CQUniversity celebrates 10 years of Cairns campus in special gathering
A wide cast of Far North leaders helped establish CQU’s Cairns Campus, but its 10-year tenure all hinged on one key individual, as it celebrated the milestone this week. SEE WHO WAS THERE.
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For most of the past four years CQUniversity’s Cairns branch has only looked ahead, focused on building a new campus, but this week its administration turned an eye in the other direction.
The growing tertiary education provider celebrated 10 years of its Abbott St premises, following a satellite presence from 2012.
A formal gathering at the Cairns Square facility on Wednesday evening was reminded of the university’s humble beginnings in the Far North and the advocacy efforts leading to a new $87.5m campus opposite the Convention Centre, with hopes of opening by the end of 2027.
The university’s vice-chancellor, Professor Nick Klomp, who commenced in 2019, paid special tribute to Far North region associate vice-president Jodie Duignan-George.
“Nearly everyone I’ve spoken to tonight has mentioned Jodie in the conversation and I don’t underestimate that,” he said to a gathering of about 40 people.
“Jodie has not only been on the ground and has helped build this campus with all the ideas, with all the new innovations, she’s done something else - she’s built relationships with people.
“And I think that has actually been the success of the Cairns campus. Jodie has gone to the community and said, ‘What do you need? What can we do to work together?’.”
Professor Klomp said by offering once exclusive courses to Far North students, the university was reporting a retention rate of about 86 per cent of pupils opting to work locally after graduation.
Cairns Chamber of Commerce chief executive Patricia O’Neill said the university had already made a “lasting commitment” to the Far North region.
“If the progress of the last 10 years is any indication of what lies ahead, then we’re confident that CQU will continue to be a valuable asset to our people, to our community and to our economy for years,” Ms O’Neill said.
Advance Cairns chief executive Jacinta Reddan echoed her sister advocacy body’s words.
“We very much look forward to the university continuing to thrive and prosper and grow our future generation of professional, technical and health workers,” Ms Reddan said.
After starting in Cairns with a distance education hub in 2012, the university began searching for a new premises in 2014 but was caught up in the “Aquis fever” leading to inflated price tags on the city’s vacant buildings before it settled on a lease at Cairns Square.
In 2016 it had started the year at its new campus with 46 staff and finished with 76 staff, while introducing paramedic science, civil, mechanical and electrical engineering and sustainable tourism courses – a first for Cairns.
In 2019, before Covid hampered the aviation industry, CQU had just unveiled its new aviation campus at Cairns Airport, but despite the pandemic, its enrolment numbers had peaked at 2200 by 2022.
The university was then approached by Cairns Regional Council regarding the vacant land on the corner of Grafton and Hartley streets, and following lobbying over two federal election campaigns, the education provider had locked in $77.5m in Commonwealth funds toward its new campus.
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