Warm Welcome from The University of Queensland on Vimeo.
International and Australian students will be back on campus at The University of Queensland this week, with the University making last minute preparations for their return on Thursday, January 20.
Photos taken at the St Lucia campus today are at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/uqnews/sets/72157625849720828/
The University is expecting a cohort of about 3000 summer semester students, about 470 first year medical students from 11 countries, and 575 students recommencing their English language classes.
Some 135 AusAID students will also commence on Thursday – with a further 43 students to arrive next week.
These students are from countries including Vietnam, South Africa, China, Mozambique, Pakistan, Nigeria, Zambia, Fiji, Tanzania, Indonesia, French Polynesia, Argentina, Chile, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Philippines, Thailand, Guyana, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Simultaneously, the University is also preparing for the start of first semester in a few weeks time on February 28.
The University has made 8007 offers for domestic students for the January 13 QTAC round with students having until January 27 to respond to their offer for first semester, starting on February 28. The majority of programs have experienced an increase in cut-offs (there is greater demand for the courses).
The next QTAC offer round to take place on 3rd February, 2011 has been rescheduled until 10th February 2011.
The University is also expecting more than 2500 new international students for first semester.
Dean of Medicine Professor David Wilkinson said the School of Medicine was delighted to welcome the new medical cohort to UQ this week.
“Our first years include 300 Australian students, 130 international students, and 40 students from the Oschner Clinical School in New Orleans, United States, with the US students spending the first two years of their course in Australia and the final two in New Orleans,” he said.
“Our Year two medical students are also starting, this week online and next Monday at St Lucia face to face.
“Years three and four start on Monday across all Clinical Schools, as originally planned.
“Although the start to the year was not ideal the program will go ahead with minimal disruption due to the hard work of all staff and students.”
Professor Wilkinson said that as part of one of Australia’s leading universities, it was important the School had a global perspective, which brought a diversity of richness.
The top three source countries for the new cohort are Canada (83 students), US (44) and Malaysia (20 students).
Five-hundred-and-seventy-five students enrolled at UQ’s Institute for Continuing and TESOL Education (ICTE-UQ) are due to restart their English language course on Thursday.
Director Christine Bundesen said the Institute was situated in the newly-built Sir Llew Edwards building on the St Lucia campus, which had suffered no flood damage.
Ms Bundesen said the Institute was on-track to reopen on Thursday as planned, and that all future TESOL and Continuing Education courses and programs for the remainder of 2011 would run as per normal.
The ICTE-UQ homestay accommodation network is continuing to work very effectively and supportively.
The IELTS (English language) test scheduled for UQ St Lucia and Spring Hill on Saturday 22 January will continue as planned, with more than 650 candidates registered across both venues.
Candidates who were registered for the cancelled 15 January IELTS test will be contacted before 20 January regarding arrangements to take the test on an alternative date.
A small team of core ICTE-UQ staff returned to the campus yesterday to continue essential operations and services, which were previously being managed by staff from home.
UQ PhD student Lucas Goh, from Singapore, has thanked The University of Queensland for its strong support during the flood 2011 crisis.
Mr Goh is a researcher in Associate Professor Roy Hall’s lab, in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences.
Mr Goh said the overwhelming help from UQ staff and students, volunteers, and friendly locals, meant the apartment he shares with his partner in St Lucia was on its way to restoration earlier than anticipated.
“I would just like to say how proud I am to be a student from The University of Queensland, and how grateful I am for the assistance given by UQ's students and other "strangers" from around,” Mr Goh said.
“The "Australian spirit" is so amazing it's unbelievable.”
Recovery at The University of Queensland is moving ahead quickly with an army of staff, student, community volunteers and contractors rapidly signing off the high priority tasks.
Teaching and learning facilities have largely been unaffected and there will be no changes to the semester 1 commencement date, orientation and associated support classes.
The Gatton campus is in good shape and the Ipswich and Herston campuses have not been affected.
UQ International has been in constant communication with prospective students, representatives and partners about the recovery situation and in preparation for Semester 1 arrivals.
The university has formed an Accommodation taskforce to ensure additional support for any students whose accommodation may have been affected, as well as assisting arriving students to find suitable accommodation.
Further, University jointly with the UQ Union is urgently putting a scheme in place to provide emergency financial assistance to those students at financial risk as a result of the Queensland floods. The specific details will be provided soon.
Funding will be in the form of once-off grants through the UQ Union's SHOC Centre, or longer-term loans that will be administered by Student Services. In both cases students will need to meet certain criteria concerning need and circumstance.
UQ has established a 24-hour hotline for enquiries relating to the floods at the university and have a comprehensive set of FAQs on the website (www.uq.edu.au) as well as a daily update. All students and key stakeholders have been sent some form of communication over the past week and will continue to receive updates from the university.
Media: Jan King 0413 601 248, Fiona Cameron 0407 113 342 or Penny Robinson.
