University of South Australia

University of South Australia
Latin: Universitas Australia Australis
Motto	Educating professionals. Creating and applying knowledge. Engaging our communities.
Established	1991 from SAIT and SACAE
Type	Public
Chancellor	Ian Gould [1][2]
Vice-Chancellor	Peter Høj[3][4]
Undergraduates	27,256
Postgraduates	9,451
Location	Adelaide, Whyalla and Mount Gambier, South Australia, Australia
Campus	Urban
Organisations	Member of Australian Technology Network Open Universities Australia
Website	www.unisa.edu.au

The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public university in the Australian state of South Australia. It was formed in 1991 with the merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology and Colleges of Advanced Education. It is the largest university in South Australia, with more than 36,000 students. About 14,000 students are international, with half studying in Adelaide and the remainder offshore. ^[5]

The University of South Australia is the Australian university that has achieved the biggest increase in ranking in the QS World University Rankings ^[6], and has done it for the second year in a row.

According to the latest results, the University of South Australia is ranked equal 256th in the world, which is an increase of 25 places in 2011 on top of rising 14 places the year before. The University is now ranked 11th out of all Australian universities.

In 2011, the first Excellence in Research for Australia Excellence in Research for Australia assessment exercise showed around 70 per cent of UniSA research assessed at the discipline level was of a world-class standard. ^[7]

UniSA’s Business School is one of 127 business schools accredited by the European Quality Improvement System EQUIS and one of only eight in Australia.

The University has developed a reputation as a modern and innovative institution with a growing research profile. Known for its strong and engaged research, the university is also well recognised by industry for its experientially based teaching and learning, conducted in partnership with industry and the professions.^[8]

The University is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities. It has four metropolitan campuses in Adelaide and two regional campuses in Whyalla and Mount Gambier.

Contents 1 History 1.1 History of School of Arts 1.2 History of SACAE 1.3 History of SAIT 1.3.1 South Australian School of Mines and Industries 2 Campuses 2.1 City East 2.2 City West 2.3 Magill 2.4 Mawson Lakes 2.5 Parafield 2.6 Whyalla 2.7 Mount Gambier 3 Structure 3.1 Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences[25] 3.2 Division of Health Sciences[38] 3.3 Division of Business[42] 3.4 Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment[48] 4 Rankings and Achievements 5 Student activities 6 Research Institutes 7 Commercialisation 8 Affiliations 9 Notable alumni 9.1 Arts 9.2 Business and commerce 9.3 Health 9.4 Journalism and media 9.5 Sports 9.6 Politics 10 References 11 External links

History

The University of South Australia was formed in 1991 with the merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology (SAIT) with three of the campuses (Magill, Salisbury and Underdale) of the South Australian College of Advanced Education (SACAE)^[9]. The two other SACAE campuses, City and Sturt, were merged with the University of Adelaide and Flinders University respectively.^[10] To the former SACAE campuses of Magill, Salisbury and Underdale, SAIT added to the merger its three campuses at City East, The Levels (now known as Mawson Lakes) and Whyalla.

Salisbury campus was vacated in 1996, but its sale was held up for many years by litigation. In 1997, a new campus was opened at City West. In 2005, the campus at Underdale was closed as part of the Blueprint 2005 project, and its programmes were moved to other campuses. Some services still reside at Underdale such as Document Services. Blueprint 2005 also involved a number of new buildings, in particular at City West and Mawson Lakes.^[11][12]

History of School of Arts

One of its antecedent institutions, the South Australian School of Arts, dates back to 1861^[13] when it was established as the "School of Design", (it was retitled "School of Design Painting and Technical Arts" in 1892, then "South Australian School of Arts and Crafts" in 1909, and then "South Australian School of Art" in 1958)^[14] which makes it one of the oldest art schools in Australia, and its oldest public art school. The South Australian School of Arts, an established school within the Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, provides the most prestigious and valuable visual arts scholarship in Australia, the Gordon Samstag Scholarship.^[15]

History of SACAE

The South Australian College of Advanced Education was formed in 1982 with the merger of five Colleges of Advanced Education. Adelaide CAE, Hartley CAE, Salisbury CAE, Sturt CAE and Torrens CAE respectively became the Adelaide (adjacent to Adelaide University), Magill, Salisbury, Sturt (actually in Bedford Park, adjacent to Flinders University) and Underdale campuses of the SACAE.^[16]

Hartley CAE was in turn formed from the 1979 merger of Murray Park CAE and Kingston CAE.

Origins of the Colleges of Advanced Education^[17]

1973 saw the formation of the Colleges of Advanced Education which would make up the SACAE.

• Adelaide CAE developed from Adelaide Teachers College (est. 1921), which had its roots in a training school established in 1876.
• Murray Park CAE originated from Wattle Park Teachers College, which branched off from Adelaide Teachers College in 1957.
• Torrens CAE had its origins in the South Australian School of Arts, which dates back to 1856,^[18] and in Western Teachers College, which branched off from Adelaide Teachers College in 1962.
• Kingston CAE developed from the Adelaide Kindergarten Teachers College (est. 1967), which had its roots in a kindergarten training centre established in 1907.
• Sturt CAE was originally Bedford Park Teachers College (est. 1966).
• Salisbury CAE was originally Salisbury Teachers College (est. 1968).

History of SAIT

The South Australian Institute of Technology was an educational institution with 3 campuses in Adelaide, SA. Under a government reform to education in 1991 it was given the option of merging with the newly formed TAFE SA or the University of South Australia due to its broad range of topics making it a clear fit with neither institution.

South Australian School of Mines and Industries

• 1889 South Australian School of Mines and Industries established on the corner of North Terrace and Frome Road between the University of Adelaide and the Royal Adelaide Hospital.^[19]
• 1960 The South Australian School of Mines and Industries and the Adelaide Technical High School (established 1918) combined to form the South Australian Institute of Technology (SAIT). The SAIT was made up of three campuses, all of which remain a part of the University of South Australia.^[17][19]
• 1965 The SAIT was designated a college of advanced education resulting in a broadening in the range of courses offered, particularly at the professional level.^[19]

Campuses

There are two Adelaide central business district (CBD) campuses, and there are two metropolitan campuses at Mawson Lakes (formerly The Levels) and Magill. In the implementation of the university's A$140 million Blueprint 2005 project, campuses at Salisbury and Underdale were closed and the programs moved to the remaining campuses.

City East

City East (between The University of Adelaide and the Royal Adelaide Hospital), specialises research and teaching in allied health, biomedical, pharmaceutical and nursing programs. It is located north of North Terrace on the site of the former South Australian Institute of Technology, and before that, the School of Mines. This campus focuses on the health, biomedical and nursing professions.

The Basil Hetzel Building was opened in 2005 and includes 2,000 square metres of multipurpose biomechanical, pharmaceutical and microbiological laboratory space.^[20]

The City East campus underwent major reconstruction to the historic Brookman Building in 2008-09.^[21]

City West

City West Campus features business, law, commerce and management, along with architecture and creative arts. It is located between North Terrace and Hindley Street in buildings constructed in the 1990s for the new campus.

New building was also undertaken as part of a $167 million six-year asset plan known as Blueprint, including the $35 million Hawke building, named in honour of former Prime Minister of Australia Bob Hawke and opened in 2007.^[22]

The Hawke Building houses the second largest public art gallery in the state of South Australia, the Anne and Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery, purpose-built for exhibitions relating to culture, history and social debate and the huge Allan Scott Auditorium. It is also home to the Hawke Prime Ministerial Library and Australia’s only architecture museum.

The Blueprint project included the construction of six major buildings, extensions and upgrades across UniSA’s five campuses and also featured the Dorrit Black and Kaurna buildings complete in 2005 at City West and home to the South Australian School of Art and the Louis Laybourne Smith School of Architecture and Design.^[23]

This campus is the home of the Division of Business with the School of Management; International Graduate School of Business; School of Law; School of Commerce; School of Marketing and the School of Art, Architecture and Design. The Glenelg Tram travels along North Terrace, and a stop is located in front of the campus, near the campus library.

Magill

Magill Campus is located on St. Bernard's road. It focuses on a range of education, humanities and social science disciplines, including Psychology, Journalism, and the Study of International Relations.

Mawson Lakes

Mawson Lakes campus is the main campus for the Division of IT, Engineering and the Environment, has state-of-the-art research facilities, an extensive library and collaborative links with nearby Technology Park.

Parafield

UniSA has its own aviation academy located at Parafield with brand new Cessna aircraft with state-of-the-art Garmin 1000 cockpit displays, unique to South Australia. The aviation academy is designed to cater to students studying the Civil Aviation degree.

Whyalla

Whyalla's academic programs in foundation studies, business, engineering, social work, and nursing along with research opportunities in rural health and community development reflect UniSA's commitment to providing access to higher education. See Whyalla

Mount Gambier

The UniSA Mount Gambier campus is located next to Mount Gambier TAFE centre. The campus offers 3 degrees, full-time or part-time in Accountancy, Nursing and Social Work. Mount Gambier

Establishment of South Australia’s Mount Gambier Regional Centre (MGRC) was built in 2005. The aim was to provide greater access to university education. This need was derived from community demand. The MGRC is providing opportunities for higher education for the Mount Gambier community. It contributes to the employment needs of the region and further development of its local professionals.^[24]

Structure

Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences^[25]

A number of Schools have recently merged within the Division.

• School of Art, Architecture and Design^[26]
• School of Communication, International Studies and Languages^[27]
• School of Education ^[28]
• School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy^[29]
• The David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education & Research^[30]

• (Previous Schools:
  • School of Communication, Information and New Media^[31]
  • School of Education^[28]
  • School of International Studies^[32]
  • Louis Laybourne Smith School of Architecture and Design^[33]
  • School of Psychology^[34]
  • School of Social Work and Social Policy^[35]
  • South Australian School of Art^[36]
  • The Unaipon School^[37])

Division of Health Sciences^[38]

• School of Health Sciences^[39]
• School of Nursing and Midwifery^[40]
• School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences^[41]

Division of Business^[42]

• School of Commerce^[43]
• School of Law^[44]
• School of Management^[45]
• School of Marketing^[46]
• International Graduate School of Business^[47]

Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment^[48]

• School of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering^[49]
• School of Computer and Information Science^[50]
  • Advanced Computing Research Centre^[51]
  • Wearable Computer Lab.^[52]
• School of Electrical and Information Engineering^[53]
• School of Mathematics and Statistics^[54]
• School of Natural and Built Environments^[55]

Rankings and Achievements

The University of South Australia is ranked 14th in Australia for research income and in the top 10 Australian universities for the percentage of academics with a doctorate. ^[56]

The University of South Australia's MBA program has again been awarded 5 stars by the Graduate Management Association of Australia. In addition, Division of Business is one of only eight Australian business schools, and one of only 130 in the world, to hold the prestigious European Quality Improvement System accreditation. ^[57]

The University of South Australia is the Australian university that has achieved the biggest increase in ranking in the QS World University Rankings ^[58], and has done it for the second year in a row.

According to the latest results, the University of South Australia is ranked equal 256th in the world, which is an increase of 25 places in 2011 on top of rising 14 places the year before. The University is now ranked 11th out of all Australian universities. ^[59]

In 2011, the first Excellence in Research for Australiaassessment exercise showed around 70 per cent of UniSA research assessed at the discipline level was of a world-class standard. ^[60]

Student activities

UniLife (a students association) is a democratic organisation run by students, which is responsive to student needs. UniLife improves the quality of student life by providing administrative support to over 100 sporting and social clubs, a diverse range of events throughout the year and free advocacy and advice services, and also produces the UniSA student magazine UniLife Magazine.

After the passing of the Voluntary Student Unionism legislation the activities and collective voice of students was significantly diminished. However this has spurred the student association to work hard to offer students better value for money.

Research Institutes

• Ian Wark Research Institute ^[61]
• Institute for Telecommunications Research ^[62]
• Hawke Research Institute for Sustainable Societies (HRISS) ^[63]
• Sansom Institute for Health Research ^[64]
• Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science ^[65]
• Barbara Hardy Institute for Sustainable Environments and Technologies ^[66]

Commercialisation

ITEK was formed in 1999, its role is to implement an integrated framework for the management of intellectual property, from the early stages of research through to commercialisation (from the ITEK website). Through ITEK and the Wearable Computer Lab, the University has established the first gaming company A-Rage which solely looks at augmented reality gaming systems, though both groups have since disbanded.

Affiliations

• Australian Technology Network (ATN)
• Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee (AVCC)
• Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)

Notable alumni

Arts

• D. M. Cornish, author

Business and commerce

• Rob Chapman, Managing Director, BankSA
• David Simmons, Chief Executive Officer, Hills Industries
• Essington Lewis, Former Chairman of BHP (now BHP Biliton)

Health

• Faisal Hayat Khan, Physiotherapist, Pakistan National Cricket team

Journalism and media

• Sarah Cumming, weekday weather presenter on Seven News Sydney
• Georgina McGuinness, weekend anchor and reporter for National Nine News. (Alumna of SACAE, Magill campus, graduated 1987.)
• Rebecca Morse, Ten News presenter, former ABC reporter and presenter, and South Australian Media Awards Journalist of the Year in 2005.
• Indira Naidoo, consumer rights advocate and former television news presenter (ABC and SBS). (Alumna of SACAE. )
• Kelly Nestor, former co-anchor of National Nine News and former ABC, Channel Ten and Sky News Australia presenter. (Alumna of SACAE, Magill campus.)

Sports

• John Gloster, physiotherapist for the Indian Cricket Team

Politics

• Trish Draper, Liberal former member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Makin
• Iain Evans, former Leader of the Liberal Party in South Australia and former Leader of the Opposition in the South Australian parliament. (Alumnus of SAIT.)
• Christopher Pyne, Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Sturt, and former Minister for Ageing
• Dana Wortley, ALP member of the Australian Senate
• Nick Champion, ALP member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the Division of Wakefield
• The Hon. Michelle Lensink MLC, Liberal member of the Parliament of South Australia.
• Tom Kenyon, ALP member of the Parliament of South Australia representing the Electoral district of Newland
• The Hon. Mark Parnell MLC, SA Greens member of the Parliament of South Australia.
• Trish White, ALP member of the Parliament of South Australia representing the Electoral district of Taylor
• Tony Messner, former Liberal Senator for South Australia and federal Minister for Veterans Affairs
• Late Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew (1942–2010), Malaysian Member of Parliament, and Deputy Minister of Transportation of Malaysia.

References

External links

• Official UniSA Website
• The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre
• ITEK website
• Mount Gambier Regional Centre
• UniSA Alumni
• UniSA Alumni Hong Kong Chapter