University of Notre Dame Australia

Coordinates: 32°3′24″S 115°44′37″E / 32.05667°S 115.74361°E / -32.05667; 115.74361

The University of Notre Dame Australia

Motto	In principio erat Verbum
Motto in English	"In the beginning was the Word"
Type	Private
Established	1989
Affiliation	Catholic
Chancellor	Peter Prendiville (acting)
Vice-Chancellor	Celia Hammond
Location	Fremantle and Broome, Western Australia; Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Campus	Urban
Website	nd.edu.au

St Benedict's Church and University of Notre Dame, Sydney

Westpac Bank building, one of the many buildings in Fremantle's west end restored and used by UNDA

The University of Notre Dame Australia is an Australian private not-for-profit Catholic university with three campuses in Sydney, Fremantle and Broome.

History

The university was founded in 1989 by president and vice-chancellor, the Reverend David T. Link, who continued serving as dean of the university's law school during the two years it took to establish Notre Dame Australia. Peter Tannock succeeded Link and served as vice-chancellor, expanding the university's operations to Sydney and northwest Western Australia, and broadening the university's schools. Celia Hammond, a lawyer, was appointed as the university's third vice-chancellor in 2008. Hammond was previously the head of the university's law school in Fremantle and stated in her inauguration speech that knowledge and learning must be within a framework of humanity in order to ensure that students have love and respect for the world, not just wisdom. She also said:^[1]

"At Notre Dame we are not simply transmitters of information, creators of knowledge. Our mission will always be to teach and to educate in an environment that encourages people to seek understanding, to seek wisdom, to seek to serve, to seek to live in a way that fulfils everyone's higher purpose."

— Celia Hammond, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Notre Dame Australia, 6 August 2008

Crest

The university crest is an open Bible.

The waves below the open Bible represents the Fremantle area (the origin of the university) and Australia, a nation surrounded by water.^[2]

Campuses

The university has campuses in Fremantle and Broome, Western Australia, and in two locations in Sydney, New South Wales.

The Fremantle and Broome campuses form Western Australia's smallest university, with just over 7000 students enrolled in 2008.^[3]

In 2006, Notre Dame Australia established its first campus in Sydney in the suburb of Chippendale close to the CBD. The rapidly expanding campus occupies part of the complex of St Benedict's Church, with which it retains close ties. There are over 3000 students enrolled in arts, business, law and nursing courses. In 2008 the first cohort of students commenced at the new buildings for the schools of nursing and medicine, Darlinghurst campus. Students from the schools of nursing and medicine complete practical components of their education at most major Sydney and rural New South Wales hospitals.

From its Darlinghurst location the Sydney school of nursing offers both postgraduate and undergraduate studies.

Organisation and administration

Governance

The governance structure of Notre Dame is determined largely by its enabling act of parliament and its statutes. These specify the source, role and functions of its trustees, board of directors and board of governors and the principal officers and academic leaders of the university.

Academic structure

The university has three campuses offering courses in the following schools:^[4]

• School of Arts and Sciences (Broome, Fremantle and Sydney)
• School of Business (Fremantle and Sydney)
• School of Education (Broome, Fremantle and Sydney)
• School of Health Sciences (Fremantle)
• School of Law (Fremantle and Sydney)
• School of Medicine (Fremantle and Sydney)
• School of Nursing and Midwifery (Broome and Fremantle); School of Nursing (Sydney)
• School of Philosophy and Theology (Broome, Fremantle and Sydney)
• School of Physiotherapy (Fremantle)

School of Law

The university's law school participates in Australian Law Students' Association competitions and the AAT Mooting competitions as well as the International Maritime Moot competition. For the past two years, the school has recorded success, often finishing in the top five.

The law school ensures that all students complete a "moot" unit (known as "advocacy"). It is generally expected that law students require at least some moot experience prior to graduating.

The Notre Dame Law School Society provides a number of competitions throughout the year which consists of:

• Senior Mooting Competition
• Junior Mooting Competition
• Negotiations
• Client Interview
• AAT Moot

Notable people

The current and third chancellor of the university, since January 2011, is Terence Tobin, QC, a Sydney-based barrister.^[5] The current vice-chancellor and chief executive officer of the university, since 5 August 2008, is Celia Hammond, a lawyer.^[1][6]

Alumni and faculty

Academics

Objects

The university's objects are defined in its act of parliament:^[7]

• the provision of university education, within a context of Catholic faith and values; and
• the provision of an excellent standard of
  • teaching, scholarship and research;
  • training for the professions; and
  • pastoral care for its students.

Catholic ethos

The university ensures that it maintains its Catholic ethos^[8] by providing students and staff with various facilities. One of the most prominent expressions of this ethos is the daily Mass at the university's chapels; 12:35 at both the Fremantle and Sydney campuses. Each school takes turns to facilitate Mass on Wednesdays (such as providing lectors for the readings) and a schola cantorum composed of students, staff and faculty sing Masses on both campuses.

Quality assurance

The university is a self-accrediting institution and is subject to regular quality audits and registration processes undertaken by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency.^[9]

Facilities and services

Libraries

Tannock Hall

Fremantle Campus has three libraries: St Teresa's Library, Galvin Medical Library, and Craven Law Library.

Sydney campus has St Benedict's Library (Broadway) and the Benedict XVI Medical Library (Darlinghurst).

There is also library on the Broome Campus.

Student support

The student life office provides students and staff with a number of services including:

• Counselling
• Academic workshops
• Study abroad
• Pastoral care
• Sporting events
• Community service

See also

• List of universities in Australia
• Rural Clinical School of Western Australia

References

External links

• Official website

Universities in Australia Tertiary education in Australia Australian Capital Territory Australian Defence Force Academy (UNSW accredited degrees) Australian National University University of Canberra New South Wales Charles Sturt University Macquarie University Southern Cross University University of Newcastle University of New England University of New South Wales University of Sydney University of Technology Sydney University of Wollongong Western Sydney University Northern Territory Charles Darwin University Queensland Bond University Central Queensland University Griffith University James Cook University University of Queensland Queensland University of Technology University of Southern Queensland University of the Sunshine Coast South Australia University of Adelaide Carnegie Mellon University, Australia Flinders University University of South Australia Torrens University Australia UCL Australia Tasmania Australian Maritime College (UTAS accredited degrees) University of Tasmania Victoria Deakin University University of Divinity Federation University Australia La Trobe University University of Melbourne Monash University RMIT University Swinburne University of Technology Victoria University Western Australia Curtin University Edith Cowan University Murdoch University University of Notre Dame Australia University of Western Australia National Australian Catholic University Education in Australia