Former names | List
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Motto | |||||||||
Motto in English | Through study the mind is renewed [2] | ||||||||
Type | Public research university | ||||||||
Established |
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Accreditation | TEQSA | ||||||||
Academic affiliation | |||||||||
Budget | A$342.5 million (2022) [3] | ||||||||
Chancellor | John Dornbusch [4] | ||||||||
Vice-Chancellor | Geraldine Mackenzie | ||||||||
Academic staff | 800 (2023) [5] | ||||||||
Administrative staff | 995 (2023) [5] | ||||||||
Total staff | 1,795 (2023) [5] | ||||||||
Students | 21,295 (2023) [5] | ||||||||
Undergraduates | 14,460 (2023) [5] | ||||||||
Postgraduates | 3,916 coursework (2023) 915 research (2023) [5] | ||||||||
Other students | 70 cross-institution (2022) 1,934 non-award (2023) [5] | ||||||||
Location | , , | ||||||||
Campus | Urban and regional with multiple sites | ||||||||
Colours | Gold and plum [7] | ||||||||
Sporting affiliations | |||||||||
Website | unisq.edu.au | ||||||||
The University of Southern Queensland (branded as UniSQ and formerly branded as USQ) is a medium-sized, regional university based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, [8] with four university campuses at Toowoomba, Springfield, and Ipswich. [9] It offers courses in law, health, engineering, surveying and built environment, the sciences, business, education, and the arts. [10] It operates three research institutes and nine research centres which focus on a wide range of business, agricultural, scientific, environmental, and technological issues. [11]
The university was established in 1967 in Toowoomba as the Queensland Institute of Technology (Darling Downs) and achieved full university status as the University of Southern Queensland in 1992.
The university is recognised for having the largest Japanese-designed garden in Australia, [12] and Australia's largest solar integrated carpark. [13] In 2017, the university won the international Green Gown award for its approach to sustainability focusing on renewable energy, waste reduction, water retention, and integration of sustainability into strategic planning. [13]
In 2012, the university's archaeologists discovered the oldest Australian rock art of 28,000 years old in the Northern Territory, [14] and in 2018, the university's astronomers discovered a new planet that orbits an ancient star almost 2 billion years older than the sun. [15] [16]
The university has been recognised for its efforts in preventing violence against women [17] and was cited as employer of choice for gender equality by the Federal Government's Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). [18]
In June 2022, the university announced it was changing its branding from USQ to UniSQ, accompanied by a change in logo. [19]
After a meeting of over 200 members of the Toowoomba community on 2 December 1960, the Darling Downs University Establishment Association (DDUEA) was founded with the purpose of establishing a university in the Darling Downs region. Chaired by former mayor of Toowoomba Dr. Alex McGregor, the association successfully lobbied the local, state, and federal government for the establishment of an Institute of Technology located in Toowoomba. After the establishment of the Queensland Institute of Technology (Darling Downs), the association became known as the Darling Downs Association for Advanced Education (DDAAE), and later Darling Downs Unilink Limited. [20] Darling Downs Unilink Limited went into receivership in 1996, with a subsequent auction of the organisation's art collection. [21]
The Queensland Institute of Technology (Darling Downs) (QITDD) opened on 2 February 1967 in Toowoomba, beginning with 140 foundation students. [22] By 1970, the institution provided studying programs for rural Queensland and international communities. [8] [23]
In 1971, the institute became the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (DDIAE). Managed by its own College Council, DDIAE educated 75% of the country's international students in the 1986–1987 school year. [22]
On the evening of 11 April 1979, a fire destroyed the Administration Building (B Block). This resulted in the loss of the mailroom and switchboard. The cause of the fire was a staff member activating a bank of light switches which, unbeknownst to them, were also connected to a wall strip heater obscured by computer printout paper. While the damage was significant, student academic records were not affected and the institute was able to continue operating. [24]
From 1980 to 1990, DDIAE grew significantly from 1,000 to 8,000 full-time student equivalents (EFTSL). [22]
It became the University College of Southern Queensland (UCSQ) in 1990, [22] under the sponsorship of the University of Queensland. [25]
In 1992, the institution became the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) when it gained full university status. [22] UniSQ was a founding member of the Regional Universities Network that was launched in 2011. [26] The Network's research in 2013 showed that UniSQ generated $411.7 million into the economy of Queensland every year as well as household income of $255.4 million and 3,313 jobs in the communities of Toowoomba, Fraser Coast, and Springfield. [27] Along with Toowoomba's investments in data centres, landscaped and business parks, air and land infrastructures, UniSQ has been contributing to making the region a centre of agribusiness, sustainable development, and trade. [28]
UniSQ ensures that, as a regional university, its curriculum serves local and regional employment needs, as well as engaging in regional social and economic development and serving the regional community. [8]
In stage two of the Sustainable Energy Solution project commenced in September 2017, 1198 solar panels were installed on building rooftops across UniSQ campuses in Springfield and Ipswich, generating 586,949 kilowatt hours and reducing thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions each year. [29] As of 31 May 2018, smoking is banned in all areas at UniSQ. [31]
UniSQ Toowoomba is close to Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport and is approximately a two-hour drive from Brisbane. [32] The campus has lecture theatres and syndicate rooms in the School of Business Building. The campus offers degrees in sciences, creative arts and media, business and commerce, engineering and built environment, education, health and community, information technology, humanities and communication, law and justice, English language programs, and pathway programs. There is a theatre, science laboratories, Olympic standard basketball courts, a 24 hour-access gym with high-tech equipment, a tennis centre, an aerobics centre, and netball courts at the Clive Berghofer Rec Center, social clubs, and other accommodation. It has the country's largest Japanese-designed garden (the Ju Raku En) and the Gumbi Gumbi gardens. [32] Three co-educational residential colleges located on this campus are McGregor, Steele Rudd, and Concannon. [33] [34]
UniSQ's Springfield campus is located at Springfield, a suburb of approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) southwest of Brisbane CBD, 1 hour from the Gold Coast, and about 20 minutes from Ipswich CBD. Springfield's public transportation includes bus services and a return train to Brisbane CBD. Serving as a hub for digital production and performance, the campus offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs and includes a radio station, science and engineering laboratories, a television studio with spaces for rehearsal, collaborative teaching rooms, a fitness and recreation centre, an auditorium, and on-campus accommodation. The campus's flight simulator is helpful for aviation students to replicate both normal and abnormal scenarios of a flight with checks and procedures applied to airline pilots. Phoenix Radio at UniSQ Springfield is an online community radio station that serves the Greater Ipswich region and also provides training for students enrolled in the Bachelor of Applied Media program. [35]
UniSQ Ipswich [lower-alpha 1] is located in the growing region of southeast Queensland, 40 minutes from the Brisbane CBD. The campus is home to UniSQ's health programs, which has laboratories for clinical nursing students, custom-built training facilities for paramedicine students, café, gym, and different sports fields. UniSQ Ipswich offers degrees in nursing, paramedicine, psychology, and counselling as well as tertiary preparation programs. The campus also includes a library with a rainforest and water features designed to increase air quality and contribute to the learning environment. [10]
UniSQ students, staff, and faculty members engage in a variety of extracurricular activities, such as taking part in the One Million Stars to End Violence project, [37] organising symposiums to change people's attitude about children with autism, [38] improving literacy for Indigenous children, [39] and providing healthcare to disadvantaged communities in Thailand. [40] In 2017, the Association for Tertiary Education Management (ATEM) presented UniSQ Stars Campaign to End Violence with the Engagement Australia Award for Excellence in Community Engagement. [37] In 2015, the Enactus National Conference and Competition recognised three projects (Cash to Grow, Tertiary Texts, and Project Ignite) by eight UniSQ students (majoring in business, accounting, law, human services, psychology, and education) for creating positive impacts in local communities. [41] The members of UniSQ's Golden Key Chapter (an invitation-only honour society, including of top 15% students from universities worldwide based on their academic achievement) also engage in a wide range of activities to serve the community, including volunteering with local schools, youth clubs, and state emergency service. [42]
The Law Society at UniSQ organises a yearly MOOT competition for law students and a Secondary Schools MOOT competition for young high schoolers. [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] The winners of UniSQ's MOOT competition represent the region to take part in the Association National Championship Moot organised in Brisbane for Australian law students. [47] The winners of UniSQ's Secondary Schools MOOT competition received scholarships to study in law programs at UniSQ. [44] UniSQ's Law Society also organises events for law students to get career advice from professionals and learn to overcome challenges in the profession. [48]
In the 2015 Northern Uni Games, UniSQ student-athletes won a gold medal in women's tennis, both gold and silver medals in lawn bowls, and bronze medals in both men's and women's basketball. [49] In 2016 Northern Uni Games, UniSQ student-athletes won two gold medals in women's hockey and women's tennis, and a silver medal in open lawn bowls. [50] In 2017 Northern Uni Games, UniSQ student-athletes won three gold medals in men's tennis, woman's tennis, and golf handicap, one silver medal in men's basketball, and another bronze medal in men's tennis. [51] UniSQ students also competed in other sport tournaments at national and international levels, such as represented the Queensland Blades in the 2017 Australian Hockey League Championships, [52] won the first places in ANB Qld State Championships [53] , received the national Green and Gold merit after the annual 2016 Australian University Games, [54] and captained Australia in the 2018 Indoor Hockey World Cup in Germany. [55]
UniSQ also supports year 11 and 12 students with skills to improve the quality of life in local communities through Change Makers program. The program provides young students with financial support, guidance, and other resources to develop their visions of a better future and bring these ideas into practice. The program is an opportunity for students, especially disadvantaged students, to engage in teamwork, develop the skills of public speaking and project management. According to the National Center for Student Equity in Higher Education, twenty projects have been completed by students through Change Makers programs, including building a garden in community school to feed homeless people, raising awareness of inequality through concerts, and managing other projects dealing with pollution in community environments. The program won the CASE Circle of Excellence Silver Award for Public Relations and Community Relations Projects in 2015. [56] [57]
UniSQ's students produce plays, films, and entertainment shows addressing culture, gender identity, and the struggles of young people, including Ghosts of Leigh by Dallas Baker, [58] Velvet Bourlevard by Ian Fulton, [59] and I dated Batman by Tammy Sarah. [60] The university also established the Bruce Dawe Poetry Prize (named after the university's first honorary professor for his contribution to the university) in 1999 to honour the most prominent poets in Australia. [61] In addition, UniSQ Artsworx, established as an art venue and production house, supports students, artists, and community art activities through its McGregor Summer School, [62] McGregor bursary, [63] exhibition sponsorships at Downland Art exhibition, [63] Hampton Art exhibition, [64] GraduArt exhibition (annual art exhibition by UniSQ's students), [65] and art exhibition raising funds for breast cancer treatment at St. Vincent Hospital. [66]
The flexible work arrangements and the program of Women's Advancement reflect the university's commitment to gender equality and the role of women in the workplace.[ citation needed ] Funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Australian Centre for Sustainable Business and Development at UniSQ has conducted different international programs of approximately $1 million, such as Australian Awards Fellowship and AusAid Australian Leadership Awards Fellowship, aiming at fostering the role of women in business in accordance with Australian policies and practices. [67]
It provides on-campus education that serves Darling Downs, Southern and Western Queensland [23] as well as flexible learning programs through external learning or via off campus and overseas education partners [9] [23] in southern Africa, Fiji, South-east Asia, Sweden, Norway, and The Emirates. It operates the European Study Center in Bretten, Germany. [23] UniSQ maintains accreditations for professional programs with professional and competent authorities, such as Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC), Legal Practitioners Admissions Board and Chief Justice of Queensland, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Association of International Accountants (AIA), CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ), Australian Computer Society, and Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI). UniSQ won the Australian University of the Year Award in 2000–2001. [68] [22] UniSQ has 14 fields of research rated at and above world average standards by Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) in 2015. In the last audit, the ERA acknowledged UniSQ's pharmaceutical sciences, materials engineering, pharmacology, environmental science and management as well above world average standards. [69] Attested with Quality System Certification of Registration, [68] UniSQ maintains high educational standards through a program of centralised, staff-driven decision-making, discipline-based management, and quality assurance practices. [23] A 2002 audit found that its quality assurance program could be more effective with improved systems of central monitoring and reviewing. [23]
Beside providing a digital learning platform (partly funded with $50 million by the federal government [70] ) for all courses and disciplines, the university also provides students with face-to-face instructions and real-life experiences, including the opportunity for students in the Bachelor of Applied Media (BMA) program to do all parts of production and direction of Connected, a lifestyle show produced for 31 Digital. [71] Students at UniSQ took part in and won top awards at Miami [72] and Tropfest [73] international film competitions. The agreement between the West Wellcamp Airport and the Airline Academy of Australia includes that UniSQ provides undergraduate and post-graduate training for aviators in coordination with the academy's programs. [74] Students in aviation program will receive professional pilot qualification issued by Australian Civil Aviation Authority after graduation and have the opportunities to take trial flights before commencing the program. [75] They also have access to work-based training and further career development with Qantas Future Pilots Program. [76] The university organised field trips for nursing students to provide healthcare in rural communities in Vietnam (funded through federal government's New Colombo program) [77] and for researchers to raise awareness of root-lesion in India. [78]
The Good Universities Guide 2018 showed that UniSQ Engineering and Psychology received high scores in graduates' full-time employment, and UniSQ received best overall ratings in the measures of graduates's full-time employment (82.5% / national average of 69.5%), starting salary, and equity. [79] [80] Professors and researchers at UniSQ gained important positions with regional and international organisations, such as Fulbright [81] and Queensland's Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). [82] UniSQ's students benefit from partnerships and exchange programs between the university and other universities and organisations, such as Australian National University, [83] University of California Riverside, [84] and NASA. [85] The university offers students a number of scholarships each year, such as School Partners Programs Scholarship [86] and Vice-Chancellor's Principal's Recommendation Scholarship. [87] Visitor speakers and lecturers at UniSQ come from different professional backgrounds, including NASA astronaut Colonel Robert S. Kimbrough, [88] Chief Justice of the High Court Susan Kiefel, [89] News Director Mike Dalton from Nine News Regional Queensland, [90] rugby player Steve Walter, [91] and bestselling author Steve Maraboli. [92]
UniSQ's research institutes are: [93]
UniSQ's research centres are: [93]
The University of Southern Queensland has three research institutes [9] and seven research centres [93] which focus on issues such as agricultural technology, rural health, environmental management, biotechnology, education leadership, web based services, and fibre composite materials. [23] Based on competitive grants won and industry-funded research collaborations, UniSQ has significant and core research strength in the broad area of agriculture and the environment. This core research strength generated over $10 million in new grant and industry funding, announced by vice-chancellor Bill Lovegrove in 2008. [94] In 2003, the university established the Institute for Agriculture and the Environment (IAgE) with improved biotechnology and pathology laboratories. [95] In 2017, the Queensland Drought Mitigation Centre (QDMC) was established as a result of collaboration between the university and the government. [96] In 2017, as a part of the mega $15m campus expansion, the university started upgrading the Agricultural Science and Engineering Precinct (ASEP) to facilitate agricultural and material engineering development, including constructing new microbiology laboratories, glasshouses, dehumidified storage, and controlled ecological environments, developing methods of soil pathogen resistance, and applying vision sensing and robotics trials. [97] In 2017, the university hosted Australia's first regional meeting with Australia-ASEAN Council (AAC) in Toowoomba Campus to discuss the issue of trade and agriculture in preparation for the Sydney ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in 2018. The participants addressed the global demand for food, the current problems in the industry, and the development of new technologies in environmental science, engineering, and agribusiness. [98] In 2018, a new climate project of $8 million was established by the university, the Queensland government, and the MLA, bringing together world scientists to find better solutions for managing drought and predicting seasonal climates. [99] [100] UniSQ researchers undertake different roles with international climate organisations, such as the president of the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (with the commission to design better services for global agribusiness and climate risk management) [101] and ocean expeditor in the Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (with the mission to examine how ocean currents affect the world's weather). [102] UniSQ also supports the usage of renewable energy by integrating 2MW solar power system with the carpark in Toowoomba campus to provide energy to the campus's activities, reducing the emission of carbon dioxide by 20 percent. [13]
In addition, UniSQ has developed projects in the fields of construction industry and space research. The university's Centre for Future Materials (CFM) has researched and applied the technique of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) in the project of Toowoomba City Hall renovation. [103] The university, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and international researchers, has developed a project in researching green cement without reliance on clay and limestone. [104] In 2017, the university, in collaboration with University of Sydney and University of New South Wales, received funding to build a telescope facility at Mount Kent Observatory, Darling Downs, Queensland. [105] The new telescope facility has been supporting Australian astronomers to discover planet systems and perform an important role in NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) mission. [106]
The university's student body includes full-time and part-time students from both Australia and overseas countries. Based upon the results of the 2013 International student barometer survey, UniSQ was named the top university for international student satisfaction in Australia that year. [9] UniSQ's students come from a diversity of cultural backgrounds and speak different languages. In 2015, the university had around 28,203 students of which approximately 84% were domestic students, 16% were international students, 15.8 was the number of students per staff, and 1.17 was the student ratio of females to males. [107]
The University of Queensland is a public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone universities, an informal designation of the oldest university in each state. UQ is also a founding member of edX, Australia's leading Group of Eight and the international research-intensive Association of Pacific Rim Universities.
The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the coastal city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It has two major campuses, a modern city campus in Gardens Point and a historical campus in Kelvin Grove. The university offers courses in fields including architecture, engineering, information technology, healthcare, teaching, law, arts and design, science and mathematics.
Ipswich is a city in South East Queensland, Australia. Situated on the Bremer River, it is approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of the Brisbane central business district. The city is renowned for its architectural, natural and cultural heritage. Ipswich preserves and operates from many of its historical buildings, with more than 6000 heritage-listed sites and over 500 parks. Ipswich was founded in 1827 as a mining settlement. The suburb of the same name is its central business district. In the 2021 census, the population of the urban area of Ipswich was 115,913 people.
Toowoomba is a city in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. It is 125 km (78 mi) west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 census was 142,163, having grown at an average annual rate of 1.45% over the previous two decades. Toowoomba is the second-most-populous inland city in the country after the nation's capital of Canberra, and hence the largest city on the Darling Downs. It is the second largest regional centre in Queensland, often referred to as the capital of the Darling Downs. It is also the council seat of the eponymously named Toowoomba Region.
Dalby is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Dalby had a population of 12,082 people.
The University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) is a public university based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. After opening with 524 students in 1996 as the Sunshine Coast University College, it was later renamed the University of the Sunshine Coast in 1999.
South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. The area covered by South East Queensland varies, depending on the definition of the region, though it tends to include Queensland's three largest cities: the capital city Brisbane; the Gold Coast; and the Sunshine Coast. Its most common use is for political purposes, and covers 35,248 square kilometres (13,609 sq mi) and incorporates 11 local government areas, extending 240 kilometres (150 mi) from Noosa in the north to the Gold Coast and New South Wales border in the south, and 140 kilometres (87 mi) west to Toowoomba. It is the third largest urban area in Australia by population.
The modern history of Toowoomba begins in the 19th century. Europeans began exploring and settling in the area from 1816 on-wards. By the end of the 1840s the rich lands around Toowoomba were being used for agriculture. 12 suburban allotments at Drayton were surveyed in 1849. Small commercial settlements were growing with schools and churches also being built. The first council election took place in 1861 and the telegraph connection to Brisbane was established in 1862. Between 1868 and 1886, several new railway lines from Toowoomba were opened. Throughout the 21st century the city prospered with new hospitals, large industrial buildings and education facilities established. Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport was opened in 2014.
The Queensland Museum Kurilpa is the state museum of Queensland, dedicated to natural history, cultural heritage, science and human achievement. The museum currently operates from its headquarters and general museum in South Brisbane with specialist museums located in North Ipswich in Ipswich, East Toowoomba in Toowoomba, and in Townsville City in Townsville.
Glenvale is a semi-rural residential locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It is a suburb of Toowoomba. In the 2021 census, Glenvale had a population of 8,120 people.
Darling Heights is a rural residential locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Darling Heights had a population of 5,157 people.
Greater Springfield is a private development undertaken by the Springfield City Group and one of the fastest-growing developments in Australia; it is located in Ipswich, in the south-west of the Brisbane metropolitan area in Queensland, Australia. It is the first privately built city in Australia and the country’s largest master planned community, encompassing 2,860 hectares.
Highfields is a town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Highfields had a population of 8,568 people.
Ipswich Central Business District is the central suburb and central business district of Ipswich in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It is also known as Ipswich CBD. In the 2016 census, the suburb had a population of 2,459 people.
Wilsonton Heights is a residential locality of Toowoomba in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Wilsonton Heights had a population of 2,747 people.
Harristown is a residential locality in Toowoomba in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Harristown had a population of 9,081 people.
Kearneys Spring is a residential locality in Toowoomba in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Kearneys Spring had a population of 9,419 people.
Rockville is a residential locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Rockville had a population of 3,204 people.
The Darling Downs Gazette was a newspaper published from 1848 to 1922 in Drayton and Toowoomba in Queensland, Australia.
Springfield Central is a suburb in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Springfield Central had a population of 114 people. It is the designated business district of Greater Springfield.
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