Sensational-Adelaide.com

AtD wrote:

Wayno wrote:Hmmm, an extra 500,000 in only 20 years. So linearly extrapolating out to 4000AD sees SA having a population of about 50million!

It'd be compounding, Wayno! It'd just take 150 years...

Brave new territory: University College London to open a branch in Australia
By Lucy Hodges, Thursday, 29 May 2008
Forget China. The next international education hotspot could be Adelaide, South Australia, population 1.1 million. Today, University College London, one of Britain's top 10 higher-education institutions, is signing an agreement to establish a branch there, becoming one of the first British universities to open an outpost Down Under.

The move, which comes after Cranfield University's decision to set up a presence in Adelaide, shows how vital it is for UK universities to establish campuses around the world, so that their names gain currency abroad and they are seen as international players.

UCL, like Cranfield, has been invited in by Mike Rann, the premier of South Australia, who wants the city to become an educational hub for the continent.

The aim is for the campus to shape how the critical issues of energy development and use are tackled globally. UCL joins other institutions that have set up abroad, such as the University of Nottingham, with campuses in Malaysia and China, Queen Mary, University of London, which has a joint course with a Chinese institution, and the University of Liverpool, which is now working with a Chinese campus.

The US university Carnegie Mellon, famous for technology, engineering, business and computer science, was the first foreign institution to arrive in Adelaide. It set up shop in 2006. All these universities are being housed in the Torrens Building on Victoria Square in the middle of the city.

"We have been looking around the world to see which are the strategic areas," says Professor Michael Worton, UCL's vice-provost, who has brokered the deal. "The premier of South Australia is enlightened and committed to making Adelaide into an educational centre. He is keen to bring in highly skilled immigrants from around the world, and we can help with that vision."

Professor Malcolm Grant, UCL's president and provost, is today signing an agreement with Mike Rann to open the UCL school of energy and resources, which will take up to 60 international students on a two-year Masters programme, and will also offer a range of executive programmes tailored to the needs of senior executives and engineering managers.

South Australia is rich in natural resources, and UCL, which claims to have the largest number of legal experts in energy and employment issues in the UK, will bring an interdisciplinary approach to energy management. "We won't just be addressing how you drill for oil or gas; we will be looking at the geopolitical, cultural and legal issues surrounding energy extraction and consumption," says Worton.

The £14,000-a-year degree is unusual for a British Masters in that it takes two years. In the second year, students will do a nine-month work placement – partly an internship and partly a research project.

"This is not going to be a money-spinner," says Worton. "It will make a small profit when we get to the end of the contract, and that money will be ploughed back into the school." Under the agreement, the campus will operate for seven years. It is hoped it will be self-financing after that.

However, the University of Adelaide, the most highly regarded institution in the city, has asked why the state government needed to look abroad.

The answer must be that foreign universities will bring fresh ideas to a city that struggles to hold its own with Sydney and Melbourne. Both UCL and Carnegie Mellon are also highly rated in the international league tables – UCL especially so. By bringing them to Adelaide, the state will attract the best students both from within Australia and internationally, and put the city on the map.

The South Australian government is refurbishing the listed Torrens Building as its education hub at a cost of £2m, and is putting more money into supporting the school's set-up and operation. The new campus will open up in 2009, and become fully operational in 2010. Lecturers will be flown out, plus there will be a small academic staff in Adelaide.

The idea is to have a programme closely tied to the world of industry and work. "UCL is committed to working to solve real-world problems, and we relish the opportunity to work not only with the South Australian government, but also with Australian and international energy companies," says Worton. "The state of South Australia has enormously important energy resources and a far-sighted vision for the sustainable consumption of energy.

He adds: "Transnational education is changing the way that students and professionals study and develop their skills. Through our Adelaide campus, UCL will give a global lead on industry-focused research and teaching in a global context."

Will wrote:Thanks for sharing that article Wayno. The state government must be applauded for their vision of turning Adelaide into a university city. The establishment of a third international university can only strengthen this vision.

Carnegie Mellon 'failure'

MILES KEMP

June 09, 2008 09:30pm

TAXPAYERS have spent more than $236,000 for every student who attends private Carnegie Mellon University in Adelaide.

Inquiries by The Advertiser have revealed at least $39.25 million has been given by taxpayers to the American university to attract only 166 students so far, comparing to about $15,000 per student spent at Adelaide and Flinders universities and Uni SA.

Griffith University higher education expert Gavin Moodie has branded the state and federal government's four-year-old experiment an "expensive failure" with the money better spent on improving South Australia's three main public universities.

"You haven't seen the rush of students attracted to South Australian institutions as a result of Carnegie Mellon's presence, you haven't seen research grants won by them, and you haven't seen any of their claims proven about what they would do for the city," he said.

Asked if the taxpayer cost represented value for money in the higher education sector, Mr Moodie said "absolutely not".

None of South Australia's three major universities would either defend or criticise CMU's funding arrangements when asked by The Advertiser.

CMU refused to respond to any requests for funding information from The Advertiser.

The Federal Government has provided $8 million for CMU so far and the State Government $31.25 million, the bulk of which was a $19.5 million set-up gift to the institution.

A spokesman for Premier Mike Rann provided complete information of state funding.

The spokesman said funding of $3.5 million to refurbish the CMU campus in Victoria Square would have been needed in any case for the building. He said $3 million State Government funding budgeted for CMU's yet to be established software engineering institute should also not be included, nor should $5.2 million to develop Adelaide as a venue for foreign universities because that included luring other foreign universities here.

Without these payments, the cost to taxpayers has been $165,000 per student.

Higher Education expert and former director of administration and registrar at Flinders University Vin Massaro said the State Government had overlooked the fact CMU was not a high-ranking U.S. university.

Pakistani student Usama Ahmed, 24, began studies at CMU this year and said the university was "world class" and worth the taxpayer investment. "The university brings in new people to the city and contributes to the culture so it does give back to the community," he said.

Wayno said:i still believe we are heading in the right direction with foreign Uni's gracing our soil. Be patient, wait another 10years and then amortise the costs across that extended period...

omada wrote:

Wayno said:i still believe we are heading in the right direction with foreign Uni's gracing our soil. Be patient, wait another 10years and then amortise the costs across that extended period...

Wayno, with terms like amortise, you don't happen to be an Accountant do you ?

Wayno wrote:

omada wrote:

Wayno said:i still believe we are heading in the right direction with foreign Uni's gracing our soil. Be patient, wait another 10years and then amortise the costs across that extended period...

Wayno, with terms like amortise, you don't happen to be an Accountant do you ?

An Accountant?!? How dare you insult me. I'm a Business Quality/Environmental Auditor focused on the technology sector.

Wayno wrote:An Accountant?!? How dare you insult me. I'm a Business Quality/Environmental Auditor focused on the technology sector.

monotonehell wrote:

Wayno wrote:An Accountant?!? How dare you insult me. I'm a Business Quality/Environmental Auditor focused on the technology sector.

Accountant...

raulduke wrote:If you want to make Adelaide more attractive to interstate people, it needs to be more exciting (and believe me, not that many people have heard nor care about the Fringe Festival and WomAdelaide).

Adelaide needs to be seen as forward thinking by interstate people and indeed, a place that is moving forward not marking time, like it is now.

Dare I suggest there is a link between conservative views toward development and Adelaide's image to those interstate?