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Australian Catholic University, Marketing and External Relations www.acu.edu.au/about_acu/publications T: +61 (0)2 9739 2091

F: +61 (0)2 9739 2978

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This information is correct at the time of production (May 2014) © Australian Catholic University 2014

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A message from the Vice-Chancellor 3

Why is ACU different?

5

History and objectives

7

Campuses across Australia

9

The Core

11

Faculties and courses

12

Mission in action

13

Community engagement

15

Access and equity

17

Staff experience

19

International 21

Leading research

23

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4

We aim to provide not only a world-class

education, but an environment which

appreciates diversity, fosters critical thinking,

and prepares our students for life after

graduation.

Looking back over the past few years I can tell you that Australian Catholic University is a university with remarkable momentum. Momentum in attracting ever more bright and unique students, in fostering a teaching faculty of academic excellence, in educating our students as a whole, and in building campuses and classrooms of distinction.

Growth was a major driver of the most recent Strategic Plan – particularly in the areas of student enrolments, infrastructure, and course offerings. Between 2009 and 2014, our enrolments increased by 52 per cent, and growth is forecast to continue.

Students are of course the lifeblood of our university. Ensuring they are engaged, inspired, and given the best learning experience and practical opportunities is what motivates our staff to give their best every day. We aim to provide not only a world-class education, but an environment which appreciates diversity, fosters critical thinking, and prepares our students for life after graduation.

In 2013 we launched the ACU Foundation to ensure that students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to attend university. The Foundation develops partnerships between ACU and corporations, community groups and alumni – assisting the University in its mission for justice, equity and the dignity of all humans.

We continue to increase investment in research, and during 2013 ACU embarked upon research intensification to increase research scale and capability in its areas of research priority – theology and philosophy, health, education, common good and social justice.

The University has seven campuses around Australia, each with its own character, student body and course offerings. They are located in four state capitals – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide – as well as in the national capital Canberra, and a regional campus in Ballarat.

To manage the significant growth in student numbers, the University has committed to an extensive capital program of more than $200 million, which commenced in 2008 and is still underway.

Projects include $18 million worth of improvements at the Brisbane Campus to accommodate new physiotherapy and exercise science courses; a new eight-storey National Centre for Health and Wellbeing in Melbourne; the purchase of an office tower in Sydney to accommodate the increase in student numbers; and upgrades to our gardens, libraries and chapels around the country.

Corresponding growth in staff numbers will ensure that ACU continues to have a favourable student-to-academic staff ratio. The University is also investing heavily in staff training, development, and support to ensure high levels of learning and teaching quality. ACU’s traditional operations lie in the areas of health and education. While course offerings continue to expand in these fields, the introduction of a School of Law in 2013 introduced an entire new suite of programs.

New international development and global studies courses have also created overseas work and study opportunities for students, and benefit from the vast network of Catholic aid agencies around the world.

ACU is a university on the move, and I’m extremely proud to be leading such a superb team in this pivotal time for higher education in Australia.

Professor Greg Craven

Vice-Chancellor

Australian Catholic University

A MESSAGE FROM

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STAR-STUDDED REVIEW

In the most recent edition of the

Good Universities Guide 2014, ACU was awarded an impressive four out of five stars for success in getting a job, graduate starting salary, positive graduate outcomes, staff qualifications, and cultural diversity of the student body.

Thanks to its Catholic foundation, there are ready-made links with hospitals, schools, churches and welfare agencies, which provide

opportunities for practical coursework and community

engagement projects. ACU is large enough to offer

a wide selection of courses, but small enough to provide

intimate class sizes, friendly campuses and generous student

support services.

ACU offers numerous public forums and courses on general

spirituality, interfaith relations and world religions. The University offers flexible entry programs, encouraging

Indigenous participation, addressing the Federal Government’s equity aims, and

giving credit for community activities of entrants.

With a strong identity and mission, the University

is national in its reach, public in its relevance and

committed to the common good.

WHY IS

ACU DIFFERENT?

ACU is globally connected. The University has relationships with

more than 130 universities and educational institutions around the world, and is part of a global network of Catholic universities. The University research strategy focuses on four areas of central importance to the community:

Theology and Philosophy; Health; Education; and the

Common Good and Social Justice. Employment prospects for ACU graduates are among the

strongest in the country.

There is a genuine social justice emphasis across the whole institution. Community

engagement is a core part of every student’s experience at ACU, and is embedded within

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While it might be younger than its competitor

universities, Australian Catholic University was

founded from Catholic tertiary institutions that

have been training teachers and nurses since

the mid-19th century.

HISTORY

AND OBJECTIVES

In the early ’90s, the fledgling university began with some substantial buildings and developed additional structures on what were to become its seven campuses – Adelaide, Ballarat, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, North Sydney and Strathfield.

Today, the University offers courses in four faculties – Education and Arts, Law and Business, Health Sciences, and Theology and Philosophy.

OBJECTIVES

• ACU has a strong mission statement, which informs all of its activities. • ACU shares with universities worldwide a commitment to quality in

teaching, research and service.

• It aspires to be a community characterised by free enquiry and academic integrity.

• The University’s inspiration, stemming from 2,000 years of Catholic intellectual tradition, summons it to attend to all that is of concern to human beings.

• The University seeks to make a specific contribution to its local, national and international communities.

• It explicitly engages the social, ethical and religious dimensions of the questions it faces in teaching, research and service. • In its endeavours, ACU is guided by a fundamental concern

for justice and equity, and for the dignity of all human beings.

STUDENT LIFE AND SUPPORT

• The Campus Life team and initiatives bring vibrancy to every campus.

• ACU sports teams play everything from Oztag to netball, and compete at ACU Games and the Australian University Games each year. • Students can access the latest technology and

dedicated computer labs .

• Campus-based Offices of Student Success (OSS) provide academic skills advisers; counselling services; disability services; and career development services, including internships.

• Campus Ministry offers pastoral support and spiritual mentoring to students. Students have the opportunity to explore the link between faith and reason, and take part in events such as World Youth Day – in 2013, more than 40 staff and students travelled to Rio de Janeiro.

• Students can get involved in outreach and enterprise projects with the Students in Free Enterprise, and join performing arts clubs, choirs and the national radio station, ACU Wired. • Our well-equipped libraries have won awards for

design and offer extensive online resources (the Raheen Library pictured here).

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ADELAIDE

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia, and the campus is ACU’s newest addition – established in 2013 through a partnership between the University and the Archdiocese of Adelaide. The campus offers postgraduate courses in theology, philosophy, religious education and educational leadership.

CANBERRA

Situated about five kilometres from the city centre, the campus offers programs in education, nursing, paramedicine, social work and theology.

BALLARAT

Ballarat is 125 kilometres west of Melbourne. The campus is located near Ballarat’s commercial centre within easy reach of facilities, and offers programs in education, nursing, paramedicine and theology.

BRISBANE

Situated in the suburb of Banyo, 20 minutes from the centre of Brisbane, the campus is set on 40 hectares of natural surroundings and offers programs in arts, business, education, exercise science, midwifery, nursing, paramedicine, physiotherapy, psychology, social science, speech pathology and theology.

STRATHFIELD

The Strathfield Campus is located 15 kilometres west of the centre of Sydney on beautifully landscaped grounds, and offers programs in arts, education, exercise science, international development, psychology, social work, theology and visual arts and design.

MELBOURNE

The campus is conveniently located, on the fringe of the CBD, close to the cafés and galleries of Brunswick Street, and offers programs in arts, business, education, exercise science, midwifery, nursing, psychology, social science, theology, international development, law, occupational therapy, speech pathology, paramedicine and visual arts and design.

NORTH SYDNEY

Just a five-minute train ride from the city centre over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the campus offers programs in nursing, business, information technology, physiotherapy, environmental science, occupational therapy and speech pathology.

CAMPUSES

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12

LONDON PARIS

FLORENCE

FACULTY OF LAW AND BUSINESS

Business administration, commerce, accounting and finance, information technology, international business, human resource management, law, management, marketing, professional accounting, supply chain management, occupational health and safety.

FACULTY OF THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY

Catholic studies, leadership and Catholic culture, philosophy and theology.

FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND ARTS

Arts, creative arts, educational leadership, educational studies, global studies, Indigenous education, international development studies, media communications, religious education, social science, teaching, visual arts and design, youth work.

FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES

Applied public health, clinical education, counseling, environmental science, exercise science, health administration, mental health, midwifery, nursing, occupational therapy, paramedicine, physiotherapy, psychology, rehabilitation, social science, social work, speech pathology.

ACU offers courses in four faculties on its

Australian campuses, as well as programs

online, and at 11 overseas institutions in Asia

and New Zealand.

FACULTIES

AND COURSES

THE CORE

An ACU education is about learning to think critically and ethically, and being guided by the principles of social justice. It’s about acquiring the skills to generate change in communities and in society.

ACU’s unique Core Curriculum lies at the heart of this vision. The Core raises some of the most fundamental questions on human experience and meaning – and prompts discussions that will continue in the hallways, in homes and into the future.

As part of their degree, all ACU undergraduate students undertake five Core units, including a community engagement unit.

Students also have the chance to learn beyond the walls of the university classroom, and can apply to spend three weeks in Florence, Paris or London over the European summer.

‘Cor’ in Latin means ‘heart.’ At ACU we firmly believe that education is as much about the heart as the mind.

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FUTURE IN YOUTH

The Future in Youth Program teaches leadership, health, and life skills to children and young people in East Timor through soccer.

The initiative is based in Baucau, which has almost 100 per cent youth unemployment and lack of infrastructure, resulting in a high number of disengaged youth.

ACU exercise science students can apply to volunteer for the program – run over three weeks in June/July.

Since its launch in 2010, the program has reached out to many thousands of young people in Baucau, and set up structured coaching and training programs which will be sustained by the community in the long term.

ACU shares with universities worldwide a commitment to quality in teaching,

research and service. It aspires to be a community characterised by free enquiry

and academic integrity.

MISSION

IN ACTION

14

A MISSION WITH A DIFFERENCE

By fostering and advancing knowledge in education, health, business, the humanities, law, the sciences and technologies, and the creative arts, ACU seeks to make a specific contribution to its local, national and international communities.

As distinct to many universities, ACU explicitly engages the social, ethical and religious dimensions of the questions it faces in teaching, research and service. In its endeavours, it is guided by a fundamental concern for justice and equity, and the dignity of all human beings.

ACU’s ideal graduates are highly competent in their chosen fields, ethical in their behaviour, with a developed critical habit of mind and a commitment to serving the common good.

SUSTAINABLE APPROACHES

ACU is committed to reducing its environmental impact and implementing sustainable practices across its teaching and research activities. Sustainability is closely aligned with ACU’s mission to promote the common good and social justice, locally and globally.

The University has made significant cuts to its energy consumption and has more than doubled its rate of recycling since 2011. ACU is also one of Australia’s most water-efficient universities. The sustainable design of ACU’s major building developments has been key to these improvements. Examples include the 6-Star GreenStar Daniel Mannix Building at the Melbourne Campus, the low-energy design of Building T at the Brisbane Campus, and the sustainable renovations of the Raheen Library in Melbourne and at 10 Berry Street, North Sydney.

Future plans will focus on improved building management for energy efficiency, ongoing reductions in paper consumption, video teleconferencing to reduce demand for inter-campus travel, and encouraging staff and students to make sustainable transport choices.

ACU FOUNDATION

The ACU Foundation creates partnerships between ACU and corporations, community groups and alumni that help the University in its mission for justice, equity and the dignity of all human beings. The Foundation supports valuable educational projects, providing financial support where it is most needed.

The Foundation’s fundraising priorities are scholarships, the ACU Refugee Program on the Thai Burma Border, and the Future in Youth Program, East Timor.

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16

At the Atherton Gardens Homework Club, Bachelor of Education students from ACU’s Melbourne Campus volunteer as tutors to help primary school aged children from refugee backgrounds.

The tutors teach the children literacy and numeracy, as well as assisting them with homework. Some parents attend and observe the teaching strategies used by the students, which then empowers them and creates confidence to assist with their children’s learning at home.

Community engagement is a hallmark of ACU, and is publicly

acknowledged as a key vehicle through which the University

pursues its mission. Based upon Catholic social teaching and

intellectual tradition, that mission is to transform the lives

of people through learning, teaching, and research. ACU

undertakes community engagement in a range of areas.

COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT

BEYOND DISADVANTAGE

promotes equity and reaches out to people of all ages and circumstances who are experiencing disadvantage.

• Through Clemente Australia, ACU and its partners offer tertiary education in the humanities to about 160 Australians experiencing multiple disadvantages such as poverty, homelessness, and mental illness. Involvement in Clemente reconnects them with their communities, gives them a sense of purpose, and enables them to enter full-time tertiary study.

• Through Homework Support Programs, ACU students work with children and parents from disadvantaged and refugee backgrounds – fostering their literacy and numeracy skills, increasing their enjoyment in learning, and creating a sense of community.

BEYOND DIFFERENCES

engages with and affirms the rights and dignity of people of all communities, cultures and faith traditions.

• The Indigenous Higher Education Units at ACU strengthen relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, staff and communities, enabling them to better understand issues facing Indigenous Australians and extend that understanding to inform learning, teaching and research. • ACU has provided programs for Young Muslim Leaders, art, drama and music programs to groups from both different cultures and disadvantaged backgrounds, and will soon offer the Clemente program to prisoners while they are incarcerated and following their release into the community.

BEYOND BORDERS

enables ACU to build relationships with communities in areas like the Pacific and Timor-Leste. Programs respond to expressed needs and build capacity in education, health and wellbeing.

• ACU has a long-term partnership with the Catholic teachers’ college in Baucau, Timor-Leste, educates health professionals in the Maubisse and Baucau districts, and engages with young people through the Future in Youth soccer program.

• SeeBeyondBorders is a ‘teach the teachers’ program in rural Cambodia where Australian primary school teachers provide workshops on teaching mathematics for their Cambodian counterparts. ACU students through a partnership with Challenges Abroad Australia (CAA) participate in Cambodian local community health and education programs.

• ACU and its partner universities continue to offer courses in English, liberal arts, leadership and management to some of the estimated 140,000 long-term refugees in camps on the Thai–Burma border.

• ACU along with Caritas Australia, Catholic Religious Australia, and Catholic Health Australia have formed the Catholic Alliance for International Development (CAID) for capacity building in the Pacific and Oceania regions.

Professor Greg Craven

Vice-Chancellor , Australian Catholic University

Educating a mind without

educating a heart is servicing a

machine, not building a person.

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EQUITY PATHWAYS

More than 13 per cent of ACU domestic undergraduate students were from a low-SES background in 2013. The University is working to increase this to the government target of 20 per cent by 2020.

Equity Pathways, a unit operating out of the office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students, Learning and Teaching) has more than 150 formal partnerships with low-SES schools and over 30 community group partnerships in Australia. It is through working collaboratively in these partnerships that Equity Pathways aims to increase low-SES participation in higher education.

When students from low-SES enrol at ACU, Equity Pathways liaises with faculties and sectors of the University to ensure students are fully supported in their university life.

SCHOLARSHIPS

ACU offers more than 45 scholarships, awards and bursaries that recognise outstanding academic achievement and acknowledge our responsibility to provide access to those students who might otherwise be excluded by socio-economic, cultural, geographic or other disadvantages.

ALTERNATE ENTRY

ACU has flexible entry schemes, designed to widen its intake. These include accessACU; Regional School Bonus; Elite Athletes Program; Early Achievers’ Program that recognises wide-ranging achievements, including community involvement; Pathway partnerships with the VET sector and TAFE; Principal Recommendation Schemes with partner schools; and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Access Scheme.

INDIGENOUS STUDENTS

ACU is committed to working with Indigenous people to improve education and employment outcomes. ACU Indigenous students participate in on-campus and online study programs and Away from Base (AFB) courses specifically designed to meet their needs and life circumstances. Our graduates are well regarded and have strong employment prospects.

ACCESS

AND EQUITY

ELITE ATHLETES

PROGRAM

Meg Lanning, 21, is the newly appointed vice-captain of the Australian women’s cricket team, the Southern Stars. Meg is completing a degree in exercise and health science at ACU, and is part of the University’s Elite Athletes Program, which helps students balance sport and study.

Cricket is a big part of my

life and it has opened up a

lot of doors for me, but it’s

important to have a career

outside cricket. I plan to

continue working in sport

when I retire from cricket and

my degree will help keep that

career path on track.

Meg Lanning

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AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE

The University has been recognised as a leader in the area of gender equality. ACU was awarded the 2011 EOWA Business Achievement award in the category of Leading Organisation for the Advancement of Women with over 800 employees. The University also received the EOWA Employer of Choice for Women (EOCFW) Citation in 2011 and 2012. These awards acknowledged the University’s leading-practice policies that support gender equality and achieve positive outcomes for the University – by encouraging all staff to reach their potential.

Some of the reasons for the award include: the fact that women are represented at all levels of ACU, including senior management; ACU has leave and flexible work policies that support work/ life balance and family life; and a range of career development options available to all staff, including the opportunity for female academic staff to apply for a research award following a period of parental leave.

ACU gives staff the opportunity to develop their

careers in a friendly and rewarding environment

where community engagement and work-life

balance are valued. The University values its staff and

provides a generous suite of leave and employment

conditions. There are close to 1,800 staff across the

seven campuses. The University’s staff are surveyed

regularly and provided with numerous opportunities

for professional development.

STAFF

EXPERIENCE

LEADER IN PARENTAL LEAVE

PROVISIONS

ACU is an industry leader in offering generous provisions to support staff who are parents. The University’s parental leave provisions support both birth parents and their partners, and also provide support for adoptive and foster parents.

Birth parents can access up to 12 weeks’ leave at full pay – as well as up to 40 weeks’ paid leave at 60 per cent of their normal pay. Non-birth parents may also be eligible to access up to 40 weeks’ paid leave at 60 per cent of their normal pay.

PUBLIC INTELLECTUALS

In the 2014 Good Universities Guide, ACU was awarded four stars for staff qualifications. Many staff at the University are well-known in national and international communities. The University has a tradition of incisive commentary on Australian public life.

High-profile staff members include, but are by no means limited to, ACU Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Craven; Director of the Institute for Advancing Community Engagement, Professor Jude Butcher; Professor of Law, Father Frank Brennan SJ; Professorial Fellow (Career Education & Development),

Jim Bright; Professor of Nursing, Sandy Middleton; and Director of the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, Professor Rhonda Craven.

RECOGNITION OF ACHIEVEMENT

In addition to the many annual external awards and grants which staff earn, the University itself recognises staff with the following awards:

• Outstanding Community Engagement Award

• Vice-Chancellor’s Achievement Award

• Teaching Development Grants • Citations by the Learning and

Teaching Committee

It is arguably the most generous paid parental leave scheme in the

country - one to rival the much-vaunted policies of employers in

Sweden and Denmark.

… new mothers and fathers at the Australian Catholic University will

be entitled to 40 weeks’ paid leave at 60 per cent of their normal pay.

ACU already offered these terms to its female staff, but by extending

it to fathers who nominate themselves as the primary care giver, the

university has created the most generous parental policy for male

employees in Australia.

The Sydney Morning Herald

, February 2011

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“I spent a semester in the United States after I was accepted for an internship at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Meeting and networking with so many people from around the globe was an amazing experience and helped me grow

in all aspects of my life.

Being a visual arts student I try to be creative everywhere I go, and by completing Disney’s Creativity and Innovation course in Florida I feel as though I have a better understanding of

my own creativity and how to apply it to my work. It was the time of my life.”

Steve Sassen Disney Internship

Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design “I grew up in a suburb outside of Pittsburgh and have absolutely

loved the change of living in the heart of Brisbane. I love meeting people of every culture and Brisbane has offered plenty

of opportunities already. I am studying accountancy and hope to specialise with a masters in investigative accounting

after I graduate.

Since I’ve arrived, I’ve taken up surfing and recently bought my own board. I’m planning tons of camping and surf weekends and

also hope to spend some time in the outback. The hardest thing about living and studying in Australia is making time for school when Australia offers so many adventures. Luckily ACU has made

it easier with interesting lectures and some of the most caring teachers. My time here is moving way too quickly.”

Molly Wagner USA

Study Abroad, Brisbane Campus

STUDENT MOBILITY

ACU has a growing student mobility program which offers students the opportunity to undertake study, work placements and community engagement activities in countries around the world. In 2013 over 300 of our students completed international activities within their ACU degrees. ACU students have the opportunity to enrol with partner institutions in one and two semester-long programs as well as short-term activities. Those partner institutions also send students to ACU on a reciprocal basis. The University’s community engagement program gives students the opportunity to work with less privileged communities in Timor Leste, Vanuatu, Fiji and other countries in our region.

PARTNERSHIPS

ACU has partnerships with more than 100 educational institutions around the world. These partnerships support ACU’s student mobility program through exchange agreements, facilitating staff exchange, and supporting the University’s research, internationalisation and international community engagement activities. The University has partners in all regions of the world including Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ENROLMENTS

The University has more than 3,300 international students enrolled in its onshore and off-shore award programs. ACU’s international students come from more than 90 countries with significant numbers coming from Nepal, China, India, South Korea, the Philippines and France. International students are enrolled at all levels of study from undergraduate diploma to doctoral level. In addition, ACU offers English Language and academic pathway programs to international students aspiring to enrol in full award programs. The University provides a comprehensive range of support services to international students to assist them in succeeding in their studies and provide them with a holistic experience during the period of their studies, and beyond.

Australian Catholic University is globally

connected. The University has relationships

with more than 130 universities and

educational institutions in the Americas,

Europe, Africa and Asia for student exchange

and study abroad programs, staff exchange,

research, articulation, offshore teaching and

shared community engagement activities.

These partnerships provide opportunities

for students and staff to gain a more

internationalised experience and are

intended to enhance collaborative activities.

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24

PROFESSOR

SANDY MIDDLETON

SCHOOL OF NURSING, MIDWIFERY AND

PARAMEDICINE

Professor Sandy Middleton has a particular interest in stroke research and evaluation of nurse-led interventions to improve patient outcomes. In 2011, together with a team of researchers, Professor Middleton published the findings from the landmark Quality in Acute Stroke Care trial (QASC) in The Lancet. The study generated significant media coverage, won the 2011 Award for Impact at the Canadian Stroke Congress, and was a finalist in the NSW Premier’s Public Sector Awards in the category of Excellence in Delivery.

Following on from these accomplishments, Professor Middleton and her colleagues were awarded a $2.2 million grant for 2012-2016 from the National Health and Medical Research Council to conduct the T3 Trial: Triage, Treatment and Transfer of Patients with Stroke in Emergency Departments.

LEADING

RESEARCH

DRIVE FOR QUALITY RESEARCH

ACU is committed to creating a specialised, growing and well-regarded research environment. In pursuing this goal, the University is significantly increasing its research funding and building research capacity in areas that are strongly aligned with the University’s unique identity and mission.

The University research strategy focuses on four areas of central importance to the community: Theology and Philosophy; Health; Education; and the Common Good and Social Justice. During 2013, the University embarked upon a strategy of research intensification. This will increase the scale and depth of its research activities. It has also established new research institutes, namely, the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry, Learning Sciences Institute Australia (includes the Institute for Child Protection Studies), the Institute for Social Justice, the Institute for Positive Psychology & Education, and the Institute for Health.

ACU is committed to the recruitment of outstanding researchers in areas of research strength while, at the same time, providing training to current staff to increase research skill and capability.

DEVELOPING A RESEARCH CULTURE

Research students are an integral part of the research culture. The University offers a wide range of opportunities to undertake supervised research at either the masters or doctoral level in research institutes and schools in each faculty. Both traditional (PhD) and professional research doctorates (EdD) are available as well as master level research higher degrees. These degrees are embedded in the research conducted within the research institutes, which provide a dynamic intellectual environment in which scholars can undertake their research.

PUBLICATIONS AND GRANTS

ACU researchers continue to receive an increasing number of research awards through national competitive research grant schemes. A major recent success for ACU has been the awarding of a Collaborative Research Network program grant designed to improve health research outcomes in general and in the cardiovascular heath area in particular. University researchers, in partnership with the University of Melbourne, St Vincent’s Health, and the O’Brien Institute received funding of $7.9 million in 2012 to support these overall research goals.

ACU has a rigorous and collaborative approach

to research and is committed to developing a

successful research environment.

Professor Wayne McKenna,

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)

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26

INFRASTRUCTURE

New buildings and impressively equipped teaching spaces to accommodate student growth include the $70 million Daniel Mannix Building in Melbourne, which was awarded a six-star green rating for its environmental credentials.

The centre comprises lecture theatres, state-of-the-art learning facilities for health sciences, as well as a gymnasium, award-winning chapel, and rooftop garden. Compared to a conventional building of its size and purpose, the Daniel Mannix Building annually generates 55 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and reduces water consumption by more than half a million litres. Rainwater is harvested from the roof, and the building is fitted out with water saving appliances, low-energy lights and an energy efficient heating and cooling system.

2009

2013

Growth

Total student headcount 18,462 26,127 42%

Equivalent full-time student load 12,943.77 19,150.25 48%

Total staff FTE* 1,375.50 1,854.40 35%

Total academic staff FTE* 728.00 948.70 30%

Total income $206,064 $370,493 80%

Government grants (including Higher

Education Loan Program) $147,856 $284,739 93% Fees and charges $37,479 $50,134 34%

Other income $20,729 $35,620 72%

*FTE = full-time equivalent

OVERALL GROWTH

42% GROWTH

26,127

18,462

TOTAL STUDENT HEADCOUNT

2009/2013

ACU is one of the fastest

growing universities

in Australia, and has

experienced the biggest

increase of undergraduate

students in the country

– growing by 48 per cent

between 2009 and 2013.

GROWTH

35% GROWTH

1,854.4

1,375.5

TOTAL STAFF HEADCOUNT

2009/2013

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Within the Catholic intellectual tradition

and acting in Truth and Love, Australian

Catholic University is committed to the

pursuit of knowledge, the dignity of the

human person and the common good.

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