In Principio v16 no2 (2005)

INSIDEITHIS ISSUE • Vice Chancellor's Report .............2 • Around the University ...... . ...... . .4 • College of Arts .......... ·...........6 • College of Business ... . .. ..... ......7 • College of Education ...... ... ..... ..8 • College of Health .. ............... .9 • College of Law .. . . .... ...... .. ....10 • College of Science & Technology .... .11 • College of Theology ...... ..... ....12 • Study Abroad Office ... . . ..... .... .13 • Broome Campus .... .. ........ ....14 • Sydney Campus . . ...... .. . ... .....16 • Student Services . ........ ... ..... ..18 • Alumni Association ..... ... ........19 Front Cover: (Left) Cardinal Pell presiding over Mass to celebrate the commencement of building works at the St Benedict's site in Sydney. ( Top right) Australian of the Year, Dr Fiona Woad with Medicine students at the annual Blessing of Hands Ceremony at the Fremantfe Campus. (Bottom right) Dr Brendan Nelson, Federal Minister for r.,aucatian, Science & Training shakes hands with student Colleen Baadja at the Blessing and Official Opening ofthe Broome Campus library. Photo of Fiona Woodprovidedcourtesy ofJamie O'Brien 4 Dr Peter Tannock 2005 is proving to be a busy year for the University. Some highlights thus far include: • Development approval from the Sydney City Council for the University's Broadway Campus and the commencement of works on site. • The opening of our new Medical School on the Fremantle Campus with an initial intake of 81 excellent students drawn from all over Australia. • The completion, blessing and opening of our new Broome Campus Library by the Minister for Education, Science and Training, the Honourable Brendan Nelson • A further sharp surge in our undergraduate and postgraduate enrolments with about 5,000 students now enrolled in the ful l range of the University's courses in Fremantle and Broome. • The passage of the revised University of Notre Dame Australia Act through the Parliament of Western Australia on 30 June, 2005 redefining the University and its Objects, incorporating the Sydney Campus into the body of the institution, and significantly modifying and upgrading governance, reporting and academic and management structures. • The appointment of Justice Neville Owen as our new Chancellor, following the completion of 15 years of distinguished service by the outgoing Chancellor Mr Terry O'Connor QC. • The finalisation of planning and capital development arrangements for the Darlinghurst site of the University's new Medical and Nursing Schools in Sydney. • The undertaki ng of a further major capital works program on the University's campus in the West End of Fremantle which will provide substantial teaching and academic support space to meet the growth needs of the University in the years ahead. • The introduction, through the Higher Education Support Act 2004, by the Minister for Education the Honourable Brendan Nelson, of the Fee Help Scheme and the National Priority Places Scheme. These new schemes provide low interest Commonwealth loans to fee paying students and funded places in teaching and nursing courses. They will make a very substantial long-term contribution to the development of Notre Dame and its community. It is a very demanding time for the University. However, there are many positive signs of the evolution of Notre Dame as a unique Australian University. Our hope, and expectation, is that over the next ten years we will become a well known and highly visible private Catholic university, with an enrolment of about 10,000 students in Western and Eastern Australia, and a reputation for excellence in teaching; scholarship and research; training for the professions; and the pastoral care of its students.