Federation University Australia (FedUni) is a public university based in Victoria, Australia.[19] It is the modern descendant of the School of Mines Ballarat, established in 1870 as the fourth tertiary institution in Australia, which evolved to form the modern university as it is today.[20] Formerly known as the University of Ballarat, it changed its name to Federation University in 2014 as it became a multi-campus institution with a strong presence both in Ballarat and across the state.[21][22]
The university has a multi-campus presence in and around Ballarat, including the old School of Mines campus which is notable for its red brick buildings, and also has campuses in Berwick (Melbourne) and Horsham (Wimmera).[24] In 2013, the university merged with Monash University's former Gippsland campusinChurchill, an amalgamation that was followed by its renaming to Federation University.[21][22]
On 6 September 2013, the Victorian Parliament passed legislation to establish Federation University Australia,[26] The name change officially began in 2014. The then Vice-Chancellor justified the name change as an attempt to broaden the reach of the university nationally and internationally, and in fairness to the campuses outside Ballarat.[27] The name was also the preferred name within the university, compared to 'State University of Victoria', 'Eureka University', 'Robert Menzies University' or 'Vida Goldstein University'.
The former Ballarat Gaol, a maximum security prison that operated from 1862 until 1965, was located on the site of the university's School of Mines (SMB) campus, at the southern end of Lydiard Street. The area is known for being a well preserved Victorian era street.[28] While the prison was mostly demolished in the 1960s, the old prison walls, gate and guard towers, as well as the residences of the governor and warden, still exist. One of the bedrooms was used by Bella Guerin, who in 1883 became the first woman to graduate from an Australian university.[29] The campus also includes the old School of Mines buildings.
Researchers – academics and post-graduate students – undertake work within various centres, as well as within the disciplines. The research priority areas of the university are information forensics and security, transformative and preventative health, dynamic landscapes, history and heritage, and improving policy and practice in VET. The research centres are:
Australian Retirement Research Institute (ARRI)
Centre for Biopsychosocial and eHealth Research and Innovation (CBeRI)
Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI)
Centre for Gippsland Studies (CGS)
Centre for Informatics and Applied Optimisation (CIAO)
Centre for Multimedia Computing, Communications, and Artificial Intelligence Research (MCCAIR)
Geotechnical and Hydrogeological Engineering Research Group (GHERG)
Researching Adult and Vocational Education (RAVE)
Water Research Network
Visiting Friends and Relatives Research
There are also research facilities at Ballarat Technology Park, the Gippsland Enterprise Centre and Nanya Station in rural NSW.
In 2017, FedUni was ranked within the top 20% of Australian universities in humanities for teaching quality, learner engagement, learning resources, skills development, and student support.[41] Nationally, the university is ranked 31 in Australia (out of 40) and 1526 in the world.[42] Across the university, for postgraduate research the university is rated above the national average by former students with 78.8% satisfaction. For undergraduate studies, the university is rated above national average by former students with 83.3% satisfaction.[43]
Historically, the former University of Ballarat achieved a maximum five-star rating for teaching quality in the Good Universities Guide consecutively from 2010 to 2014. Federation University has been ranked four-stars for graduate placement by the Good Universities Guide, but is not ranked in international university guides.[44] This placed the university in the top tier of Australian regional universities.
In 2017, 80% of undergraduate students study full-time and on campus, which is unique for a regional university, and 35% of students are international students.[45]
In addition to the following campuses, the university also had joint-degree programmes with international colleges, including PLK Vicwood KT Chong Sixth Form College in Hong Kong.
SMB campus is set among the heritage buildings of Lydiard Street Sth including the former School of Mines and Industry (left), former Supreme Court and former Ballarat Gaol (rear)
Camp Street Campus – located in central Ballarat, this campus houses the Arts Academy. The campus consists of the Old General Post Office Building, the Old Courthouse, and several newer buildings which were completed in 2002.
SMB Campus – located in central Ballarat and incorporates the original School of Mines Ballarat and the Old Ballarat Gaol. The campus offers training from certificate level through to advanced diploma and degree-level study.
Located in Mt Helen, 10 km south of Ballarat. The university's largest campus, it has three residences, Peter Lalor South Hall, Peter Lalor North Hall, and Bella Guerin Hall. Its programs include the Institute of Education, Arts and Community; Institute of Health and Wellbeing: Institute of Innovation, Science and Sustainability.
Gippsland Campus of Federation University Australia
The Gippsland Campus is located in the township of Churchill in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges. The campus is home to over 2,500 students and approximately 400 staff.[citation needed]
The campus was formerly Monash University, Gippsland Campus, but became part of Federation University Australia on 1 January 2014.
The Berwick Campus is located 40 km (25 mi) south-east of the Melbourne city centre. It was transitioning itself from the Monash University, Berwick campus in 2017 and completed its transition in early 2018. The exact location of the building is 100 Clyde Road Berwick VIC 3806. The university has four buildings naming 901, 902, 903, and 930 as well as additional buildings for on-campus living. Nursing has the highest enrolment rate at the Berwick Campus, with a focus also on education courses, IT, and psychology.
The Brisbane Campus, situated in the centre of Brisbane city and offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs in information technology, business and allied health.[46]
The university has a technology park with the mission to facilitate the development of technology-based companies or companies that benefit from the technological resources of the university. The following organisations operate in the park.
More than 1350 people are employed by tenants at the technology park and approximately half of those holding Federation University Australia qualifications. Recently IBM decided to expand its workforce with the construction of a new $10 million building on the park.[47]
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations.(October 2022)
