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RMIT Annual Report

For a printed copy of the 2010 Annual Report, contact RMIT Chancellery.

Vice-Chancellor’s statement

In 2010 RMIT University completed the successful implementation of its Strategic Plan RMIT 2010: Designing the Future. This five-year plan saw the University build excellence in teaching, learning and research in our areas of focus, while maintaining strong financial discipline and high levels of investment in buildings, information technology infrastructure and new staff.

To build on this success, in December the University adopted its new Strategic Plan to 2015. Transforming the Future commits RMIT to being a global university of technology and design. RMIT will achieve this by being:

• global in attitude, action and presence, offering our students a global passport to learning and work;
• urban in orientation and creativity, shaping sustainable cities and drawing inspiration from the challenges and opportunities they provide; and
• connected through active partnerships with professions, industries and organisations to support the quality, reach and impact of our education and research.

Nearly 12,000 international students studied at our Melbourne campuses in 2010, with another 11,000 studying with RMIT through offshore partnership programs located in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Singapore and elsewhere. RMIT Vietnam’s success has continued, with student numbers increasing by 15 per cent to almost 6,000 coinciding with the 10th anniversary of RMIT’s campus in Ho Chi Minh City. To accommodate increasing student numbers, RMIT Vietnam’s new Hanoi campus building was opened by Prime Minister Julia Gillard in November.

Many of our students in Melbourne also had the opportunity to benefit from the University’s global focus. More than 900 students travelled overseas for international study experiences during 2010. In particular, the RMIT International Industry Experience and Research Program (RIIERP) allowed 115 students to undertake internships with multinational companies including Rolls-Royce and Airbus.

RMIT’s commitment to promoting equity and diversity among its students has continued. During 2010 the University awarded more than $7 million in scholarships to 1,783 recipients. RMIT also appointed its first ever Social Entrepreneur in Residence, Daniel Almagor, to work with students to develop and realise socially sustainable business ideas.

In order to improve outcomes in learning, teaching and research, the University has continued to make significant investments in these areas. The Learning and Teaching Investment Fund allocated more than $2 million to support 37 projects in 2010. These projects included examining methods to improve large class teaching models and offering work-integrated learning experiences, through to facilitating the uptake of innovative technology used in student collaboration, assessment and feedback.

RMIT’s four Research Institutes have had a number of major successes in 2010. In particular, Professor Kefei Zhang is leading a team of researchers in a $7 million project funded by the Australian Space Research Program to develop advanced platform technologies for space-related research. Professor Adrian Mouritz and Dr Stefanie Feih also received a $1 million grant from the US Office of Naval Research to allow them to examine models to predict the softening and failure of aluminium ship structures.

During the year, the University’s teaching and research strengths were recognised internationally when Australia’s first Chinese Medicine Confucius Institute was opened at RMIT by His Excellency Xi Jinping, Vice-President of the People’s Republic of China, and a new European Union Centre, funded by the European Union, was opened to promote better understanding of the EU and EU-Australia relations.

RMIT has maintained its commitment to strong financial discipline, achieving a consolidated surplus in 2010 of $78.6 million. This strong financial result has allowed the University to continue investment in its $600 million capital works program.

The Francis Ormond Building, the original home of RMIT constructed in 1887, was re-opened in December following major refurbishment. Reflecting the University’s commitment to sustainability, this development achieved a 5-Star Green Star rating, only the second heritage-listed building in Victoria to do so. The 83-year-old Emily McPherson Building was also re-opened in August by Senator the Honourable Chris Evans, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations following substantial re-fitting.

Construction commenced during the year for the Swanston Academic Building, RMIT’s largest ever development. This 35,000 square metre facility will provide further world-class teaching and learning spaces to the 45,000 students at our City campus. With support from the Federal Government’s Education Investment Fund, work also continued on the University’s Design Hub, an advanced research facility key to RMIT being a global university of technology and design. This project will be completed in 2011. Complementing this facility is the Advanced Manufacturing Precinct, the construction of which has been supported by the Victorian Government.

2010 has been a year in which the achievements under Designing the Future have been consolidated and extended. As a university of technology and design, RMIT is committed to a philosophy of education and research founded in action and experience. I am confident that from our current base, RMIT will continue to transform the future for the better in the years to come.

Professor Margaret Gardner AO
Vice-Chancellor and President