Former name | |
---|---|
Type | Public research university |
Established | |
Accreditation | TEQSA [2] |
Academic affiliation | |
Budget | A$403.95 million (2023) [3] |
Chancellor | Paul Henderson [4] |
Vice-Chancellor | Scott Bowman [5] |
Academic staff | 606 (FTE, 2023) [3] |
Administrative staff | 893 (FTE, 2023) [3] |
Total staff | 1,499 (FTE, 2023) [3] |
Students | 22,338 (2023) [3] |
Undergraduates | 8,340 (2023) [3] |
Postgraduates | 3,511 coursework (2023) 365 research (2023) [3] |
Other students | |
Address | Ellengowan Drive , , , 0810 , |
Campus | Urban and regional with multiple sites [6] |
Named after | Charles Darwin [1] |
Colours | BlueRed [7] |
Nickname | Dangudbila (Larrakia for kangaroos) [8] |
Sporting affiliations | |
Website | cdu.edu.au |
Charles Darwin University (CDU) is an Australian public university with a main campus in Darwin and eight satellite campuses in some metropolitan and regional areas. It was established in 2003 after the merger of Northern Territory University, the Menzies School of Health Research, and Centralian College.
CDU is a member of the group of seven Innovative Research Universities in Australia, and offers academic degrees as well as vocational education.
Charles Darwin University has evolved over the years through the merging of several higher education institutions.
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. [9]
The Menzies School of Health Research was established in 1985 as a body corporate of the Northern Territory Government under the Menzies School of Health Research Act 1985. [10] This act was amended in 2004 to formalise the relationship with Charles Darwin University. [11] Menzies is now a major partner of CDU and constitutes a school within the university on campus at CDU Casuarina offering post-graduate degrees and higher degrees by research. [12]
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 led by a warden, Professor Jim Thomson, from the University of Queensland. An arrangement was made with the University of Queensland that the college would award 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 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. [13] [ page needed ]
Centralian College was founded in 1993 from the merger of Sadadeen Senior Secondary College and the Alice Springs College of TAFE. During its life, the college delivered senior secondary, TAFE and higher education through its main campus in Alice Springs, and to a lesser extent the whole Northern Territory. [14]
After this body merged with NTU in 2003, a newly divested Centralian College became a senior secondary school, for students from Year 10 to Year 12. It shares its campus with the Charles Darwin University campus of Alice Springs. Centralian College uses the university's facilities and students attending Centralian College can participate in VET courses (as early as Year 10) offered by CDU. [15]
The Northern Territory University was founded in January 1989 by a 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 1 January 1989. Degrees of the University of Queensland continued to be awarded to students who initially enrolled in them.
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 on 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.[ citation needed ]
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.[ citation needed ]
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.[ citation needed ]
After 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.[ citation needed ]
On 21 August 2003, the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly passed the Charles Darwin University Act 2003 (NT), merging Alice Springs' Centralian College and the Menzies School of Health Research with the Northern Territory University to form Charles Darwin University from 1 January 2004. The inaugural university council meeting was held on 26 November 2003. [16] [17]
The university has its main campus in Darwin, with eight satellite campuses in some metropolitan and regional areas. [18] [19] [20] [21]
The current and fourth chancellor of the university is the Honourable Paul Henderson, inducted March 2019. [22] The vice-chancellor and president of the university since May 2021 is Professor Scott Bowman. [23]
CDU is made up of six Colleges: [24]
Vocational Education and Training is embedded within the Colleges.[ citation needed ]
Charles Darwin University is a dual-sector university, which means the university offers vocational education and training (aka VET) courses and higher education undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, covering a wide range of subjects and disciplines.[ citation needed ] [19] [20]
CDU is a member of the group of seven Innovative Research Universities in Australia, [31] It has close links with Flinders University in South Australia, which itself has many students from the Northern Territory, including joint management of the Centre for Remote Health in Alice Springs and the Northern Territory Medical Program which is located on campus at Casuarina CDU. [32]
The university's research institutes and centres include:[ citation needed ]
University rankings | |
---|---|
Global rankings | |
QS [35] | 621-630 |
THE [36] | 401-500 |
ARWU [37] | – |
U.S. News & World Report [38] | 936= |
Australian rankings | |
QS [39] | 32 |
THE [40] | 29–32 |
ARWU [41] | – |
U.S. News & World Report [42] | 33= |
ERA [43] | 37 [44] |
According to Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings of 2021, Charles Darwin University is ranked 501–600th in the world and 29th in Australia. [45] It is also ranked 101–150th in the world in the 2020 Times Higher Education 100 Under 50, [46] making it the youngest university in Australia to make this list.
In the 2019 Student Experience Survey, Charles Darwin University recorded an overall satisfaction rating of 75.2. [47] [48]
The Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lectures were established in 1996 to commemorate the Wave Hill walk-off, which was led by Gurindji man Vincent Lingiari in August 1966. Held annually at the Casuarina campus amphitheatre, and open to the public, the lecture now forms part of the Gurindji Freedom Day Festival events. Past lectures have been given by William Deane, Gough Whitlam, Galarrwuy Yunupingu, Patrick Dodson, Malcolm Fraser, and Marcia Langton. [49]
Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, the 2020 lecture was jointly presented in an online format by Pat Dodson, Marcia Langton and Bruce Pascoe. [49]
In 2022, Torres Strait Islander man Thomas Mayo, [a] advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, delivered the oration. He drew parallels between Lingiari's struggle to be heard by governments to what Indigenous peoples of Australia are experiencing today. [51]
According to the 2019 annual report, enrolments in 2019 totalled 20,649 students, with 14,847 students enrolled in vocational and educational training courses and 12,343 enrolled in higher education degrees. [52]
Students are represented by the CDU Student Council (CDUSC), and postgraduate students by the CDU Postgraduate Student Association, a member of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations. Multiple student associations also exist for the individual schools, including the CDU Law Students' Society, [53] associated with the Australian Law Students' Association, [54] and the CDU Business Students' Association. These student groups offer academic, career and professional support to their members, as well as organizing social events throughout the year.
104.1 Territory FM is a community radio station owned by CDU and based at the Darwin City campus. The station is broadcast on 104.1 Darwin and Palmerston and 98.7 Alice Springs and can also be heard in Batchelor, Katherine / Tindal, Tennant Creek, Nhulunbuy and Adelaide River.[ citation needed ]
The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the world's first universities to admit students solely on academic merit, and opened its doors to women on the same basis as men. The university comprises eight academic faculties and university schools, through which it offers bachelor, master and doctoral degrees.
James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cairns and Townsville, and one in the city state of Singapore. JCU also has study centres in Mount Isa, Mackay, Thursday Island and Rockhampton. A Brisbane campus, operated by Russo Higher Education, delivers undergraduate and postgraduate courses to international students. The university's main fields of research include environmental sciences, biological sciences, mathematical sciences, earth sciences, agricultural and veterinary sciences, technology and medical and health sciences.
Flinders University, established as The Flinders University of South Australia is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across a number of locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. The main campus is in Bedford Park, about 12 km (7.5 mi) south of the Adelaide city centre. Other campuses include Tonsley, Adelaide central business district, Renmark, Alice Springs, and Darwin.
Alice Springs is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin and Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd, wife of the telegraph pioneer Sir Charles Todd. Known colloquially as The Alice or simply Alice, the town is situated roughly in Australia's geographic centre. It is nearly equidistant from Adelaide and Darwin.
La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria and the twelfth university in Australia. La Trobe is one of the Australian verdant universities and also part of the Innovative Research Universities group.
The University of Queensland is a public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone universities, an informal designation of the oldest university in each state. UQ is also a founding member of edX, Australia's leading Group of Eight and the international research-intensive Association of Pacific Rim Universities.
The University of New England (UNE) is a public university in New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1938, it was the first Australian university to be established outside of a state capital. Its main campus is located in the regional city of Armidale mid-way between Sydney and Brisbane. As of 2021, the university had approximately 26,000 students.
The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the coastal city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It has two major campuses, a modern city campus in Gardens Point and a historical campus in Kelvin Grove. The university offers courses in fields including architecture, engineering, information technology, healthcare, teaching, law, arts and design, science and mathematics.
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university and member of the Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and institutes.
Palmerston is a planned satellite city of Darwin, the capital and largest city of Australia's Northern Territory. The city is situated approximately 20 kilometres from Darwin and 10 kilometres from Howard Springs and the surrounding rural areas. Palmerston had a population of 33,695 at the 2016 census, making it the second largest city in the Northern Territory. According to the 2021 census, the population grew to 37,247 people.
The University of South Australia is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1991, it is the successor of the former South Australian Institute of Technology. Its main campuses along North Terrace are adjacent to the Australian Space Agency in Lot Fourteen and forms part of the Adelaide BioMed City research precinct. It also has a presence in the Adelaide Technology Park in Mawson Lakes. In mid-2023, it agreed to merge with the neighbouring University of Adelaide to form Adelaide University.
Griffith University is a public research university in South East Queensland on the east coast of Australia. The university was founded in 1971, but was not officially opened until 1975. Griffith University is credited with introducing Australia's first degrees in environmental science and Asian studies. The university has five campuses, at Gold Coast, Nathan, Logan, South Bank, and Mount Gravatt. A sixth campus, to be located at the Treasury Building in the Brisbane CBD, will open in 2027. The university was named after Sir Samuel Walker Griffith, who was twice Premier of Queensland and the first Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia. Sir Samuel Griffith played a major role in the Federation of Australia and was the principal author of the Australian Constitution.
The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is 2.5 km (1.6 mi) from Belconnen Town Centre, and 8.7 km (5.4 mi) from Canberra's Civic Centre. UC offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses through five faculties: Arts and Design; Business, Government and Law; Education; Health; and Science and Technology.
Southern Cross University (SCU) is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at Coolangatta, the most southern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland. In 2019, it was ranked in the top 100 young universities in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
The University of Wollongong (UOW) is an Australian public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Sydney. As of 2023, the university had an enrolment of more than 33,000 students, an alumni base of more than 176,000 [LC1] and over 2,400 staff members including 16 Distinguished professors.
The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology is a public research university located in the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Established in 1887 by Francis Ormond, it is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in Australia, a founding member of the Australian Technology Network (ATN), and a member of Universities Australia (UA).
The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first proposed in 1840 in Lieutenant-Governor Sir John Franklin's Legislative Council, was modelled on the Oxford and Cambridge colleges, and was founded in 1846, making it the oldest tertiary institution in the country. The university is a sandstone university, a member of the international Association of Commonwealth Universities, and the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning.
Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia.
Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a public research university in Western Australia. It is named in honour of the first woman to be elected to an Australian parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Australian university named after a woman. It is the second-largest university in the state with over 30,000 students in 2023. Gaining university status in 1991, it was formed from an amalgamation of tertiary colleges with a history dating back to 1902 when the Claremont Teachers College was established, making it the modern descendant of the first tertiary institution in Western Australia.
Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC),was an Australian Cooperative Research Centre, headquartered in Gold Coast, Queensland, established by the Australian Government's Cooperative Research Centers Program to establish a competitive and dynamic sustainable tourism industry in Australia. It ceased to operate on 30 June 2010.