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RMIT was founded in 1887 by prominent grazier and philanthropist, The Hon.Francis Ormond. It is the third-oldest higher education provider in the state of Victoria and the seventh-oldest in Australia. Its foundation campus "RMIT City" is located at the northern end of the Melbourne CBD. RMIT was awarded royal patronage in 1954, and is the only Australian university to have received the honour.
According to the THES - QS World University Rankings in 2009, RMIT is ranked in the top 10 universities in Australia. It is included in the top 100 universities in the World for producing work-ready graduates, and is one of 20 institutes of technology that feature in the listing. It has an internationally recognised reputation for art, design, engineering and technology.
RMIT pioneered the dual sector education system in Australia during the mid-20th century. It is now the largest institution of its type in the country, and offers every level of award available in the Australian Qualifications Framework. Academically, the university focuses on higher education and research while its TAFE division focuses on vocational education and training.
Between the turn of the 20th century and 1930s, the college expanded dramatically over the former Melbourne Gaol site with the establishment of an art school, an engineering school and a radio school. In 1934, it then changed its name to the Melbourne Technical College. During the 1940s, over the course of World War II, it trained a sixth of Australia’s service personnel (mainly Royal Australian Air Force radio communication officers), 2000 civilians in munitions manufacturing and was commissioned by the Government of Australia to manufacture parts for aircraft, including most parts for the Beaufort Bomber. In 1954, it was awarded royal patronage by Queen Elizabeth II for its service to the war effort – becoming the only Australian university to receive the honour – and it was renamed the Royal Melbourne Technical College.
Creation of RMIT
In 1960, the college changed its name to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and began to reconstitute itself as a tertiary institution. The college was incorporated into the institute as a vocational school (TAFE) and, during the 1970s and 1980s, the institute developed a reputation in art and aeronautical engineering. In 1979, it amalgamated with the neighbouring exclusive women’s Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy, which brought with it a reputation in fashion design and food technology. In 1992, it was granted public university status by the Government of Victoria under the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Act, and adopted the name RMIT University for its tertiary arm and RMIT TAFE for its vocational arm.
During the 1990s, the university underwent a rapid expansion and amalgamated a number of neighbouring institutes. In 1995, it developed a “country campus” in Bundoora and acquired the heritage-listed Former Melbourne Magistrates' Court. In 1999, it developed a “design campus” in Brunswick and acquired the heritage-listed Capitol Theatre. During this time, it also developed a reputation in eco-friendly design. At the turn of the 21st century, it was invited by the Government of Vietnam to develop the country's first foreign owned university. It opened its first campus in Ho Chi Minh City in 2001, and a second campus in Hanoi in 2004.
Rankings
The former Times Higher Education Supplement and Quacquarelli Symonds (THES-QS) partnership placed RMIT 55th in 2004 World University Rankings. Consecutively since then, they have also placed RMIT as one of the top 100 universities in the World that produces work-ready graduates.
RMIT is also ranked as the top entrepreneurial university in Australia, and 12th in the World, according to the GSEA annual Top Entrepreneurial Universities List. It is ranked as the top advertising school of the decade in Australia and 5th in the World, according the YoungGuns International Awards. In Victoria, RMIT is currently ranked as the 3rd most research-intensive university, and 10th in Australia.
Organisation
The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology is a public university created under the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Act of 1992 by the Government of Victoria. It has two main branches known as RMIT University (encompassing RMIT TAFE) and RMIT International University - both of which are registered trading names. Before its creation as a public university, RMIT was a private institution for 105 years.
It is structured as 25 semi-autonomous schools, offering over 700 programs at vocational (TAFE), undergraduate, postgraduate and research levels. Each school is grouped into one of three academically-contextual colleges, which are known as "Business", "Design and Social Context" and "Science, Engineering and Health". Most schools also maintain their own field-relevant research collections, which are in addition to the RMIT University Library network (see: Notable school collections). RMIT's 30+ centres of excellence are also grouped into a college according to their context, to allow for cross-field research.
The off-site College of Business buildings on Bourke Street
The greater RMIT is governed by a council of 22 members, known as the "RMIT Council". The Governor-in-Council is the RMIT Chancellor, Ziggy Switkowski. The Council is responsible for the "direction and superintendence" of RMIT University, and the administration of RMIT International University Holdings Pty. Ltd. – a wholly owned subsidiary of RMIT. Day-to-day operations of the greater RMIT are managed by the RMIT Vice-Chancellor, ProfessorMargaret Gardner, AO - who is also the President of RMIT University in Australia. The President of RMIT International University in Vietnam is Professor Merilyn Liddell, AM.
Professor Gill Palmer – Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Business
Professor Colin Fudge – Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Design and Social Context
Professor Peter Coloe – Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Science, Engineering and Health
Professor Diane Alcorn – Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation
Professor Joyce Kirk – Pro Vice-Chancellor of Students
Allan Ballagh – Director of RMIT TAFE
Research
RMIT has over 30 research institutes and centres, either based within its colleges and schools or operating autonomously within the university, and a large number of research clusters and groups. It is ranked as one of Australia’s top 10 research universities; and focuses on applied research, outcome-related research and consultancy services – which area all in line with its industry-relevant ethos. It also has extensive partnerships and collaborations with government and industry.
Its four top-ranked international research institutes include: RMIT Design Research Institute, RMIT Global Cities Research Institute, RMIT Platform Technologies Research Institute and RMIT Health Innovations Research Institute. A number of top independent research institutes are also based at RMIT, including the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and the Australian branch of the US' Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability.
Notable research centres include: Australian Centre for Human Rights Education, RMIT Centre for Animation and Interactive Media, RMIT Centre for Design, RMIT Globalism Centre, International Centre for Environment and Bio Ethics, International Centre for Graphic Design, International Centre for Housing and Urban Research, Sir Lawrence Wackett Aerospace Centre and RMIT Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory.
RMIT University maintains three campuses in Victoria, Australia - City, Bundoora and Brunswick. It also operates a number of specialised "sites" - in metropolitan Melbourne and in rural Victoria. RMIT International University maintains two campuses in Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. RMIT offers distance/online education through Open Universities Australia and is partnered with over 190 educational institutions around the World. In 2003, over 58,000 students studied at RMIT. Currently, prospective students of RMIT have a choice of more than 700 higher education and TAFE programs located across all campuses, sites, by distance/online education and with partner institutions.
Australia
RMIT City
Main article: RMIT CityRMIT City's Swanston Precinct in the Melbourne CBD
The City campus is RMIT's original and flagship campus. It was established in 1887, as the "Working Men's College of Melbourne", in a single building on the corner of La Trobe and Bowen streets. It's currently the largest of RMIT's campuses, in both Australia and Vietnam, and occupies nearly four city blocks at the northern end of the Melbourne CBD; which is often referred to as the "RMIT Quarter" of the city.
It is the only university campus entirely located within the Melbourne CBD and spans an area loosely bordered to the north by Queensberry Street, the east by Lygon and Russell streets, the south by La Trobe Street and the west by Elizabeth Street. It is divided into four precincts referred to as: the "Art Precinct", "Carlton Precinct", "Justice Precinct" and "Swanston Precinct". Some buildings are also not located on the campus, which include: the entire College of Business, located on nearby Bourke Street, and the Capitol Theatre on southern Swanston Street.
Established in 1995, RMIT Bundoora is the award-winning "country campus" of RMIT. It is RMIT's second oldest and second largest campus and is located in Bundoora, 20 km from the City campus. RMIT Bundoora is divided into two campuses by Plenty Road, known as East and West. The older West campus was the former site of the Phillip Institute of Technology, which amalgamated with RMIT in 1992. The campuses have their own transport interchange which is served by a dedicated tram route (86/RMIT Bundoora-Docklands) and dedicated bus route (570/RMIT Bundoora-Thomastown). The nearest train station to RMIT Bundoora is Thomastown station.
Unlike the urban RMIT City campus in Melbourne, the West campus is set in 42 ha of parklands and designed to be eco-friendly and sustainable. RMIT has sought to preserve much of the natural heritage of both campuses, notably the "Keelbundoora Scarred Tree Trail" - a rare collection of 800+-year-old red gum trees (lat: Eucalyptus tereticornis), located within the grounds of the West campus, with historical markings by Indigenous Australians.
The smaller East campus has a specific focus on engineering, and is home to the RMIT Renewable Energy Park, RMIT Wind Tunnel testing facility and the RMIT Racing teams. The larger West campus has a general focus on sciences, and is home to RMIT's biosciences buildings and the Bundoora Netball and Sports Centre, an environmentally sustainable sport centre and facilities. The West campus consists mainly of contemporary architecture and many of its buildings have gone on to win national awards for architectural and sustainable design.
The Brunswick campus is RMIT's specialised design campus, and is located 5 km from the City campus, in Brunswick. Situated on Dawson Street, the campus is near Sydney Road, one of outer Melbourne's most multicultural shopping strips and the site of many restaurants, pubs and markets, as well as large art and music festivals. The campus is well serviced by train via the close by Jewell station and by a number of trams that travel along Sydney Road.
Established in 1999, it is RMIT's smallest and youngest campus, although the history of RMIT Brunswick can be dated back over 50 years prior to the former Melbourne Institute of Textiles - which amalgamated with RMIT in 1998, and originally occupied the site of the campus. RMIT Brunswick is home to the International Centre for Graphic Technology, RMIT Printing Centre and RMIT Textile Centre, and the campus is a combination of industrial and contemporary architecture.
Royal Dental Hospital, Melbourne
RMIT operates levels 3 and 4 of the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne - a collaboration between Dental Health Services Victoria, RMIT and the University of Melbourne. The RMIT component consists of a primary care clinic, specialist services unit, day surgery theatres and the emergency clinic.
Fishermen's Bend, Port Melbourne
The Fishermen's Bend aerospace district, in Port Melbourne, is the site of RMIT's award-winning Sir Lawrence Wackett Aerospace Centre. It was established in 1991, and moved to new facilities at its current site in 2007.
RAAF Base Williams, Point Cook
The Royal Australian Air Force base "Williams" at Point Cook is the site of RMIT's Flight Training Facility. The base is the World's oldest operational military airfield and birthpace of Australia's air force. RMIT has shared a historical association with the Royal Australian Air Force, which dates back to World War II.
RMIT Hamilton, Southern Grampians Hamilton is the site of RMIT's Regional Education and Community Development Centre and is known as "RMIT Hamilton" for short. It was established in 2000 and conducts research into rural development, and partners with local farmers and businesses to assist with the development of Victoria's western region. RMIT Hamilton also grants degrees in rural nursing and education, to assist with dire regional requirements.
Bullock Island, Lakes Entrance
Bullock Island is the site of RMIT's Marine Research and Education Centre and the RMIT Aquaculture Research Facility, and is located near Lakes Entrance. It was established in 2004, and is contiguous with the South-East Australia Maritime Centre. RMIT has provided training in Victoria's eastern region since 1994 (through its partner institutions), and continues to assist with the development of the region.
RMIT International University in Vietnam, also known as "RMIT Vietnam" for short, was established in Ho Chi Minh City in 2001. It is Vietnam's first fully foreign-owned university and RMIT's second major international venture (a Malaysian site known as "RMIT Penang" operated between 1996 and 1999). In 2004, a second campus was established in the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi. Currently, RMIT Vietnam campuses have a combined population of over 5,000 students from Vietnam, Australia as well as various other countries. RMIT Vietnam's degrees are recognised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and are awarded by RMIT University in Australia.
RMIT University Library is the central library network at RMIT. It has six locations across RMIT's Australian campuses, each reflecting the academic focus of their respective campuses. The Swanston Library at the RMIT City campus is the university's largest library, and is considered to be one of the top five libraries in Melbourne. As a library of the Australian Technology Network, RMIT University Library invests substantially in electronic resources and in online and A/V collections. It also has access to over 400 global databases containing over a hundred thousand e-journals, reports, conference papers, e-books, etc.
RMIT Research Repository
The Library also manages the RMIT Research Repository - an online databank containing a number of electronic records and full texts of peer-reviewed published articles and conference papers, books and chapters; as well as other forms of research, produced by RMIT staff. Access to the Repository is available free of charge to anyone in the World, not just to RMIT staff and students. The Repository was launched to the public in 2009. Records are harvested by Google, OAIster and Australian Research Online (formerly the Arrow Discovery Service).
Notable school collections
New section of Storey Hall, part of RMIT's architecture collectionRMIT School of Art street art space
Architecture and Art
RMIT holds considerable architecture and Australian art collections. Many of its campuses' buildings are a part of its architecture collection, along with substantial archives held by the RMIT School of Architecture and Design. RMIT's Australian art collection is maintained by RMIT Gallery in Storey Hall (also part of its architecture collection). The Australian art collection also includes the valuable W.E. Macmillan Collection (gold and silver) and notable Lindsay Edward Collection (fine art).
The history of the collection is documented in the book: "A Skilled Hand and Cultivated Mind".
RMIT is considered to be one of the most reputable art and design universities in Australia, which is reflected in its ten permanent art galleries. Nine are located on the RMIT City campus and one at the RMIT Bundoora-West campus.
The university's largest gallery is RMIT Gallery, which is housed in the historic original section of Storey Hall at the City campus. RMIT Gallery is open to the public free of charge, and is considered to be one of Melbourne’s best contemporary art galleries.
Other galleries are operated within schools of RMIT, and include the Design Hub Gallery, Field 36 Gallery, The DrawingSpace (a Metasenta Gallery), RMIT Virtual Reality Centre and Gallery, Viscom Gallery, and the RMIT School of Art Gallery and Project Space Gallery. The RMIT Union also operates two galleries which are the First Site Gallery and PitSpace Gallery (the latter at the RMIT Bundoora-West campus).
RMIT also has a number of temporary art spaces throughout the city of Melbourne, and conducts regular exhibitions in public spaces.
RMIT Gallery also curates the Fracture Gallery located in the atrium of Federation Square.
Most activities, clubs and organisations for RMIT students are managed by either the RMIT Union or the RMIT Student Union (RUSU). The two unions differ in that RMIT Union is an unincorporated subsidiary body owned by the university that's concerned with campus life and administers a wide range of arts, sporting and recreational activities and collectives for students. Whereas RMIT Student Union is an independent, not-for-profit and student-run organisation that's concerned with student life, and administers clubs and services in support of students. A number of other activities and clubs are also run independently of RMIT's unions, usually within a school of the university.
The purpose of the RMIT Union is to contribute positively and enhance the RMIT community by providing valuable learning, development and social opportinities in a co-curricular setting. Its divided into branches, known as: Arts and Sports & Recreation, which administer a range of arts, sports and recreation activities and collectives.
The RMIT Student Union operates as a not-for-profit organisation and is run entirely by students. It's responsible for RMIT's student media organisations, campus events, student support collectives and welfare groups as-well-as student administered academic and national-based general interest clubs and societies.
Departments
Building 8 at RMIT City, headquarters of RMIT's unions
Activities - the department responsible for student activities and events
The RMIT Spiritual Centre is a historical building located on the City campus of RMIT. The centre provides a space for worship to all staff and students of RMIT, regardless of their faith and without showing favour to any one faith, and houses the RMIT Chaplaincy service.
The parade is welcomed at Federation Square by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, on behalf of the city and its citizens. The Lord Mayor then grants RMIT's Vice-Chancellor a "writ of passage" to proceed with the graduation ceremony, which takes place at the Docklands Stadium, and is the largest university graduation ceremony in Australia.
Murray-Smith, Stephen; Dare, Anthony J. (1987), The Tech: A Centenary History of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (1st ed.), South Yarra (Melbourne): Hyland House, ISBN0947062068
Edquist, Harriet; Grierson, Elizabeth (2008), A Skilled Hand and Cultivated Mind: A Guide to the Architecture and Art of RMIT, Melbourne: RMIT University Press, ISBN9781921166914
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