Central Queensland University
| File:Cqulogo.gif | |
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | 1992 |
| Chancellor | Rennie Fritschy |
| Vice-Chancellor | Prof John Rickard |
| Students | 26,000 |
| Location | Rockhampton (Headquaters) , , |
| Campus | Urban |
| Nickname | CQU |
| Website | http://www.cqu.edu.au/ |
Central Queensland University is an Australian public university based in Queensland. Its main campus in North Rockhampton Queensland, but it has operations throught Asia-Pacific. CQU claims to be an internationally, nationally and regionally networked and engaged university[1] and prides itself on multiculturalism.
History
CQU started out as the Queensland Institute of Technology (Capricornia) in 1967, and after two years under the name of the University College of Central Queensland, in 1992 became an official university named the University of Central Queensland. In 1994 it adopted its current name.
Organsiation
Governance
CQU is governed by the CQU Council, comprising the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and various elected and appointed representatives.[2][3] Operationally, CQU is managed by the Vice-Chancellor.[4] Faculties are managed by Executive Deans.
CQU students are represented by the CQU Student Association (CQUSA) which is governed by a board of elected students from across the CQU campus network. The CQUSA provides academic advocacy and support and a range of campus support services for students based at the CQU regional and international campuses. Postgraduate representation is provided by the CQU Student Association's, CQU Postgraduate Research Students Committee.
Faculties
CQU has three faculties - Business and Informatics, Arts, Humanities and Education and Sciences, Engineering and Health. Prior to a restructure during late 2005, the university had five faculties.
Major areas of study
CQU runs programs in a wide range of disciplines. The programs are generally grouped into the following sections: Built Environment and Design; Business and Tourism; Creative and Performing Arts; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Recreation; Humanities and Social Sciences; Information Technology; Primary Industries and Environment; Sciences; Double degrees; and Dual degrees. Information on the programs and courses available at CQU is available in the CQU Student Handbook.
Campuses
CQU has a variety of campuses and learning centres in different areas. At present there are five campuses that are within Central Queensland, delivery sites on the Sunshine Coast, capital city campuses in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, a campus on the Gold Coast and five overseas locations.
In addition to Rockhampton the Central Queensland campuses service students in Bundaberg, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay and surrounding communities. With these various locations, these regional campuses can cater for students who want to stay close to home. CQU also offers programs at delivery sites on the Sunshine Coast.
There are also campuses which cater to international students in such areas as Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney, although there are limited spaces available for full-fee paying Australian citizens and permanent residents. CQU also delivers programs in Hong Kong, New Zealand, Shanghai and Singapore.[5] There was a campus located in Fiji which has shut down as of February 2007. A further international campus has been built on a custom campus in New Zealand.
Research Centres
CQU has four research centres and one research institute:
- Centre for Environmental Management
- Centre for Railway Engineering
- Centre for Social Science Research
- Primary Industries Research Centre
- Institute for Sustainable Regional Development
University ratings
CQU received seven five star ratings from the Good Universities Guide in 2003, giving it the most top ratings of any regional university in Australia.[6] This made it more highly rated than some older, traditional universities. In 2007, GUG awarded CQU five separate 5-star ratings, including for "positive graduate outcomes" (the third year in a row for that particular result).[6] Three of the four categories in which the university has achieved five stars relate to its international operations[citation needed]. It scored just one star for research intensivity and graduate satisfaction.[citation needed]
In the Melbourne Institute's 2006 rankings of Australian universities, CQU was ranked thirty-second of 38 Universities ranked in Arts and Humanities, thirty-fifth of 39 Universities ranked in Business, thirtieth of 35 Universities ranked in Education, twenty-fourth of 28 Universities ranked in Engineering, 28th of 38 Universities in Science. [7]
In 2006, CQU was announced as being the number one destination and largest provider in the country for international students studying within Australia (Term 1 2006) by IDP Education Australia.[6]
International students: criticism and controversy
 | This article's "criticism" or "controversy" section may compromise the article's neutrality. |
While based in Rockhampton, most overseas students at CQU study in one of the metropolitan campuses. In 2004, there were 8,789 overseas students enrolled at CQU of whom 7,412 were located in either the Melbourne or Sydney campuses.[8]
CQU has faced complaints that students at these campuses are treated as 'cash cows' by the university. Students have threatened hunger strikes over poor teaching standards on two separate occasions: once in 2006[9] and again in 2007.[10] The current affairs program Four Corners noted that, "There is a view that that a degree at Central Queensland University in a place like Sydney is more about getting permanent residency and more about the dollars that it can produce for the university than it is about the standard of the degree."[11]
The complaints of these students have been reviewed by the University and also by the Commonwealth Department of Education Science and Training. At the March 30th Senate budget estimates hearing, a DEST representative reported that "the fact that a number of them failed because they haven't met the required standard is actually upholding the quality of courses in Australia." The representative also reported that the Department monitors failure rates of domestic and international students and there were no anomalies.."[12]
These criticisms have been mirrored by a report commissioned by the Department of Immigration, which found that courses run by several of the regional universities, including CQU offered a degree tailored primarily to meet Australian skilled migration requirements rather than offering a substantive professional qualification. Graduates of postgraduate information technology courses, for example, “do not normally achieve professional level training in particular computer languages, software development or computer system design.”[13]
Former Victorian premier John Cain has criticised the metropolitan campuses for being "detached physically by some thousands of kilometres from its base," with CQU "giving its name and blessing to the courses but the campus is being run by a private company."[14] The campuses almost wholly comprise international students: of the 3,853 students at the Melbourne campus, only one hundred are domestic.[14] This approach has been found by the Department of Immigration to limit the development of both English and intercultural skills in international students studying at these campuses.[15]
References
- ^ The Profile of Central Queensland University
- ^ CQU Organisational View - List
- ^ CQU Council
- ^ CQU Organisational View - CQU Management Structure
- ^ CQU Campuses
- ^ a b c The History of Central Queensland University
- ^ Melbourne Institute 2006 Rankings.
- ^ Evaluation of the General Skilled Migration Categories Report
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald - Failed uni students threaten hunger strike
- ^ Student hunger strike over treatment as 'cash cows'
- ^ Four Corners - The Degree Factories
- ^ Four Corners - The Degree Factories
- ^ Sydney Morning Hearald - Foreign Students Don't Pay to Pass
- ^ a b The Age - 'Cash cow' students take a stand against uni
- ^ Evaluation of the General Skilled Migration Categories Report