The World of Melbourne University

About

In 2028 the University will celebrate 175 years since its establishment as a fledgling institution in the new colony of Victoria. While tiny, beginning with only four academic staff teaching sixteen students, it has grown to have meaningful and lasting impact at the local, national and international level. Few Australian universities have achieved this standing, and by global standards the University of Melbourne is among an elite group of major research institutions.

Major anniversaries such as this offer opportunities to reshape the way in which the University understands itself, and to imagine where it might go next. From its modest beginnings, the University of Melbourne has grown to have meaningful and lasting impact beyond its gates. At various times, and in various ways it has shaped our understanding of land, sea and sky, in the scientific understanding of this vast country, in the exploitation of its resources, in the generation of energyand in conserving our bounty for future generations. It is a social and political force, supporting advances in health, law, education, business and economics and beyond, and providing the interpretative framing the shapes how we see ourselves and how we live. It is a place of culture and civic education, the wellspring of central cultural institutions from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to the Melbourne Museum to the Melbourne Theatre Company, its philosophers and psychologists revealing the life of the mind. It has acted, and intervened, at the local, national and international level from its earliest point, from an outpost of Empire and western thinking to an intellectual support to Australia’s allies in Asia, educating generations of students from beyond our shores alongside our emerging local leaders.

Partners

This project will have contributors from the University of Melbourne.

Funding

Office of the DVC Global, Culture and Engagement, The University of Melbourne.

Researchers

Project Editor is Associate Professor James Waghorne, University Historian, Centre for the Study of Higher Education.

Outcomes

Published history volume would provide a meaningful and original way for the University to acknowledge its 175th year. It offers the potential to expand our institution’s long story of connection with the wider world, to reflect upon how we have done things in the past, and to set an agenda for the future.

175th Website and Stories featuring stories from the book, extracts from the oral histories, further reading and video of the public events and social media outputs.

Oral history recordings with individuals from across the University featured in the book. The project will identify individuals who have made major public contributions, some of whom will not previously have been interviewed, or interviewed on their work in this area. These recordings will be transcribed and accessioned into the University of Melbourne Archives for use by future researchers.

A symposium and launch event will be held during the 175th year (2028). The symposium will discuss the findings of the new history and help to situate the University as a major civic institution of public impact.