Flinders University is poised to make its largest single investment in educational facilities since the University was established more than 40 years ago with a planned $120 million expansion at Tonsley Park.
The University will construct a major building in which it will teach computer science, engineering and mathematics to undergraduate students while also undertaking an extensive range of research activities and business collaborations.
Flinders Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Barber, said the University’s investment would enable it to deliver teaching, research and business investment activities aligned with the high-value manufacturing vision for the site.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us to help forge a new future for innovation at Tonsley Park. It demonstrates our commitment to being the higher education partner of choice in southern Adelaide and, in particular, to be recognised as playing a significant role in the economic transformation of this area,” Professor Barber said.
Design work is already underway for the Tonsley Park facility which will house up to 2,000 students and around 150 staff and is scheduled be fully operational in 2015.
Further expansion on the site, including possible student accommodation, will be considered as Flinders continues to grow over the next 20 years. The new facilities will be linked to the main campus by a frequent bus service operated by the University.
The Tonsley Park facility will also underpin a further strengthening of the existing collaboration with TAFE SA – which is providing alternative pathways to Flinders for students – and will see both institutions playing a major role in the proposed Sustainable Industries Education Centre to be based at the former Mitsubishi site.
Professor Barber said the collaboration of the University’s Medical Device Partnering Program and the Centre for NanoScale Science and Technology with emerging high technology and entrepreneurial companies at Tonsley Park provided much scope for mutual benefit.
“Flinders’ Medical Device Partnering Program, in collaboration with individual companies, is driving the development of new medical devices in Australia and our nanotechnology researchers are exploring the frontiers of solar cell and desalination technologies. To have this expertise co-located with potential business and research partners offers a great deal of exciting potential for future Flinders-business collaboration,” Professor Barber said.
Its Awesome that will be gr8… Good luck flinders
It is very wonderful construction designed. With modern technology and engineering, The Flinders University will look great, marvelous and attracting. However, The outside colour of the university should be look like yellow as the symbol of the university. It should has a light yellow colour which can bee seen from outside. I feel like the new development of the University!
Be successful Flinders!
It is great for those who are interested in those particular fields – but surely improving central facilities for all students at Bedford Park would be better than another specialist area. There’s a lot of building going on for Engineering at Adelaide Uni right now too.
If it needs to be a specialist area, how about a writer’s centre or a film maker’s centre or drama centre?
I always thought the Flinders bus should link the train station and the campus – this way it will, making Flinders even more easily accessible. Good plan!
PS – I agree John, but maybe this way Humanities will get some more love too.