STRONGER
A future with purpose At the University of Wollongong our students and academics aim to ‘find the why’ in everything; to seek a greater purpose through study and research. Our challenging courses and forward-thinking social and economic projects are not an end in themselves, they are a means to contribute to the bigger picture. Today we are inviting the wider community to find their why with us too – to create meaningful impact in the world through our world-class teaching, research projects and learning environments.
TOGETHER
“ As the University of Wollongong strives to address some of society’s most pressing issues, we draw from the strength of our history. The founding partnership with our communities and donors continues to shape our thinking and nourish our resolve to create a better future. We have made great progress from those early days but there is more work to be done. We face challenges in ensuring access to higher education regardless of background. We are committed to gaining a better understanding of diseases so we can translate this knowledge into improved treatments. We work in partnership to build a more sustainable future for Australia. In an increasingly complex world, and now more than ever, we must continue to strive for a purposeful future.” Professor Paul Wellings CBE, Vice-Chancellor
We have a strong sense of where we’re from, and where we’re going. The University of Wollongong was founded on the donations of local people who had a vision of a brighter future for our region. Driven by a community hungry for higher learning, we trained engineers, metallurgists and industrial chemists during the post-war boom. Since that day, we have acted in partnership with our communities to address society’s critical economic, environmental, social and medical challenges.
BORN OF STEEL, HUNGRY FOR
CHAN
WE ARE FEARLESS.
Ours is an institution of limitless ambition and imagination. From a handful of buildings built on farmland, we have grown to become one of the world’s best modern universities. We had the vision to be the first Western university with a base in Dubai, recognising its future role as a major global economic centre, and its capability to vastly expand our ability to make a positive difference.
WE NURTURE OUR PEOPLE TO BE THE BEST THEY CAN BE. We know what it takes to help people fulfil their potential. Our learning environments are second to none, and we routinely rate among the top Australian and global universities in key areas, including graduate satisfaction, employability and starting salaries.
WE FIND ISSUES AND SOLVE THEM.
The University of Wollongong has always actively sought to address real issues facing society. Our Global Challenges program of research is already harnessing the expertise of world-class researchers to support the sustainability of our coastal areas and help people lead healthier lives. We were also the first institution to create a medical school specifically to address the shortage of rural and regional General Practitioners.
NGE
STRENGTH IN
NUMBERS TOP 2% of universities in the world.
218th in the world – QS World University Rankings 2019
TOP 1%
for graduates as rated by global employers.
2019 QS Graduate Employability Rankings
TOP 20
16th best modern university in the world.
QS Top 50 Under 50 Rankings 2019
75.1%
of our graduates secured full-time employment within four months.
Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching as at September 2018
148,000 ALUMNI originating from 179 countries.
NUMBER 1 university overall in NSW.
Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) 2018
NEARLY HALF
of our current domestic students are the first in their family to go to university.
TODAY, WE ARE AT A PIVOTAL MOMENT...
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in the history of our University – but also our country and the world beyond. From humble beginnings, we have grown to become an influential, inspirational global player, with the resources and potential to transform many more lives across the world. We now seek substantial investment to create a step-change in our impact.
WITH YOUR SUPPORT, WE WILL STRENGTHEN OUR PURPOSE.
We will create more jobs and stimulate growth. We will break down disadvantage and confront inequality. We will also welcome the challenges of an uncertain future, pushing the limits of what’s possible to make people safer, healthier and more prosperous.
BE PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER.
We work with people who are committed to making a better world, people who recognise the potential they have to help transform the world around them. Together, we can create a campaign which will intensify the work of the University in three priority areas:
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“ The University of Wollongong exudes that energy of a younger university striving to achieve excellence. It eagerly grasps the opportunity to progress new ideas. It is mindful of the aspiration of donors and will strive to align its activities with those aspirations. It is a logical place for philanthropic ventures to find a home.� Dr Roly Bigg, Executive Chairman, Movement Disorder Foundation
STAND FOR OPPORTUNITY STAND TOGETHER
STAND FOR OUR FUTURE
STAND FOR
OPPORTUNITY From our very beginning, we have been committed to the principles of equity, fairness and social justice. Our founders included donors spanning all walks of life, and their vision was to create a home for opportunity with the potential to create future employment through new industries. Across all our work, we champion unserved and under-served communities. We believe strongly in educational opportunity for all, regardless of background or the ability to pay for essentials such as accommodation or internet access. Once students are with us, we do all in our power to ensure they thrive both here and in the world outside. Our first-class learning facilities and high-quality teaching give them every possible chance to excel.
#1
CREATING MORE OPPORTUNITIES, FOR EVERYONE
For many in our region, higher education is still not a realistic aspiration. You can help us to greatly increase the financial aid given to those aspiring to learn, excel and transform their lives.
WITH YOUR SUPPORT, WE WILL: — Significantly increase the number of students receiving scholarships, from the current level of 8.5% to 20% of all those who apply, through our Learning and Development Fund. — Enable more students of all backgrounds to study abroad and learn new perspectives by investing in 20 funded travel grants. — Drive research that makes an impact locally and globally by increasing the number of scholarships for Higher Degree Research students.
“ The Abbott Foundation has enjoyed eight-year cooperation with the University of Wollongong. It has resulted in the construction and operation of the Discovery Space for children from the age of birth to ten years of age. My wife and I have been very happy with the relationship and believe that the University has organised and managed the Space to the benefit of tens of thousands of children and their parents. We have been very proud to be involved in this initiative”.
Christopher M Abbott, Abbott Foundation
#2
TRANSFORMING THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE
The future direction of teaching, especially relating to social changes and advances in technology, is already having an impact on our campus. The growth of online interaction makes face-to-face communication crucial to ensuring our graduates are fully prepared for the challenges of the modern world.
THAT’S WHY, WITH YOUR SUPPORT, WE WILL: — Create opportunities for students from all disciplines to collaborate, create, prototype and make connections by staffing and resourcing a new learning and teaching building. — Bring our student body together, host community events and encourage collaboration by establishing a new central civic heart at our University Square. — Support students to generate and implement new ideas both for social good and economic benefit through new entrepreneurial programs.
STAND
TOGETHER Our intellectual curiosity and broad expertise means we don’t shy away from tackling the world’s most pressing problems. However, we also understand that today’s complex, interconnected challenges require us to work with others, build diverse relationships and partnerships, and understand a broad range of perspectives. In an increasingly fragmented world, these connections will be vital to bring people together, and create solutions that work for everybody.
#1
UNDERSTANDING OUR EPIC STORY
Australia’s cultural heritage, landscapes and biodiversity are under threat. If we are to build a more sustainable future and more fairly manage our finite resources, we urgently need to understand our environmental history and Indigenous heritage. At present, scientific data on pre-European Australia is sparse, ambiguous or contradictory. Critical information is lacking on key issues such as the effects of climate change on the distribution of water and food in the driest inhabited continent on Earth. WITH YOUR HELP, WE WILL: — Unlock the 130,000-year history of our region by accelerating the interdisciplinary work of our Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence in Biodiversity and Heritage, the first of its kind in the world. — Encourage young people to develop a deeper understanding of ancient Australia and its Indigenous people and cultures, by implementing an ambitious outreach program with schools and communities throughout Australia. — Further deepen the public understanding of our preEuropean heritage and biodiversity through a digital research archive and a flagship museum exhibition.
“ Australia boasts an array of fauna and flora that exists nowhere else on Earth. It has some of the world’s most ancient landscapes and deeply weathered and depleted soils, and is home to Indigenous peoples whose genetic and cultural history extends back many tens of millennia. But we still do not have answers to some of the most fundamental questions about this continent or its people.” Distinguished Professor Bert Roberts, Director, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Biodiversity and Heritage
#2
BRIDGING AUSTRALIA’S HEALTH DIVIDE
In comparison to the rest of New South Wales, people living in our rural communities in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven are more likely to be heavy drinkers, be overweight or experience psychological distress. We recognise the importance of these issues, and we will work together with communities to improve mental health and wellbeing – and save lives. WITH YOUR SUPPORT, WE WILL: — Create community initiatives which reach out to people where they live. This will include delivering cognitive behavioural therapy online, and working with entire schools to prevent bullying. — Invest in research to develop best-practice mental healthcare which helps to prevent suicides, manage depression and understand post-traumatic stress disorders. — Train students to provide complete care of people with mental health needs. This will include training on first aid for mental health, and on addressing the multiple layers of trauma experienced by Indigenous communities.
Distinguished Professor Antoine van Oijen, Molecular Horizons Research Centre
STAND FOR OUR
FUTURE At the University of Wollongong, we work hard to identify emerging issues and create innovative ways to address them, often involving a wide range of academic disciplines working together. Many economies are experiencing transition, and we can play a pivotal role in the development of emergent sectors by pursuing the uptake of disruptive technologies that deliver positive social and economic impact.
Already, we have established an Innovation Campus and a purpose-designed business incubator which is translating new ideas into commercial success. Our SMART (simulation, modelling, analysis, research and teaching) Infrastructure Facility brings together experts in rail, transport, water, energy and more to adapt our built environment to changes in climate, demography and technology.
#1
USING REVOLUTIONARY SCIENCE TO CURE DISEASE
The future of our health is dependent on understanding biological processes and disease at the molecular level. If we are to cure cancer, develop a new form of antibiotics or reverse Alzheimer’s disease, we need to look at cells and protein molecules in ways we have never been able to before. Basic molecular life science research will play an essential role in tackling the health problems of the 21st century. WITH YOUR HELP, WE WILL: — Fund the next phase of development of Molecular Horizons, a Centre for Molecular and Life Sciences which opens in 2019 and brings together chemists, biologists, physicists and engineers to visualise and understand the molecular processes that lead to disease. — Invest in a full spectrum of academic positions, fellowship programs and PhD scholarships, to capitalise on the potential of our world-class equipment for the betterment of society. — Attract regional and international researchers to collaborate on new and exciting health breakthroughs through the use of our unique molecular visualisation technologies, and bring these technologies to the patient by developing them into new diagnostics and therapies.
#2
SAVING LIVES BY TACKLING RESISTANCE TO ANTIBIOTICS One of the major health challenges of the 21st century will be antimicrobial resistance which is a microorganism becoming resistant to antimicrobial medicine, such as antibiotics. A UK government report estimates that antimicrobial-resistant infections could lead to at least 10 million additional deaths per year, more than currently succumb to cancer and cardiovascular diseases. We have bold plans to expand our strong work on microbial systems over the next 10 years. WITH YOUR SUPPORT, WE WILL: — Initiate a first-of-its-kind, large-scale research and intervention program on antibiotic resistance in our local Illawarra and Shoalhaven communities, which are uniquely representative of the wider Australian population. — Work with practitioners in the region and use new insights into antimicrobial resistance to directly benefit the health and well-being of our local communities. — Tackle problems in public education, sanitation and hygiene, antibiotic over-prescription and the development of new drugs and diagnostics by working with chemists, microbiologists and practitioners in education, medicine, public health, psychology, engineering, economics, ecology and the environment.
WE INVITE YOU TO STAND FOR
PURPOSE
Our world faces large and complex social, environmental and economic challenges. The University of Wollongong has the expertise, values and ambition to lead, and to develop solutions we all need to live safer, happier lives.
The skills and smarts of our people – the human capital – will be pivotal in keeping Australia economically competitive and socially cohesive. What’s more, our research will play a major role in shaping regional innovation and in helping to find practical, workable answers to some of society’s biggest issues.
. TOGETHER WE WILL: — Open up education, so that no-one is denied the chance of a life-changing education based purely on their ability to pay. — Open up our society, so that social, economic and medical advances are enjoyed by everyone, whatever their background and wherever they live. — Build bridges and make connections between divided communities, so that we better understand each other, our past, and our future. — Be fearless in confronting the challenges of tomorrow, constantly pushing ourselves and others to innovate for a healthier and more prosperous future. CREATED BY PHILANTHROPY, POWERED BY PURPOSE. The University of Wollongong exists thanks to the generosity of people like you, from across our region and beyond. Philanthropy runs to our core, and we now want to invite you to work with us on the next exciting phase of our development. Together, we will create and nurture the next generation of gifted, driven, well-rounded researchers, teachers and students, each one committed to finding purpose in everything they do – and create meaningful change for people across Australia and the world.
WOLLON STRO
NGONG ONG
Advancement Division University of Wollongong +61 2 4221 5757 giving@uow.edu.au giving.uow.edu.au