Ballarat will become a more vibrant university town in the next three years, with Federation University launching its vision to bring more students and teaching activities into the CBD.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Federation University will construct new buildings, build a multi-storey car park, revamp heritage buildings and change the streetscape at its SMB Campus on Lydiard Street to centralise learning at the CBD precinct.
It will gift the Camp Street Campus, which has served as a creative arts education precinct, to the community and create a new purpose-built Arts Academy at the Lydiard Street campus.
The Mount Helen campus will focus on hands-on learning within industry, with a vision to expand the Technology Park by selling off unused land for commercial use and bringing in new businesses.
Federation University Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Duncan Bentley said students would have more opportunities to complete work placements and learn on-the-job with commercial partners based at Mount Helen.
The flagged changes are part of Federation University's Campus Vision 2022-2025 that was released to the public on Wednesday morning.
The vision for the SMB precinct represents a once in a generation investment in creating a cutting-edge university campus in the heart of the Ballarat CBD.
- Professor Duncan Bentley, Federation University Vice Chancellor
Professor Bentley said the campus vision was not just about bricks and mortar.
"It's about how we teach, our connection to our communities and how we will drive growth in our campus regions for generations to come," he said.
Professor Bentley said the plan was focused on the university's sustainability, improved integration with community and industry and meeting future jobs and skills needs.
"Our campuses in the high education sector have not traditionally been designed for that," he said.
The Lydiard Street SMB Campus will be called the Skills and Innovation Precinct and will undergo heritage building refits, large-scale urban design and streetscape works and construction of new buildings.
Professor Bentley said centralised teaching activity would bring thousands of students into central Ballarat every day, creating a vibrant university town atmosphere and generating new jobs and economic activity.
"The vision for the SMB precinct represents a once in a generation investment in creating a cutting-edge university campus in the heart of the Ballarat CBD," he said.
"Revitalising our SMB campus and clustering our teaching activities into this single campus in the Ballarat CBD will allow us to create a true university town experience for the students.
"It will bring more foot traffic through the city, helping local businesses and creating an energy in the city centre.
"It will also create an environment where students will not want to as frequently flee the city to go to Melbourne for their study. They will see the vibrancy here."
A new IBM building showcasing Internet of Things for the Asia Pacific will be constructed behind the CBD Technology Park as a glass cube building.
Plans have been approved and construction will begin in the coming months.
"Visitors will be coming from all over the Asia Pacific to see this precinct and what IBM is showcasing in the Internet of Things area," Professor Bentley said.
A cafe and meeting place will be constructed where current carparks are on Lydiard Street in the SMB Precinct.
RELATED COVERAGE: Redundancies and job losses amid restructure at Federation University
Funds from land sales at Mount Helen to private investors will be reinvested to support the delivery of the campus vision.
Professor Bentley said the decision to gift the Camp Street Campus, which hosts the current Arts Academy, to the community was made because it did not meet the demands of modern performance arts programs.
"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to develop a new precinct in the heart of the city for the whole community to enjoy," he said.
"Exactly what that precinct may be will be identified over the coming months through a community consultation process.
"It creates an opportunity for the whole city to join together in creating a new heart for the capital of Western Victoria."
The campus includes the grand Post Office on the corner of Sturt and Lydiard Streets that was built in 1864 and is next to the Mining Exchange, Alfred Deakin Place and Art Gallery of Ballarat.
Federation University plans to co-design the new Camp Street precinct in partnership with City of Ballarat, government and members of the community.
Consultation will begin at the end of January.
"Like all universities in Australia and around the world, the pandemic means that we must adapt to ensure our long-term sustainability," Professor Bentley said.
Private investment in the Mount Helen Technology Park will be mainly clustered in the healthcare, aged care, government service and information technology sectors.
Professor Bentley said the aim was to double the number of jobs at the technology park from 2500 to 5000, with $1.4 billion of economic value add to Victoria, and to attract more multi-national companies.
"You can imagine the types of opportunities that gives for students," Professor Bentley said.
"We are designing with a purpose to enable employers to integrate completely into the campuses while learners have that hands on learning experience with employers.
"We need to be able to provide a pipeline of skills to meet the jobs, particularly in regional Australia. We are desperately short of the skills to be able to fill the jobs of the future."
The plan also allows for expansion of the Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Training Centre and development of a new Future Automotive Skills Precinct at Mount Helen.
Student accommodation at Mount Helen will be assessed as part of the precinct changes.
Professor Bentley said he would love to see more student accommodation in the CBD.
Federation University also revealed plans to grow its presence in Ararat through the Ararat Jobs and Technology Precinct currently under constriction that will host research positions in agriculture.
The plan to grow the Wimmera Campus in Horsham will include a focus on indigenous reconciliation and sustainability.
The release of the Federation University Campus Vision comes after announcements of redundancies and changes to course structures at the university in 2021.
Professor Bentley said Federation University had been working on the development of the Campus Vision for about a year.
When asked about changes to courses, he said any course changes would take place over the coming years as part of the redesign and major changes would take place from 2023 onwards.
When asked about redundancies, Professor Bentley said the university was in continued discussions with staff and unions, meaning he could not reveal the number of forced and voluntary redundancies yet.
He said the number of teaching staff would depend on student numbers and demand for courses in the coming years.
The plan is for the university to be financially sustainable without relying on high numbers of international students in the future.
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.