Type Public Students 14,858 Total enrollment 15,302 (2011) Founded 1994 | Established 1994 Campus Urban Phone +61 1800 626 481 Chancellor Nick Burton Taylor | |
Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Shoemaker Location Lismore, Coffs Harbour and Gold Coast, NSW and QLD, Australia Address Military Road, East Lis NSW 2480, Australia Undergraduate tuition and fees International tuition: 16,160 AUD (2012) Affiliation Regional Universities Network Notable alumni Justin Harrison, David Heilpern, Jayson Mansaray, Poto Williams, Andrew Nikolic Similar University of Southern Queensland, University of New England, University of the Sunshine, Griffith University, Bond University Profiles | ||
Southern Cross University (SCU) is an established Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at the southern end of the Gold Coast in Queensland.
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History
The initial predecessor institution to Southern Cross University was the Lismore Teachers' College, which commenced operation on 23 February 1970, at what is now the Northern Rivers Conservatorium site. On 1 September 1971, the Lismore Teachers College became a College of Advanced Education, under the Higher Education Act 1969, with the institution soon renamed Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education in 1973. Dr (later Professor) Rod Treyvaud was appointed principal in 1984, and oversaw an extensive building programme and the introduction of six new degree courses.
Following the publication of the Commonwealth Government's White Paper on Higher Education in 1988 and its emphasis on the development of larger tertiary education institutions in Australia, Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education agreed to an association with the University of New England (UNE). On 17 July 1989 the Northern Rivers CAE thus became part of network University of New England, with some 1800 staff and some 9500 EFTSU (effective full-time student units).
There was however dissatisfaction with the new network University, and on 29 June 1993 the federal and state ministers for education jointly announced that a new university would be established in the North Coast of NSW, which would consist of campuses at Lismore (formerly UNE - Northern Rivers) and Coffs Harbour (formerly UNE - Coffs Harbour Centre). It was subsequently announced that the new institution would be called Southern Cross University. Appropriate legislation was passed by both houses of the New South Wales Parliament in October 1993, and received the Royal Assent on 9 November 9, 1993. Southern Cross University was formally established on 1 January 1994.
In 2010, Southern Cross University opened a new campus in the southern Gold Coast area of Queensland, at Coolangatta just 400 metres from North Kirra Beach and adjacent to the Gold Coast International Airport. Views of the Pacific Ocean can be see from many vantage points in the campus' buildings. The Foundation Building was opened in 2010 and a second 10-story building opened in February 2013.
Governance
The University is governed by a Council, to which the Chief Executive Officer (the Vice-Chancellor) reports. The Council is responsible for the management of the University's affairs. The major academic body providing advice to Council on academic matter is the Academic Board. The Council is chaired by the Chancellor. The Council has 17 members, including the Vice Chancellor, the Chair of the Academic Board, six members appointed by the Minister, four members appointed by the Council, three elected staff members and one elected student member.
Lismore
Lismore is a regional city located in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. The Lismore campus is set on more than 75 hectares, and houses specialist training teaching facilities including a science and engineering precinct, environmental laboratories, contemporary music and visual arts studios and the SCU Health Clinic. The Learning Centre, at the centre of the campus, features individual and collaborative learning spaces.
Gold Coast
The Gold Coast campus is located at Coolongatta, in Queensland, close to North Kirra Beach and adjacent to the Gold Coast Airport. The campus includes general teaching facilities, as well as specialist teaching facilities for nursing and midwifery, and allied heath disciplines such as occupational therapy, podiatry, pedorthics and speech pathology. Tourism, business, law, education, arts and social welfare are also taught at the Gold Coast.
Coffs Harbour
The Coffs Harbour campus is located on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, and consists of general teaching facilities, and specialist nursing laboratories, teaching spaces for education students, a biosciences laboratory, and psychology research facilities. The campus is shared with a senior high school and a technical college.
Southern Cross University operates the National Marine Science Centre (NMSC) in Coffs Harbour on the northern side of the city. The NMSC provides an opportunity for students and researchers to undertake fieldwork. Facilities include a flow-through seawater system that supplies labs, tank farm, aquarium room and hatchery. The Centre also operates the Solitary Islands Aquarium which is open to the public.
Sydney and Melbourne
Southern Cross University operates The Hotel School Sydney and The Hotel School Melbourne in partnership with Mulpha Australia. Both The Hotel School Sydney and The Hotel School Melbourne are located in the central business districts of their respective cities and have executive offices and teaching facilities. Southern Cross University also operates branch campuses in Sydney and Melbourne, delivering business and accounting degrees to undergraduate and postgraduate international students.
Academic programmes
The University offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate academic programmes, and is organized into six schools and two colleges along with one co-operative centre:
University rankings
Southern Cross University has been ranked in the top 500 universities in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2015 - 2016 Southern Cross University is rated 'at world standard' or above in 24 research areas by Excellence in Research for Australia 2015, and ranked number one in Australia for International student support for the third consecutive year. SCU was ranked number two in Australia for overall learning experience by the International Student Barometer 2015.
Research
Staff and students at Southern Cross University undertake research in a wide range of areas, including civil engineering, crop and pasture production, complementary and alternative medicine, ecology, education, environmental science and management, fisheries sciences, forestry sciences, geochemistry, human movement and sports science, human rights research, nursing, oceanography, policy and administration, philosophy and ethics, resources engineering and extractive metallurgy, tourism, zoology.
Controversy
On 2 May 2012, The Australian newspaper reported that Southern Cross University "could be at risk of de-registration" following revelations in a leaked email dated 15 April 2012 from the University's Director of Quality, Planning and Review which indicated concerns with "substandard and inadequate record-keeping", "deliberate provision of falsified academic transcripts and advanced standing applications" and "lack of adherence to SCU course procedures". On 19 October 2015, peer reviewed research was announced, revealing that at regional Universities, such as Southern Cross University, approximately one third of staff reported serious harassment and bullying .
Notable people
The current and third Chancellor of the University since September 2014 is Nick Burton Taylor, a company director, company chairman, registered accountant, food industry and agribusiness specialist. The current Vice-Chancellor and President of the University since September 2016 is Professor Adam Shoemaker.