1996 Swinburne Higher Education Handbook

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A proud history
The 1992 proclamation by the Parliament of Victoria of
the Swinburne University of Technology Act marked not
only recognition of its distinguished history, but the
4 beginning of a new period of growth and innovation for
Swinburne. From its establishment in 1908 in Melbourne's
R
eastern suburb of Hawthorn, Swinburne has grown from
being a local provider of technical education into a
E. multidi~ci~lined, multicampus provider of higher
education of national and international significance.
Swinburne was established as the Eastern Suburbs
Technical College by George Swinburne and the first
students were enrolled in 1909, when classes began in
carpentry, plumbing and blacksmithing. Soon afterwards,
a boys' junior technical school and the first girls' technical
school in Victoria, were established.
In 1913 the institution changed its name to Swinburne
Technical College, to commemorate the Honourable
George Swinburne, a former Mayor of Hawthorn and a
member of the Parliament of Victoria who was responsible
for the initial establishment of the college.
In 1965 Swinburne affiliated with the Victoria Institute of
Colleges, which was established in that year by an Act of
the Parliament of Victoria, to 'foster the development and
improvement of tertiary education in technical,
agricultural, commercial and other fields of learning
(including the liberal arts and the humanities) in
institutions other than in the universities of Victoria'.
The range of courses and the various levels at which they
were offered grew to such an extent that in 1969, the boys'
and girls' technical schools were taken over by the
Victorian Education Department while the college
remained as an autonomous institution.
An extensive reorganisation of advanced education took
place in Victoria in the period 1976-78 culminating in the
passing of the Victorian Post-Secondary Education Act.
Under the Act the Victoria Institute of Colleges was
dissolved and the Victorian Post-Secondary Education
Commission established. Under the new arrangements,
Swinburne Council was given power to grant bachelor
degrees. The first of these was awarded at a conferring
ceremony held on Thursday 21 May 1981 at the
Camberwell Civic Centre.
Swinburne University of Technology was proclaimed on
1 July 1992. Noted Australian businessman Mr Richard
Pratt A0 was installed as Swinburne's Foundation
Chancellor on 15 March 1993.
In 1994 the Higher Education Sector of Swinburne
underwent a major restructure when the four faculties (Arts,
Business, Applied Science and Engineering) and one school
(The School of Design) were amalgamated into two divisions
- the Division of Business, Humanities and Social Science
and the Division of Science, Engineering and Design.
Swinburne today
Swinburne has a strong reputation in Australia and
overseas as a provider of career orientated education and as
a University with a commitment to research. The
University maintains a strong technology base and
important links with industry, complemented by a
number of innovative specialist research centres which
attract a great deal of international interest.
A feature of many Swinburne undergraduate courses is the
applied vocational emphasis and direct industry
application through Industry Based Learning @L)
programs. Swinburne was a pioneer of IBL, a program
which places students directly in industry for vocational
employment as an integral part of the course structure.
Swinburne is now one of a few Australian universities
whose responsibilities span the range of programs from
apprenticeships to PhDs. In keeping with this breadth of
involvement, the University continues to play a leading
role in creating new approaches to integration between
sectors.
The creation of study pathways between sectors and
courses is firmly in place at Swinburne. Current pathways
involve moving either from the TAFE sector into Higher
Education or from TAFE based VCE studies into full
TAFE courses. A limited number of pathways are
available for students to move from degree courses into
TAFE studies, and this will increase in the future. This
process of articulation provides students with greater
flexibility to complete tertiary qualifications.
Teaching and learning enhancement is a strategic priority
for the University, and Swinburne is committed to the
transfer of lifelong learning skills.
Swinburne was founded to provide expanded and more
convenient educational opportunities to the residents in
the 'outer east' of Melbourne. Due to expansion of the
city during the intervening years between establishment
and transition to university status, Swinburne's operations
are now conducted at four campuses: Hawthorn, Lilydale,
Mooroolbark and Prahran. While focusing on its regional
responsibilities, Swinburne is heavily involved in
international initiatives and plays asignificant part in the
internationalisation of Australia's tertiary education
system.
Mission statement
To provide a continuum of education opportunities from
initial vocational education and training to postgraduate
masters and doctoral degrees and to support the
community it services through research, consultancy and
continuing education.