Victoria University, Australia
 |
|
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | 1916 (University status 1990) |
| Chancellor | George Pappas |
| Vice-Chancellor | Peter Dawkins |
| Students | 27,695 (2014) |
|
Other students
|
18,503 (2014) |
| Location | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Campus | Urban |
| Affiliations | ASAIHL |
| Website | vu.edu.au |
| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| Victoria University, Australia | |
| QS World | 651-700 |
| THE-WUR World | 351-400 |
| Australian rankings | |
| QS National | 30 |
Victoria University (VU) is a university based in Melbourne, Australia. It is a dual-sector tertiary institution providing courses in both higher education and Technical and Further Education (TAFE). 2016 marks VU's centenary as an educational institution and its 25th anniversary as a university.
The university has several campuses in Melbourne's central business district, western region, and in Sydney, comprising seven academic colleges, six research institutes, seven research centres and VU's Victoria Polytechnic (providing vocational education and training). It also offers courses at partner institutions throughout Asia.
The idea for a technical school based in the western suburbs of Melbourne was first proposed in 1910. The Footscray Technical School opened its doors to 220 students and 9 teachers in 1916 after five years of fundraising.
Charles Archibald Hoadley was the school's principal from its founding until his death in 1947. His vision was to aid students who had both a sound technical knowledge and an appreciation of the arts, sports, the outdoors and community activities. He believed in educating students "for life as well as for living", wanting students to view education as opening the doors of opportunity.
Under Hoadley's leadership, the school expanded rapidly and began offering trade certificate courses, diplomas in architecture, building, and contracting, as well as evening classes. War and the Depression saw a dip in student numbers. However, by 1943, there were 2500 students enrolled in courses taught at the Footscray Park and Footscray Nicholson campuses.
The following decades saw gender and cultural shifts. In 1958, the school changed its name to the Footscray Technical College. Ten years later, it changed its name again, this time, to the Footscray Institute of Technology (FIT). Women first enrolled in day diploma courses in 1960, and changes to the federal government's immigration policy resulted in many more European and Asian students entering the school. The secondary school component was separated from the rest of the institute in 1972. By the mid-1970s, the expanded curriculum included degree courses and was well beyond the technical focus of the original Footscray Technical School. Further changes occurred in the 1980s, with the technical and trade education section separating from FIT to form the Footscray and Newport Colleges of TAFE.
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