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RMIT Annual Report

For a printed copy of the 2009 Annual Report, contact RMIT Chancellery.

Download the 2009 Annual Report (PDF 5.06mb 148p).

Vice-Chancellor’s statement

2009 was a challenging year across the globe, as the financial crisis caused widespread economic decline and questions for government and society about the operations of financial markets and their regulation.

The impact of the global financial crisis on RMIT was to raise questions for our research and for the content of our educational programs. It was also an occasion for the expertise of our academics to be called upon to analyse and comment on this unfolding situation and its implications. RMIT was fortunate that the crisis did not impede our operations or viability.

The other local but devastating event in 2009 was the Victorian bushfires. This affected our staff and students, along with the entire Victorian community. The University’s research has been a significant part of the longer term response. Through the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre, research led by Professor John Handmer analysed the response and provided advice on ways to equip communities for these circumstances. Immediately, the University contributed more than $100,000 to the Bushfire Appeal. Our staff and students worked as volunteers, and also provided a consulting service from our Bundoora campus for those affected.

RMIT’s Design Research Institute launched a Design Challenge on Fire to solicit innovative ideas for bushfire prevention and planning. The winning entry was Polytactics, which advanced the use of lightweight polymer materials that are activated by fire to transform into a protective porcelain membrane. The team was led by Professor David Mainwaring from the School of Applied Science and Professor Sue-Ann Ware from the School of Architecture and Design.

Demand from domestic and international students was strong and strengthened during 2009. This included strong demand for Advanced Diploma and Diploma qualifications, now part of a contestable domestic market as a result of the Victorian Government’s Skills Reform initiatives.

There were a number of important achievements in 2009:

• RMIT’s research grant funding from the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council increased by almost 15 per cent in 2009 compared to 2008.
• Three Future Fellows were awarded five-year fellowships by the Commonwealth Government to undertake research. They were Professor Helen Lingard from RMIT’s School of Property, Construction and Project Management, Associate Professor Jinhu Lu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who will work in RMIT’s Platform Technologies Research Institute, and Dr Quentin Stevens from University College, London, who will work in RMIT’s Design Research Institute.
• A total of 175 PhDs were awarded.
• myRMIT, the University’s new online student portal, was launched featuring single sign-in access to email, enrolment and program information, as well as course materials. A range of interactive features allowing personalised news and discussion forums contributes to communication both with and between students. This adds to other online features including podcasts of lectures, online course materials, online enrolment and an expanded wireless network across the campuses and surrounding buildings enabling students to have a flexible and rich environment.
• RMIT’s support for disadvantaged students was expanded through the award of 2,115 scholarships with a total value of $7 million. New scholarships were provided for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students enrolled in health programs. The number of schools in RMIT’s Schools Network Access Program which provides disadvantaged students with direct access to RMIT programs increased from 49 in 2007 to 93 in 2009.
• In teaching and learning, six RMIT academics were honoured in the annual Australian Learning and Teaching Council Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, and four vocational teachers were awarded International Specialised Skills Institute scholarships. RMIT’s Professor Iouri Belski from the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering won a prestigious national Award for Teaching Excellence for his work in assisting students to improve their capacity to analyse complex engineering problems.
• While all programs at RMIT must have a work, studio or clinical learning experience, RMIT introduced new forms of international work experience, as well as expanding the number of students overall with an international work experience project from 116 in 2008 to 211 in 2009. The new projects involved collaborating cross-disciplinary teams of students from RMIT Melbourne and Vietnam working on the redesign of paediatric wards in a Vietnamese hospital, and the implementation of an income earning business to support a Vietnamese orphanage. Some 114 students from the Melbourne and Vietnamese campuses collaborated on these new projects.
• Reinforcement of RMIT’s position as a leader in international education was given when RMIT Vietnam was awarded a prestigious Golden Dragon Award from the Vietnamese Government for the seventh year in succession.
• RMIT was named by Boeing as one of its 22 focal universities world-wide facilitating research, student internships and scholarships.
• RMIT was named an EOWA Employer of Choice for Women for the third successive year.
• Energy, water and greenhouse gas emissions were reduced. Notable was a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions of close to 13 per cent between 2008 and 2009. RMIT was also named Victoria’s first fair trade university in 2009.
• As part of capital expenditure totalling $140 million in 2009, RMIT commenced construction of the Design Hub, continued redevelopment of the Francis Ormond Building and the Emily McPherson Building, and significantly progressed the design of, and preparatory works for, the Swanston Academic Building. Building 9 was substantially refurbished and extended to house the School of Media and Communication, with the introduction of innovative teaching and studio spaces as well as new student lounge spaces.

RMIT contributed its staff and student expertise to dealing with global as well as local challenges. It did so by building on a strong foundation of achievement in education, research and service, and also by drawing on its focus as a global university of technology with its heart in the city.

Professor Margaret Gardner AO
Vice-Chancellor and President