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The University of Sydney, established in Sydney in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia. It is a member of Australia's "Group of Eight" Australian universities that are highly ranked in terms of their research performance; it is one of the country's largest and most prestigious educational institutions. In 2005, the University of Sydney had 45,966 students and 2,300 (full-time equivalent) academic staff making it the second largest in Australia. In November 2005, and again in October 2006, the University was confirmed as one of Australia’s leading research universities, having received significantly more funding than any other Australian university from the Australian Research Council . In 2005, the University of Sydney was ranked 35th in the world and third in Australia in ''The Times Higher Education Supplement's'' list of the world's best universities. Centred on the Oxbridge-inspired grounds of the University's Main Campus on the south-western outskirts of Sydney's CBD, the University has a number of campuses as a result of mergers over the past 15 years. History
Campuses The University has a number of campuses and has continued to expand over the years. Until recently, the University also operated the Museum of Contemporary Art. As of 2005, the campuses are: Camperdown/Darlington (main) campus Originally housed in what is now Sydney Grammar School, in 1855, the government granted the university land in Grose Farm, three kilometres from the city, which is now the main Camperdown campus. The architect Edmund Blacket designed the original Neogothic sandstone Quadrangle and Great Tower buildings, which were completed in 1862. The rapid expansion of the university in the mid-20th century resulted in the acquisition of land in Darlington across City Road. The Camperdown/Darlington campus houses the headquarters of the University, and the Faculties of Arts, Science, Education and Social Work, Pharmacy, Veterinary Science, Economics and Business, Architecture, and Engineering. It is also the home base of the large Faculty of Medicine, which has numerous affiliated teaching hospitals across the State. The main campus is also the focus of student life at campus, with the student-run University of Sydney Union (often known simply as the Union) in possession of three buildings on-site - Wentworth, Manning and Holme Buildings. These buildings house a large proportion of the university's catering outlets, and provide space for gaming rooms, bars and function centres. One of the largest activities organised by the Union is the Orientation Week (or 'O-week'), centering on stalls set up by clubs and societies on the Front Lawns. The University is currently undertaking a large capital works program (entitled "Campus 2010"), which will see the amalgamation of the smaller science and technical libraries into a larger library, and the construction of a central administration and student services building along City Road. A new building for the School of Information Technologies is under construction, as is the new home for the Sydney Law School alongside Fisher Library (on the site of the old Edgeworth David and Stephen Roberts buildings). The busy Eastern Avenue thoroughfare will be transformed into a pedestrian plaza, while a new footbridge will be built over City Road. Mallett Street campus The Mallett Street campus is home of the Faculty of Nursing. As of 2005, the Faculty no longer offers undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing programs. A new Master of Nursing program (M.N) has been introduced, with its first intake of students in 2006. Other hybrid programs such as the Bachelor of Arts/Master of Nursing, Bachelor of Science/Master of Nursing, Bachelor of Applied Science/Master of Nursing, Bachelor of Sports and Exercise Science/Master of Nursing have also been introduced. Cumberland campus Formerly an independent institution (the Cumberland College of Health Sciences), the Cumberland campus in the Sydney suburb of Lidcombe was incorporated into the University as part of the higher education reforms of the late 1980s. It is home to the Faculty of Health Sciences, which covers various allied health disciplines, including physiotherapy, speech therapy, radiation therapy, occupational therapy and Exercise Science. Surry Hills campus The Sydney Dental Hospital at Surry Hills houses the University's Dental School and Dentistry library. Situated between Chalmers Street and Elizabeth Street, it is adjacent to the eastern entrance to Central Station. Sydney Law School
Sydney College of the Arts The Sydney College of the Arts (SCA) is based in a former sanitorium in the Sydney suburb of Rozelle, overlooking Sydney Harbour. The college specialises in the fine (visual) arts. Sydney Conservatorium of Music Formerly the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (SCM) is located on the edge of Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens, a short distance from the Sydney Opera House. It became a faculty of the University in the 1990s, and as of 2005 incorporates the main campus Department of Music, which was the subject of the documentary Facing the Music. Orange Agricultural College Located at Orange in rural NSW, the Orange Agricultural College joined in 1994. Orange campus was principally the domain of the former Faculty of Rural Management; however other undergraduate courses from the Faculties of Arts, Science, Nursing and Pharmacy were also taught at Orange. The Orange Campus and the Faculty of Rural Management were transferred to Charles Sturt University in 2005 amid objections from the staff and students of at the University of Sydney. Camden campus Located on Sydney's southwest rural fringe, the Camden campus houses research farms for agriculture and veterinary science. Narrabri Plant Research Centre The Narrabri Plant Research Centre is located at Narrabri, near the Queensland border. The Dawkins Reforms: Higher Education (Amalgamation) Act 1989 Under the terms of the Higher Education (Amalgamation) Act 1989 (NSW), the following bodies were incorporated into the University of Sydney in 1990: The Orange Agricultural College (OAC) was originally transferred to the University of New England under the Act, but then transferred to the University of Sydney in 1994, as part of the reforms to the University of New England undertaken by the University of New England Act 1993 and the Southern Cross University Act 1993. In January 2005, the University of Sydney transferred the OAC to Charles Sturt University. The New England University College was founded as part of the University of Sydney in 1938, and separated to become the University of New England in 1954. Image:Usydincome.png|Sources of income for the University, 1900-2003 Image:Usydenrolments.png|Enrolments at the University of Sydney Image:Usydfaculties.png|Proportion of enrolments by faculty, 1900-2005 Colleges and faculties The University is comprised of seventeen faculties, which have been grouped into three colleges University of Sydney Library
Nicholson Museum Nicholson Museum of Antiquities contains the largest and most prestigious collection of antiquities in Australia. It is also the country's oldest university museum, and features ancient artefacts from Egypt, the Middle East, Greece, Rome, Cyprus and Mesopatamia, collected by the University over many years and added to by recent archaeological expeditions. Macleay Museum The Macleay Museum is named after Alexander Macleay, whose collection of insects begun in the late eighteenth century was the basis upon which the museum was founded. It has developed into an extraordinary collection of natural history specimens, ethnographic artifacts, scientific instruments and historic photographs. University Art Collection The University Art Collection was founded in the 1860s and contains more than 2500 pieces, constantly growing through donation, bequests, and acquisition. It is housed in several different places, including the Sir Hermann Black Gallery and the War Memorial Art Gallery. Rare Books Library The Rare Books Library is a part of the Fisher Library and holds 185,000 books and manuscripts which are rare, valuable or fragile, including eighty medieval manuscripts, works by Galileo, Halley and Copernicus and an extensive collection of Australiana. The copy of the Gospel of Barnabas, and a first edition of Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Sir Isaac Newton are held here. Regular exhibitions of rare books are held in the exhibition room. Residential colleges In 2003, the University completed the Sydney University Village (SUV), consisting of studio and apartment accommodation operated by a private company on behalf of the university. There is also a university-affiliated housing cooperative, Stucco. Student organisations, clubs and activities
Sports Sydney University Football Club, founded in 1863, is the oldest rugby union club in Australia. The club was a member of the inaugural Sydney club competition in 1874. The club currently competes in the NSWRU competition and in 2005 claimed the Tooheys New Cup, senior and colts club championships and were runners up in the Shute Shield. In women's basketball, the Sydney Uni Flames compete in the WNBL. The men's and women's water polo clubs also compete in their national leagues, with the men's team winning the title in 2005. The cricket club, founded in 1864, has competed in the Sydney Grade Cricket competition since its inception. The University fielded a rugby league team in the New South Wales Rugby League's Sydney premiership from 1920 to 1937. It currently competes in the NSW Tertiary Student Rugby League competition. In netball, the Sydney Sandpipers were based at the university until they left the Commonwealth Bank Cup, and the university now fields a team in the NSW state league. The Sydney University Soccer Football Club * was founded in 1946. The club fields elite teams for men and women in the Soccer NSW Super League. The club also fields all age men's teams in the Eastern Suburbs Soccer Football Association and all age women's teams in the North West Sydney Women's Soccer Association. They also have a number of junior girls team and an over 35 men's team. The Australian rules football club has teams in the Sydney AFL and the women's SWAFL competitions. Recent disputes In 2001, University of Sydney Chancellor Dame Leonie Kramer was forced to resign by the University’s governing body. In 2003, Kathryn Greiner, Chairwoman of the Sydney Peace Foundation, resigned over a dispute with Sydney University. In 2005, the Community and Public Sector Union was in dispute with the University over the proposal to privatise security at the main campus (and the Cumberland campus.) See also Footnotes | |||||||||||||||
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