Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator Matthew Flinders, who explored and surveyed the Australian and South Australian coastline in the early 19th century. In 2022 there were 25,247 students enrolled at the university.
History
Origins and construction
By the late 1950s, the University of Adelaide's North Terrace campus was approaching capacity. In 1960, Premier Thomas Playford announced that 150 hectares (370 acres) of state government-owned land in Burbank (now Bedford Park) would be allocated to the University of Adelaide for the establishment of a second campus.[8]
Planning began in 1961. The principal-designate of the new campus, economist and professor Peter Karmel, was adamant that the new campus should operate independently from the North Terrace campus. He hoped that the Bedford Park campus would be free to innovate and not be bound by tradition.[8]
Capital works began in 1962 with a grant of £3.8 million from the Australian Universities Commission. Architect Geoff Harrison, in conjunction with architectural firm Hassell, McConnell and Partners, designed a new university that, with future expansions, could eventually accommodate up to 6000 students.[8]
Independence and opening
In 1965, the Australian Labor Party won the state election and Frank Walsh became premier. The ALP wished to break up the University of Adelaide's hegemony over tertiary education in the state, and announced that they intended the Bedford Park campus to be an independent institution.[8]
Coat of arms adopted as the university's founding logo in 1966 and used until 2022
On 17 March 1966, a bill was passed by state parliament officially creating The Flinders University of South Australia.[9][10] Although the Labor Party had favoured the name "University of South Australia", academic staff wished that the university be named after a "distinguished but uncontroversial" person. They settled upon British navigator Matthew Flinders, who explored and surveyed the South Australian coastline in 1802. Its original coat of arms, designed by a professor in the Fine Arts faculty, included a reproduction of Flinders' ship Investigator and his journal A Voyage to Terra Australis, open to the page in which Flinders described the coast adjacent the campus site.[8]
Flinders University was opened by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, on 25 March 1966.[9]
Originally created as an extension of the University of Adelaide, the university council resolved in August 1965 that it would become a separate, independent institution, functioning under its own council from 1 July 1966. Peter Karmel was the first Vice-Chancellor, and teaching at "the University of Adelaide at Bedford Park" began in 1966 with 400 students.[11]
A significant early initiative was the decision to build the Flinders Medical Centre on land adjacent to the campus and to base the university's Medical School within this new public hospital – the first such integration in Australia. Flinders accepted undergraduate medical students in 1974, with the FMC opening the following year.[9]
Expansion and restructuring
View of Flinders University main campus, with central plaza and lakeside area visible.
In 1990, the biggest building project on campus since the mid-1970s saw work commence on three new buildings – Law and Commerce; Engineering; and Information Science and Technology. Approval for the establishment of a School of Engineering was given in 1991 and degrees in Electrical and Electronic Engineering,[12] and Biomedical Engineering[13] were established shortly afterwards.
In 1991, as part of a restructuring of higher education in South Australia, Flinders merged with the adjacent Sturt Campus of the former South Australian College of Advanced Education.[14]
In 1992 a four-faculty structure was adopted.
In 1998, the Centre for Remote Health, a rural teaching hospital based in Alice Springs, was established jointly with the Northern Territory University (now Charles Darwin University). This was expanded further in 2011 with the establishment of the Northern Territory Medical Program.[15]
Since 2000 the university has established new disciplines in areas including Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and more disciplines of Engineering.[16][17]
In 2011, the bacteria genus Flindersiella was named after the university after the strain was found on a tree on campus grounds.[18]
In 2015, the university opened a new campus at Tonsley,[19] the former site of the Mitsubishi Motors Australia plant in Southern Adelaide. This campus houses the university's School of Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics,[20] along with the Medical Device Research Institute,[21] the Centre for Nanoscale Science and Technology (now known as the Flinders Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology)[22] and Flinders technology start-up company Re-Timer.[23]
In 2016, the university celebrated its 50th anniversary with a calendar of public events,[24] and a publication[25] summarising the highlights of the university's history, research, and alumni achievements over the last 50 years.[26] 2016 also saw the opening of the award-winning student hub and plaza, transforming the central campus.[27]
The university's strategic plan Making a Difference - The 2025 Agenda released in 2016 set an ambitious vision for the coming decade for Flinders to reach the top ten of Australian Universities, and the top one per cent in the world.[28]
View of Flinders University main campus and lake from hill.
On 1 July 2017, the university restructured from a two-tier academic system of four faculties and 14 schools, to a single-tier structure consisting of six colleges.[29]
In 2019 the university announced an additional $100 million investment in research and a further $100 million in education over a five-year period to support it to meet its strategic goals.[30]
The university also in 2019 announced plans for a substantial development on a tract on land on the northern portion of the Bedford Park Campus adjacent to the Flinders hospitals precinct. Known as Flinders Village the decade-long development will deliver research facilities, student accommodation, commercial premises and amenities.[31] The catalyst for the initiative was the extension of the Clovelly Park rail line to the Flinders precinct. The $141m rail line and Flinders Station project began operation in December 2020.[32][33] Stage one of the Flinders Village development is the construction of a Health and Medical Research Building. Construction began in December 2021 and the building, which will be home to Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, is scheduled for completion in 2024.[34]
In 2021 the university announced it would be expanding its Central Business District presence, establishing a vertical campus as the anchor tenant in Festival Tower, a major development scheduled for completion in 2024 adjacent to Parliament House and the Adelaide Railway Station on North Terrace.[35]
In 2022, the newly elected state Labor government led by Peter Malinauskas proposed setting up a commission to investigate the possibility of a merger of South Australia's three public universities: the University of South Australia, the University of Adelaide, and Flinders.[36] The University of Adelaide and University of South Australia indicated their intention to merge. Flinders University chose to remain an independent entity.[37]
Governance and structure
Prof. Colin Stirling, vice-chancellor (2015–present)
University Council
The responsibilities of the university council are set out in the Flinders University Act, and include:[38]
appointing the Vice-Chancellor as chief executive officer of the university, and monitoring his or her performance
approving the mission and strategic direction of the university, as well as the annual budget and business plan
overseeing and reviewing the management of the university and its performance
Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor
The chief executive consists of the president and vice-chancellor, who is supported by the senior executive team. The senior executive team includes the vice-president and executive dean of each of the six colleges.[39] As of August 2024[update] the vice-chancellor is Colin J Stirling.[40]
The chancellor is John Hood, a chartered accountant and alumnus of the university, who has served two terms on the council (since 2004).[41]
View of the courtyard of the Humanities building of the Flinders University
Constituent colleges
There are six colleges, covering teaching and research expertise in various areas:[39]
College of Business, Government and Law
College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
College of Medicine and Public Health
College of Nursing and Health Sciences
College of Science and Engineering
College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
The College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences is subdivided into three areas:[42]
Creative Arts and Media. Specialisations include acting, directing, visual arts, film and television, and visual effects, among others.[43] Drama was established as a foundational area of study in 1967, and Flinders Drama Centre now has an international reputation. A review was undertaken in the years leading up to 2022, and four new permanent academic staff were appointed.[44] The Flinders Drama Centre started offering professional acting and directing programs in 1971, and many successful actors, directors, and playwrights are alumni of the centre. Alumni also include founding members of many performance groups of different types, including Circus Oz, The Angels, Redgum, and Brink Productions.[45] is where Bachelor of Creative Arts (Drama) students study, and includes the 425-seat Matthew Flinders Theatre.[46]
Humanities and Social Sciences. As of 2024[update] there are 24 majors available in the Bachelor of Arts degree, and the only Bachelor of Archaeology in the state, as well as diplomas and postgraduate degrees.[47]
Languages, Culture and Tourism. A variety of modern languages are taught at undergraduate level for Bachelor of Languages or Bachelor of Arts, as well as applied linguistics and Indigenous and Australian culture; in addition, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees are offered in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)[48]
Finances
In 2022 the university's budget was A$516.79 million.[49] It had 907 full-time academic and 1,147 administrative members of staff (total 2,054).[50]
The city campus is on North Terrace,[53][54] in the centre of the city.[55] It also maintains a number of external teaching facilities in regional South Australia, south-west Victoria and the Northern Territory. As of 2020 international students made up 19.5% of the on-campus student population[56] and a number of offshore programmes are also offered, primarily in the Asia-Pacific region.
The university is a member of the Innovative Research Universities network, which comprises seven universities "committed to inclusive excellence in teaching and research in Australia".[58]
Flinders University is also affiliated with the following institutions:
Helpmann Academy, an organisation supporting opportunities for emerging practitioners in the performing and visual arts; in partnership with the University of Adelaide and UniSA
In 2021 Flinders University led the nation in postgraduate employment outcomes[68] according to the "2021 Graduate Outcome Survey – Longitudinal",[69] released by the Australian Government's Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching.[70]
Global publications
Flinders University is amongst the world's top 300 institutions at 266 according to the 2022 Times Higher Education rankings.[71]
Student life
Student demographics
In 2022 there were 25,247 students enrolled across all campuses.[50]
Flinders University has many sports teams that compete in social and competitive competitions. It has affiliated sporting clubs, including aikido, athletics, badminton, basketball, cricket, fencing, football, hockey, judo, lacrosse, men's soccer, netball, squash, table tennis, volleyball, and women's soccer.[80]
Student accommodation
Flinders has two options for on-campus accommodation:[81]
University Hall (catered)
Deirdre Jordan Village (self-catered)
For off-campus accommodation, Flinders Living run a free, up-to-date accommodation service which lists private accommodation available on the rental market.[82]
The university has also partnered with a student accommodation facility located in the city called The Switch, which provides rooms, shared facilities and living areas.[83]
^Forte, Jacqui (June 2005). "Students' Association of Flinders University". Submission to Senate Employment, Workplace Relations and Education References Committee. Inquiry into the provisions of the Higher Education Support Amendment (Abolition of Compulsory Up-front Union Fees) Bill 2005.
