Verdant universities
The verdant universities are an informal group of Australian universities. They comprise universities founded in the 1960s and 70s and are sometimes called 'gumtree' universities.[1] These universities were established in their state capitals, often next to native bush land (now nature reserves), and have lush vegetative campuses – which the naming 'verdant' refers to.
They are predominantly the second or third established university in their state; the only exception is Macquarie, which is the third university in Sydney, but the fourth university in New South Wales.
University | Location | State | Established |
---|---|---|---|
Flinders University | Adelaide | SA | 1966 |
Griffith University | Brisbane | QLD | 1971 |
La Trobe University | Melbourne | VIC | 1964 |
Macquarie University | Sydney | NSW | 1964 |
Murdoch University | Perth | WA | 1973 |
La Trobe University takes “verdant” a step further by the fact that it owns a 28-hectare wildlife sanctuary in addition to managing the Gresswell Hill Nature Conservation Reserve, situated north of the Melbourne campus.[2][3]
The verdant universities were part of a broader effort to expand and reform tertiary education in Australia based on similar reforms that led to the creation of the plate glass universities group in the United Kingdom.[1] All of these universities went on to form Innovative Research Universities in 2003.[1]
Potential verdants
While these five are considered the "main verdants" as they have the most in common, there are other universities that have been labelled as a verdant or gumtree university.[4][5] These include:
- University of Newcastle (1965)
- James Cook University (1970)
- Deakin University (1974)
- University of Wollongong (1975)
See also
References
- "Types of Australian universities". www.academia.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-09.
- "History of the area, La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary, La Trobe University". www.latrobe.edu.au. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
- "About the Sanctuary, La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary, La Trobe University". www.latrobe.edu.au. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
- "Types of Australian universities". www.academia.edu. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
- Rowbotham, Jill (21 August 2012). "Universities' staff half casual: new data". The Australian. Retrieved 12 January 2016.