Premier Peter Beattie today opened the $17 million stage one of the University of Queensland's high tech and heritage UQ Ipswich campus at a ceremony for 200 guests.
Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay said the official opening of the University's third campus was a milestone in its history and an opportunity to create innovative courses using state-of-the-art technology.
"Since 1996 when the Queensland Government approved the University's plans to develop the UQ Ipswich campus, the State and Federal governments have committed $47 million for the site development. We are grateful for their support and for sharing our vision," Professor Hay said.
"That vision is of this campus as a place for innovation and the application of new learning technologies. The campus has benefited also from the support of the local community which has seen its future linked to its own commitment to information technology. The University wishes to acknowledge the strong support of the Ipswich City Council in establishing this campus in Ipswich."
University Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Trevor Grigg said UQ Ipswich's cutting-edge courses would produce a new group of graduates to tackle emerging global industries such as electronic commerce and information environments. "The courses are supported by a progressive approach to learning that encourages students to work in partnership with lecturers," he said.
Professor Grigg said the University was creating a high technology facility to transform the way it conducted teaching and learning into the new millennium.
"The second stage of UQ Ipswich is under construction and a third stage will soon follow," he said. Those stages will not only accommodate our anticipated student population of over 2300 by the year 2001 but also provide us with a platform to develop a lead site for on-line delivery at the graduate level. This award-winning adaptive reuse of heritage listed property has created a campus which has exceeded expectations of both the staff and students of the university who have commenced work and study here in the first year of operation."
Before the ceremony, the University signed an $18.88 million contract with Barclay Mowlem Construction Limited to construct the second stage campus development valued at $23 million with completion by the end of 1999.
Media contacts: Professor John Hay telephone 07 3365 1300, Professor Trevor Grigg, telephone 07 3365 7366.
Jan King UQ Media 0413/ 601 248
UQ Ipswich Fact Sheet
o UQ Ipswich is the third campus of Australia's 1998-99 University of the Year, the University of Queensland, which also has campuses at St Lucia in Brisbane and at Gatton, and other specialised facilities throughout Queensland.
o The UQ Ipswich campus is located in Salisbury Road, 1.4km from the Ipswich CBD, and is surrounded on three sides by the Sandy Gallop Golf Course. The 26-hectare site has magnificent views of Ipswich in all directions, and is connected to the city by an integrated bus and rail system.
o The campus has a history dating from 1878, with 17 buildings heritage-listed. It opened as the Sandy Gallop Asylum, was renamed the Ipswich Hospital for the Insane in 1910, and its name changed again in 1938 to the Ipswich Mental Hospital. In 1968 the hospital was renamed the Challinor Centre. In 1996 the State Government announced the Challinor Centre would close. In September the same year the University of Queensland announced plans to develop a campus on the site.
o Since opening its doors in February 1999 UQ Ipswich has serviced more than 450 students with this number rising to more than 500 students following the mid-year intake this year. It is planned that this number will increase to 1500 students in the year 2000, and 2350 from the year 2001. When fully constructed, the site can support an ultimate campus population of 6000 to 8000 students. The campus population also currently includes 70 academics and 30 general staff.
o The $17 million stage one campus development completed this year has yielded 4000 square metres of usable floor space in six existing buildings and one new service building.
o The $23 million stage two, 5000 square metre development includes rehabilitation of eight buildings in a heritage precinct, including the earliest buildings on the campus, and construction of a twin block new general purpose building. Stage two, which will include a new 300-person refectory, is on target for completion in December 1999 for teaching in 2000.
o Preliminary planning for stage three has commenced and it is envisaged to include a new library and student centre. Construction is likely in 2000.
o Courses offered through UQ Ipswich include the Bachelor of Business (communication), Business (hospitality management), Business (tourism management), Business (travel management), Business (leisure management), Business, Social Science, Electronic Commerce, Contemporary Studies, Education (graduate entry) and Information Environments. A Bachelor of Behavioural Studies degree will be offered from next year.
o Four of the University's seven faculties are represented at UQ Ipswich - Arts; Business Economics and Law; Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture; and Social and Behavioural Sciences.
o The campus has a high emphasis on information technology. Stage one features more than 300 work stations, and a similar number are planned for stage two. Among the computers are 50 high-end machines for use in the Bachelor of Information Environments program. The campus is linked by a high 155 Megabits per second broad-band microwave link to the St Lucia campus connecting to UQNET and the internet. There are separate computer servers designated for staff, students, Web CT (teaching applications) and for development use. They are capable of expansion as required.
o Everything is not what you see at the campus. Underground, UQ Ipswich features 100km of underground data cabling, 40 km of light and power cabling, and every 50 metres of underground trenching has 1km of pipes.
o The campus has 280 car parks in stage one, operating under a University traffic management system and further parking will be made available in stage two.
