History of Monash University
Named after prominent Australian Sir John Monash, Monash University was established by an Act of Parliament in 1958, making it the first university to be established in the State of Victoria for 106 years.
From its first intake of 347 students at Clayton in 1961, the University grew rapidly in size and student numbers so that by 1967, it had more than 7000 students.
In the decades that followed, Monash developed a wide range of courses in arts, commerce, engineering, education, law, medicine and science. It also established new buildings across the Clayton site and created a thriving cultural atmosphere with outstanding performing arts and concert programs and a growing collection of contemporary Australian art.
In 1990, Monash moved beyond the borders of Clayton and merged with the Chisholm Institute of Technology, creating the university's Caulfield and Peninsula campuses. This was followed by the establishment of the Gippsland campus, which, after an initial period as Monash University College Gippsland, officially became part of the Monash University family in 1991. The following year, the Victorian College of Pharmacy joined the rapidly growing university as the Parkville campus.
The growth continued apace with the establishment of a new campus in Berwick in 1994 within the south-eastern growth corridor of Melbourne.
In 1998, the Malaysian Ministry of Education invited Monash to set up a campus in Malaysia jointly with the Sunway Group. Monash University Malaysia was established in 1998 -- the first Monash campus outside Australia. A second off-shore campus was opened in South Africa in 2001.
From a single campus at Clayton with fewer than 400 students, Monash has grown into a network of campuses, centres and partnerships around the world with more than 59,000 students from over 170 countries.
History of Monash University campuses
The diagram below shows the development of Monash from its inception through to the establishment of Monash South Africa in 2001. More detailed information is provided below.
Berwick campus
One of Monash's newest campuses, Berwick was built on the old Casey airfield in the south-eastern growth corridor of Victoria, Australia. The town of Berwick has experienced an influx of people and development in recent times, which includes the new campus of Monash University. With a presence in the area since 1994, the first Monash Berwick campus building was completed in 1996, the second building in 1999 and the third in 2004. The Berwick campus now boasts more than 2000 students.
Caulfield campus
The Caulfield campus has undergone enormous change since its beginnings as the Caulfield Technical School in 1922, when it offered courses such as carpentry to local residents. In the late 1940s, the school's numbers increased with returned ex-servicemen taking up trade courses as part of the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme. By the 1970s the once small, trade focussed technical school had become the Caulfield Institute of Technology. Where blacksmith, carpentry, farriery and wheelwright courses had once stood were diplomas and degrees in disciplines such as computing, business, applied science, engineering, mathematics and psychology. In 1982 the Caulfield Institute of Technology amalgamated with the State College of Victoria at Frankston to form the Chisholm Institute of Technology. Then, in 1990, Chisholm merged with Monash University and became Monash University Caulfield campus.
Clayton campus
Clayton was the original campus of Monash University. It was established in 1958 and opened its doors for the first time to 363 students in 1961. The 100 hectares of open field was originally used for a variety of purposes including the Talbot Epileptic Colony, before being bought for the university. The early days of the campus saw fields of mud and the library housed in a disused Volkswagen factory. The campus has grown in both size and student population and is now the largest of Monash's eight campuses.
Gippsland campus
The Gippsland campus began in 1926 in Yallourn, a town largely built to house workers for the State Electricity Commission (SEC) coal mine. Originally established to provide vocational training for employees of the SEC, the technical school became the Yallourn Technical College (YTC) in 1968. In 1972, the College moved to its present site at Churchill where it became the Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education (GIAE). During the late 1970s GIAE was the only centre for tertiary education east of Melbourne. It offered a range of courses including engineering, applied science and business, to meet the educational needs of the region. After an initial period as Monash University College Gippsland, the campus officially became part of the Monash University family in 1991. Since that time, the campus has developed into a complete tertiary education provider, with local, national and international appeal.
Sunway campus, Malaysia
On 23 February, 1998, the Malaysian Ministry of Education forwarded Monash University an invitation to set up a campus in Malaysia jointly with Sunway Group. Monash University Sunway Campus was established in 1998 and is the first off shore campus of Monash University outside Australia. As one of eight Monash campuses around the world, it shares the same status as every Monash campus and is subject to the same rigorous standards that govern the University's academic development, teaching and support, admission requirements, curriculum and assessment. The doors were opened for the first time to 261 students in July 1998. In 2007,
Monash University officially opened its new Sunway campus, marking a major milestone for the university's presence in Malaysia
There are more than 3,300 students on the campus, studying courses including biotechnology, medicine, science, arts, business and economics, information technology and engineering.
. Monash University Malaysia is playing a leading role in Monash University's commitment to global education.
Parkville campus
In 1881, the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria established a school to train and develop professionals in pharmacy for the developing colony. The School of Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria, as it was then known, had its first premises at the Melbourne Technical Museum followed by a short stay in Fitzroy, finally settling in the old County Court building in Swanston Street, where it remained for 76 years. As the Victorian College of Pharmacy, it moved to its current premises in Parkville in 1960 and was the first non-university institution in Australia to offer a bachelor's degree. The College merged with Monash in 1992 and in August 2008 changed its name to the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences to better reflect its education and research profile.
Peninsula campus
The Peninsula campus was originally a teachers college at Frankston, a south-eastern suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. The college gained independence from the Education Department in 1973 and became known as the State College at Frankston. Following initial talks with Caulfield Institute of Technology in the early 1980s, the college became the Frankston campus of the newly-formed Chisholm Institute of Technology in 1982. On 1 July 1990, both the Peninsula and Caulfield campuses of the Chisholm Institute amalgamated with Monash University. Today the Peninsula campus has more than 3000 students with an emerging teaching, research and community focus on health and wellbeing. The campus offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in ambulance and paramedic studies, business and economics, early childhood and primary education, information technology, midwifery and nursing.
South Africa campus
In the spirit of Monash University's commitment to diversity and international engagement, a purpose-built Monash campus was opened in South Africa in 2001. Monash South Africa is the second off-shore campus of Monash University and attracts a range of students from over 25 countries.
The campus initially consisted of two buildings but by 2004 growing demand had led to the addition of five more buildings, of which four are student residences. The arrival of Monash South Africa has had a direct impact on the growth of the Ruimsig area in which it is located. Since 2001 no less than four shopping centres, two service stations and a number of housing estates have been developed within a 6km radius of the campus.
See also
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