St Hilda's College is a

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

The University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...

, providing a residential community for students from all parts of regional Victoria, interstate and overseas. It provides accommodation, academic and

pastoral support ''The Book of Pastoral Rule'' (Latin: ''Liber Regulae Pastoralis'', ''Regula Pastoralis'' or ''Cura Pastoralis'' — sometimes translated into English ''Pastoral Care'') is a treatise on the responsibilities of the clergy written by Pope Gregory ...

for 240 undergraduate students. In addition to the students, St Hilda's College (more simply known as Hilda's) also houses a number of senior residential advisors and other staff. The college mascot is Diego the Dinosaur.

History

St Hilda's College was established as a result of the inspiration of Dr E.H. Sugden, the first

Master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

of Queen's College, who in 1888, at the Official Opening of Queen's, stated: "I hope we soon have a hostel for women in these grounds". Philippa Maddern (1989). St Hilda's College Forerunners and Foundations. University of Melbourne Press. p. 3. . Between 1888 and 1957 there were a number of attempts to establish a

residential college A residential college is a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship ...

to provide for the needs of the increasing numbers of young

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

and

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

women who were coming to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

to undertake tertiary study. However it was not until 1957 when a provisional council was established and then 1959 when a group of church and university women began a fundraising campaign that the idea started to become a reality. Early in this successful attempt, Queen's College donated the land on which St Hilda's now stands, an area to the west of the Queen's buildings then known affectionately as the "cow paddock". This donation facilitated the development of the much discussed college as land was available. Marjorie Smart was invited to take up the position of Principal, and with her background in

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

and the

diplomatic service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtain diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...

showed herself to be ideally suited to be the foundation principal of a fledgling college. Building commenced in September 1962, and by March 1964 the first students arrived to take up residence with over 250 students applying for the initial 87 places available. Smart retired in 1975 when she was made an AM. In 2014, the college celebrated its 50th anniversary with a series of decade reunions and celebratory events, including a production of Barry Manilow's 'Copacabana'. Initially established as a college for women, when all colleges were single-sex residences, St Hilda's was the first at The University of Melbourne to become co-educational, in 1973 under Marjorie Smart.

Buildings

statute A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature. Statutes typically declare, command or prohibit something. Statutes are distinguished from court law and unwritten law (also known as common law) in that they are the expressed wil ...

granting affiliation with The University of Melbourne was passed in 1960 and a public appeal was launched under the patronage of Dame Pattie Menzies and the chairmanship of Sir Charles Lowe. The money raised in this appeal, together with grants from the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

and

State State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Governments, made it possible to complete the first phase of the college building by the beginning of 1964. In 2007, the Brian James Wing of the college was completed providing modern en suite accommodation units for third year Undergraduate Students and

Graduate Students Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

, as well as

Tutor Tutoring is private academic help, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects. A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides assis ...

accommodation and a Visiting Scholars' Apartment.

Sport

St Hilda's College participates in the Intercollegiate Sporting Council (ICSC) competition. Sports available to all residents include: men's and women's

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

, athletics,

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

, squash, pool,

table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

and women's

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

Cultural

The Intercollegiate Activities Committee (ICAC) run a number of events with which St Hilda's participate. These provide the opportunity for each of the colleges associated with The University of Melbourne to engage with members of other colleges from the university. Events include: Intercollegiate 'Fresher Dance Off' in which first year students present a dance learnt in their 'O Week' to the other colleges with one college crowned the winner. Battle of the Bands involves each participating college forming a band and presenting a short set to the audience, with again one college being crowned the winner. Other ICAC events open to all colleges include trivia nights,

public speaking Public speaking, is the practice of delivering speeches to a live audience. Throughout history, public speaking has held significant cultural, religious, and political importance, emphasizing the necessity of effective rhetorical skills. It all ...

events, theatre games and more.

Leadership

James Hardiman has presided as principal of the college since 2023, as the 7th Principal of the college. Fiona Cadorel is the current Dean of Students. Adrian Oates holds the Associate Dean title. Student club leadership includes roles such as the President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary. These roles function as an executive that work above the General committee (GC); such leadership should be voted in by students in a democratic like manner.

References

External links

St Hilda's College
{{University of Melbourne Residential colleges of the University of Melbourne