University of Canberra

University of Canberra

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Motto	New Intelligence
Type	Public
Established	1967
Chancellor	Prof Ingrid Moses
Vice-Chancellor	Prof Stephen Parker
Students	10,284
Location	Bruce, Canberra , ACT , Australia
Campus	Urban 290 acres (1.2 km²) (Bruce campus)
Affiliations	ASAIHL, New Generation Universities
Website	www.canberra.edu.au

The University of Canberra is a university, primarily located in the suburb of Bruce in Canberra, the capital of Australia, near the Belconnen town centre. The University also had a secondary campus in Brisbane, Queensland, known as the University of Canberra Brisbane Campus, but this was phased out during 2005 and closed at the end of February 2006. In 2005, the University of Canberra ranked eighth among Australian universities for excellence in learning and teaching.

The University of Canberra was founded in 1967 as the Canberra College of Advanced Education, and was accredited as a university in 1990. It has a largely vocational focus, similar to Victoria University and the University of Western Sydney.

There are 10,000 students enrolled from 90 countries. Students are represented by the University of Canberra Students' Association, which is affiliated with the National Union of Students.

In the middle of the University is The Hub, which a cafe, newsagent, post office, chemist, book shop, bank and computer parts store. Nearby is the UC bar which has a bar night on Thursdays. Bar night was changed to Fridays in 2005, becoming known as Friday Faces, but reverted to Thursdays in 2006.

Buildings

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Along the UC concourse, towards the Library

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Building 11, Walkway connecting the refectory with the gym

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Main entrance area of UCBC at Southbank in Brisbane

The University has 23 numbered buildings.

Foundation stone and Stone Day

Main article: Stonefest

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The foundation stone for which Stone Day and Stonefest are named after, under the glass, near Building 1 at UC.

At the end of the year, after classes finish but before exams, Stone Day is usually held, a music festival with local bands, which lasts several days. The day before it is known as Stone Eve. It started as a celebration held annually to mark the placing of the foundation stone by Prime Minister John Gorton on 28 October, 1968. This founded the Canberra College of Advanced Education, which became the University of Canberra in 1990.

The stone is under glass, outside, near Building 1 at the University, and an inscription on it reads:

This Stone was unveiled by the right honourable J.G. Gorton, M.P., Prime Minister of Australia, on the 28th of October 1968, to mark the establishment of the Canberra College of Advanced Education.

Over the years the Stone Day program has gradually become larger and larger, taking up a whole week and now StoneFest is one of Australia's most popular music festivals. The first foundation celebrations were held in 1971. In 1973 Stone Day celebrations were held over two days, which was expanded to take up a whole week in 1976. In the 1980s and 1990s Stoneweek became a popular Canberra entertainment event, which in 2000 became Stonefest. In 2004, artists who appeared at StoneFest included: Something for Kate, Von Bondies, Groove Armada, Butterfingers, and Rocket Science.

Notable alumni and staff

The university has had numerous notable alumni, including:

• Wil Anderson, comedian
• Petria Thomas, Olympic swimmer and multiple gold medal winner
• Kelly Hoare, member of the Australian House of Representatives
• Scott Fava, Western Force and Wallaby Number 8
• Hayley Jensen, singer
• Alan Tongue, Canberra Raiders Rugby League player
• Garth Nix, author
• Wayne Sievers, former police officer, trade union official, social justice campaigner and political figure
• Justin Heazlewood, aka The Bedroom Philosopher, comedian/folk singer
• Amos Kwok, author and screenwriter
• David Vernon (writer), writer
• Simon Corbell, state goverment Minister and former President, Students' Association
• George Gregan, former Captain, Australian Rugby Team (aka Wallabies)

Notable staff members have included:

• Arthur Hoyle, historian
• Ingrid Moses, chancellor
• James Thomas Neill, psychologist
• Susan Ryan, one-time Labor government Minister

See also

Other Canberra universities include the Australian National University, Australian Catholic University and the Australian Defence Force Academy.

External links

• Official website
• University of Canberra Library
• University of Canberra on Google Maps
• Residential Services

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