Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

Royal Melbourne
Institute of Technology

RMIT University
File:RMITCoatofArms.png
Former names	The Working Men's College (1887-1933) Melbourne Technical College (1934-1959)
Motto	perita manus mens exculta (Latin)
Motto in English	Literal: "Skilled hand mind cultivated" Non-literal: "a skilled hand, a cultivated mind"
Type	public
Established	1887
Endowment	AU$1.107b (2007)
Chancellor	Dr. Dennis Gibson, AO
Vice-Chancellor	Professor Margaret Gardner, AO
Academic staff	2,957 (2005)
Undergraduates	25,683 (2005)
Postgraduates	8,424 (2005)
Location	Melbourne , Victoria , Australia 37°48′28″S 144°57′48″E
Campus	urban
Sports mascot	redback spider
Colours	red, black, white
Affiliations	ASAIHL, ATN, GU8, OUA
Website	rmit.edu.au
RMIT Logo RMIT Logo

The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) is an Australian university and vocational education provider in Melbourne, Victoria. RMIT has two main branches, known as: RMIT University (also encompassing RMIT TAFE) and RMIT International University.

RMIT is regarded as a selective institution with a strong domestic and international reputation. It's ranked as one of the top ten universities in Australia, and is continually ranked as one of the "Top 200 Universities of the World" in the UK's Times Higher Education Supplement. Its also a founding member of the international GU8 consortium (not to be confused with Australia's Go8 group) and domestically it is a member of the Australian Technology Network (ATN), a coalition of Australian universities working with industry.

Founded in 1887 as the "Working Men's College" by Francis Ormond, RMIT is the third oldest higher education provider operating in Victoria, behind the University of Melbourne (founded in 1853) and the University of Ballarat (founded in 1870 as the School of Mines and Industry), and is the sixth oldest in Australia. Its oldest and largest campus, the City campus, is located at the northern end of the Melbourne city centre. RMIT also operates an international university in Vietnam, known as RMIT International University, Vietnam or "RMIT Vietnam" for short.

While the University focuses on tertiary education and research, its TAFE division provides vocational education and training. RMIT is one of the few educational providers in Australia to proffer almost every level of award offered in the Australian Qualifications Framework (ranging from trade certificates to doctoral degrees). It also enables students to study towards a dual professional/vocational qualification. RMIT alumni are notable in the areas of: aerospace, architecture, fashion design, fine art, graphic art and media studies.

History

Early history

RMIT founder, Francis Ormond

In 1881, Francis Ormond, a prominent land owner, Freemason, philanthropist and Member of Parliament, offered £5,000 towards the establishment of a Working Men's College, on the condition that the general public contributes a similar sum. During the following five years, the money was raised by the Melbourne Trades Hall Council, which levied support amongst its member unions.

Working Men's (Technical) College, corner of La Trobe and Bowen streets, circa 1900s

Meeting of the Council, in 1907
(Photo courtesy RMIT.)

Construction of the Working Men's College began on a site adjacent the Old Melbourne Gaol on La Trobe Street in 1886, and the College opened with a gala ceremony in June 1887. On the night of its opening, the College's original building (now the Francis Ormond Building) took 320 enrolments in technical, business and arts areas, and within 12 months of opening enrolments had risen to over 1000 students.

The Working Men’s College appointed its first full-time instructors in 1899. In the same year, full-time diploma courses were offered for the first time, first in engineering and then applied science. Departments in engineering, chemistry, metallurgy and mining, fitting and turning also began to develop during the turn of the century, which were aided by the substantial fees charged by the College for its full-time courses.

In 1904, the College was incorporated under the Companies Act, whereas prior a board of trustees were personally responsible for the College’s finances. In 1905, the west end of Building 4 (now Building 28) was completed, and housed: printing, plumbing, gas fitting and carpentry trades teaching courses. In 1917, the Art School (now Building 2) was completed and, between 1917 and 1919, the College played a major role in training over 1500 returned Australian World War I servicemen in various trade vocations for post-war life.

After the closure and partial demolishment of the nearby Old Melbourne Gaol, during the 1920s, the College acquired the site for future expansion. In 1929, the remains of Australia's most notorious bushranger, Ned Kelly (who was hanged at the gaol), were believed to have been discovered during the construction of the Kernot Engineering School. These remains were later reinterred Pentridge Prison, and rediscovered in 2008. However, no conclusive evidence suggests the remains are that of Ned Kelly, and many historians believe his remains are still buried under the present day RMIT.

Directly prior to, and during World War II, the College underwent a major expansion, beginning with the completion of the Kernot Engineering School in 1931. In 1934, the College Council agreed to change the name of the Working Men’s College to “The Melbourne Technical College” (incorporating the Working Men's College) after a representation from the Students' Association. During 1937, the Metallurgy Building (now Building 5) was completed as well as the first stage of the Radio School (now Building 9).

Between 1939 and 1945, the College again played a part in training Australian and New Zealand (ANZAC) servicemen, this time for World War II. 22,000 servicemen attended the College, mostly Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) personnel training in communications. 2000 civilians were also trained in munition manufacturing, and the government commissioned the College to manufacture parts for the RAAF's Beaufort Bomber.

After World War II, and during the 1950s, the College developed courses in food technology, transport studies, accountancy, real estate and advertising, and the chemical engineering course is also upgraded with the cooperation of the University of Melbourne. Its art syllabuses are also revised and courses in surveying are developed. During this time, the College also embraced the newly devised Colombo Plan, which increased its intake of South East Asian students greatly.

Creation of RMIT

File:RMITHaroldHoltBust.jpg

Head of Art at RMIT, Victor Greenhalgh, working on the only official bust of then Prime Minister Harold Holt, circa 1960s
(Photo courtesy RMIT.)

File:Emilymcphersoncollege1984.jpg

Emily McPherson College on Russell Street, circa 1980s

In 1954, the College became the only Australian tertiary institution to be awarded the right of the prefix "Royal", with the associated Monarchy of England regalia, and became the “Royal Melbourne Technical College”. During the 1950s, the neighbouring hall of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (later renamed Storey Hall in 1959) was acquired by the College and its Art School established its reputation as a leader. In 1960, the Council of the College enacted another name change, this time to "Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology", and thus the name "RMIT" was born.

During the 1960s and early 1970s, the non-tertiary arm of RMIT is reconstituted as the “Technical College” and it is assumed the Institute and the College would eventually separate. The first computer at RMIT, an Elliott Automation model 803, was acquired at the instigation of the Department of Mathematics during the 1960s, and located on the ground floor of Storey Hall. Also during the 1970s, the Department of Aeronautics began to establish itself as an Australian leader.

The Technical College (TAFE) expanded its courses rapidly during the 1970s, especially in certificates of technology. The tertiary side of RMIT expanded its Business and general studies, and began including industrial research projects in undergraduate engineering degrees, strengthening RMIT's industrial links. In 1979, the adjacent Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy, near the 888 monument on Russell Street, amalgamated with RMIT. The female focused college predominantly covered fashion, textiles and cooking, at the time of the merger.

In 1987, RMIT celebrates its centennial year with a year-long calendar of events and festivals in the city of Melbourne. A time capsule is set in the pavement at the Bowen Street entrance to Building 1. The history of RMIT, dating back to its foundation as the Working Men's College, is written and published as "The Tech: A Centenary History of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology".

In 1991, RMIT withdrew from an agreement to merge with western suburbs technical institutes, to form what is know known as Victoria University, when the agreement was deemed unacceptable to all parties involved. RMIT later merged with the northern suburbs’ Phillip Institute of Technology in 1992, acquiring the Institutes campuses in Coburg and Bundoora (now Bundoora campus-West).

RMIT was granted formal university status by the Parliament of Victoria in 1992, under the "Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Act (1992)", with Director David Beanland becoming Vice-Chancellor and Mr Ivan Deveson, AO appointed as the foundation Chancellor. In the same year, the new University Board adopted the marketing name, "RMIT University"

Recent history

Former Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Russell Street

During the 1990s, RMIT underwent its biggest expansion since World War II. 1992 and 1993 saw the Melbourne College of Decoration and Design's "Department of Visual Merchandising" and "Department of Interior Decoration and Design" amalgamate with RMIT's Faculty of Art and Design to create the TAFE School of Design. In 1994, the University purchased the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works' northern headquarters on Plenty Road in Bundoora (now Bundoora campus-East), and also became the first Australian university to adopt an explicit international strategy.

The Capitol Theatre on Swanston Street, built in 1924 and refurbished by RMIT in 1999

File:RMITVietnamHCMCampus.jpg

RMIT International University in Vietnam, opened in 2001
(Photo courtesy RMIT.)

In 1995, the University opened its Bundoora campus-East and also acquired the state heritage-listed former Melbourne Magistrates' Court and City Watch House on Russell Street, Melbourne (now part of its City campus). Also in 1995, North Melbourne's Melbourne College of Printing and Graphic Arts merged with RMIT, with its courses transferred to the City campus, and the University became a member of the Australian Technology Network, a coalition of five universities with a heritage of working with industry.

In a World first, a PhD at RMIT is researched, supervised, submitted, examined and stored entirely online. First posted online in 1995, the thesis "The Flight of the Ducks" was identified as being of national significance by the National Library of Australia and archived electronically in 1996.

In 1996, the University vacated and sold its inherited campus in Coburg to the City of Moreland, and focused on the development of its East and West Bundoora campuses. During the late 1990s, new buildings were constructed on both campus sites, which went on to win numerous prizes for architecture.

Between 1998 and 1999, the university received the first Australian Export Award for Education in 1998, the Governor of Victoria Award for Education in 1998 and 1999, and the 1999 Business Asia magazine Award for Best Australian Service Activity in Asia. In 1999, the Melbourne Institute of Textiles joined RMIT (now its Brunswick campus), and the university also purchased the derilect state heritate-listed former Capitol Theatre and refurbishing it to architect Walter Burley Griffin's original design.

In 2000, RMIT established an international university in Vietnam known as RMIT International University, Vietnam or "RMIT Vietnam" for short. Its first campus opened near the centre of Ho Chi Minh City in 2001, becoming Vietnam's first foreign-owned university, and a second campus was opened in Hanoi in 2004. All degrees at the international university are accredited by RMIT in Australia and approved by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education, and its Bachelor of Business was the first non-Chinese degree in the World to also be granted official Chinese Government approval. In its years of operation to date, the Vietnamese Government has awarded RMIT Vietnam five Golden Dragon Awards for Education.

During the early 2000s, RMIT experienced some financial problems, partly due to problems associated with the University's student administration system upgrade, called "Academic Management System" (AU$47 million was spent in this effort). The financial problems eventually claimed the then Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ruth Dunkin. In 2005, RMIT appointed a new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Margaret Gardner, AO. Between 2006 and 2007, the University's finanical problems passed, and it posted operating profits of AU$50.1 million and AU$109.5 million for each year respectively.

As of 2007, the University is undertaking a major upgrade of its City campus in accordance with its "2007-2010 Infrastructure Plan".

Organisation

RMIT University is structured as 25 separate schools, which offer study at vocational, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. RMIT schools are then grouped into three academically contextual "portfolios", known as: Business (BUS), Design and Social Context (DSC) and Science, Engineering and Technology (SET). Each school maintains its own specialised research collections, relevant to their fields of study, which are in addition to RMIT University's central library network. RMIT's research institutes and centres are then grouped into each portfolio, according to their academic context, to allow for greater cross-field research. In line with RMIT's "industry-relevant" ethos, a number of organisations are also partnered with RMIT schools for research, including: Airbus, Boeing, Guess, Luxottica, Pacific Brands, Siemens and Volkswagen Group, to name a few.

Portfolios and schools

Tivoli Building, home of RMIT's business schools, on Bourke Street

Business Portfolio (BUS)

• RMIT School of Accounting and Law
• RMIT School of Business Information Technology
• RMIT TAFE School of Business
• RMIT School of Economics, Finance and Marketing
• RMIT Graduate School of Business
• RMIT School of Management

Buildings 4 (City campus), home of the RMIT School of Art, on Bowen Street

Design and Social Context Portfolio (DSC)

• RMIT School of Applied Communication
• RMIT School of Architecture and Design
• RMIT School of Art
• RMIT School of Creative Media
• RMIT TAFE School of Design
• RMIT School of Education
• RMIT School of Fashion and Textiles
• RMIT School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning
• RMIT School of Property, Construction and Project Management

Kernot Engineering School on Bowen Street

Science, Engineering and Technology Portfolio (SET)

• RMIT School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
• RMIT School of Applied Sciences
• RMIT School of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering
• RMIT School of Computer Science and Information Technology
• RMIT School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• RMIT TAFE School of Engineering
• RMIT School of Health Sciences
• RMIT School of Life and Physical Sciences
• RMIT School of Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences
• RMIT School of Medical Sciences

Major research centres

File:InternationalCentreofGraphicTechnology.jpg

The International Centre of Graphic Technology at the Brunswick campus
(Photo courtesy RMIT.)

• Australian Centre for Human Rights Education
• Centre for Applied Social Research
• Centre for Design
• Design Victoria (in partnership with the Victorian Government)
• Globalism Institute and Globalism Research Centre
• International Centre for Environmental and Bioethics
• International Centre of Graphic Technology
• Microelectronics and Materials Technology Centre
• Nautilus Institute @ RMIT
• RMIT-Boeing Phantom Works
• RMIT Global Cities Research Institute
• RMIT Platform Technologies Research Institute
• RMIT Sustainable Health and Well-Being Research Institute
• RMIT Virtual Reality Centre and Digital Gallery
• Sir Lawrence Wackett Centre for Aerospace Design
• Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory

Admissions and rankings

As with all universities in the state of Victoria, entry to RMIT tertiary (and some TAFE) programs are decided by the Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER) scoring system. "Non-school leavers", and those without a sufficient ENTER score, may also sit the Special Tertiary Admissions Test to gain entry to RMIT. Prospective students make applications through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) and, in some cases, directly to RMIT via portfolio submission. Entry to the university is competitive, and many of its programs boast some of the highest ENTER, and equivalent UAI and TER (and OP-converted), score requirements in Australia.

Research produced by the Melbourne Institute in 2006 ranked Australian universities across seven discipline areas: Arts & Humanities, Business & Economics, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine, and Science. For each discipline, RMIT University was ranked:

Discipline	R11	No.	R21	No.
Arts & Humanities	23	38	31	35
Business & Economics	19	39	18	34
Education	23	35	26	32
Engineering	10	28	15	28
Law2	-	-	-	-
Medicine3	-	-	-	-
Science	19	38	17	31

¹R1 refers to Australian and overseas Academics' rankings in tables 3.1 -3.7 of the report. R2 refers to the Articles and Research rankings in tables 5.1 - 5.7 of the report. (No. refers to the number of institutions in the table against which RMIT is compared.)

²Prior to 2007, RMIT did not have law school (the Department of Accounting and Law commenced a Juris Doctorate program in late 2007).

³Whilst RMIT offers programs in health sciences (including nursing, biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences) it does not have a traditional medical school.

The following publications ranked universities worldwide. RMIT ranked:

Publications	Ave.	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Times Higher Education Supplement	120.75						55	82	146	200
Shanghai Jiao Tong University						u/r1	u/r	u/r	u/r	u/r
Newsweek
The Economist
AsiaWeek2
Financial Times MBA rank
Economist Intelligence Unit's MBA rank
Webometrics:	329.5								299	360

¹u/r = unranked.

²AsiaWeek is now discontinued.

Campuses

RMIT University maintains three campuses in Melbourne, Victoria. Its foundation campus, the City campus, is the largest and is located in the Melbourne city centre; its second largest campus, the Bundoora campus, is located in a semi-rural setting just under 20 km from the City campus in Bundoora; and its specialised fashion campus, the Brunswick campus, is located 5 km from the City Campus in neighbouring Brunswick. RMIT University also maintains a number of specialised sites, located in metropolitan Melbourne, and in rural Victoria.

RMIT International University maintains two campuses Vietnam. It foundation campus is located in the Saigon South area of Ho Chi Minh City and a second campus is located in central Hanoi. RMIT also offers online and distance education through Open Universities Australia and is partnered with over 190 educational institutions around the World. In 2003, 58,078 students studied at RMIT University, RMIT International University, with RMIT through Open Universities Australia and with its partner institutions worldwide. Currently, prospective RMIT students have a choice of over 900 higher education and TAFE programs located across all campuses, sites, online and with its worldwide partners.

City (Melbourne)

The campus' Swanston Precinct (corner of Swanston and La Trobe streets) is the main access point of RMIT's City campus

Francis Ormond Building, corner of La Trobe and Bowen streets

Map of the precincts of RMIT's City campus

RMIT's foundation campus opened in June 1887 as the "Working Men's College", in a single building on the corner of La Trobe Street and Bowen Street, at the northern end of the Melbourne city centre. Since the late 19th century, RMIT's City campus has expanded beyond its original site to now encompass almost four entire city blocks.

Today it occupies a culturally significant area of Melbourne, and is adjacent to the State Library of Victoria and the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre (with its underground train station servicing RMIT), and close to Lygon Street's Italian precinct, Lonsdale Street's Greek precinct, Melbourne's Chinatown and the Queen Victoria Market.

Locally referred to as the "RMIT Quarter" of Melbourne, the City campus is divided into three precincts, bordered by Queensberry Street to the North, Russell Street and Lygon Street to the East, La Trobe Street to the South and Elizabeth Street to the West. The City campus is built around Swanston Street, Bowen Street, Franklin Street, Victoria Street and Cardigan Street, and the off-site Business Portfolio building is located on nearby Bourke Street.

The City campus is notable for its mix of contemporary and modern architecture as-well-as gothic revival and Victorian architecture. As RMIT expanded, its Council sought to preserve neighbouring historical and heritage-listed buildings, like the Working Men's College (renamed Francis Ormond Building), Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy, Old Melbourne Gaol, former Melbourne Magistrates' Court along with its City Watch House, the former hall of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (renamed Story Hall), the former hall of the Ancient Order of Foresters and the off-site Capitol Theatre.

The precincts of RMIT's City campus are:

The Swanston Precinct
The Swanston Precinct houses many of RMIT's largest buildings and is the main access point of the City campus. It refers to all buildings fronting Swanston Street, on La Trobe Street, Franklin Street and the West-side of Bowen Street, as-well-as the buildings on neighbouring Elizabeth Street.
The Justice Precinct
The historical Justice Precinct includes the Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy, Old Melbourne Gaol, former Melbourne Magistrates' Court (inherited by RMIT between 1920 and the 1990s) and buildings on the East-side of Bowen Street (including the original Working Men's College).
The Carlton Precinct
The engineering-focussed Carlton Precinct (constructed between the 1960s and 1990s) refers to buildings North of Victoria Street on Cardigan Street, Lygon Street and Queensberry Street, and the new Design Hub on the former Carlton & United Beverages brewery site on Northern Swanston Street.

There is little on-site accommodation for students at RMIT's City campus, due to its central city location. The RMIT Village: Old Melbourne is the only accommodation for students run in conjunction with the University, however, a number of private student accommodation facilities are located close the the City campus. Queen's College, a residential college near the University of Melbourne, is also available to RMIT students.

Campus redevelopment

The City campus is currently undergoing a AU$500 million redevelopment, in accordance with RMIT University's "2007 - 2010 Infrastructure Plan". The plan includes the construction of three new buildings and upgrades to existing buildings. An environmentally responsible eight level "Design Hub" is being constructed for the RMIT School of Architecture and Design, on the corner of Swanston and Victoria streets, which is part of an AU$800 million redevelopment of the former Carlton and United Beverages brewery site by Grocon. The Design Hub will incorporate an outer skin of 16,000 sand blasted glass cells, some of which will be photovoltaic solar power collectors to help shade and power the building.

The AU$185 million future "Swanston Academic Building (SAB)" is the largest construction project ever undertaken by RMIT, and is planned to open in 2011. The 40,000 square metre construction will see the relocation and consolidation of RMIT's Business Portfolio (which is currently housed off-site on Bourke Street in the Melbourne city centre) into RMIT's main City campus area. The SAB will also house its own retail precinct and its facilities will include arena or "cabaret" style lecture theatres. Another building, the "Swanston-A'Beckett Building (SABB)", will be constructed adjacent the SAB at a later date, and will house various RMIT University administration departments.

Major building upgrades in the plan include: the refurbishment of the Francis Ormond Building (the original "Working Men's College"); upgrades and the connection of Buildings 2, 4 and 6 to create an "RMIT School of Art precinct"; the addition of two levels and refurbishment of Building 9 for the eventual relocation of the RMIT School of Applied Communication; and the refurbishment of the former Emily McPherson College for the eventual relocation of the RMIT Graduate School of Business. The plan also includes some minor upgrades to many of the existing City campus buildings.

Bowen Street (Southern entrance, facing La Trobe Street) in the RMIT City campus

Bundoora

RMIT's second largest campus, the Bundoora campus, is a centre of learning housed in award-winning architecture and located in a semi-rural setting. Eighteen kilometres north-east of the city centre of Melbourne, the campus is divided into East and West, divided by Plenty Road. Bundoora Campus also has modern sporting facilities, including the Bundoora Netball and Sports Centre (BNASC). Most of the courses offered at the City campus are also offered at the Bundoora campus, giving the students the opportunity to study in either an urban or rural setting.

Brunswick

Brunswick is the location of RMIT's specialised fashion and printing campus. It became part of the University following the amalgamation of the Melbourne School of Printing and Graphic Art and the Melbourne Institute of Textiles. Situated just 5 km from the city, programs are offered in modern facilities, housed in RMIT's award-winning architecture. The campus is also situated a few minutes walk from Sydney Road, a multicultural area with a variety of specialty shops, restaurants, pubs and markets.

Other sites

Fisherman's Bend
The Fisherman's Bend site is the home of RMIT's award-winning Sir Lawrence Wackett Aerospace Centre, and is located in the heart of the Fisherman’s Bend aerospace precinct, alongside (and in partnership with) companies such as Hawker de Havilland (Boeing Australia), GKN Aerospace and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation. Established by RMIT in 1991, the Centre collaborates with industry on research and consutancy and continuing education and training. It is a designated design organisation of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia and is often contracted by the Australian Defence Force .

Hamilton
RMIT's Hamilton site is a regional education and community development centre in the Southern Grampians region, in the state of Victoria's Western district. Hamilton is the home of RMIT's Regional Development in Global Context program, which conducts research on regional and rural policy, sustainable regional development, and on issues relevant to regional and rural communities. The site also runs Participatory Research Partnerships and a Bachelor of Nursing at the site, to assist with rural medical requirements and to strengthen Victoria's provincial West.

Lakes Entrance
The Lakes Entrance Site is home to RMIT's Aquaculture Research Facility, an ecotoxicology and aquaculture wet laboratory, and RMIT's Environmental Research and Education Centre, located on Bullock Island. The centre is a partnership project between RMIT University and the East Gippsland Institute of TAFE, which both have strong commitments to the region. RMIT University and the East Gippsland Institute of TAFE have been working together to offer joint graduate and postgraduate education initiatives to respond to the socioeconomic needs of the East Gippsland region since 1994.

Point Cook
RMIT University's flight training courses are conducted at its private facility located on the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base "Williams" at its Point Cook airfield, 20 kilometres south-west of the centre of Melbourne. Point Cook was the world's first military air base, and is also the "spiritual home" of the RAAF and the location of its national museum.

Libraries and collections

Section of RMIT's main library, the Swanston Library, in Building 8 (City campus)

RMIT University Library
RMIT University Library is the central library of RMIT. The library has six locations across RMIT's campuses in Melbourne, Bundoora and Brunswick. The main library is the Swanston Library in Building 8, located at the City campus. Two specialised libraries are also located at the City campus: the manufacturing, technology, art and design focussed Carlton Library and business focussed Tivoli Library, which is located at the City campus' off-site Business Portfolio building on Bourke Street. The Bundoora campus has two library locations: the aerospace and engineering focussed East Library and the medical science and social science focussed West Library; and a fashion and printing focussed library is located at the Brunswick campus.

RMIT University Library in Australia is also linked to RMIT International University's libraries (Intergrated Learning Centres), located in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, in Vietnam. Collectively, the libraries house over a million books and have access to over 400 databases, containing tens of thousands of journals from around the World. A number of specialised research collections are also housed independently by RMIT schools, which are relevent to their fields of study, and are in addition to the collections of the RMIT University Library and RMIT International University's libraries. Some of the notable collections housed by RMIT schools include:

Refurbished section of Story Hall on Swanson Street (designed by Ashton Raggatt McDougall)

AFI Research Collection
The Australian Film Institute (AFI) Research Collection is a non-lending, specialist film and television industry resource. It opened in the mid-1970s, a joint venture between the AFI and the Victorian Federation of Film Societies. It became an auspice of the RMIT School of Applied Communication, in conjunction with the AFI, in 2002. The collection has particular strengths in screen history and theory and in Australian cinema, and features a diverse range of books, journals, film scripts, film directories, reports and film festival catalogues. It also includes the valuable David Francis Collection and the notable Henry Mayer Collection and Wayne Royal Levy Collection.

Architecture and Australian Art
RMIT holds a considerable architecture and Australian art collection. Many of its campuses buildings are part of its architecture collection along with substantial archives held by the RMIT School of Architecture and Design. RMIT's Australian art collection is maintained by RMIT Gallery in Story Hall (also part of its architecture collection). The Australian art collection also includes the valuable W.E. Macmillan Collection (gold and silver) and notable Lindsay Edward Collection (fine art). The history of the collection is documented in the publication: "A Skilled Hand and Cultivated Mind".

Fashion and Textiles
RMIT's huge fashion and textiles collection is held by the RMIT School of Fashion and Textiles, "to preserve and record artifacts of design practice", and focuses on Australian designers. It includes the notable W.J. Ackland Collection, Alfredo Bouret Collection (illustration), Bee Taplin Collection, Cash's Australian Collection, Fashion Design Council of Australia Collection, Frances Burke Collection (textiles), Louis Kahan Collection (costume), Hall Ludlow Collection (couture), Prue Acton Collection, Robert Maltus Collection, amongst others. These collections are in addition to the school's substantial archives, and are housed in the Frances Burke Centre at RMIT's fashion campus in Brunswick.

National Aerospace Resource Centre
The National Aerospace Resource Centre collection is a joint initiative of the RMIT School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and the Royal Aeronautical Society. It consists of approximately 100,000 volumes, including: technical reports (from NASA, NACA, AMRL, DSTO and other aerospace organisations), conference proceedings, books, videos, aircraft manuals and journals.

Galleries and arts program

Original section Story Hall, home of RMIT Gallery

RMIT University has six permanent art galleries. Five are located at the City campus: RMIT Gallery, RMIT School of Art Gallery, First Site Gallery, Project Space Gallery and Field 36 Gallery; and the Pitspace Gallery is located at the Bundoora campus. A number of smaller "art spaces" are also located across all campuses. The extensive arts program of RMIT often leads to the establishment of temporary galleries and public art exhibitions across all its campuses.

The RMIT School of Art manages its own gallery along with the Project Space Gallery, the latter in conjunction with the RMIT School of Creative Media, which manages the Field 36 Gallery. RMIT School of Art and RMIT School of Creative Media galleries host exhibitions by RMIT students and its alumni as-well-as renowned Australian and international fine artists and media artists. The First Site Gallery and the Pitspace Gallery are managed by the RMIT Union, and have a emphasis on innovative mult-discipline and cross-media exhibitions.

RMIT Gallery

Main article: RMIT Gallery

RMIT Gallery is the University's largest public art gallery, and boast one of Melbourne's broadest and most unique visual culture exhibition programs, which are all free to the public. It presents exhibitions covering Australian and international design, including: contemporary art, design, fashion, architecture, craft, new media and technology; which reflect the University's strengths in research and cultural production. The gallery is located in the historic original section of Story Hall, on Swanston Street.

RMIT International University

Main article: RMIT International University, Vietnam

In 2000, RMIT was granted a 50 year license, the first in Vietnam, from the Ministry of Planning and Investment, to deliver undergraduate and postgraduate education and research in Vietnam. All degree programs are recognised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and are audited by the Australian Universities Quality Agency. The University degrees are awarded by RMIT in Australia. RMIT Vietnam commenced teaching English, university preparation, and degree programs in 2001 in Ho Chi Minh City and in 2004 in Hanoi. The University currently boasts a student population of over 3800 students with international students from many other countries.

Student life

RMIT Union and RMIT Student Union both run a large number of activities and clubs, and allow for social events and interaction between students. A large number of activities are run independently by students (often with support of the Student Union) and also within the University's respective portfolios, notably: the student engineering team, RMIT Racing, the RMIT chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society and the student-run organic food co-operative, Organarchy. RMIT is also notable for its student media organisations and students have a history of launching successful community broadcasters, including: radio stations 3RMT (which became 3RRR), SYN FM and television production facility RMITV.

Unions

File:RMITUnionLogos.jpg

RMIT Union Arts and Sports & Recreation logos

File:RMITRedbacksLogo.jpg

Logo of the RMIT "Redbacks" sports team

RMIT Union
The RMIT Union is an unincorporated subsidiary company owned by RMIT University (unlike its independently operated counterpart, the RMIT Student Union). It is divided into two branches known as: Union Arts and Union Sports & Recreation and offers many non-academic opportunities for students. The RMIT Union also manages the large gym in the City campus, known as City Fitness.

Union Arts is the organisation responsible for RMIT's various arts collectives, such as: Bossy Theatre Posse, Exhibitionists (fine art), Projector Obscura (media art), RMIT Music, RMIT Symphonic Orchestra (RSO), RMIT Concert Choir, RMIT Occasional Choral Society, SAMA (Japanese animation), Stream (audio visual art), Theatre in Bars and tRansMIT (sound art).

The Union Sports teams, collectively known as the "Redbacks", are some of the best performers at the Australian University Games. Students are successful in the areas of: athletics, basketball, cycling, hockey, netball, rugby, soccer, squash, swimming, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, water polo and cheerleading. The Recreation arm of RMIT Union Sports & Recreation is responsible for a large number of student trips and tours, and is a shareholder in the Preston Alpine Ski Lodge on Mount Buller.

RMIT Student Union

Building 8 (City campus) on Swanston Street, location of RMIT's unions, its media organisations and the "Intermission" student space

Main article: RMIT Student Union

Separate from the RMIT Union, the independent RMIT Student Union was founded in 1944 (as the RMIT Students' Representative Council) and operates across all campuses. It is responsible for providing support to students and academic-based, non-arts and non-sporting orientated clubs and societies. In addition to student support, most campus cafeteria areas, including the large student space and cafeteria called "Intermission" at the City campus in Building 8, are also run by the RMIT Student Union. The RMIT Student Union is affiliated with the National Union of Students of Australia.

Other recreation areas, such as: the Womyn's Department, Queer Department, Environmental Department and RMIT International Students Collective are managed by the RMIT Student Union enhance student interaction. Postgraduate students are represented by the RMIT Postgraduate Association, which is afilliated with the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations. The RMIT Student Union also provides support to RMIT's various student media organisatons (RMITV, SYN FM, Catalyst), the student-run organic food co-operative, Organarchy, and is active in organising political campaigns, campus events and activities.

Student media

Television

Main article: RMITV

RMITV is one of the oldest community television organisations (and one of the few student television organisations) in Australia. It was originally responsible for the broadcast of "ETV", RMIT's closed-circuit television system at its City campus, and made its first open transmitted test broadcast in 1987. In 1995, it became a founding member of the Melbourne Community Television Consortium which launched the community television network C31 Melbourne. RMITV served as the in-house production facility for C31, when the channel was based at RMIT's City campus. When C31 moved to larger facilities in 2004, RMITV established itself as one of Australia's leading independent community television production houses.

RMITV productions boast some of the highest budgets on community television and are often simulcast on community television networks across Australia. RMITV also works closely with RMIT's radio station SYN FM to produce five hours of live youth music television. It also does not restrict the use of its facilities to only that of RMIT students, and allows students from other institutions, as well as members of the community, to also produce content (however most technical aspects of productions remain the responsibility of RMIT students). Popular talkshow host Rove McManus and radio DJs Hamish and Andy began their media careers at RMITV.

Radio stations

Main articles: 3RRR and SYN FM

The first radio station at RMIT began in 1976, broadcasting from RMIT's City campus on an educational licence, and was known as 3RMT. Due to its immediate popularity, it was granted a full radio licence on FM frequency 102.7 in 1978, moving to larger premises in Fitzroy and adopting it present name of 3RRR. Today it operates from new studios near RMIT's Brunswick campus and is the largest subscribed community radio station in Australia. It has continued to be supported by RMIT (but is now mainly funded though community subscription) and is utilised by its staff and students, as well as staff and students from the University of Melbourne and the general public.

From 1979 till 2000, the RMIT Student Radio Association (SRA) operated independently within 3RRR, until it was awarded the new FM frequency licence 90.7 in 2001. It launched in 2003 as the Student Youth Network (SYN FM) at RMIT's City campus, becoming Melbourne's only independent youth media organisation. Today SYN FM broadcasts on one of the largest community radio licences in Victoria and can be heard throughout Melbourne, Geelong as well as in parts of regional Victoria. It launched a television department in 2003 (responsible for producing five hours of live youth music television with RMITV each week for C31 Melbourne), a publication department in 2004 and a new media department in 2006.

File:CatalystCover2008Ed1.jpg

Cover of Catalyst, Edition 1 2008

Publications

Main article: Catalyst (magazine)

Catalyst is RMIT's student magazine and is distributed free every month across all campuses. The first edition of Catalyst was published by the Student Union predecessor, the RMIT Students’ Representative Council, and appeared on May 18 1944. It's currently supported by the Student Union and by the sale of advertising space within the magazine. Editions of the magazine have also appeared under the names "Revolution Catalyst" and "The Unaustralian". Prior to funding losses due to the onset of Voluntary Student Unionism, a womyn's edition caled "Havoc", a queer edition called "Mutiny" and a environment edition called "Eccocentric" were also published.

Other activities

RMIT Racing

Main article: Rmit racing

RMIT's Formula SAE team, RMIT Racing, is considered one of the best in the world. Its most recent successes were in 2006 at the USA FSAE East Coast event, where it beat nine-time winner Cornell University and one of its own partner institutions Pennsylvania State University for the first place; and in 2007 when it was titled World Champion by FISITA (International Federation of Automotive Societies) after defeating 100 worldwide universities in eight separate races at the Formula Student UK competition.

Alumni

Main article: List of RMIT University people

Notable alumni of RMIT include: artists and sculptors (such as: the designer of Australia’s decimal coinage and the founders of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and the Australian Ballet School), authors and journalists, screenwriters and film makers (such as: the creators of the Saw film franchise), musicians and media personalities, fashion designers (such as: Prue Acton and Jenny Bannister), architects and industrial designers, and Victorian state as well as Australian federal government ministers.

References

Further Reading

• Murray-Smith, S and Dare, A.J (1987): The Tech: A Centenary History of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Hyland House Publishing, Melbourne, ISBN 0-947062-06-8
• Edquist, H and Grierson, E (2008): A Skilled Hand and Cultivated Mind: A Guide to the Architecture and Art of RMIT, RMIT University Press, Melbourne, ISBN 9781921166914

External links

• RMIT University homepage
• Launch (RMIT Union website)
• RMIT Student Union website
• RMIT Alumni homepage
• RMIT Racing: Formula SAE website

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