News location:

Canberra Today 25°/29° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

UC opens campus for development

PARTNERS and investors have been invited to develop 40 hectares of unused areas of campus at the University of Canberra. University_of_Canberra_1

Vice-chancellor Stephen Parker and Chief Minister Katy Gallagher unveiled a new development prospectus today, outlining the principles and selection criteria for developing unused areas of the campus.

It is hoped the prospectus will help the University generate $100 million in capital investment each year for the next decade.

“The ACT Government has partnered with the University of Canberra on a range of different projects and initiatives which benefit both the ACT and the University.  One of the most notable is the development of the new University of Canberra Public Hospital,” Ms Gallagher said.

“This project will deliver broad benefits in health, education, employment, training and research, and represents the significant opportunities that come from such partnerships.

“The further development of the campus will not only contribute to Canberra’s reputation as study city but will also provide significant benefits to the ACT economy and business sector.”

Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Parker said the University had more land than it would ever need for academic purposes, but the campus offered opportunities for developments that would strengthen the University and the community.

The world of higher education is changing at an increasing pace and we need to be a university, and a campus, of the future,” Professor Parker said.

“The nature of teaching and learning is changing, particularly with the advent of e-learning on computers and mobile devices. Students are coming onto campus less often or for shorter periods.

“We will never need the whole campus for academic and related purposes in the traditional sense. And this provides an opportunity to be a leader, to change our sense of what a campus is for and to open it out for the benefit of our students, our researchers and our community.”

Professor Parker said the University of Canberra could become like a modern day cathedral, pointing out universities already shared many of titles, such as dean and chancellor, used in cathedrals and adding cathedrals had important economic and cultural functions.

“I think the campus of the future will be a special community resource, where learning, discovery, cultural activities, sport, business, innovation, health and residential living all combine,” he said.

“I think the university is the cathedral of a modern knowledge economy; and this campus can be a new form of cathedral town.  The university will be the organising element at the heart of it, but much else will go on besides, which will strengthen the University and strengthen the community.”

Expressions of interest will be assessed based on criteria including the respondent’s previous experience of delivering similar projects, alignment with the University’s campus development principles and opportunities for collaboration and mutual benefit. Financial and operational risk together with timing considerations will also be taken into account.

 

Who can be trusted?

In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.

If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.

Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.

Become a supporter

Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Share this

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Follow us on Instagram @canberracitynews