Annual Report notes strong year for UQ

A record enrolment of nearly 30,000 students put The University of Queensland right on target with projections for 2000, according to its newly-released Annual Report.

The 2000 Report also notes a total of nearly 4500 teaching, research and general staff, the award of 7008 degrees and a total operating revenue of $585 million for this leading Australian university.

Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay congratulated staff, students, graduates and other University supporters for their contributions to a year of achievement and growth in an era of unprecedented change for higher education.

'The success stories in our Report show we are well-prepared for a looming scenario where universities will depend much more on private than on public funding,' he said.

'Fifty-three percent of our total income came from non-government sources in 2000 - and that's very close to our 2004 target of 55 percent.'

Professor Hay said the Strategic Initiatives Fund supporting the University's Key Operational Priorities was proving extremely effective in leveraging external funds to boost strategic initiatives.

In 2000 these included a new Centenary Learning Centre and increased flexible delivery options at UQ Gatton, a new Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies at St Lucia and state-of-the-art magnetic resonance (MR) imaging machines at Brisbane's Wesley Hospital.

'The Wesley Research Institute is now a partner in our $105 million Institute for Molecular Bioscience, and this joint MR initiative heralds the creation of an international centre of excellence based in Queensland,' Professor Hay said.

Other highlights for the year included:
* excellent job outcomes for graduates (page 17);

* a brand-new degree structure for launch in January 2001 (page 38);

* three winners and one finalist in national teaching awards (pages 16, 17);

* new biotech companies and multi-million-dollar deals allied to the IMB (pages 29, 30);

* equal first nationally for PhD completions (pages 29, 30);

* second nationally in the Research Quantum (the Federal Government's annual funds allocation based on overall research performance) (page 25);

* providing a pre-Olympic training venue and services for 450 elite international athletes in the lead-up to Sydney 2000 (page 32);

* a smooth transition to GST-based transactions (page 44);

* a record fundraising result of more than $1 million (pages 36, 37); and

* building projects worth $173 million completed or under way (page 43).

Media: For further information, contact Moya Pennell at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2846).