University of Tasmania

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University of Tasmania
Motto:	Ingeniis Patuit Campus ("The Field is Open to Talent")
Established:	1890
Type:	Public
Chancellor:	Damian Bugg
Vice-Chancellor:	Prof Daryl Le Grew
Faculty:	2,383 (includes general staff)
Undergraduates:	16,487
Postgraduates:	4,215
Location:	Hobart, Launceston, Burnie, Tas, Australia
Campus:	Urban
Affiliations:	ASAIHL ACU
Website:	www.utas.edu.au

The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public Australian university based in Tasmania, Australia. Officially founded on 1st January 1890, by an Act of the Colony's Parliament, it is the fourth university to be established in nineteenth-century Australia. The University was originally located on the Domain in Hobart.^[1] However, as the University developed, it outgrew its original site and in the early 1940's began to transfer its departments to Sandy Bay, which became the new home for the institution.^[2] In 1991, a year after its centenary, the University merged with the Tasmanian State Institute of Technology in Newnham, Launceston (TSIT), to form a restructured University of Tasmania. In 1995, the University extended its statewide representation when it opened the Cradle Coast Campus in Burnie.^[3] The University is a sandstone university and is a member of the international Association of Commonwealth Universities.^[4]

The University of Tasmania offers a wide array of undergraduate and graduate programs in a wide range of disciplines. ^[5] The University has also been consistently ranked in the top 10 universities in Australia for research and boasts links with 20 specialist research institutes, cooperative research centres and faculty based research centres; all of which are regarded as nationally and internationally competitive leaders. ^[6] The University has a student population of 16,000, including approximately 2,000 international students and 1000 PhD students.^[7]

Contents 1 History 2 Campus 2.1 Hobart 2.2 Launceston 2.3 Cradle Coast 2.4 University Farm 2.5 Student Housing 3 Organisation and Administration 3.1 Faculty of Arts 3.2 Faculty of Business 3.3 Faculty of Education 3.4 Faculty of Health Science 3.5 Faculty of Law 3.6 Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology 4 Teaching and Research 4.1 Antarctic Research 4.2 Regional Development 4.3 University Ranking 5 University Library 6 Student life 6.1 Student residences 7 Notable alumni 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

The University of Tasmania was officially opened on 1 January 1890.^{[citation needed]} Richard Deodatus Poulett Harris had long advocated the establishment of the University and became its first warden of the senate. The first degrees to graduates admitted ad eundem gradum and diplomas were awarded in June 1890. Referred to as one of the original sandstone universities, it was the fourth university to be established in Australia, and today maintains a strong reputation as a small to medium-sized university. The first campus location was the Queen's Domain in Hobart, but as enrollment numbers grew and study interests expanded, the new campus at Sandy Bay was developed in the early 1940s.

The university was reorganised in 1991 when it merged with the Tasmanian State Institute of Technology, which became the Newnham Campus. The centre at Burnie was opened in 1995.

There is a sizeable international student population, and Professor Daryl Le Grew, the current vice-chancellor announced in 2004 that the university would not increase HECS (Higher Education Contribution Scheme) fees for the 2005 and subsequent academic years.^{[citation needed]}. However, the university has recently announced HECS fees will rise by as much as 25% for the 2009 Academic year for most subjects excluding education, nursing and mathematics. ^[8]

The university and TAFE Tasmania are the only remaining institutions of higher education in Tasmania. The Australian Maritime College (AMC) integrated with the university in 2008.

[edit] Campus

The campuses are the Sandy Bay Campus, about 5 minutes from the centre of the city of Hobart, the Newnham Campus, about 10 minutes from the city of Launceston, and the Cradle Coast Campus (formerly called the North-West Study Centre), located in the city of Burnie.

[edit] Hobart

The University’s Hobart campus is set on 100 hectares of land in the suburb of Sandy Bay – a short distance from the city centre. Much of the upper campus is in natural bushland. Closer to the city centre are the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music, the Clinical School and the Tasmanian School of Art. About 10,000 students are enrolled at the Hobart campus.

[edit] Launceston

The Launceston campus is on 50 hectares at Newnham, ten minutes from the city centre and overlooking the Tamar River. About 5000 students are enrolled at this modern campus.

[edit] Cradle Coast

[edit] University Farm

The University Farm is set in the cropping and grape growing area of Cambridge located in the Coal River valley, situated approximately 20km from the Hobart campus. ^[9] This 334 hectare property serves the teaching and research needs of the School of Agricultural Science.

[edit] Student Housing

[edit] Organisation and Administration

The University of Tasmania is organised into six faculties.

[edit] Faculty of Arts

• Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music
• Riawunna (a centre for Aboriginal studies)
• School of Asian Languages & Studies
• School of English, Journalism & European Languages
• School of Government
• School of History & Classics
• School of Philosophy
• School of Sociology & Social Work
• School of Visual & Performing Arts
• Tasmanian School of Art

[edit] Faculty of Business

• School of Accounting and Corporate Governance
• School of Economics and Finance
• School of Management

[edit] Faculty of Education

• School of Education

[edit] Faculty of Health Science

• School of Human Life Sciences
• School of Medicine
• School of Nursing & Midwifery
• Tasmanian School of Pharmacy
• Rural Clinical School
• Department of Rural Health

[edit] Faculty of Law

• Centre for Legal Studies
• Law School
• Tasmanian Law Reform Institute

[edit] Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology

• School of Agricultural Science
• School of Aquaculture
• School of Architecture
• School of Chemistry
• School of Computing & Information Systems
• School of Earth Sciences
• School of Engineering
• School of Geography and Environmental Studies
• School of Mathematics and Physics
• - Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies (IASOS)
• School of Plant Science
• School of Psychology
• School of Zoology
• Marine Research Laboratories
• Institute for Regional Development

As well as the faculties listed above, the University has six theme areas through which multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaborations in research and research training, learning and teaching, and community engagement are fostered. The theme areas are: Antarctic and Marine Science; Community, Place and Change; Environment; Frontier Technologies; Population and Health; and Sustainable Primary Production.

[edit] Teaching and Research

While the University of Tasmania had traditionally maintained a strong liberal arts focus^{[citation needed]}, it has emerged as a leading research institution, ranked amongst the top ten in Australia.

The Faculty of Law has a number of senior academic staff in that faculty are leading researchers in the areas of medical and bio-technological law and ethics, Freedom of Information, legal ethics and equity. The Faculty, with the Tasmanian state government, also operates the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute.^[10]

[edit] Antarctic Research

The University currently holds the secretariat role of the International Antarctic Institute established in 2006 in partnership with 19 institutions in 12 countries. ^[11]

[edit] Regional Development

A partnership between UTAS and the Cradle Coast Authority established the Institute for Regional Development at the Cradle Coast campus in 2005.

[edit] University Ranking

Based on the 2008 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), issued by Jiao Tong University, the University of Tasmania has emerged to be within the Top 14 in Australia. The university was also ranked within the 42th-68th bracket in Asia-Pacific.

[edit] University Library

The University Librarysupports the teaching and research of the University of Tasmania. It provides access to and assistance with information resources, and leadership in information literacy. The Library operates across campuses through seven libraries and an Information Resources Area at the Cradle Coast Campus, and delivers a wide range of online resources and services both on-campus and off-campus.

[edit] Student life

Until 2008, there were two separate student unions the Tasmania University Union (TUU) in Hobart and the Student Association (SA) in Launceston. Due to the abolition of compulsory student unionism in 2007, the SA and the TUU amalgamated into one Statewide Organisation representing all UTAS students. ^{[12][citation needed]}.

The President of the TUU is elected to represent all UTAS students on all campuses, and both Hobart and Launceston have their own Vice-President and Student Representative Councils. Both the TUU State President and TUU State Postgraduate sit on University Council, which is the governing body of the University of Tasmania. In 2008, a Students Complaints website "The UTAS Blog" (www.utas.ws) was created and received support from the TUU. ^[13]

The TUU is responsible for the overseeing of all the university’s many sports clubs and socieites. Some of these include faculty-based societies, such as the Law Students, Medical Students, Engineering students societies; societies related to various interests, such as TUMS (Tasmanian University Musical Society ^[14]), PLoT (Produces Lots of Theatre), The Anime Society; and various sporting clubs, including white water rafting, soccer, hockey, Touch Football ^[15], Australian Rules football, Rugby Union.

[edit] Student residences

Sandy Bay Campus

• Christ College, Tasmania
• St John Fisher College
• University Apartments
• Jane Franklin Hall
• Mt Nelson Villas

Newnham Campus

• Kerslake Hall
• Leprena
• Clarence House (Closing in November 2008)
• Investigator Hall

[edit] Notable alumni

• Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark^[16]
• Peter Underwood, Governor of Tasmania ^[17]
• Philip Lewis Griffiths,Acting Chief Judge of the Mandated Territory of New Guinea ^[18]
• Scott Brennan, Rower, Gold Medalist at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Beijing ^[19]

[edit] See also

• Mount Pleasant Radio Observatory

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• University of Tasmania website
• University of Tasmania Rugby Union Club

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