Newman College, Melbourne

Newman College
University of Melbourne
Location	887 Swanston St, Parkville, Victoria, Melbourne
Coordinates	37.7950°S 144.9636°E / -37.7950; 144.9636
Motto	Luceat Lux Vestra
Motto in English	"Let Your Light Shine"
Established	1918
Architect	Walter Burley Griffin
Architectural style	Art Deco
Colours	Blue, Green and White
Rector	Frank Brennan SJ AO
Undergraduates	220
Postgraduates	80
Tutors	50
Website	newman.unimelb.edu.au

Newman College Chapel

The Mannix wing faces Swanston Street

Interior of the dining room

Newman College is an Australian Roman Catholic co-educational residential college affiliated with the University of Melbourne. During the university year it houses about 220 undergraduate students and about 80 postgraduate students and tutors. The college was named after John Henry Newman, a former Anglican and major figure in the Oxford Movement who became a Roman Catholic in the 19th century. Although affiliated with the University of Melbourne, a small number of undergraduate students attend RMIT University, Monash University's Parkville and City campuses, and the Australian Catholic University.

The collegiate system at the University of Melbourne was a response to the secular nature of the University. Upon the foundation of the University in 1854, each of the four major Christian denominations were granted land at the north of the Parkville campus to establish institutions in which to accommodate students and teach theology. Newman continues to embody the Oxbridge collegiate system, running its own tutorial system

At its opening in 1918 the administration of the college was entrusted to the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) who continue its administration to the present day. As of 2022, the rector of the college is Frank Brennan SJ AO, an Australian Jesuit priest, human rights lawyer and academic.

The college motto is Luceat Lux Vestra, translated from Latin as "Let Your Light Shine".

Student life

Facilities

The majority of first year undergraduates live in the Carr and Mannix wings, which flank the domed dining room. Undergraduates also live in the Donovan and Kenny wings, and in Fleming House at 950 Swanston St. Unlike other University of Melbourne colleges, undergraduates do not have to move out between Semesters 1 and 2, enabling students to undertake winter intensive subjects or part time work at no extra cost.

The college is fully catered with 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, 51 weeks a year, including wine at formal dinners. Other college facilities include reading and billiards rooms, a Junior Common Room, a coffee lounge and a lockable bicycle shed.

Graduate students are accommodated in a variety of terrace houses opposite the college on Swanston St. These houses include full kitchens, lounge rooms and laundry facilities, as well as full access to amenities on the main college campus, including a dedicated Senior Common Room (SCR). Graduate students are accommodated for all 52 weeks, to enable research outside of university semesters.

All members of the college receive membership of the Melbourne University gym and pool. Students have electronic swipe access to the college and can come and go 24 hours a day. Overnight security is provided by a night porter.

Students' Club

All undergraduate members of Newman College are accepted into the Newman College Students' Club, a self-governing incorporated organisation which runs day-to-day and special events in the college. An executive committee (the general committee) is elected annually. The president, treasurer and functions representative are elected directly to their positions. The president then allocates various portfolios to the elected members of the general committee. The portfolios include vice-president, secretary, community service, culture, equity and female and male sports.

Co-curricular activities

The college places a strong emphasis on participation in co-curricular activities, with music, sport and the dramatic arts playing a large role in life at Newman. Inter-collegiate soirées are held many times throughout the year, showcasing the talents of the students, with the Very Reverend Peter L'Estrange SJ Prize awarded at the end of the year to the best performing artist in college. The Very Reverend Michael Scott SJ Prize is the annual art competition and the college is a strong participant in all inter-college sporting endeavours. The college is also a strong participant in inter-college art, music and culture events. The Albert Power SJ Medallion for Debating is named after Newman college's second rector, the Very Reverend Albert Power SJ. The Choir of Newman College, established in 2002, is a chapel and concert choir.

Newman students also have a strong sporting culture, having won more than half of the intercollegiate football premierships ever played.

Formal dinners

Formal dinners are held at 6:30 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the academic year. Attendance is not mandatory, however all members of the college must wear an academic gown. There are ample occasions during the academic year with a black tie dress code, including the Students' Club, Valete and Commencement dinners. At formal dinners, traditional formalities are observed. Students enter the hall and stand in place prior to the arrival of the members of high table - the rector, members of the senior common room and other invited guests - who process in, and after the bell has been sounded, dinner proceedings may commence. It is considered discourteous to leave the hall before the end of all dinner proceedings. Formal dinners are followed by students' club meetings in the coffee lounge adjacent to the dining room.

Postgraduates

All members of the college administration, as well as tutors, academics in residence and postgraduate students (and some senior undergraduate students), comprise the SCR. Like the Students' Club, the SCR annually elect a president, secretary and treasurer, among other portfolios, to organise several events throughout the year.

Public seminars

The college hosts regular Irish studies seminars which are open to the public and which allow scholars the opportunity to present their findings on a wide range of topics.

Daniel Mannix Memorial Lecture

The Archbishop Daniel Mannix Memorial Lecture started in 1977 and is a highlight of both the university and college academic calendar. It is named in honour of the third Archbishop of Melbourne, who was a driving force behind the formation of the college and for improving the opportunities of Catholic students. Past lecturers have included Malcolm Fraser, Kim Beazley, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Patrick Dodson, Ita Buttrose, Sir Gustav Nossal, Alexander Downer, Manning Clark, Peter Garrett, Christine Nixon and Justice Alastair Nicholson.

Endowed chairs

Newman College hosts a number of endowed chairs at the University of Melbourne. They include the Gerry Higgins Chair of Irish Studies, the Gerry Higgins Lecturer in Philosophy, the Gerry Higgins Lecturer in Medieval Art History, the Gerry Higgins Lecturer in Shakespeare Studies and the Gerry Higgins Chair of Positive Psychology.

Buildings

Newman College
Dining room façade
Former names	Roman Catholic College
General information
Type	Residential college
Architectural style	Gothic Revival Chicago influence
Address	887 Swanston Street, Parkville
Town or city	Melbourne
Country	Australia
Construction started	April 1916
Completed	March 1918
Owner	Roman Catholic Trusts Corporation
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Walter Burley Griffin; Marion Mahony Griffin
Main contractor	Bart Moriarty
Awards and prizes	Australian Institute of Architects (Victorian Chapter) Heritage Architecture Award 2010
Designations	Register of the National Estate (1978); Australian National Heritage List (2005); National Trust of Australia; Melbourne City Council Heritage Register; RAIA National Register of Twentieth Century Architecture; Victorian Heritage Register
References

The original set of campus buildings were built during 1916 to 1918 and were designed by the American architect Walter Burley Griffin, in collaboration with his wife, Marion Mahony Griffin. Burley Griffin also designed furniture for the college, including distinctive chairs, tables and bookshelves for the dining room and the original bedrooms of the college. Much of this furniture remains in day to day use at the college, but some of it has found its way into various art galleries and private collections. This was recognised by its inclusion on the Australian National Heritage List on 21 September 2005, citing "one of the best examples of Griffin’s architecture in Australia" and "Newman College is significant as an outstanding expression of Griffin’s architectural style". The stonework has had substantial renovation to repair over 80 years of damage through exposure and natural degradation of the original stone, under the guidance of Andronas Conservation Architecture and received the Australian Institute of Architects (Victorian Chapter) Heritage Architecture Award 2010.

Allan & Maria Myers Academic Centre

The Allan & Maria Myers Academic Centre is a library shared by St Mary's College and Newman College. It is open to students 24 hours a day. It offers a program of public events and hosts several special collections that are available to researchers.

The centre houses the Newman College Irish collection (O'Donnell Collection), which was formed in 1924 with a bequest to the college. It originally consisted of around 700 books and 300 pamphlets, many in the Irish language, which were the personal library of Nicholas O’Donnell, a Melbourne Irish language scholar of the early 20th century. Around half the collection consists of historical works. The rest deals with language, literature, biography, religion, politics, description and travel, with some works on music and a few on education.

Every year an O'Donnell Fellowship is bestowed on a visiting scholar so that the holder may do research in the O'Donnell Collection.

Administration

The college council, chaired by the Archbishop of Melbourne, oversees the governance of the college. Members include the rector, the other three diocesan bishops of Victoria (of the Sandhurst, Ballarat and Sale dioceses), college alumni and members of the university. Members are appointed by the archbishop. Each year the rector selects two students to be members as student representatives. The president of the students' club is an observer who reports to the council on the life of the college.

The college council instituted the positions of "Provost", "Deputy Provost", "Dean of Studies", and "Dean of Students" to oversee the everyday administration and maintenance of the college. The rector remains the official head of the college and remains a Jesuit priest. These positions are currently held by:

• Rector: Frank Brennan SJ AO
• Provost: Dr Guglielmo Gottoli
• Deputy Provost: Mrs Rebecca Daley
• Dean of Studies: Mrs Charlotte O'Shea
• Dean of Students: Ms Alicia Deak

The college chaplain, business manager, and services manager are also members of the college administration.

Rectors

Dome of Newman College

Order	Title	Rector	Term start	Term end	Time in office	Notes
1	The Very Rev.	James O'Dwyer SJ	1918	1919	0–1 years
2	The Very Rev.	Albert Power SJ	1919	1923	3–4 years
3	The Very Rev.	Jeremiah Murphy SJ	1923	1954	30–31 years
4	The Very Rev.	Philip Gleeson SJ	1954	1961	6–7 years
5	The Very Rev.	Michael Scott SJ	1961	1968	6–7 years
6	The Very Rev.	Gerald Daily SJ	1968	1977	8–9 years
7	The Very Rev.	Brian Fleming SJ	1977	1986	8–9 years
8	The Very Rev.	William Uren SJ	1987	1990	2–3 years
9	The Very Rev.	Peter L'Estrange SJ	1991	2005	13–14 years	Moved to Campion Hall, Oxford
10	The Very Rev.	William Uren SJ AO	2006	2019	17–18 years	Remained a scholar-in-residence
11	The Very Rev.	Frank Brennan SJ AO	2020	present	3–4 years

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of the college include:

• Kevin Andrews – Federal Liberal Party backbencher
• Frank Brennan – Jesuit priest, human rights lawyer and academic
• Peta Credlin – chief of staff to the former Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Abbott
• Neale Daniher – AFL footballer (Essendon Football Club)
• Marg Downey – comedian and actress
• Frank Galbally CBE – criminal defence lawyer
• John Galbally CBE, QC – former Labor politician
• Sir James Gobbo – 25th Governor of Victoria and former Victorian Supreme Court judge, a former Rhodes Scholar
• James P. Gorman – CEO and chairman of Morgan Stanley
• Jack Hibberd – playwright
• Allan Myers – barrister, philanthropist and Chancellor of the University of Melbourne
• Brenda Niall – biographer, literary critic and journalist
• Gemma Sisia – humanitarian, founder of The School of St Jude
• Charles Sweeney QC – Federal Court of Australia judge
• Richard Tracey – Federal Court of Australia judge

See also

• List of Jesuit sites

External links

• Official website
• Australian National Heritage listing for Newman College