and is set on 33 hectares of land. It is the home of the university's Faculty of Education and most of the other faculties have operations there. The Heyward Library is also located here.
The Osbourne St Campus is a smaller Bendigo campus that is mainly used for examination facilities and is home to the La Trobe University Bendigo Athletics Track.
The smallest of the three is the La Trobe Visual Arts Centre. This is a gallery located in Bendigo's View Street arts precinct, opening in 2005. Its architectural design was controversial.
The associated Central Victorian Innovation Park opened in December 2003.
The major facilities used in the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games were located at La Trobe Bendigo. Scottish athletes were housed at the Residential Halls for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in March 2006.
Between 1994 and 2005, La Trobe Bendigo's curriculum was separate from that based at Bundoora, operated by a multidisciplinary Faculty of Regional Development. All campuses could choose to offer individual courses from both Bundoora and Bendigo. This situation ceased in 2005.
[edit] Albury-Wodonga
- Opened 1988
- Joined La Trobe 1991
- 1104 students (2005)
- Active faculties: education, health sciences, humanities and social sciences, law and management, science, technology and engineering
Before becoming part of La Trobe, this was the sole campus of the Wodonga Institute of Tertiary Education. The campus is co-located with Wodonga TAFE, the two sharing various resources.
[edit] Melbourne (City)
[edit] Franklin St
- Opened 199?
- To close 2007
- 453 students (2005)
- Active faculties: health sciences, law and management
This campus is found in Franklin Street in Melbourne's central business district. This is mainly used for postgraduate study and houses some of the university's research centres.
[edit] La Trobe St
- To be opened 2008
In February 2004 La Trobe acquired the heritage listed Argus building on the corner of La Trobe Street and Elizabeth Street. AU$50 million will be spent on the 2000 square metre six storey building, including adding an additional three floors. The site will be used by the La Trobe Law School and postgraduate business school. The university was looking for a new CBD site and chose the Argus building because of its prominent position, its proximity to the Federal Court Buildings and its heritage. The university will continue to operate both city campuses with the Franklin street site focusing on health and biomedicine. The refurbishment is running one year late and significantly over budget because of problems created by asbestos in the original building.[6]
[edit] Mildura
- Opened 1996
- 320 students (2005)
- Active faculties: education, health sciences, humanities and social sciences, law and management
The main Mildura campus is co-located with the main campus of the Sunraysia Institute of TAFE. These institutions and other tertiary education and research institutions on the site share various resources.
A Mildura City campus opened in 2006 in the old Mildura Cultivator offices, next to "Gallery 25", an art gallery La Trobe became involved with a few years earlier.
[edit] Shepparton
- Opened 1994 [2]
- 291 students (2005)
- Active faculties: education, humanities and social sciences, law and management
The Shepparton campus is co-located with the main campus of the Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE. In 2007, the beginning of the first stage of a $22.2 million expansion of the campus was announced. [3]
[edit] The Bouverie Centre (Flemington)
- Opened 1996
- c. 60 students (2003)[7]
- Active faculties: health sciences
The Bouverie Centre began as a child mental health clinic in Carlton, but after various changes, became part of La Trobe in 1996, and moved to Flemington in the same year. It presently offers family mental health services, and related educational instruction.
[edit] Beechworth
- Opened 2001
- 0 students (2005)
Operates mainly as a function centre, however some courses primarily delivered at the Albury/Wodonga campus are partially delivered here. Students from the Faculty of Education at Albury/Wodonga spend half their contact hours at the Beechworth campus. Tourism students spend a few days there and postgraduate Public Health Students complete an intensive sociology course on campus.
The Beechworth site was once home to the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum, founded in 1867 and later renamed "Mayday Hills Hospital". The Hospital ceased operation in 1995. [4]
[edit] Mount Buller
- Opened 1997
- Closed 2007
- 95 students (2005)
This campus focused on hospitality during it's decade long life.
Controversially closed after a visit from senior University management in early 2006. The closure announcement did not appear to have been planned. The ad hoc nature of the closure was highlighted by the fact that senior management first announced the closure plans and date in a meeting with staff in response to an off hand question from a staff member.
[edit] Carlton
- Opened 1966
- Joined La Trobe 1988
- Closed 1998
This campus was the original campus of the Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences. Antecedents of that institution operated on other sites from 1908.
Most of the campus' operations moved to the Bundoora campus on its closure, some moving back into the city soon after in the new Franklin St campus.
[edit] Abbotsford
This campus was originally a campus of the Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences, which became part of La Trobe when it absorbed that institution.
The site was previously home to the Roman Catholic "Convent of the Good Shepherd". This ran from 1863, and it's prime purpose was "the rehabilitation and education of problem girls" [7].
In 1974, the site was purchased by the Victorian government to house campuses of the Lincoln Institute and the "Institute of Early Childhood" of the State College of Victoria (a kindergarten training college) [8][9]. These opened in 1986 [10] (though the Early Childhood institute was now part of the Melbourne College of Advanced Education). The Early Childhood campus became part of the University of Melbourne in 1989, and later closed.
[edit] Wangaratta
- Yet to open
As of 2007, La Trobe plans to open a "learning node" co-located with the Wangaratta campus of Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE. [11] [12]
[edit] Seymour
- Yet to open
As of 2007, La Trobe plans to open a "learning node" co-located with the Seymour campus of Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE. [13] [14]
[edit] Swan Hill
- Yet to open
As of 2007, La Trobe plans to open a campus co-located with the Swan Hill campus of Sunraysia Institute of TAFE. [15]
[edit] International affiliates
La Trobe offers a number of courses at several offshore sites. The courses are mainly in the areas of finance, economics, management, biomedicine, health and linguistics. These courses are mainly offered throughout Asia in countries such as China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. Courses are also offered at a site in France.
La Trobe has affiliations with many other institutions across the world, where La Trobe courses are offered or exchange programs are offered. The majority of these partners are located in Europe and Asia. The most extensive exchange programs occur with Duke University, Trinity College, Dublin, University of California, University Carlo Cattaneo, University of Hamburg, University of Oslo, University of Barcelona, Kyoto Tachibana University, Hiroshima University, Tilburg University, University of Stockholm, McGill University, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.melbourneinstitute.com/publications/reports/aus_uni/mainpaper.pdf
- ^ http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/melbourne-uni-ranks-in-top-20/2005/10/27/1130400306704.html
- ^ Message posted by Peter Limb on 30 March 2007 to H-Africa (H-Net list on African studies)
- ^ http://www.latrobe.edu.au/wildlife/
- ^ http://www.latrobe.edu.au/bg/assets/images/drawings/bendigo_loc.pdf
- ^ Morton, Adam. "New campus riddled with asbestos", The Age, May 3, 2007, p. 9.
- ^ http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/CA256F310024B628/0/E271B28785FACD13CA2571B90015F157/$File/Higher+education.pdf
[edit] External links
- La Trobe University – Official website
- La Trobe Students' Representative Council
- La Trobe University Branch - National Tertiary Education Union
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