Cranfield University set to become Adelaide's 5th Uni

[Will]

From the Advertiser:

NEW UNI TO LURE DEFENCE CONTRACTS
By GREG KELTON
27may06
BRITAIN'S Cranfield University is planning to open the state's second foreign-based campus in Adelaide.

Aimed at boosting defence skills, the campus will offer post-graduate degrees in defence engineering, specialising in areas such as radar, systems engineering, electro-optics and weapons.
It is expected to operate with the University of South Australia, which has commended the plan as "far-sighted".
The aim of the move is to help deliver highly skilled graduates for $10 billion of defence contracts - including the air warfare destroyer project - which SA has won in the past 11 months.
Premier Mike Rann yesterday signed a heads of agreement with the university for a feasibility study into courses and establishment costs.
The campus is not likely to open until late next year or early 2008.
Mr Rann said last night the great advantage of Cranfield University was that its Shrivenham campus was co-located with the Britain's Defence College of Management and Technology, west of London.
"It delivers the skills that we need to develop in SA if we are to continue winning more defence and hi-tech engineering contracts into the future," he said.
The agreement he signed is similar to that which resulted in U.S. university Carnegie Mellon opening two campuses in Adelaide.
The agreement was signed in the United Kingdom yesterday by Mr Rann and Cranfield's principal, Professor Phil Hutchinson, and deputy principal Dr Mary Gill. p>Dr Gill said Cranfield "looks forward to being able to contribute to SA's initiative to create post-graduate programs relevant to its defence interests".
Mr Rann has been negotiating with Cranfield for more than six months and during his current visit to the UK, has also been talking to other universities about offering post-graduate courses - including law - in Adelaide.
He said it was part of the Government's vision to establish Adelaide as a university city of the future.
University of SA vice-chancellor Professor Denise Bradley said the plan would support a memorandum of understanding between Cranfield and some of her university's advanced defence industry research and education programs.
She said the University of SA had been working closely with Cranfield for more than 18 months including hosting visiting scholars, strategic partnerships to bid for defence education contracts and academic exchanges.
"Specific collaborations such as this one can only strengthen SA's emergence as Australia's premier defence industries specialist," Professor Bradley said.
Mr Rann said Cranfield was interested in "delivering its own British post-graduate degrees in Adelaide and forming strategic teaching and research partnerships with other universities in Adelaide, including Carnegie Mellon and the University of SA".
He said Cranfield had close relationships with the Australian Defence Department and defence companies.
"It has previously taught some professional courses in Australia and hosts a number of full-time Australian students in the UK," he said.
"The Australian military has a number of service personnel at its UK campus."

[Will]

I think this is a wonderful idea!

Establishing Adelaide as a learning hub is a great idea in that it will not only raise the profile of Adelaide internationally, it will attract potentially thousands of students from around the world.

These people would spend money in the local economy, add to the vibrancy of the city centre, increase demand for student apartment buildings, and some could potentially migrate to SA.

[Howie]

Good on ya Rann. Great to see our current premier going out there and getting what's best for south australians.

[Will]

British university gets SA go-ahead

November 22, 2006 01:15am

Article from: The Advertiser
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UK-BASED Cranfield University will offer courses in Adelaide from early next year.
An agreement, to be signed today, will allow Cranfield University and the University of South Australia to offer four specialist defence courses from March 2007, with Premier Mike Rann saying more courses were "in the pipeline".
"Cranfield is the largest centre for applied defence research, development and design in Europe and has strengths in aeronautics and astronautics," Mr Rann said.
He said Cranfield was targeted by the State Government to strengthen Adelaide's defence credentials and that skills taught in its courses would be "crucial" in SA's developing projects. UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor Denise Bradley said it was a "far-sighted" policy for SA's skills needs.

[madexml]

this isn't Will from UniSA is it?

[Will]

this isn't Will from UniSA is it?

No, I go to Flinders.