History and development
UniSA was founded in
January 1991 through the amalgamation of the South Australian Institute of
Technology and the Magill, Salisbury and Underdale campuses of the South
Australian College of Advanced Education. (See
Genealogy).
Under the University’s
Act,
its mission was ‘to preserve, extend and disseminate knowledge through
teaching, research, scholarship and consultancy, and to provide educational
programs that will enhance the diverse cultural life of the wider
community’.
A faculty structure was adopted in 1992, and in
1993 UniSA established the
Australian Technology Network (ATN) with Queensland University of
Technology in Brisbane, Curtin University of Technology in Perth, RMIT
University in Melbourne and the University of Technology, Sydney.
In 1994, the first two research institutes – the
Ian Wark Research Institute and
the Institute for Telecommunications
Research – were established, followed in 1996 by the
Flexible Learning Centre, which played a major role in facilitating
strategic directions fro improving teaching and learning.
In 1997, UniSA became one of the first universities to
identify seven
Graduate Qualities, which remain central to our teaching and learning
framework, and adopted a
Statement
of Commitment to Aboriginal Reconciliation.
A Statement of Strategic Intent was formalised in 1998 to
clearly define the University’s character and objectives, and the current
divisional
structure replaced the more cumbersome faculty structure.
The UniSA Northern Adelaide
Partnerships (UNAP) program was established in 2002 to
promote education, skills development and improved relationships between
schools, businesses and the community.
Central to the University’s evolution as a modern and diverse institution
was Blueprint 2005,
a $140 million project that saw the closure of the Underdale campus, the
construction of major buildings at City West, City East and Mawson Lakes
campuses, and the extension of others. Phase one was completed in early 2005
and phase two – which included the construction of the
Hawke
Building at City West – in October 2007.
In 2008 a new
Vision, Mission and Values statement was released as part of a new
strategic direction, ‘New Horizons’.