More than 1100 students set to make history when new campus opens in three weeks
Staff are working frantically to get Australia’s newest university ready for day one of classes, just three weeks away. More than 1100 foundation students have enrolled.
Moreton
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MORE than 1100 people will become part of history when the doors to Australia’s newest university open next month.
Many people thought it would never happen, but USC Moreton Bay defied the odds and will welcome its foundation students for the first time in just three weeks.
Contractors and USC staff are still working frantically to get the campus ready for day one of classes on February 24.
Books are being placed on shelves in the new library, outdoor seating areas are being aligned, IT systems are being tested and countless other finishing touches are being made.
Chief Operating Officer Scott Snyder said it will be a great moment for everyone when those first students walk through the front doors.
“It has been intense but everyone involved have been really excellent,” he said.
“They have done whatever they needed to bring the project in on time, in fact they are a little bit early.”
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All three tiers of government came together with funding or other assistance that ensured a university could be built in an area that desperately needed it.
“With Moreton Bay being statistically the most educationally disadvantaged area in the country, they wanted to do something about it,” Mr Snyder said.
“The state and federal governments were as committed to the project as we were. We didn’t have to pursue them to help us.
“And council has done a fantastic job on their piece and subcontracting for us.
“The project is unique in that everyone has pitched in to try and get it done.”
The foundation building was designed by HASSELL Studio and constructed by Hansen Yuncken.
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Its focal point is the 12m high atrium known as “The Rise”, which can accommodate about 600 people.
The building also features a 460-seat lecture theatre, state-of-the-art learning technology, nursing simulation labs, engineering labs, library facilities and renewable energy initiatives.
The ground floor will be mostly teaching space, the middle floor will be for staff offices and the top floor is where the major labs are situated.
In its first year of operation, the campus will offer about 50 undergraduate programs including some exclusive to Moreton Bay like mechatronics, engineering and computer science.
Mr Snyder said USC was already looking to future expansion, with an estimated 10,000 students expected at the campus by 2030.
“We’ve got a few irons in the fire,” he said.
“It takes a couple of years to put together a deal because there isn’t a program where the government grants you money to build these buildings.
“You need to bring in industry partners and other bodies and typically that takes two to three years. But we will keep developing.”
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