History and Development of the University of Melbourne
- Established in 1853
- Second oldest university in Australia
- Located in Melbourne, Victoria
- Main campus in Parkville
- Several other campuses across Victoria
- Proposed by Hugh Childers in 1852
- Established by Act of Incorporation in 1853
- Power to confer degrees in arts, medicine, laws, and music
- Annual endowment of £9,000
- Special grant of £20,000 for buildings
- Expansion of offerings and courses in the 1900s-1970s
- Diploma of Education established in 1903
- Growth facilitated by increased government funding
- School of Dentistry established
- Notable site for research and leader in Australia
- Amalgamation with tertiary colleges in the 1980s-2000s
- Melbourne Teachers College brought into the Faculty of Education in 1988
- College of Advanced Education incorporated in 1989
- Victorian College of the Arts affiliation in 1992
- Establishment of Melbourne School of Population Health in 2001
- Introduction of Melbourne Model and curriculum restructure in 2008
- Replaced traditional undergraduate specialist degrees
- Two-degree undergraduate/graduate structure
- Over 100 undergraduate degrees replaced with six generalist degrees
- Focus on interdisciplinary learning and flexibility in course selection
Restructure, Controversies, and Impact of COVID-19
- Business Improvement Program introduced in the 2010s
- Resulted in the sacking of 500 administrative staff
- Administrative responsibilities transferred to academic staff
- $2 billion spent on new buildings across the campuses
- Melbourne School of Land and Environment disestablished
- Allegations of a toxic workplace culture within the Faculty of Arts
- Controversy over high salaries earned by the Vice Chancellor
- University became increasingly reliant on revenue from international students
- Largest layoff of academic staff, axing 450 positions
- On-campus teaching limited and moved to online delivery due to COVID-19
- Telecommunication platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams used for online learning
- Majority of teaching moved online again due to the Delta variant outbreak
- Halt in international student arrivals causing a major loss in revenue
- Repayment of unpaid marking to casual tutors
- Wage theft and underpayment controversies towards casual staff
- University owed Faculty of Arts teaching staff an estimated $6 million
- Vice-Chancellor issued an apology for systematically underpaying staff and repaid $9.5 million
- Sustained criticism for poor conditions of casualised academic workforce
- Protests and strikes by National Tertiary Education Union members
Campuses of the University of Melbourne
- Main campus in Parkville
- Additional campuses at Burnley, Southbank, Werribee, Creswick, Dookie, and Shepparton
- Southbank campus home to the Victorian College of the Arts and the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Burnley campus specializes in ornamental and environmental horticulture
- Creswick campus focuses on forest science education and research
- Dookie campus dedicated to agriculture and agricultural teaching and learning
- Shepparton campus part of the Melbourne Medical School and provides comprehensive primary healthcare
- Werribee campus for research and teaching for the Melbourne Veterinary School
- Fishermans Bend campus in the design phase for a new engineering campus
Former Campuses of the University of Melbourne
- Glenormiston campus now Glenormiston College
- Longerenong campus now Longerenong College
- McMillan campus based in Leongatha and Warragul
- Gilbert Chandler Campus based in Werribee
Governance, Endowment, and Faculties/Programs of the University of Melbourne
- Governance grounded in the University of Melbourne Act 2009
- Council as the peak governing body
- Academic Board overseeing teaching, research, and learning activities
- Committee of Convocation representing graduates
- Hierarchy of delegations framework for university operations
- Endowment of approximately $1.335 billion, the largest of any Australian tertiary institution
- Fundraising campaign titled 'Believe' raising $500 million by 2016
- Multiple faculties and programs, including the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, Faculty of Architecture
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb north of Melbourne's central business district, with several other campuses located across Victoria.
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| Latin: Universitas Melburniensis | |||||||||
| Motto | Postera Crescam Laude (Latin) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Motto in English | I shall grow in the esteem of future generations | ||||||||
| Type | Public research university | ||||||||
| Established | 22 January 1853 | ||||||||
| Accreditation | TEQSA | ||||||||
Academic affiliation | |||||||||
| Endowment | AU$1.287 billion (2022) | ||||||||
| Chancellor | Jane Hansen AO | ||||||||
| Vice-president | Paul Axup Nick Blinco | ||||||||
| Vice-Chancellor | Prof Duncan Maskell | ||||||||
| Provost | Prof Nicola Phillips | ||||||||
Academic staff | 4,945 (2022) | ||||||||
Administrative staff | 4,864 (2022) | ||||||||
Total staff | 9,809 (2022) | ||||||||
| Students | 52,712 (2022) | ||||||||
| Undergraduates | 27,156 (51.5%) | ||||||||
| Postgraduates | 21,967 (41.7%) | ||||||||
| 3,590 (6.8%) | |||||||||
| Location | , , 37°47′47″S 144°57′41″E / 37.7963°S 144.9614°E | ||||||||
| Campus | Urban and regional with multiple sites 35.2 hectares (0.35 km2) (Parkville Campus) 2,507 hectares (25.1 km2) (Total) | ||||||||
| Colours | Traditional Heritage Blue and Dark | ||||||||
| Nickname | Black Angels Renegades Lightning | ||||||||
Sporting affiliations | |||||||||
| Mascot | Barry the Bear | ||||||||
| Website | unimelb.edu.au | ||||||||
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Incorporated in the 19th century by the colony of Victoria, the University of Melbourne is one of Australia's six sandstone universities and a member of the Group of Eight, Universitas 21, Washington University's McDonnell International Scholars Academy, and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. Since 1872, many residential colleges have become affiliated with the university, providing accommodation for students and faculty, and academic, sporting and cultural programs. There are ten colleges located on the main campus and in nearby suburbs.
The university comprises ten separate academic units and is associated with numerous institutes and research centres, including the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research and the Grattan Institute. The university has fifteen graduate schools, including the Melbourne Business School, the Melbourne Law School, the Melbourne Veterinary School, and the Melbourne Medical School.
Four Australian prime ministers and five governors-general have graduated from the University of Melbourne. Eight Nobel Laureates have taught, studied and researched at the University of Melbourne, the most of any Australian university.
The university's coat of arms is a blue shield on which a depiction of "Victory" in white colour holds her laurel wreath over the stars of the Southern Cross. The motto, Postera crescam laude ("Later I shall grow by praise" or, more freely, "We shall grow in the esteem of future generations"), is written on a scroll beneath the shield. The Latin is from a line in Horace's Odes: ego postera crescam laude recens.
