University of Ballarat
Encyclopedia
The University of Ballarat is a dual-sector
university
in Ballarat, Victoria
, Australia
. It was formed by the passage of an Act of the Victorian Parliament
in 1994, from the Ballarat College of Advanced Education. It subsequently merged with the Ballarat School of Mines and Industries (1870) and the Horsham based Wimmera Institute of TAFE in 1998 to create a larger University.
According to the university's records as of 2008, there were 25,810 students consisting of 13,820 higher education students and 11,990 Technical and Further Education
students. The report states that 11,460 students are at the Ballarat campus, but does not differentiate between higher education students and Technical and Further Education
students. In terms of higher degrees, there were 6,145 masters students, which is more numerous than the 6,048 bachelor students. In terms of students who are not located on a campus of the university, there were 12,481 students with partnership institutions such as the Melbourne Institute of Technology
.
The University of Ballarat has a long history that goes back to the gold rush era of the 1850s. Tertiary education at Ballarat began with the establishment of the School of Mines and Industries in 1870, making it Australia's third oldest tertiary institution. It is for this reason that the 1870 Founders Hall at the University of Ballarat was built.
People such as Redmond Barry
who also founded the State Library of Victoria were involved in the original establishment to create an institution of equivalent standing to a university to offer degree level courses at Ballarat.
The School of Mines had two divisions - a tertiary division and a technical division. The tertiary division provided higher education courses such as mining engineering, geology,
education and business studies, while the technical division provided such programs as wool classing, plumbing and bricklaying.
The organisation remained in that form until the 1960s when it was split into two institutions. The School of Mines remained intact offering technical and secondary level programs, while the tertiary division became Ballarat Institute of Advanced Education. In the 1970s it was renamed Ballarat College of Advanced Education.
In the late 1980s the Dawkins Revolution
had arrived and Ballarat CAE was in danger of losing its long historical identity. In an era where larger metropolitan colleges were opting for mergers with existing universities, such as Chisholm Institute of Technology with Monash University
, Melbourne College of Advanced Education with Melbourne University, Philip Institute of Technology with RMIT University
, Lincoln Institute of Health Science and Bendigo College of Advanced Education with La Trobe University
, and Victoria College
and Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education
with Geelong's Deakin University
, Ballarat was faced with the prospect of merging with Deakin University, an option the board of Ballarat CAE did not want to accept, arguing in the words of the then director Professor John Sharpham, that "Deakin is not strong" and who attempted to arrange a merger of "equal sides" where Ballarat CAE, Warrnambool IAE, and Deakin would merge to become the University of Western Victoria. Under this arrangement, Ballarat would get 50% of voting power, with Geelong and Warrnambool the other 50%.
The proposal was rejected by Deakin, which left Ballarat as the only college in Victoria not to become a university. The University of Melbourne then allowed Ballarat CAE to become an affiliated college of the University. The name of Ballarat CAE was changed to "Ballarat University College, an affiliated College of the University of Melbourne", which are the actual words put on graduates' testamurs. At this point it seemed that BUC would become the Ballarat campus of Melbourne University, which would have given it a sizable rural campus in Western Victoria. This, however, did not eventuate, with some critics suggesting that it was too prestigious.
Ballarat University College then sought to become a fully-fledged university in its own right. This began when Professor John Sharpham asked the board of BUC why, if Southern Cross University
was allowed to separate from the University of New England
by becoming a university in its own right, Ballarat should not be allowed to do the same. The Federal Government was lobbied and responded by sending three Vice-Chancellors (one of them, incidentally, being from the University of New England) to Ballarat to consider the matter. The result was favorable and the university college became a university in 1994. Its sole link to the University of Melbourne was that Melbourne would observe the academic standards at the new university for a five-year period.
Upon creation of the university, the announcement by the Foundation Chancellor Professor Geoffrey Blainey
of the inaugural Vice-Chancellor of University of Ballarat proved controversial, with Professor Sharpham being overlooked in favour of Professor David James (Deakin University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor).
The University's teaching performance also was ranked in the top ten of Australian universities according to data released by the Federal Department of Education, Science and Training in 2005. Melbourne Institute Rankings.
The following organisations are current organisations that are operating from the park.
More than 1350 people are employed by tenants at the technology park with approximately half of those holding University of Ballarat qualifications. Recently IBM
decided to expand its workforce with the construction of a new $10 million building on the park. It is Australia's leading regional technology park.
Beyond the formal research program, the University of Ballarat has a strong history of scholarly activity and research that pre-dates its accreditation as a University in 1994.
Located in central Ballarat and incorporates the original School of Mines Ballarat and old Ballaraat Gaol. The SMB Campus offers courses from Certificate level through to Applied Bachelor Degrees.
Most courses offered by SMB Campus schools are designed to provide a pathway into a higher level qualification via articulation
, offering Recognition of Prior Learning
and Credit Transfer
assessment that may give prospective students subject credit based on work skills and prior qualifications.
It contains two residences, Peter Lalor
Hall and Bella Guerin
Hall, and contains the following schools:
School of Education and Arts;
School of Health Sciences;
School of Science, Information Technology and Engineering; and
The Business School.
Dual sector education
Dual sector education is a system of tertiary education that includes substantial amounts of both vocational and higher education in the same institution. Dual sector education is offered by colleges and universities worldwide, most prominently in Australia, Austria, Germany, Ireland, New...
university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Ballarat, 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....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was formed by the passage of an Act of the Victorian Parliament
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...
in 1994, from the Ballarat College of Advanced Education. It subsequently merged with the Ballarat School of Mines and Industries (1870) and the Horsham based Wimmera Institute of TAFE in 1998 to create a larger University.
According to the university's records as of 2008, there were 25,810 students consisting of 13,820 higher education students and 11,990 Technical and Further Education
Technical and Further Education
In Australia, training and further education or TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education courses, mostly qualifying courses under the National Training System/Australian Qualifications Framework/Australian Quality Training Framework...
students. The report states that 11,460 students are at the Ballarat campus, but does not differentiate between higher education students and Technical and Further Education
Technical and Further Education
In Australia, training and further education or TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education courses, mostly qualifying courses under the National Training System/Australian Qualifications Framework/Australian Quality Training Framework...
students. In terms of higher degrees, there were 6,145 masters students, which is more numerous than the 6,048 bachelor students. In terms of students who are not located on a campus of the university, there were 12,481 students with partnership institutions such as the Melbourne Institute of Technology
Melbourne Institute of Technology
Melbourne Institute of Technology is a college in the city of Melbourne which has a partnership relationship with the University of Ballarat....
.
History
The University of Ballarat has a long history that goes back to the gold rush era of the 1850s. Tertiary education at Ballarat began with the establishment of the School of Mines and Industries in 1870, making it Australia's third oldest tertiary institution. It is for this reason that the 1870 Founders Hall at the University of Ballarat was built.
People such as Redmond Barry
Redmond Barry
Sir Redmond Barry KCMG was an Irish colonial judge in Victoria, Australia.-Early life:Barry was the son of Major-General Henry Green Barry, of Ballyclough, County Cork and his wife Phoebe Drought, daughter of John Armstrong Drought and Letita Head...
who also founded the State Library of Victoria were involved in the original establishment to create an institution of equivalent standing to a university to offer degree level courses at Ballarat.
The School of Mines had two divisions - a tertiary division and a technical division. The tertiary division provided higher education courses such as mining engineering, geology,
education and business studies, while the technical division provided such programs as wool classing, plumbing and bricklaying.
The organisation remained in that form until the 1960s when it was split into two institutions. The School of Mines remained intact offering technical and secondary level programs, while the tertiary division became Ballarat Institute of Advanced Education. In the 1970s it was renamed Ballarat College of Advanced Education.
In the late 1980s the Dawkins Revolution
Dawkins Revolution
The Dawkins Revolution was a series of Australian tertiary education reforms instituted by the then Labor Education Minister John Dawkins....
had arrived and Ballarat CAE was in danger of losing its long historical identity. In an era where larger metropolitan colleges were opting for mergers with existing universities, such as Chisholm Institute of Technology with Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
, Melbourne College of Advanced Education with Melbourne University, Philip Institute of Technology with RMIT University
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....
, Lincoln Institute of Health Science and Bendigo College of Advanced Education with La Trobe University
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are...
, and Victoria College
Victoria College, Melbourne
Victoria College was a College of Advanced Education in Melbourne, Australia. It was created as a result of the merger on December 23 1981 of the State College of Victoria colleges at Burwood, Rusden and Toorak with the Prahran College of Advanced Education...
and Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education
Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education
Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education was a college of advanced education in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. It operated for twenty years, from 1970-1990. It offered undergraduate and postgraduate programs in aquaculture, arts, business, nursing, municipal engineering, appiled science and...
with Geelong's Deakin University
Deakin University
Deakin University is an Australian public university with nearly 40,000 higher education students in 2010. It receives more than A$600 million in operating revenue annually, and controls more than A$1.3 billion in assets. It received more than A$35 million in research income in 2009 and had 835...
, Ballarat was faced with the prospect of merging with Deakin University, an option the board of Ballarat CAE did not want to accept, arguing in the words of the then director Professor John Sharpham, that "Deakin is not strong" and who attempted to arrange a merger of "equal sides" where Ballarat CAE, Warrnambool IAE, and Deakin would merge to become the University of Western Victoria. Under this arrangement, Ballarat would get 50% of voting power, with Geelong and Warrnambool the other 50%.
The proposal was rejected by Deakin, which left Ballarat as the only college in Victoria not to become a university. The University of Melbourne then allowed Ballarat CAE to become an affiliated college of the University. The name of Ballarat CAE was changed to "Ballarat University College, an affiliated College of the University of Melbourne", which are the actual words put on graduates' testamurs. At this point it seemed that BUC would become the Ballarat campus of Melbourne University, which would have given it a sizable rural campus in Western Victoria. This, however, did not eventuate, with some critics suggesting that it was too prestigious.
Ballarat University College then sought to become a fully-fledged university in its own right. This began when Professor John Sharpham asked the board of BUC why, if Southern Cross University
Southern Cross University
Southern Cross University is a university based on the North and Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is a regional University with more than 14,000 students. The University's primary campus is in Lismore, with other campuses located at Coffs Harbour and Tweed Heads.The University is...
was allowed to separate from the University of New England
University of New England, Australia
The University of New England is an Australian public university with approximately 18,000 higher education students. Its original and main campus is located in the city of Armidale in northern New South Wales....
by becoming a university in its own right, Ballarat should not be allowed to do the same. The Federal Government was lobbied and responded by sending three Vice-Chancellors (one of them, incidentally, being from the University of New England) to Ballarat to consider the matter. The result was favorable and the university college became a university in 1994. Its sole link to the University of Melbourne was that Melbourne would observe the academic standards at the new university for a five-year period.
Upon creation of the university, the announcement by the Foundation Chancellor Professor Geoffrey Blainey
Geoffrey Blainey
Geoffrey Norman Blainey AC , is a prominent Australian historian.Blainey was born in Melbourne and raised in a series of Victorian country towns before attending Wesley College and the University of Melbourne. While at university he was editor of Farrago, the newspaper of the University of...
of the inaugural Vice-Chancellor of University of Ballarat proved controversial, with Professor Sharpham being overlooked in favour of Professor David James (Deakin University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor).
Status and rankings
The University achieved a maximum five-star rating for teaching quality in the 2011 Good Universities Guide. This was accompanied by four stars for graduate satisfaction, staff-student ratios, getting a job, access by equity groups and cultural diversity. This places the University in the top tier of regional universities.The University's teaching performance also was ranked in the top ten of Australian universities according to data released by the Federal Department of Education, Science and Training in 2005. Melbourne Institute Rankings.
Technology Park
The university has a technology park with the mission to facilitate the development of technology based companies or companies that benefit from the technological resources of the university.The following organisations are current organisations that are operating from the park.
- CFACountry Fire AuthorityCountry Fire Authority, or CFA, is the name of the fire service that provides firefighting and other emergency services to all of the country areas and regional townships within the state of Victoria, Australia, as well as large portions of the outer suburban areas and growth corridors of Melbourne...
Country Fire Authority - IBMIBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
South East Asia - IBM Regional Software Solutions Centre
- Greenhill Enterprise Centre
- Ambulance VictoriaAmbulance VictoriaSince 1 July 2008 emergency ambulance services in Victoria have been provided by a single provider known as Ambulance Victoria. It was formed from the three previous providers of emergency ambulance services: the Metropolitan Ambulance Service , Rural Ambulance Victoria , and the Alexandra District...
- State Revenue Office
- Conservation Volunteers
- Global Innovation Centre
- ID Research
- Emergency Services Telecommunication
More than 1350 people are employed by tenants at the technology park with approximately half of those holding University of Ballarat qualifications. Recently IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
decided to expand its workforce with the construction of a new $10 million building on the park. It is Australia's leading regional technology park.
Research
The University has an active research program in place. For example the Graduate School of Information Technology and Mathematical Sciences is engaged in research that looks at optimising space in buildings. This is being done through The Centre for Informatics and Applied Optimization (CIAO).Beyond the formal research program, the University of Ballarat has a strong history of scholarly activity and research that pre-dates its accreditation as a University in 1994.
Research Institutes and Centres
Institute for Regional and Rural Research and Innovation. The Institute is a research organisation that focuses on rural and regional issues.Campuses
The University has six campuses: three in Ballarat, and one each in Ararat, Horsham and Stawell.Ballarat
- Camp Street Campus
- SMB Campus
Located in central Ballarat and incorporates the original School of Mines Ballarat and old Ballaraat Gaol. The SMB Campus offers courses from Certificate level through to Applied Bachelor Degrees.
Most courses offered by SMB Campus schools are designed to provide a pathway into a higher level qualification via articulation
Articulation (education)
In Australia and United States education, articulation or more specifically course articulation, refers to the process of comparing the content of courses that are transferred between postsecondary institutions such as TAFE institutes, colleges or universities...
, offering Recognition of Prior Learning
Recognition of prior learning
Recognition of prior learning , prior learning assessment , or prior learning assessment and recognition , describes a process used by colleges and universities around the world to evaluate learning acquired outside the classroom for the purpose of assigning academic credit...
and Credit Transfer
Credit transfer
Credit transfer can refer to:* The transfer of money from one account to another, also called a wire transfer* The procedure of granting credit to a student for studies completed at another school, also called transfer credit or advanced standing....
assessment that may give prospective students subject credit based on work skills and prior qualifications.
-
- SMB Campus Schools
- Arts Academy
- School of Applied Sciences Food and Allied Sciences, Health Sciences and Primary Industries
- School of Business Services Hospitality and Tourism, Information Technology, Leadership and Management including Fast>>Track Management
- School of Human Services Children's Services, Community Services, Humanities and Further Education including Student Learning Support Centres
- School of Manufacturing Services Automotive, Building and Construction, Engineering, Steel Haven Skills Centre
- UB Technical Education Centre
- SMB Campus Schools
Western Victorian Campuses
- AraratArarat, VictoriaArarat is a city in south-west Victoria, Australia, about west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hills and Cemetery Creek valley between Victoria's Western District and the Wimmera...
Campus (offers TAFE courses) - HorshamRural City of HorshamThe Rural City of Horsham is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the western part of the state. It has an area of 4,239 square kilometres. In 2006 it had a population of 18,492...
Campus (offers TAFE courses and a Higher Education course in Nursing) - StawellStawell, VictoriaStawell , is a town in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia. The town is located in Shire of Northern Grampians Local Government Area, west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Stawell had a population of 6,035....
Campus (offers TAFE courses)
Mount Helen campus
Located in Mount Helen, 15 km South West of Ballarat, an area of beautiful natural bushland.It contains two residences, Peter Lalor
Peter Lalor
Peter Fintan Lalor was an activist turned politician who rose to fame for his leading role in the Eureka Rebellion, an event controversially identified with the "birth of democracy" in Australia.- Early life and migration to Australia :...
Hall and Bella Guerin
Bella Guerin
Julia Margaret Guerin Halloran Lavender , known popularly as Bella Guerin, was an Australian feminist, women's activist...
Hall, and contains the following schools:
School of Education and Arts;
School of Health Sciences;
School of Science, Information Technology and Engineering; and
The Business School.
Camp Street Arts Academy
The Camp Street Campus is the newest of the University of Ballarat's six campuses. Bordered by Camp Street, Sturt Street and Lydiard Street, this campus houses the University of Ballarat's Arts Academy. The campus consists the Old Post Office Building, the Old Courthouse building, and several new buildings which were completed in 2002. Notable staff at the Arts Academy, Peter Pilven (Ceramicist) Anne Saunders (Painter and Print maker) and Doug Wright (Painter).Student Association
Students are represented by the University of Ballarat Student Association (UBSA) and the University of Ballarat Postgraduate Association.Notable alumni
- Jack Adam, Mining Engineer:Graduated 1905 Ballarat School of Mines
- Steve BracksSteve BracksStephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
, Former Premier of Victoria, Australia: Dip Bus. - Dr Cyril P. CallisterCyril P. CallisterCyril Percy Callister was an Australian chemist and food technologist. He is credited with the invention of Vegemite.-Early life:...
, Inventor of VegemiteVegemiteVegemite is a dark brown Australian food paste made from yeast extract. It is a spread for sandwiches, toast, crumpets and cracker biscuits, and filling for pastries...
, SMB Student 1910 - Ash Lieb Artist: BA Visual Arts
- Brad McEwanBrad McEwanBrad McEwan is an Australian television personality and sports journalist.McEwan is currently sports presenter on Sydney's Ten News at Five and probably best known for his hosting duties on Network Ten's Sports Tonight....
, Ten Network Sports reporter: Physical Education - Kiran Mazumdar-ShawKiran Mazumdar-ShawKiran Mazumdar-Shaw' is an Indian entrepreneur. She is the Chairman & Managing Director of Biocon Limited a biotechnology company based in Bangalore , India.- Profile :Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw was born on March 23, 1953 in Bangalore, India...
, Businesswoman and associate of BioconBioconBiocon Limited is a global biopharmaceutical company with products and research services ranging from pre-clinical to clinical development through to commercialization. Within biopharmaceuticals, the Company manufactures generic active pharmaceutical ingredients like Statins and... - Steve MoneghettiSteve MoneghettiStephen James "Steve" Moneghetti is an Australian long-distance runner. Moneghetti has a degree in civil engineering, a graduate diploma in education and an honorary doctorate from the University of Ballarat...
, Olympic Marathon Runner: BEng - Richard W. 'Dick' Richards, Physicist and Antarctic Explorer with Ernest ShackletonErnest ShackletonSir Ernest Henry Shackleton, CVO, OBE was a notable explorer from County Kildare, Ireland, who was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration...
on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic ExpeditionImperial Trans-Antarctic ExpeditionThe Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition , also known as the Endurance Expedition, is considered the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Conceived by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the expedition was an attempt to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent... - Libby TannerLibby Tanner-Career:Tanner played Zoe Marshall in the short lived Channel 9 soap Pacific Drive from 1996 to 1997. Having appeared in the hospital drama All Saints playing Bronwyn Craig for five years, a role for which she won two Logie Awards, she left to star in the short lived television series Fireflies,...
, Actress - Ian Toope, Geographer & Swordsmith
- DJ Gav Howard, House music producer and DJ
Honorary graduates
- Jeff KennettJeff KennettJeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...
, Former Premier of Victoria: Hon DBus (Honoris Causa) - Matthew Finnus, Former Education Minister: Hon DEdu
External links
- University of Ballarat – official website
- Ballarat & Clarendon College - official website
- Ballarat Grammar School - official website
- Ballarat High School - official website
- Ballarat Secondary College - official website
- Loreto College, Ballarat - official website
- St Patrick's College, Ballarat - official website