The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
research university
A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...
located in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on
North Terrace in the
Adelaide city centre
Adelaide city centre (Kaurna: Tarndanya) is the inner city locality of Greater Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It is known by locals simply as "the City" or "Town" to distinguish it from Greater Adelaide and from the City of Ad ...
, adjacent to the
Art Gallery of South Australia, the
South Australian Museum
The South Australian Museum is a natural history museum and research institution in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856 and owned by the Government of South Australia. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultu ...
, and the
State Library of South Australia.
The university has four campuses, three in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
: North Terrace campus in the city, Roseworthy campus at
Roseworthy and
Waite campus at
Urrbrae, and one in
Melbourne, Victoria. The university also operates out of other areas such as
Thebarton
Thebarton ( ), formerly Theberton, on Kaurna land, is an inner-western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of West Torrens. The suburb is bounded by the River Torrens to the north, Port Road and Bonython Park to the east, Kintore ...
, the
National Wine Centre
The National Wine Centre of Australia (commonly the "Wine Centre") is a public exhibition building about winemaking and its industry in South Australia, opened in 2001. It contains an interactive permanent exhibition of winemaking, introducing ...
in the
Adelaide Park Lands
The Adelaide Park Lands are the figure-eight of land spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton and separating the City of Adelaide area (which includes both Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide) from the sur ...
, and in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
through the Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education Centre.
The University of Adelaide is composed of three faculties, with each containing constituent schools. These include the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology (SET), the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, and the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics (ABLE). It is a member of the
Group of Eight
The Group of Eight (G8) was an inter-governmental political forum from 1997 until 2014. It had formed from incorporating Russia into the Group of Seven, or G7, and returned to its previous name after Russia left in 2014.
The forum originate ...
and the
Association of Commonwealth Universities. The university is also a member of the
Sandstone universities
The sandstone universities are an informally defined group comprising Australia's oldest tertiary education institutions. Most were founded in the colonial era, the exceptions being the University of Queensland (1909) and University of Western A ...
, which mostly consist of colonial-era universities within Australia.
The university is associated with five
Nobel laureates, constituting one-third of Australia's total
Nobel Laureates, and 114
Rhodes scholars. The university has generated a considerable impact on the public life of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, having educated many of the state's leading businesspeople, lawyers, medical professionals and politicians. The university has been associated with many notable achievements and discoveries, such as the discovery and development of
penicillin, the development of
space exploration,
sunscreen, the
military tank,
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wav ...
,
polymer banknotes
Polymer banknotes are banknotes made from a synthetic polymer such as biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP). Such notes incorporate many security features not available in paper banknotes, including the use of metameric inks. Polymer banknote ...
and
X-ray crystallography
X-ray crystallography is the experimental science determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to diffract into many specific directions. By measuring the angles ...
, and the study of
viticulture
Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of '' Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...
and
oenology.
History
The University of Adelaide was established on 6 November 1874 after a £20,000 donation by grazier and copper miner
Walter Watson Hughes
Sir Walter Watson Hughes (22 August 1803 – 1 January 1887),Dirk Van Dissel,Hughes, Sir Walter Watson (1803 - 1887), ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 4, MUP, 1972, pp 440-441. Retrieved 11 August 2009 who before his knighthood wa ...
, along with support and donations from
Thomas Elder
Sir Thomas Elder, (5 August 1818 – 6 March 1897), was a Scottish-Australian pastoralist, highly successful businessman, philanthropist, politician, race-horse owner and breeder, and public figure. Amongst many other things, he is notable fo ...
.
The university's first chancellor was
Sir Richard Hanson, and the first vice-chancellor was
Augustus Short
Augustus Short (11 June 1802 – 5 October 1883) was the first Anglican bishop of Adelaide, South Australia.
Early life and career
Born at Bickham House, near Exeter, Devon, England, the third son of Charles Short, a London barrister, offs ...
. The first degree offered was the Bachelor of Arts, and the university started teaching in March 1876.
John Davidson was the first Hughes professor of English literature and mental and moral philosophy.
The university has a long history of championing the rights of women in higher education. It was the second university in the English-speaking world (after the University of London, 1878) to admit women on equal terms with men (1881), although women studied alongside men from the commencement of classes in 1876 and were equally eligible for all academic prizes and honours. Its first female graduate was
Edith Emily Dornwell, who was also the first person in Australia to receive the degree of Bachelor of Science (BSc., 1885). The university also graduated Australia's first female surgeon
Laura Fowler (MB, 1891).
Ruby Davy (B.Mus., 1907; D.Mus., 1918) was the first Australian woman to receive a doctorate in music. The university was also the first to elect a woman to a
university council in Australia,
Helen Mayo
Helen Mary Mayo, (1 October 1878 – 13 November 1967) was an Australian medical doctor and medical educator, born and raised in Adelaide. In 1896, she enrolled at the University of Adelaide, where she studied medicine. After graduating, May ...
(MBBS, 1902), in 1914.
![Exhibition Building, North Terrace, c](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Exhibition_Building%2C_North_Terrace%2C_c.1887.jpg)
The great hall of the university,
Bonython Hall
Bonython Hall is the " great hall" of the University of Adelaide, located in the university grounds and facing North Terrace, Adelaide. The building is on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate and the South Australian Heritage Register ...
, was built in 1936 following a donation from the owner of ''
The Advertiser'' newspaper, Sir
John Langdon Bonython
Sir John Langdon Bonython (;Charles Earle Funk, ''What's the Name, Please?'' (Funk & Wagnalls, 1936). 15 October 184822 October 1939) was an Australian editor, newspaper proprietor, philanthropist, journalist and politician who served a ...
, who left £40,000 for a great hall for the university.
21st century
On 2 July 2010, the university officially implemented its "Smoke-Free Policy".
This move was the culmination of an anti-smoking agenda headed by Professor Konrad Jamrozik and subsequently, following Jamrozik's death, the executive dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Professor Justin Beilby.
Security have the right to eject people smoking within the university buildings and also fine people smoking in the gardens or walkways. It is the first higher education institution in South Australia to institute a smoke-free policy.
The North Terrace campus has been smoke-free since July 2010; it was planned that the Waite and Roseworthy campuses would be smoke-free by 2011, and the university's residential facilities have also been made smoke-free.
In June 2018, the University of Adelaide and
University of South Australia
The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australi ...
began discussions regarding the possibility of a merger. The proposition was described as the formation of a "super uni" by
Steven Marshall and
Simon Birmingham
Simon John Birmingham (born 14 June 1974) is an Australian politician who has been a Senator for South Australia since 2007. A member of the Liberal Party, he served in the Morrison Government as Minister for Finance from 2020 to 2022 and as M ...
, but the merger was called off in October 2018. In 2022, the topic of a merger was raised again by the new government led by
Peter Malinauskas
Peter Bryden Malinauskas ( ; born 14 August 1980) is an Australian politician, serving as the 47th and current premier of South Australia since March 2022. He has been the leader of the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party (AL ...
, which proposed setting up a commission to investigate the possibility of a merger of the University of South Australia, the University of Adelaide and
Flinders University. Staff's opinions were evenly divided on the idea of the commission.
Campuses
North Terrace
![UofAdelaide-MitchellBuilding-Aug08](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/UofAdelaide-MitchellBuilding-Aug08.jpg)
The main campus of the university is on
North Terrace. It is bordered by the
Art Gallery of South Australia, the
State Library of South Australia, the
South Australian Museum
The South Australian Museum is a natural history museum and research institution in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856 and owned by the Government of South Australia. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultu ...
and the "City East" campus of the University of South Australia. The Adelaide University Medical and Dental Schools were located across
Frome Road
Frome Road is a connecting road in the South Australian capital city of Adelaide. It starts from North Terrace in the Adelaide city centre, running in a northerly direction past the University of South Australia, the site of the old Royal Adela ...
, behind the old
Royal Adelaide Hospital
The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), colloquially known by its initials or pronounced as "the Rah", is South Australia's largest hospital, owned by the state government as part of Australia's public health care system. The RAH provides tertiary hea ...
(now
Lot Fourteen). The hospital moved to the western end of North Terrace and so have the schools; the Medical School North and South buildings were renamed Helen Mayo North and South from 1 January 2018, in honour of Helen Mayo, a doctor at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and a graduate of the University of Adelaide.
The vast majority of students and staff of the university are based at the North Terrace campus, where the majority of courses are taught and schools are based. The central administration of the university and the main library, the
Barr Smith Library, are both located on this campus. While many other universities have law and business schools or satellite campuses within the central business district, the University of Adelaide is unique among Australian sandstone universities for having its main presence adjacent to the main business and shopping precinct.
Buildings
Bonython Hall
Bonython Hall is the " great hall" of the University of Adelaide, located in the university grounds and facing North Terrace, Adelaide. The building is on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate and the South Australian Heritage Register ...
, (the great hall of the university), the Mitchell Building, the
Elder Hall, the
Napier building and the
Ligertwood building, form the North Terrace street frontage of the campus. Bonython Hall is one of the many historic and heritage listed buildings located at the North Terrace campus. Others include the Mitchell Building, Elder Hall, and the Reading Room of the
Barr Smith Library.
![Adelaide University Union Building 1930](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Adelaide_University_Union_Building_1930.jpg)
The heritage-listed group of buildings known as the Union Buildings or Union Building Group include the Lady Symon Building, the George Murray Building, the Cloisters, Union House and the Western Annexe. The earlier
Georgian-style
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Geor ...
buildings, including the Cloisters, the Lady Symon Building (named after the wife of Sir
Josiah Symon
Sir Josiah Henry Symon (27 September 184629 March 1934) was an Australian lawyer and politician. He was a Senator for South Australia from 1901 to 1913 and Attorney-General of Australia from 1904 to 1905.
Symon was born in Wick, Caithness, ...
) and the George Murray building (named after
George John Robert Murray, vice-chancellor and later chancellor of the university), were designed by the architects
Woods, Bagot, Jory and Laybourne-Smith (who also designed Bonython Hall, the Mitchell Gates and Johnson Laboratory, the Barr Smith Library and the Bentham Building) in 1929 and 1937. Later additions. The award-winning redevelopments in 1971 and 1975 known as Union House, including the Union Bookshop, were designed by
Dickson & Platten and Robert Dickson & Associates respectively.
Masterplan (2016–)
In 2016, the university commenced work on a , 20-year "masterplan" for its three campuses. The masterplan envisages new facilities for all schools, and greatly enhanced campus amenities for students, with a focus on pedestrians and cyclists, providing better, safer pathways through the campus, and eliminating vehicle traffic where possible. At North Terrace, the Schulz building will be repurposed as an on-campus residential college, with accommodation, and recreational facilities including a gym. This major transformation of the university's physical presence across all campuses comes in conjunction with the multimillion-dollar renewal and redevelopment of the old
Royal Adelaide Hospital
The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), colloquially known by its initials or pronounced as "the Rah", is South Australia's largest hospital, owned by the state government as part of Australia's public health care system. The RAH provides tertiary hea ...
(RAH) site on North Terrace. In September 2017, the RAH moved to the western end of North Terrace, in the $4 billion South Australian Health and Biomedical Precinct (SAHBP), at which the University of Adelaide also has a physical presence in the form of the Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences Building.
Waite
![Waite Institute, University of Adelaide](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Waite_Institute%2C_University_of_Adelaide.jpg)
The Waite campus has a strong focus on
agricultural science,
plant breeding and
biotechnology
Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...
. The School of Agriculture, Food and Wine is based on the Waite campus and the campus contains components of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. It is adjacent to the
Urrbrae Agricultural High School.
A number of other organisations are co-located in the
Waite Research Precinct, including the
South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) (which is part of
Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA), whose headquarters are also at the campus);
Australian Grain Technologies; the
Australian Wine Research Institute
The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) is a research institute with a focus on Australian wine, based in Adelaide, South Australia.
Location
It is based at the Wine Innovation Cluster, situated in the Waite Research Precinct, in the Adela ...
.
the
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency responsible for scientific research.
CSIRO works with leading organisations around the world. From its headquarters in Canberra, CSIRO ...
(CSIRO); and the
Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics
The Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG) is a research organisation focusing on improving the resistance of wheat and barley to hostile environmental conditions, using functional genomics technologies.
Scientists at the ACPFG ...
(ACPFG).
It is situated in Adelaide's south-eastern foothills, in the suburb of
Urrbrae on . A large amount of the land was donated in 1924 by the
pastoralist Peter Waite. A large amount of money was donated by
Rosina and
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
, the widow and son of
William Tennant Mortlock. These donations were initially used to establish the Peter Waite Institute of Agricultural Research (first Director
A. E. V. Richardson), which later became the Waite campus.
A Soil Research Centre was founded in 1929 with a donation of £10,000 from
Harold Darling of J. Darling and Son, grain merchants.
In 2004, Premier
Mike Rann
Michael David Rann, , (born 5 January 1953) is an Australian former politician who was the 44th premier of South Australia from 2002 to 2011. He was later Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2013 to 2014, and Australian am ...
opened the multimillion-dollar Plant Genomics Centre at the Waite campus.
Then in 2010 Premier Rann opened The Plant Accelerator, a $30 million research facility – the largest and most advanced of its kind in the world.
Malcolm Oades was the director from November 1996 to 2001.
Roseworthy
Located north of the city, the Roseworthy campus comprises 16 km
2 of
farmland
Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bo ...
and is a large centre for
agricultural research
Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Profession ...
. It was the first agricultural college in Australia, established in 1883 and the first veterinary school in SA in 2008. Other organisations linked to the campus include
SARDI and the Murray
TAFE.
In 1991, the college merged with the University of Adelaide and became the university's Roseworthy campus, part of the Faculty of Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. The merger would see teaching and research in oenology and viticulture transferred to the university's Waite campus, along with the bulk of its work in plant breeding. Before the degree in oenology was transferred to the Waite campus, Roseworthy produced a number of highly regarded and awarded winemakers and wine critics.
["Australian Winemaking, The Roseworthy Influence", Geoffrey Bishop 1980, Investigator Press Pty Ltd]
From the mid-1990s, the major focus of the campus turned to dryland agriculture, natural resource management and animal production. The campus is also now home to South Australia's first
veterinary science
Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...
training program, which commenced in 2008. The new Veterinary Science Centre houses not only teaching facilities, including a surgical skills suite, but also a public veterinary clinic offering general practice as well as emergency and specialist veterinary services for pet animals. There are also specialised pathology laboratories in this centre for teaching, research and diagnostic work. In 2013, the veterinary science facilities were expanded with the opening of the Equine Health and Performance Centre, a state-of-the-art facility for equine surgery, sports medicine, internal medicine and reproduction.
Other locations
National Wine Centre
Located in the
Adelaide Park Lands
The Adelaide Park Lands are the figure-eight of land spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton and separating the City of Adelaide area (which includes both Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide) from the sur ...
at the eastern end of North Terrace, the Wine Centre offers some of the university's oenology courses. Opened in 2001, the facility also hosts public exhibitions about winemaking and its
industry in South Australia. It contains an interactive permanent exhibition of
winemaking
Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and ...
, introducing visitors to the technology, varieties and styles of wine. It also has a
wine tasting
Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...
area, giving visitors the opportunity to taste and compare wines from different areas of Australia.
The Wine Centre is situated at the eastern end of
North Terrace, Adelaide
North Terrace is one of the four terraces that bound the central business and residential district of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It runs east–west, along the northern edge of "the square mile". The western end cont ...
in the eastern parklands and adjacent to the
Adelaide Botanic Gardens
The Adelaide Botanic Garden is a public garden at the north-east corner of the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Park Lands. It encompasses a fenced garden on North Terrace (between Lot Fourteen, the site of the old Royal Adelaide Hospital ...
. The building, designed by
Cox
Cox may refer to:
* Cox (surname), including people with the name
Companies
* Cox Enterprises, a media and communications company
** Cox Communications, cable provider
** Cox Media Group, a company that owns television and radio stations
** ...
Grieve Gillett, uses building materials to reflect items used in making wine.
Thebarton
Thebarton
Thebarton ( ), formerly Theberton, on Kaurna land, is an inner-western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of West Torrens. The suburb is bounded by the River Torrens to the north, Port Road and Bonython Park to the east, Kintore ...
is the base of the university's Office of Industry Liaison. The precinct works in conjunction with the university's commercial partners. Commercial enterprises at Thebarton include businesses involved in materials engineering, biotechnology, environmental services, information technology, industrial design, laser/optics technology, health products, engineering services, radar systems, telecommunications and petroleum services. The flames for the Sydney and Athens Olympic Games were developed at the Thebarton campus by the TEC group.
Ngee Ann (Singapore)
The Ngee Ann – Adelaide Education Centre (NAAEC)
[NAAEC]
, Ngee Ann – Adelaide Education Centre, http://www.adelaide.edu.au/sg/ was the University of Adelaide's first overseas centre. It was a joint venture with the
Ngee Ann Kongsi
The Ngee Ann Kongsi () is a charitable foundation located in Singapore and governed by the Ngee Ann Kongsi Ordinance of 1933. It is one of many Overseas Chinese Kongsi, or clan associations, that were set up by immigrants from China in the late ...
foundation, started in 1998. In 2016, the University of Adelaide withdrew from the partnership, after about 3000 students had graduated over the 18 years of operation.
In 2018 the Singapore institution was rebranded as the Ngee Ann Academy, and in 2019 partnered with the University of Adelaide as well as three British universities.
[
]
Gallery
File:University of Adelaide.jpg, View of eastern side of the Mitchell Building from North Terrace, 2007.
File:UofAdelaide-BonythonHall&LawBld-front-Aug08.jpg, Bonython Hall & the Ligertwood Building (viewed from North Terrace).
File:UofAdelaide-Mawson&Conservatorium-Aug08.jpg, Bust of Sir Douglas Mawson
Sir Douglas Mawson OBE FRS FAA (5 May 1882 – 14 October 1958) was an Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer, and academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, he was a key expedition leader duri ...
& the Elder Conservatorium
The Elder Conservatorium of Music, also known as "The Con", is Australia's senior academy of music and is located in the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It is named in honour of its benefactor, Sir Thomas Elder. Dating in ...
of Music (viewed from North Terrace).
File:UofAdelaide-BonythonHall&Conservatorium-front-Aug08.jpg, Bonython Hall & the Elder Conservatorium
The Elder Conservatorium of Music, also known as "The Con", is Australia's senior academy of music and is located in the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It is named in honour of its benefactor, Sir Thomas Elder. Dating in ...
of Music (viewed from North Terrace).
File:UofAdelaide-BonythonHall&Conservatorium-rear-Aug08.jpg, Bonython Hall & the Elder Conservatorium
The Elder Conservatorium of Music, also known as "The Con", is Australia's senior academy of music and is located in the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It is named in honour of its benefactor, Sir Thomas Elder. Dating in ...
of Music (viewed from the north).
File:UofAdelaide-BonythonHall&NapierBld-rear-Aug08.jpg, Bonython Hall & the Napier Building (viewed from the north).
File:UofAdelaide-Cloisters-Aug08.jpg, The Cloisters.
File:UofAdelaide-Cloisters&Union-Aug08.jpg, The Cloisters and the Student Union Building.
File:The University of Adelaide and Barr Smith Library.jpg, The Barr Smith Library with the Napier building visible in the background
File:UofAdelaide-BarrSmithLibraryLawns-Aug08.jpg, Barr Smith Lawns.
File:UofAdelaide-TeachersCollegeBuildings-Aug08.jpg, The old Adelaide Teachers College buildings, now part of the university.
File:Adelaide University 1926 map.jpg, University of Adelaide site map 1926
File:Statue of Sir Walter Watson Hughes on North Tce, Adelaide.jpg, Statue of foundation philanthropist, Sir Walter Watson Hughes, facing North Tce.
Residential colleges
The University of Adelaide, unlike most universities, did not set any land aside on its North Terrace campus for student accommodation, due mainly to an ideological opposition to the culture of live-in students, but also influenced by the small size of the original campus. However, demand for residential college accommodation led to the establishment of private colleges affiliated to the university. St. Mark's College was founded by the Anglican Church (then called the Church of England) in 1925, Aquinas College in 1950 by the Catholic Church, Lincoln College in 1952 by the Methodist Church, and later St Ann's College, Kathleen Lumley College and Australian Lutheran College. All are located within close walking distance of the university, across the River Torrens
The River Torrens , (Karrawirra Parri / Karrawirraparri) is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains. It was one of the main reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows from its source in the ...
in North Adelaide
North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands.
History
Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...
. In addition to providing accommodation and meals for local, interstate and international students, each college organises academic support, social activities and sporting opportunities for its members.
Governance
In 2021, Peter Hoj commenced his tenure as 24th Vice-Chancellor, taking over from Peter Rathjen
Peter David Rathjen (born 12 February 1964 in Cambridge, England) is an Australian scientist and medical researcher. He was the 22nd Vice-Chancellor of the University of Adelaide, from January 2018 through July 2020. He was previously the Vice- ...
(2018–20) and Interim VC Mike Brooks (2017–18, 2020–21).
In May 2020, Rathjen commenced an indefinite leave of absence after University of Adelaide Chancellor Kevin Scarce
Rear Admiral Kevin John Scarce, (born 4 May 1952) is a retired Royal Australian Navy officer who was the 34th Governor of South Australia, serving from August 2007 to August 2014. He was succeeded by Hieu Van Le, who had previously been his li ...
resigned without public explanation the previous day. Later in the week, the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) confirmed he was investigating allegations of improper conduct by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Adelaide. Rathjen, accused of engaging in "a personal relationship with a staff member", was succeeded by Acting Vice-Chancellor Mike Brooks. Rathjen formally resigned in July 2020, "due to ill health". In August 2020, the ICAC found that Rathjen had committed "serious misconduct" by sexually harassing two University of Adelaide colleagues, had lied to the then Chancellor Kevin Scarce, and also lied to the Commissioner in his evidence with respect to an investigation of sexual misconduct with a postgraduate student when he was employed at the University of Melbourne. The ICAC Commissioner Bruce Lander acknowledged there were "further issues" in the full 170-page report on the investigation which he chose not to release due to privacy concerns surrounding the victims, instead releasing an abridged 12-page version 'Statement about an Investigation: Misconduct by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Adelaide'. In determining his findings, the Commissioner relied in part on the personal blog of US journalist Michael Balter who documented Rathjens prior history of sexual harassment, and was largely responsible for bringing the matter to the public's attention, and ultimately ICAC's. The ICAC Commissioner's damning findings against Rathjen have put the University of Adelaide's culture under intense scrutiny in both the local and international media.
Claiming ill-health, Rathjen formally resigned in July 2020 and, despite the ICAC Commissioner's findings, received a large payout from the university.
Organisation
The university is divided into three faculties, down from five in 2022. This is following a merger of the Arts faculty with the Professions faculty and the Faculty of Sciences with the Faculty of ECMS (Engineering, Computer, and Mathematical Sciences). Each faculty is made up of various constituent schools:
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
*Adelaide Medical School
*Adelaide Dental School
*Adelaide Nursing School
*School of Public Health
*School of Psychology
*School of Allied Health Science and Practice
*School of Biomedicine
*Adelaide Rural Clinical School
Faculty of Sciences, Engineering, and Technology
*School of Agriculture, Food, and Wine
*School of Physical Sciences
*School of Biological Sciences
*School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences
* Australian School of Petroleum and Energy Resources
*School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials
*School of Civil, Environmental & Mining Engineering
*School of Computer Science
*School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering
*School of Mathematical Sciences
*School of Mechanical Engineering
* School of Architecture, and Built Environment
Faculty of Arts, Business, Law, and Economics
*Elder Conservatorium of Music
The Elder Conservatorium of Music, also known as "The Con", is Australia's senior academy of music and is located in the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It is named in honour of its benefactor, Sir Thomas Elder. Dating in ...
*School of Humanities
*School of Education
*School of Social Sciences
*Adelaide Business School
*School of Economics and Public Policy
*Adelaide Law School
Adelaide Law School is a law school in Adelaide, Australia and is part of the University of Adelaide. It is the second oldest law school in Australia having been founded in 1883 and offers undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications.
There h ...
.
*The National Centre for Aboriginal Language and Music Studies (NCALMS) comprises three units: Kaurna Warra Pintyanthi (KWP), the Mobile Language Team (MLT), and the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM), which is within the Elder Conservatorium, and the "only devoted university-based centre for studies in Australian Indigenous music".[
]
Wirltu Yarlu
The university has a long history of Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
education, establishing its first formal courses in the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM) in 1972. Wirltu Yarlu is a separate unit, which is "responsible for engaging with and recruiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as well as providing support to students during their time s students.
Lecture series
The university hosts a number of lecture series, including the Joseph Fisher Lecture in Commerce, established in 1903 following a donation by politician and newspaper proprietor Joseph Fisher of £1000 to the university "for the purpose of promoting the study of commerce". The Gavin David Young Lectures in Philosophy began in 1956, owing their existence to a bequest made by Jessie Frances Raven, in memory of her father, for "the promotion, advancement, teaching and diffusion of the study of philosophy…".
The university also presents the James Crawford Biennial Lecture Series on International Law, named for James Richard Crawford SC, a graduate of the university who went on to be Dean of Law at the University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...
and subsequently Whewell Professor of International Law
The Whewell Professorship of International Law is a professorship in the University of Cambridge.
The Professorship was established in 1868 by the will of the 19th-century scientist and moral philosopher, William Whewell, with a view to devising ...
at the University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
. Crawford delivered the first lecture in 2004. The university is one of a number of institutions to have established an Edward Said Memorial Lecture. The first in this series was given in 2005.
Research
The University of Adelaide is one of the most research-intensive universities in Australia, securing over $180 million in research funding annually. Its researchers are active in both basic and commercially oriented research across a broad range of fields including agriculture, psychology, health sciences, and engineering.
Research strengths include engineering, mathematics, science, medical and health sciences, agricultural sciences, artificial intelligence, and the arts.
The university is a member of Academic Consortium 21, an association of 20 research intensive universities, mainly in Oceania, though with members from the US and Europe. The university held the Presidency of AC 21 for the period 2011–2013 as host the biennial AC21 International Forum in June 2012.
The Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR), based at the University of Adelaide, was founded in 1973 as the ''Road Accident Research Unit'' and focuses on road safety
Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, horse riders, and passengers of on-roa ...
and injury control.
The University of Adelaide has capitalised on opportunities to commercialise its research. The university has the highest volume of commercial research agreements of all Australian universities. It engages in extensive contract research and collaborative work in conjunction with local and international companies, as well as federal, state and local governments. This activity is managed by the university's commercial development company, Adelaide Research & Innovation Pty Ltd (ARI).
Some examples of recent influences to the university's teaching and research priorities are the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG; previously the Defence Science and Technology Organisation
The Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) is part of the Australian Department of Defence dedicated to providing science and technology support to safeguard Australia and its national interests. The agency's name was changed from Defenc ...
, or DSTO) in Adelaide's northern suburbs to which the university provides many psychology, physics, engineering, and IT graduates; and the growth in South Australia's wine industry, which is supported by the Waite and National Wine Centre
The National Wine Centre of Australia (commonly the "Wine Centre") is a public exhibition building about winemaking and its industry in South Australia, opened in 2001. It contains an interactive permanent exhibition of winemaking, introducing ...
campuses producing oenology and agriculture/viticulture
Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of '' Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...
graduates.
In addition, the university participates in the Auto-ID Labs
The Auto-ID Labs network is a research group in the field of networked radio-frequency identification (RFID) and emerging sensing technologies. The labs consist of seven research universities located on four different continents. These institutio ...
, a network of seven research universities in the field of networked radio-frequency identification (RFID) and emerging sensing technologies.
In August 2019, Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) and the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) entered a partnership with the university, in which scientists in diverse disciplines will be able to access PIRSA's research farms share their academic knowledge to the agricultural sector. The collaboration is anticipated to help develop SA's expertise in dryland agriculture, by encouraging multi-disciplinary
Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...
research and help to bring about new export opportunities.[
In 2020, the University partnered with SA Health to train Covid detector dogs.
Other university partners include the ]Royal Adelaide Hospital
The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), colloquially known by its initials or pronounced as "the Rah", is South Australia's largest hospital, owned by the state government as part of Australia's public health care system. The RAH provides tertiary hea ...
and the Hanson Institute
SA Pathology, (formerly the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science (IMVS)), is an organisation providing diagnostic and clinical pathology services throughout South Australia for the public health sector. The headquarters are in Frome Road, ...
.
In March 2022, the Australian Space Agency and the University of Adelaide stated that they would work together on space research.
Rankings
The University of Adelaide consistently features in the top 150 international universities as ranked by the Academic Ranking of World Universities, the QS World University Rankings
''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...
, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli ...
, and the U.S. News & World Report, situating it securely in the top 1% of ranked universities worldwide. The University of Adelaide ranked 90th in the 2022 Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities
Student life
Associations
As of 1 July 2006, membership of the Adelaide University Union (AUU) has been voluntary for all students, following the passing of voluntary student unionism
Voluntary student unionism (VSU), as it is known in Australia, or voluntary student membership (VSM), as it is known in New Zealand, is a policy under which membership of – and payment of membership fees to – university student organisations i ...
(VSU) legislation by the Federal Government. The AUU funds five affiliates which carry out their functions autonomously. They are the Adelaide Postgraduate Students' Association (APGSA), the Clubs Association (CA), the Roseworthy Agricultural Campus Student Union Council (RACSUC), the Student Representative Council (preceded by the now defunct Students' Association of the University of Adelaide) and the Waite Institute Students' Association (WISA).
The Adelaide University Union was responsible for organising the annual Prosh (University of Adelaide) events.
Media
The University of Adelaide has three print news publications; these are:
* ''On Dit
''On Dit'' is a student newspaper funded by the Adelaide University Union and advertising revenue which is published fortnightly during semester time. Founded in 1932, it is the third oldest student newspaper in Australia along with ''Semper Fl ...
'', the student magazine,
*''Adelaidean'', the university's newspaper,
*''Lumen'', the alumni magazine.
The University of Adelaide Press publishes staff scholarship and works of interest about the history and activities of the university. The Press is also responsible for publishing the ''Adelaide Law Review
The ''Adelaide Law Review'' is a scholarly refereed law journal based at the University of Adelaide.
It is published twice a year by the Adelaide Law Review Association of the University of Adelaide's Faculty of Law.[Radio Adelaide
Radio Adelaide (call sign: 5UV) is Australia's first community radio station. The signal reaches across the Adelaide metropolitan area to the Mid North, the Yorke Peninsula and Fleurieu Peninsula, the southern Barossa, Kangaroo Island, Riverl ...]
, in 1972.
Opportunities to participate in theatre productions are available through the University of Adelaide Theatre Guild and the Law School Revue.
Sports
Most university sport is organised by the Adelaide University Sports Association (AUSA). The Sports Association was founded in 1896 by the Adelaide University Boat, Tennis and Lacrosse Clubs. The Association disaffiliated from the Adelaide University Union (AUU) on 1 January 2010 and is currently directly affiliated to the University of Adelaide. The AUSA supports 37 sporting clubs which provide a diverse range of sporting opportunities to students of the University of Adelaide (AU). The AUSA is a major stakeholder in the AU North Terrace Campus based Sports Hub fitness centre and the North Adelaide-based university playing fields.
Venues
UniBar
The old UniBar was closed in 2018, with a new one opened in a new venue on the ground floor of Union House, in the former Mayo Cafe.
College Green
On 4 November 2020, a new venue known as the College Green, stretching from the Cloisters across the lawns down to Victoria Drive, next to the Torrens River. From opening night until New Year's Eve 2020/21, live bands, DJs, free open-air cinema An outdoor cinema consists of a digital or analog movie projector, scaffolded construction or inflatable movie screen, and sound system.
History
Outdoor cinemas first began at around 1916 in Berlin, Germany. During the 1920s, many "rooftop theatr ...
, the South Australian Music Awards and Christmas markets were on the schedule. The move was partly in response to the impact of social distancing
In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dis ...
restrictions owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 Januar ...
, which hit many live music venue
A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from a small coffeehouse for folk music shows, an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Ty ...
s.
Notable people
The history of the University of Adelaide includes a large number of distinguished alumni and staff, including domestic and international heads of state; Nobel laureates; business and political leaders; pioneers in science, mathematics, and medicine; media personalities; accomplished musical, visual, performance, and written artists; and sportspeople, including multiple Olympic medallists.
Distinguished alumni include 16 chancellors, 20 vice-chancellors, 113 Rhodes Scholars, 5 Nobel laureates (one of whom was once the youngest laureate ever, Lawrence Bragg
Sir William Lawrence Bragg, (31 March 1890 – 1 July 1971) was an Australian-born British physicist and X-ray crystallographer, discoverer (1912) of Bragg's law of X-ray diffraction, which is basic for the determination of crystal struct ...
, co-recipient, with his father William Henry Bragg
Sir William Henry Bragg (2 July 1862 – 12 March 1942) was an English physicist, chemist, mathematician, and active sportsman who uniquelyThis is still a unique accomplishment, because no other parent-child combination has yet shared a Nob ...
for physics in 1915, at 25 years of age), and one Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
( Julia Gillard, the first female Prime Minister of Australia) have all graduated or attended the University of Adelaide.
Robin Warren
John Robin Warren (born 11 June 1937, in Adelaide) is an Australian pathologist, Nobel Laureate and researcher who is credited with the 1979 re-discovery of the bacterium ''Helicobacter pylori'', together with Barry Marshall. The duo proved ...
, who alongside Barry Marshall
Barry James Marshall (born 30 September 1951) is an Australian physician, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, Professor of Clinical Microbiology and Co-Director of the Marshall Centre at the University of Western Australia. Mars ...
, discovered that peptic ulcers
Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a break in the inner lining of the stomach, the first part of the small intestine, or sometimes the lower esophagus. An ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, while one in the first part of the intestines i ...
were largely caused by the infection ''Helicobacter pylori
''Helicobacter pylori'', previously known as ''Campylobacter pylori'', is a gram-negative, microaerophilic, spiral (helical) bacterium usually found in the stomach. Its helical shape (from which the genus name, helicobacter, derives) is thoug ...
'', graduated from the university in the 1950s. Warren and Marshall won the Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
for their discovery in 2005.
Other Nobel prizewinners are Howard Florey (pharmacologist
Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemic ...
and pathologist
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in t ...
who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, accord ...
in 1945 with Sir Ernst Chain and Sir Alexander Fleming
Sir Alexander Fleming (6 August 1881 – 11 March 1955) was a Scottish physician and microbiologist, best known for discovering the world's first broadly effective antibiotic substance, which he named penicillin. His discovery in 1928 of what ...
for his role in the development of penicillin); and J.M. Coetzee (novelist and linguist
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
, recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature),
Other notable graduates and professors include Leo Blair (the father of British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
; law lecturer at the University of Adelaide while Tony was a child); Edward Charles Stirling
Sir Edward Charles Stirling (8 September 1848 – 20 March 1919) was an Australian anthropologist and the first professor of physiology at the University of Adelaide.
Early life
Stirling was born at "The Lodge" Strathalbyn, South Australia, t ...
(physiologist, politician and advocate for women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
), Tim Flannery
Timothy Fridtjof Flannery (born 28 January 1956) is an Australian mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist, conservationist, explorer, author, science communicator, activist and public scientist. He was awarded Australian of the Yea ...
(Australian of the Year), Margaret Reid (first female president of the Australian Senate), Janine Haines
Janine Winton Haines, AM (née Carter; 8 May 1945 – 20 November 2004) was an Australian politician who was a Senator for South Australia from 1977 to 1978 and again from 1981 to 1990. She represented the Australian Democrats, and served as t ...
(first female federal parliamentary leader of an Australian political party), Margaret White (first female judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland), Roma Mitchell
Dame Roma Flinders Mitchell, (2 October 1913 – 5 March 2000) was an Australian lawyer, judge and state governor. She was the first woman to hold a number of positions in Australia – the country's first woman judge, the first woman to be a ...
(first female Queen's Counsel in Australia (1962), Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia and the first female superior court judge in the British Commonwealth (1965) and first female state Governor), and Joni Madraiwiwi
Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, Lord Madraiwiwi Tangatatonga (10 November 1957 – 29 September 2016) was a prominent Fijian lawyer, legal scholar, jurist, and politician. He served as vice-president, and also acting president, of Fiji, and Chief Just ...
, Vice-President of the Republic of Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
and Chief Justice of the Republic of Nauru
Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...
.
See also
*List of universities in Australia
There are 43 universities in Australia: 40 Australian universities (36 public and 4 private) and 3 international private universities. The Commonwealth Higher Education Support Act 2003 sets out three groups of Australian higher education prov ...
* The Environment Institute
* University of Adelaide College, a pre-University pathways College for international students
References
External links
The University of Adelaide website
Adelaide University Union
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adelaide, University Of
Universities in South Australia
Educational institutions established in 1874
Australian vocational education and training providers
1874 establishments in Australia
Group of Eight (Australian universities)