Australian Catholic University

Australian Catholic University

Type	Public
Established	1 January 1991 (1991-01-01)
Chancellor	John Fahey, AC
Vice-Chancellor	Greg Craven
Students	32 000
Location	Australia
Campus	Urban, suburban, rural
Affiliations	Universities Australia, ACCU, IFCU, ICUSTA, OUA
Website	acu.edu.au

Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a publicly funded university with seven campuses around Australia. It is one of the few Australian universities with a presence in Europe, having opened the Rome Centre in Italy in 2015.

ACU has grown rapidly, with the number of undergraduate students increasing more than 60% between 2010 and 2015.^[1] The university now has more than 32,000 students from 160 countries, and more than 2,200 staff. It has matched this growth with the expansion^[2] and upgrade of it campuses.^[3] Several new buildings and developments have won interior design^[4] or architecture^[5] awards, and received a 6-Star Green Star energy rating from the Green Building Council of Australia.^[6]

ACU is made up of four faculties, which offer bachelor, master and doctoral degrees. It is open to students and staff of all beliefs and backgrounds, and outlines in its mission statement a commitment to "the pursuit of knowledge, the dignity of the human person and the common good."^[7]

ACU was founded from Catholic tertiary institutions that had been training teachers and nurses since the mid-19th century. It is now globally connected, with a relationship to more than 190 universities and educational institutions around the world as well as being part of a global network of Catholic universities.^[8]

ACU has an increasing involvement in research^[9] and has seven new research institutes aligned with the university's four priority research areas: theology and philosophy; health; education; and the common good and social justice.

History

Australian Catholic University (ACU) was opened on 1 January 1991 following the amalgamation of four Catholic tertiary institutions in eastern Australia:

Catholic College of Education Sydney, New South Wales
Institute of Catholic Education, Victoria
McAuley College, Queensland
Signadou College of Education, Australian Capital Territory

These institutions had their origins in the mid-1800s, when religious orders and institutes became involved in preparing teachers for Catholic schools and, later, nurses for Catholic hospitals. Through a series of amalgamations, relocations, transfers of responsibilities and diocesan initiatives, more than 20 historical entities have contributed to the creation of the university.

Governance

The vice-chancellor and president, Greg Craven, is the chief executive officer of ACU and is responsible for representing the university both nationally and internationally and for providing strategic leadership and management.

Deputy vice-chancellors have delegated responsibility for assigned areas of policy. These areas are academic; administration and resources; research and students, learning and teaching.

Associate vice-chancellors are based in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. They act as the vice-chancellor's representative in their local region, as do the campus deans in Ballarat and Canberra.

The vice-chancellor is also assisted by the faculty executive deans, the academic registrar and directors with national portfolios.

Each faculty is headed by an executive dean and supported by a number of associate deans and heads of schools.

Campuses

ACU campus in Rome, Italy

ACU has seven campuses across Australia, Adelaide, Ballarat, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney (North Sydney and Strathfield). In 2015, the university opened the Rome Centre, a collaboration with the Catholic University of America, located in Rome, Italy.^[10]

ACU campus in Melbourne, Victoria

Faculties

ACU has a wide range of institutes and centres, as well as four faculties.

Education and Arts – areas include education, arts and humanities, global studies and international development studies, media communications, social science, youth work, and creative arts, visual arts and design.
Health Sciences – areas include counselling, environmental science, exercise physiology, exercise science, mental health, midwifery, nursing, occupational therapy, paramedicine, physiotherapy, public health, psychology, social work and speech pathology.
Law and Business – areas include accounting and finance, business administration, commerce, human resource management, information technology, law, management, marketing and occupational health, safety and environmental management.
Theology and Philosophy.

Research

ACU campus in North Sydney, New South Wales

In 2014 ACU launched a research intensification program. In the initial stage of the five-year strategy, the university established seven new research institutes, aligned with four priority research areas: theology and philosophy; health; education; and the common good and social justice.^[11]

In 2015, ACU was named the most improved institution in the country by the Australian Research Council in its national assessment of research quality, the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA). In the results, ACU increased its "excellence index" ranking from 35th to 21st. The university also achieved several scores of five, the highest score possible, in the ERA.^[12]

Student Life

Each ACU campus has a student representative council and there is a national student body called the Australian Catholic University National Students' Association (ACUNSA), which advocates on behalf of students both individually and collectively.

The university hosts an annual national sporting event – the ACU Games – and students also compete in Australia's largest annual multisport event, the Australian University Games.

ACU has its own national community radio station, ACU Wired, a joint venture between staff and students which broadcasts to all six ACU campuses.

Campus Life manages a range of clubs and societies as well as organising events, competitions and national programs. The Office of Student Success manages a range of support services on every campus including academic, disability, counseling, and Indigenous support.

References

↑ "Student numbers at Australian universities keep growing". The Australian.
↑ Cummins, Carolyn (15 September 2015). "Australian Catholic University shows faith in North Sydney with campus buy". Sydney Morning Herald.
↑ Dobbyn, Paul (11 June 2015). "Iconic building reflects ACU progress". The Catholic Leader. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
↑ "University Chapel speaks of lightness and air". www.woodsbagot.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
↑ "Conrad Gargett awarded for Excellence in Architecture". CGR Achitects. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
↑ "Daniel Mannix Building". www.winward.com.au. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
↑ "Mission and Profile", ACU website
↑ "IFCU | Membership". Retrieved 28 September 2016.
↑ Lane, Bernard (10 April 2012). "Australian Catholic University pumps up research". The Australian.
↑ "Rome Centre", ACU website
↑ "ACU Research Institutes", ACU website
↑ "ERA Outcomes 2015". 4 December 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2016.

External links

Official website

Universities in Australia

Tertiary education in Australia

Australian Capital Territory	Australian Defence Force Academy (UNSW accredited degrees) Australian National University University of Canberra

New South Wales	Charles Sturt University Macquarie University Southern Cross University University of Newcastle University of New England University of New South Wales University of Sydney University of Technology Sydney University of Wollongong Western Sydney University

Northern Territory	Charles Darwin University

Queensland	Bond University Central Queensland University Griffith University James Cook University University of Queensland Queensland University of Technology University of Southern Queensland University of the Sunshine Coast

South Australia	University of Adelaide Carnegie Mellon University, Australia Flinders University University of South Australia Torrens University Australia UCL Australia

Tasmania	Australian Maritime College (UTAS accredited degrees) University of Tasmania

Victoria	Deakin University University of Divinity Federation University Australia La Trobe University University of Melbourne Monash University RMIT University Swinburne University of Technology Victoria University

Western Australia	Curtin University Edith Cowan University Murdoch University University of Notre Dame Australia University of Western Australia

National	Australian Catholic University

Education in Australia

Open Universities Australia

Partner Universities	Curtin University Griffith University Macquarie University Monash University RMIT University Swinburne University of Technology University of South Australia

Secondary Providers	University of Adelaide Australian Catholic University Charles Darwin University La Trobe University Learning Network of Queensland Murdoch University TAFESA University of New England TAFEWA

International Council of Universities of Saint Thomas Aquinas

Africa	Universidade Católica de Angola Ethiopian Catholic University of St. Thomas Aquinas Universidade São Tomás de Moçambique Catholic University of Nigeria

Americas	Universidad Católica Argentina Universidad Fraternidad de Agrupaciones Santo Tomás de Aquino Ohio Dominican University Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra Universidad Santo Tomás (Bogotá) Universidad Santo Tomás (Chile) Universidad Santo Tomás (Honduras) Universidad del Norte Santo Tomás de Aquino Saint Thomas University Thomas Aquinas College University of Saint Thomas (Texas) University of Saint Thomas (Minnesota)

Asia-Pacific	Aquinas University of Legazpi Australian Catholic University Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomás Sei Katarina Daigaku Sei Tomasu Daigaku Universitas Katolik St. Thomas Sumatera Utara

Europe	Institut catholique d’études supérieures Facultà di Teología di Lugano Mary Immaculate College Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas CEU San Pablo University CEU Abat Oliba University CEU Cardinal Herrera University

Catholicism portal

Coordinates: 27°22′41″S 153°05′20″E / 27.378°S 153.089°E / -27.378; 153.089

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