History of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
Encyclopedia
The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
(RMIT) is an Australian public university
, founded by The Hon. Francis Ormond
MLA
in 1887, in Melbourne
, Victoria
.
In 1881, prominent grazier and philanthropist
, The Hon. Francis Ormond
, proposed that a technical college would serve "useful" to City of Melbourne
. Ormond, who had donated the majority of funds towards the foundation of Ormond College at the University of Melbourne
, offered £5,000 towards the establishment of a college on the proviso that the public contribute a "like sum".
A considerable sum was raised by the Council of the Melbourne Trades Hall, which rallied support amongst its membership of unions. Construction of the "Working Men's College
" then began in 1886, on a site provided by the Colony of Victoria
, next to the Melbourne Magistrates' Court
, and adjacent the Melbourne Public Library
on La Trobe Street
. The College was officially opened during a gala ceremony on June 4, 1887 and, on the night of its opening, took 320 enrollments which increased to over 1000 in its first 12 months of operation. Ormond, a staunch believer in the values of education and a tireless campaigner for the College, served as its President till his death in 1889.
The College began offering full-time courses in 1899 and was incorporated under the "Companies Act" as a private college in 1904. Around the turn of the century, it began developing courses in engineering
, applied science
, chemistry
, metallurgy
and mining
. Between the 1900s and the 1920s, the College expanded beyond its foundation building, and constructed two new buildings on nearby Bowen Street, a new Art School and also acquired the neighbouring, and recently decommissioned, Melbourne Gaol site for expansion.
During the 1930s, the College underwent further expansion with the completion of an Engineering School and a Radio School, and two more buildings constructed on Bowen Street. In 1934, the College officially changed its name to the "Melbourne Technical College" (incorporating The Working Men's College), after a representation from its Student's Association.
, Ned Kelly
(who was hanged at the gaol), were believed to have been discovered during the construction of the Kernot Engineering School. These remains were later reinterred Pentridge Prison, and rediscovered in 2008. However, no conclusive evidence of the remains suggest they are that of Ned Kelly's, and many historians believe his remains are still buried under the present day RMIT.
and in World War II
. Initially, between 1917 and 1919, it trained over 1500 returned ANZAC service men from World War I in vocational qualifications for post-war life in Australia. Between 1939 and 1945, during World War II, it made a greater contribution to Australia's war efforts by training 23,000 service men and women (approximately one-sixth of all trained in Australia), mainly Royal Australian Air Force
personnel in radio communications, as well as 2,000 civilians in munitions manufacturing. The Government of Australia
also commissioned the College to manufacture parts for the Air Force's DAP Beaufort Bomber
.
After World War II, and during the 1950s, the College again trained returned service men and women for post-war life, which prompted the development of courses in food technology
, transport studies
, accountancy
and advertising
, and the revision of its art syllabuses. During this time, the College also embraced the Commonwealth of Nations
' newly devised Colombo Plan
, which increased its intake of South East Asian students greatly.
by Queen Elizabeth II - for its service to the Commonwealth in the area of education and for its contribution to the war effort; and was officially renamed the "Royal Melbourne Technical College". It became (and remains to this day) the only higher education institution in Australia with the right of the prefix "Royal" along with the use of the Monarchy of England's regalia
.
In 1960, the Council of the College voted to begin the process of reconstituting the college as a tertiary institution. The name of the College was then officially changed to the "Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology".
During the late 1950s and 1960s, the non-tertiary branch of RMIT was reconstituted as the "Technical College" (TAFE), and it was believed the Institute and the College would eventually separate. However, the two have remained as incorporated branches of RMIT to the present day. During the 1960s, RMIT's Art School established its reputations as an Australian leader in its field.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, the Institute expanded its degrees in business
and engineering
, and the College expanded its courses in technology
and general studies. In 1979, the neighbouring Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy
on Russell Street
amalgamated with RMIT, bringing with it its reputation in fashion design
and food technology
. RMIT's Aeronautics School also established its reputation as an Australian leader in its field, during the late 1970s.
RMIT celebrated its centenary in 1987 with a year-long calendar of events staged across the City of Melbourne
, a time capsule
set in the Bowen Street courtyard of the foundation building of the Working Men's College on La Trobe Street
and a book called "The Tech: A Centenary History of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology", documenting the institute's 100 years of history, was also published.
In 1992, RMIT was granted public university
status by the Parliament of Victoria
under the "Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Act". RMIT's newly appointed Chancellery officially adopted the names "RMIT University" for its Institute branch and "RMIT TAFE" for its College branch, during the early 1990s, and its Design School also established its reputation as an international leader in eco-friendly design.
In 1995, RMIT acquired the neighbouring, and recently vacated, former Melbourne Magistrates' Court
and City Watch House buildings on the corner of La Trobe Street
and Russell Street
, and renamed its expanding campus in Melbourne the "City campus
". It also established a new enivronmentally sustainable "country campus" around 20 km from the City campus, in Bundoora
, which opened in 1995.
In 1999, it acquired the derelict state heritage-listed Capitol Theatre
in the Melbourne CBD, and refurbished it to its original design. It also established a specialised fashion
and printing
campus in Brunswick
, on the site of the former Melbourne Institute of Textiles in 1999, and became a founding member of the Australian Technology Network
, a coalition of leading Australian universities working with industry.
At the turn of the century, RMIT was invited by the Government of Vietnam
to establish Vietnam
's first foreign-owned university. In 2001, it established "RMIT International University, Vietnam
" near the centre of Ho Chi Minh City
, and a second campus in the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi
in 2004. In its years of operation, the Government of Vietnam has awarded RMIT International University five Golden Dragon Awards for Education.
During the mid 2000s, RMIT experienced financial problems, partly due to problems associated with its student administration system upgrade (A$47 million was spent in this effort). The financial problems eventually claimed the then Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ruth Dunkin. In 2005, RMIT appointed a new Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Margaret Gardner
AO
and, between 2006 and 2007, posted operating profits of A$50.1 million and then A$109.5 million each year respectively. In 2006, it also became a founding member of the Global U8 Consortium
.
RMIT University
RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
(RMIT) is an Australian public university
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
, founded by The Hon. Francis Ormond
Francis Ormond
Francis Ormond was a Scottish-born Australian pastoralist, member of the Parliament of Victoria and philanthropist in the areas of education and religion....
MLA
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
in 1887, in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
.
The Working Men's College
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, The Hon. Francis Ormond
Francis Ormond
Francis Ormond was a Scottish-born Australian pastoralist, member of the Parliament of Victoria and philanthropist in the areas of education and religion....
, proposed that a technical college would serve "useful" to City of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Ormond, who had donated the majority of funds towards the foundation of Ormond College at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, offered £5,000 towards the establishment of a college on the proviso that the public contribute a "like sum".
A considerable sum was raised by the Council of the Melbourne Trades Hall, which rallied support amongst its membership of unions. Construction of the "Working Men's College
Working Men's College of Melbourne
The Working Men's College of Melbourne was an Australian college of further education located in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1887 by a prominent Victorian parliamentarian and philanthropist, Francis Ormond....
" then began in 1886, on a site provided by the Colony of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, next to the Melbourne Magistrates' Court
Melbourne Magistrates' Court
The Melbourne Magistrates' Court is a venue of the Magistrates' Court of Victoria. It is a court in Melbourne, Australia that deals with a range of criminal offences, money claims and disputes up to $100,000 and family violence and family law proceedings...
, and adjacent the Melbourne Public Library
State Library of Victoria
The State Library of Victoria is the central library of the state of Victoria, Australia, located in Melbourne. It is on the block bounded by Swanston, La Trobe, Russell, and Little Lonsdale streets, in the northern centre of the central business district...
on La Trobe Street
La Trobe Street, Melbourne
La Trobe Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs roughly from east to west and forms the northern boundary of the CBD ....
. The College was officially opened during a gala ceremony on June 4, 1887 and, on the night of its opening, took 320 enrollments which increased to over 1000 in its first 12 months of operation. Ormond, a staunch believer in the values of education and a tireless campaigner for the College, served as its President till his death in 1889.
The College began offering full-time courses in 1899 and was incorporated under the "Companies Act" as a private college in 1904. Around the turn of the century, it began developing courses in engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, applied science
Applied science
Applied science is the application of scientific knowledge transferred into a physical environment. Examples include testing a theoretical model through the use of formal science or solving a practical problem through the use of natural science....
, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
and mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
. Between the 1900s and the 1920s, the College expanded beyond its foundation building, and constructed two new buildings on nearby Bowen Street, a new Art School and also acquired the neighbouring, and recently decommissioned, Melbourne Gaol site for expansion.
During the 1930s, the College underwent further expansion with the completion of an Engineering School and a Radio School, and two more buildings constructed on Bowen Street. In 1934, the College officially changed its name to the "Melbourne Technical College" (incorporating The Working Men's College), after a representation from its Student's Association.
Legend of Ned Kelly's remains
After the closure and partial demolishment of the nearby Old Melbourne Gaol, during the 1920s, the College acquired the site for future expansion. In 1929, the remains of Australia's most notorious bushrangerBushranger
Bushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...
, Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly
Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
(who was hanged at the gaol), were believed to have been discovered during the construction of the Kernot Engineering School. These remains were later reinterred Pentridge Prison, and rediscovered in 2008. However, no conclusive evidence of the remains suggest they are that of Ned Kelly's, and many historians believe his remains are still buried under the present day RMIT.
Contribution to WWI and WWII
The College contributed to Australia's war efforts both in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Initially, between 1917 and 1919, it trained over 1500 returned ANZAC service men from World War I in vocational qualifications for post-war life in Australia. Between 1939 and 1945, during World War II, it made a greater contribution to Australia's war efforts by training 23,000 service men and women (approximately one-sixth of all trained in Australia), mainly Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
personnel in radio communications, as well as 2,000 civilians in munitions manufacturing. The Government of Australia
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
also commissioned the College to manufacture parts for the Air Force's DAP Beaufort Bomber
Bristol Beaufort
The Bristol Beaufort was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber....
.
After World War II, and during the 1950s, the College again trained returned service men and women for post-war life, which prompted the development of courses in food technology
Food technology
Food technology, is a branch of food science which deals with the actual production processes to make foods.-Early history of food technology:...
, transport studies
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
, accountancy
Accountancy
Accountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
and advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
, and the revision of its art syllabuses. During this time, the College also embraced the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
' newly devised Colombo Plan
Colombo Plan
The Colombo Plan is a regional organization that embodies the concept of collective inter-governmental effort to strengthen economic and social development of member countries in the Asia-Pacific Region...
, which increased its intake of South East Asian students greatly.
Royal patronage and birth of RMIT
In 1954, the College was awarded royal patronageRoyal patronage
Royal patronage may refer to*Royal patronage in arts, commerce, etc.*Patronato real*Padroado...
by Queen Elizabeth II - for its service to the Commonwealth in the area of education and for its contribution to the war effort; and was officially renamed the "Royal Melbourne Technical College". It became (and remains to this day) the only higher education institution in Australia with the right of the prefix "Royal" along with the use of the Monarchy of England's regalia
Regalia
Regalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...
.
In 1960, the Council of the College voted to begin the process of reconstituting the college as a tertiary institution. The name of the College was then officially changed to the "Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology".
During the late 1950s and 1960s, the non-tertiary branch of RMIT was reconstituted as the "Technical College" (TAFE), and it was believed the Institute and the College would eventually separate. However, the two have remained as incorporated branches of RMIT to the present day. During the 1960s, RMIT's Art School established its reputations as an Australian leader in its field.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, the Institute expanded its degrees in business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, and the College expanded its courses in technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
and general studies. In 1979, the neighbouring Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy
Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy
The Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy was an Australian domestic science college for women, in Melbourne, Victoria.It was officially opened on 27 April 1927 by Her Royal Highness Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Duchess of York, and later Queen Consort....
on Russell Street
Russell Street, Melbourne
Russell Street is a north-south street in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid laid out in 1837. At its southern end it intersects with Flinders Street and Federation Square, while at its northern end it becomes Lygon Street, a street famous for its...
amalgamated with RMIT, bringing with it its reputation in fashion design
Fashion design
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
and food technology
Food technology
Food technology, is a branch of food science which deals with the actual production processes to make foods.-Early history of food technology:...
. RMIT's Aeronautics School also established its reputation as an Australian leader in its field, during the late 1970s.
RMIT celebrated its centenary in 1987 with a year-long calendar of events staged across the City of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, a time capsule
Time capsule
A time capsule is an historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians...
set in the Bowen Street courtyard of the foundation building of the Working Men's College on La Trobe Street
La Trobe Street, Melbourne
La Trobe Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs roughly from east to west and forms the northern boundary of the CBD ....
and a book called "The Tech: A Centenary History of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology", documenting the institute's 100 years of history, was also published.
In 1992, RMIT was granted public university
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
status by the Parliament of Victoria
Parliament of Victoria
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and consists of The Queen, represented by the Governor of Victoria; the Legislative Council ; and the Legislative Assembly...
under the "Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Act". RMIT's newly appointed Chancellery officially adopted the names "RMIT University" for its Institute branch and "RMIT TAFE" for its College branch, during the early 1990s, and its Design School also established its reputation as an international leader in eco-friendly design.
Expansion for the 21st Century
Following its reconstitution as a public university, RMIT then underwent a large and rapid expansion where a number of other institutes and colleges became amalgamated with it, between 1993 and 1999, which included: Phillip Institute of Technology, Melbourne College of Decoration and Design, Melbourne College of Printing and Graphic Art and Melbourne Institute of Textiles.In 1995, RMIT acquired the neighbouring, and recently vacated, former Melbourne Magistrates' Court
Former Melbourne Magistrates' Court
The Former Melbourne Magistrates' Court building, located on the corner of La Trobe and Russell streets in the Melbourne CBD, was the original home of the City of Melbourne's City Court and District Court, and also housed an emergency court....
and City Watch House buildings on the corner of La Trobe Street
La Trobe Street, Melbourne
La Trobe Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs roughly from east to west and forms the northern boundary of the CBD ....
and Russell Street
Russell Street, Melbourne
Russell Street is a north-south street in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid laid out in 1837. At its southern end it intersects with Flinders Street and Federation Square, while at its northern end it becomes Lygon Street, a street famous for its...
, and renamed its expanding campus in Melbourne the "City campus
RMIT City
RMIT City is the original and flagship campus of the Australian public university and vocational education provider, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology ....
". It also established a new enivronmentally sustainable "country campus" around 20 km from the City campus, in Bundoora
Bundoora, Victoria
Bundoora is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north from the Melbourne central business district. Its Local Government Area are the cities of Banyule, Darebin and Whittlesea. At the 2006 Census, Bundoora had a population of 24,018....
, which opened in 1995.
In 1999, it acquired the derelict state heritage-listed Capitol Theatre
Capitol Theatre, Melbourne
Opened in 1924, The Capitol Theatre is a spectacularly designed single screen cinema located in Melbourne, Australia . On 20 May 1999, it was purchased by Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology , and is currently used for both university lectures and cultural events such as film and comedy festivals...
in the Melbourne CBD, and refurbished it to its original design. It also established a specialised fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
and printing
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
campus in Brunswick
Brunswick, Victoria
Brunswick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland...
, on the site of the former Melbourne Institute of Textiles in 1999, and became a founding member of the Australian Technology Network
Australian Technology Network
The Australian Technology Network is a network of five universities from each mainland state of Australia, with a heritage of working closely with industry...
, a coalition of leading Australian universities working with industry.
At the turn of the century, RMIT was invited by the Government of Vietnam
Politics of Vietnam
Notwithstanding the 1992 Constitution's affirmation of the central role of the Communist Party, the National Assembly, according to the Constitution, is the highest representative body of the people and the only organization with legislative powers. It has a broad mandate to oversee all government...
to establish Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
's first foreign-owned university. In 2001, it established "RMIT International University, Vietnam
RMIT International University, Vietnam
The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology is an Australian-based university operating in Vietnam, with its main campus located in Ho Chi Minh City and a second campus in Hanoi...
" near the centre of Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
, and a second campus in the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
in 2004. In its years of operation, the Government of Vietnam has awarded RMIT International University five Golden Dragon Awards for Education.
During the mid 2000s, RMIT experienced financial problems, partly due to problems associated with its student administration system upgrade (A$47 million was spent in this effort). The financial problems eventually claimed the then Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ruth Dunkin. In 2005, RMIT appointed a new Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Margaret Gardner
Margaret Gardner
Professor Margaret Elaine Gardner, AO is an Australian academic, community leader and economist, and the current Vice-Chancellor of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia.-Education:Prof...
AO
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
and, between 2006 and 2007, posted operating profits of A$50.1 million and then A$109.5 million each year respectively. In 2006, it also became a founding member of the Global U8 Consortium
Global U8 Consortium
The Global U8 Consortium or GU8 is an educational consortium of eight leading universities located in coastal, maritime and seaport cities in Australia, China, France, Israel, South Korea, UK and USA. In 2008, Dr...
.
See also
- RMIT UniversityRMIT UniversityRMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
- RMIT International University, VietnamRMIT International University, VietnamThe Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology is an Australian-based university operating in Vietnam, with its main campus located in Ho Chi Minh City and a second campus in Hanoi...
- Francis OrmondFrancis OrmondFrancis Ormond was a Scottish-born Australian pastoralist, member of the Parliament of Victoria and philanthropist in the areas of education and religion....