Three Western Australian universities are in the early stages of fundraising for new buildings at their respective campuses.
Three Western Australian universities are in the early stages of fundraising for new buildings at their respective campuses.
Notre Dame University is currently planning a fundraising campaign to build a health, recreation and sports centre at its Fremantle campus.
It will be the university’s second new building at the campus, once its centre for research in health and education is completed, due to be opened in 2008.
The university has previously renovated existing buildings in Fremantle.
The research centre, which is currently being built, will hold lecture theatres, laboratories and research facilities.
Notre Dame is also formalising its alumni relations and fundraising, having created the position of manager of alumni and development last year.
Diane Lim, who commenced in the role in August, said that while the university’s approach had previously been ad hoc, it had a new commitment to alumni and fundraising, being in its 16th academic year.
“We are a relatively new university compared to the other universities and we were starting to get a critical mass of alumni,” she said.
“With alumni relationships, it’s something you have to start now to get the benefits much later. The more ways you can engage your alumni, the more you can maintain a relationship with them.”
Murdoch University is also in the early stages of an expansion project in its School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences.
The school increased its intake of vet science students by 50 per cent this year, and is planning a new facility at the campus.
Meanwhile, the University of Western Australia is yet to commence fundraising for its Berndt Museum of Anthropology, which has been designated for the Sunset Hospital Site in Dalkeith.
A bill is currently being debated in the upper house of state parliament, which would allow the site to be divided into three portions, one of which would be dedicated to UWA for use as a museum precinct.
The Berndt Museum will house the university’s collection of Australian Aboriginal art and Aboriginal cultural materials, as well as collections from Melanesia, Asia and South-East Asia.
The collection is currently housed on campus in the anthropology school.
The UWA Business School remains halfway to its fundraising target of $25 million, with the campaign set to wrap up in two years’ time.
Construction of the school’s building is due to be completed by this time next year.
The Business School launched its campaign in October 2006, with the funding to be used for the development of the new building and to support endowed chairs, scholarships, visiting fellows and guest lecture series.
It first announced that a halfway target had been met when the campaign was officially launched.
UWA Business School campaign manager Rhonda Flottman said the campaign had been successful to date.
“I think it would be fair to say, this is a very ambitious fundraising campaign in education in Australia, really.”
“It’s probably the most ambitious fundraising campaign the university has run and so people were interested to see how it would unfold,” she said.
“We’ve met our target, to the halfway mark, at this point and we’re very pleased.”
Ms Flottman said Woodside had recently endowed a professorial chair of leadership and management to the Business School, worth $5 million.
The university is conducting an international recruitment search for the position.
