(previously '''Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology'''), is a
University in
Melbourne ,
Australia . It has its main campus in the city's
Central Business District .
Founded by
Francis Ormond , prominent grazier, Freemasoner and philanthropist, in
1887 as the Working Men's College (encapsulated
in its motto: ''perita manus mens exculta'' (a skilled hand, a cultivated mind)), and renamed the Royal Melbourne
Institute Of Technology in
1960 , RMIT University gained formal university status in
1992 .
The Working Men's College proved immediately successful, with over 900 students enrolled by the end of 1887. Students undertook a variety of courses including mechanics, physics, bookkeeping, elocution and arithmetic, as well as certain trades. Its campus was adjacent to the
Old Melbourne Gaol on
LaTrobe Street , and over the years has taken over the whole block as the Gaol was decomissioned and the university's courses increased in size.
The Emily McPherson College amalgamated with RMIT (in ...) adding building 13 near the
888 Monument that is just on the University grounds (at the corner of
Victoria Parade and
Russell Street ), bringing on board courses in Cooking, Reading, Writing and other courses to get young people to levels of higher education entry.
The college also played a major part in training over 20,000 servicemen for World War II, especially in the areas of Radio Communications, when the current Chemistry Building (Kernot) was used entirely for this purpose.
The Phillip Institute of Technology merged with RMIT in 1992 on the same day RMIT won University status (prior to 1992 degrees offered at RMIT were acredited by
Melbourne University ). RMIT starting developing a new campus in
Bundoora in the early 1990s around the same time that the Melbourne College of Decoration and Design amalgamated (1993).
In 1995 the Melbourne College of Printing and Graphic Arts merged with RMIT, followed by the Melbourne Institute of Textiles in 1999. Printing and textile students now study at the
Brunswick campus.
In 2003, 58,078 students studied at RMIT University campuses in Melbourne and regional Victoria, in
Vietnam , online, by distance education and at more than 190 partner institutions throughout the world. Prospective students currently have a choice of more than 200
TAFE and higher education programs.
RMIT belongs to the
Australian Technology Network (ATN), an alliance of five prominent Australian universities of technology, each located in a different mainland state of Australia. ATN universities claim a history of collaboration and a commitment to partnerships with industry and the community.
RMIT has an active student union operating across all campuses and involved students publish a newspaper: ''Catalyst''. Postgraduate students are represented by the RMIT Postgraduate Association, a member of the
Council Of Australian Postgraduate Associations .
Some people believe the atmosphere at RMIT is unique to many other universities in the area, a belief potentially created by it's larger concentration of Computer Science and Engineering students. RMIT Union and Student Union both run a large number of activities and clubs, and allow for social events and interaction between students. In addition, the RMIT Cafeteria areas, 'Intermission' in Building 10, and other recreation areas run by the RMIT Student Union further enhance student interaction.
RMIT Student Union, along with many other Australian university student unions, have been under threat by VSU (Voluntary Student Unionism), a recently introduced bill which changed requirements for universities, no longer required to collect a compulsary student union fee. Student Union argues that this will result in less services for students, and have organised several protests, in association with other student unions.
RMIT has a history of launching successful community broadcasters including radio stations 3RMT FM (which became
3RRR ) and
SYN-FM plus
RMITV .
RMIT has had a somewhat troubled recent financial history, at least partly due to problems associated with the university's student administration system upgrade (it cost the institution tens of millions of dollars). The university, however, has maintained teaching services. The financial woes eventually claimed the Vice-Chancellor and some of the university's board and it continues, to a lesser degree, today
2006 .
On
April 4 ,
2005 RMIT University appointed a new Vice-Chancellor, Professor
Margaret Gardner . Having gained a first-class honours degree in Economics and a PhD from the University of Sydney, Professor Gardner has had a prominent career as an academic, working in a number of successful Australian educational institutions.
