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Uni growth continues unabated
19 May 2007
I was in a meeting of universities statewide this week, and the figures on student attraction again emphasized that we remain the most successful of Queensland universities in terms of proportional growth.
The evidence of expansion on the campus is very clear, as is our response to growth and the increases in infrastructure provision and services for students.
The new ‘C’ building which contains ‘Student Central’, the Chancellory staff, as well as academic staff offices, tutorial rooms and lecture theatres is now fully functional and proved an outstanding venue for the Chancellor’s Investiture last week.
Daily, it provides wonderful covered spaces for social interaction, or just a quiet seating area between lectures. Soon a new café in the building will add to the range of styles of catering available on campus.
Yesterday we celebrated our largest graduation ceremony at the Innovation Centre. It will also be the last on this scale in that building before we proceed with the ‘Accelerator’.
Next year the graduation ceremony will be in the already nearly completed Sports Stadium which will house 50% more people, at 3000, than the Innovation Centre. It is an outstanding Stadium that will have a variety of sporting and social uses. Students will notice a big increase in the range of sporting opportunities made available to them.
Our ‘Building Excellence’ campaign is trying to attract private donations for ground and first floors of a Health-Sports tower next to the Stadium. It will be the study and research activities centred in that tower that will differentiate this sporting complex from any other on the Coast. Performance analysis and enhancements based on scientific study is the feature that we are increasingly building into our sports and health developments.
So the attractiveness and growth of USC is triggering a response which is constantly monitored by the University Council. A further $3.5m from the Commonwealth Government this week was another welcome contribution to the escalating building costs, and a recognition of the force of our case nationally.
Professor Paul Thomas AM is Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Sunshine Coast.