Burgmann College
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| Burgmann College, Australian National University | |
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| Full name | Burgmann College |
| Motto | The Place To Be |
| Mascot | Black Cat/Panther |
| Type | Fully-catered, co-educational |
| Named after | Ernest H. Burgmann |
| Established | 1971 |
| Head of Hall | Philip Leo Dutton |
| Association | Burgmann Residents' Association |
| President | Tom Roth |
| Location | 52, Daley Road, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia |
| Residents | 351 |
| Website | http://burgmann.anu.edu.au |
Burgmann College is a residential college affiliated with the Australian National University in Canberra. Established in 1971, it is the only Australian college to combine undergraduate accommodation with a substantial postgraduate student body. It houses 351 students, roughly one-third of whom are postgraduates.
The college is named after Ernest H. Burgmann (1885-1967), the renowned progressive Anglican Bishop (of Goulburn from 1934, and Canberra and Goulburn from 1950 to 1960) whom Prime Minister Robert Menzies once described in Parliament as a "most meddlesome priest".
Burgmann and neighbouring John XXIII College are the only remaining independent residential colleges among the Australian National University's ten halls of residence. Burgmann and John XXIII continue to administer their own admissions processes separate from the university's central clearinghouse for accommodation.
A friendly rivalry exists between Burgmann and John XXIII College, who both participate in the inter-hall sports competition with other colleges.
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[edit] Buildings
The two original buildings of the college, Homer (named after the poet) and Barassi (named after an Australian Rules Football player), provide single room accommodation for students, with larger 'double rooms' available to third year students. This old part of the college is fully-catered, providing meals at set times in the main dining hall.
In 2003, construction began on an extension to the college to provide accommodation appropriate for older postgraduate students. In part this was because of the opening of the new medical school. The development generated controversy among existing residents because of fears that the influx of postgraduate members would irrevocably change the character of Burgmann.
The new buildings were completed in 2004. Postgraduates are accommodated in a village street setting. Six residential buildings house students in studio, 2-, 3- and 5-bedroom apartments. In 2005, phase 2 of the development opened, including a multi-denominational chapel and cafe. Recently, new window fittings have been installed on the third floors of the Homer and Barassi Wings. These refurbishments were not part of the extensive plan, but were committed to by incoming Principal Dr Philip Dutton at the beginning of 2006 to alleviate the significant problem of heat on those floors.
[edit] Affiliations
Burgmann college is an independent college affiliated with, but not owned by, the Australian National University (ANU). However, ANU has been able to exert pressure on the college in a number of ways. As part of this pressure from 2001 the college no longer accepts non-ANU students. Previously, it also accepted students attending the University of Canberra and Canberra Institute of Technology.
The college is sponsored by five churches (Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian, Uniting, and Churches of Christ). However, the college does not have a strong religious tone and accepts students from any background. In 2004 the College Chapel was built.
[edit] College Structure
The College is governed by a Council, composed of representatives of its sponsor churches, the ANU, convocation (alumni) and present residents. After corporate governance reforms in early 2005, the day-to-day authority of Council, which meets infrequently, was vested in a smaller Board, elected annually by Council from its own ranks.
The student population is led by the Burgmann Residents Association (BRA). The BRA president is elected by the student population at elections each year. BRA runs many social activities throughout the year.
The college also employs a team of residential tutors who assist in pastoral and academic care in the college.
[edit] Leadership struggle 2005
In August, 2005, Dr Lewis Rushbrook, the longest-serving Principal of an ANU college, was ousted when a combination of student, convocation and church representatives on the College's governing body combined to reject an extension of his tenure. The move caused ripples around other ANU colleges and marked a shift in power on the College's governing body, away from representatives of the college's sponsor churches, in favour of student and convocation (alumni) representatives.
The College's governing Council voted 18-10 against offering Dr Rushbrook a new 3-year contract. The margin of 8 votes was the same as the number of student representatives who voted at the Council meeting. It is assumed that student representatives voted as a bloc after undergraduate and postgraduate student leaders united in opposition to Dr Rushbrook's renewal and rejected an eleventh-hour plea from Council member and Rushbrook supporter, Professor Campbell MacKnight.
The ANU's representatives on Council, economist Dr Suiwah Leung and Director of Student Administration, Ms Gillian Luck, are also believed to have voted against renewal because of concerns about Burgmann's governance and financial position under Dr Rushbrook.
Although public speculation pointed to Rushbrook's acrimonious falling-out with College Council Chairman, Mr Len Goodman AO, as the origins of the push to oust him, it is understood that concerns about management style and Burgmann's deteriorating financial position motivated Board members led by Dr James Popple to advertise the Principal's position in the national media during June.
In response, Dr Rushbrook gathered enough signatories to force an Extraordinary General Meeting of the College Council, to consider a motion to offer him a 3-year renewal. The Rushbrook team orchestrated a campaign to save his position, during which Ambassador John Dauth (see Notable Alumni) e-mailed all Council members in support of Rushbrook, and Rushbrook used the national college principals' mailing list to ask all Australian principals not to apply for his position. Student leaders responded with an intense lobbying effort before the crucial EGM.
That the position of the student organization, BRA, ultimately prevailed both reflects and confirms that Burgmann's governance structure, unique among Australian colleges, gives students an unusual degree of influence and control over the College.
[edit] Fallout and Transition
Within six months of the August vote, Deputy Principal Dr Ben Evans, Staff Tutor Dr Antoinette Harmer and College Officer, Dr Doug Aberdeen had all resigned, representing a complete turn-over in Burgmann's senior staff after the Rushbrook ousting. Six months later, in June 2006, the College lost its two longest-serving tutors, Dr Daniel Emlyn-Jones and Dr Jock Wong, prompting concerns about stability.
The only senior staff member to survive the post-Rushbrook purge was Ms Jean Koper, who was elevated by new Principal Dr Philip Dutton from her old position of Bursar to the newly created position of "Deputy Principal (Administration)". Given that Rushbrook's downfall was precipitated, in part, by concerns over Burgmann's financial position, it is understood some present residents and Council members are puzzled by Koper's survival and remain concerned about her culpability in Burgmann's financial woes.
[edit] Arrival of New Principal 2006
Rushbrook's successor, Dr Philip Dutton, took up residence at "The Lodge" in early January, 2006. It is understood that, during the selection process, Council members grappled with the demands of finding a candidate who was both a competent administrator and academically meritorious.
Whereas Rushbrook held graduate degrees in theology and linguistics from Oxford University and the Australian National University and had a record of scholarly publications, Dutton spent his career at rural and regional teaching institutions, including Charles Sturt University, Wollongong University and the University of Western Sydney after completing a later-life PhD on "mentoring" relationships in university colleges at Charles Sturt.
Because his appointment to Burgmann is Dutton's first experience at an elite research university, some members of Council and Convocation have expressed doubts about his ability to provide academic leadership in the ANU's more competitive environment.
Dutton used his first month at Burgmann to address fiscal problems left behind by the previous administration but appears quickly to have eroded his honeymoon well of goodwill by setting himself against student sentiment in both undergraduate and postgraduate bodies.
In a controversial move, BRA President Tom Roth moved to restructure dramatically the roles performed by undergraduate Tutors, arguing that the "pastoral care" and academic roles should be split. It is understood this is in response to BRA's lack of confidence in the administration's ability to appoint candidates with the social skills necessary to carry out pastoral care duties. However, reminiscent of his predecessor, Rushbrook, Dr Dutton has set himself on a collision course with student representatives by opposing the proposal.
In a separate development, Dutton moved to relax criteria on entry to Burgmann's postgraduate accommodation. In Rushbrook's original conception, Burgmann's postgraduate accommodation was open only to students enrolled in Honours, Graduate Diploma, Masters and PhD programs, as well as to graduate medical and law students who already held Bachelor degrees. This was in contrast to the admissions policy at Bruce Hall's Packard Wing, which opened the "postgraduate" accommodation to selected second- and third-year undergraduates, as well as students in combined degree programs.
Dutton's departure-though only in a maximum of two five bedroom flats-from the Rushbrook conception of an integrated postgraduate community has angered sections of the existing postgraduate community by threatening to change the character of 'The Street', as it emerged in the years since its development in 2003.
[edit] References
- Burgmann College, The place to be : Burgmann College 1971-2001, Canberra: Burgmann College, 2001
