Students to benefit from SCU's co-location with TAFE Port Macquarie

Southern Cross University's teaching operations in the Hastings district will be upgraded by a relocation to the North Coast Institute of TAFE's Port Macquarie campus at the end of 2002, the University's Pro Vice-Chancellor (Enterprise and International), Professor Angela Delves, announced today.

Professor Delves said the decision to co-locate with the North Coast Institute followed a report on the enhancing of access to higher education in the Hastings and Mid-North Coast, submitted recently to the NSW Department of Education, Science and Training.

"The report studied the various ways, all of them requiring funding by the Federal Government and the cooperation and support of the local community, in which SCU could continue to offer courses relevant to the economic and social needs of the area," Professor Delves explained. "In order to provide a better level of service to ongoing undergraduates as well as students enrolling in the future, the decision to expand SCU's association with TAFE will clearly be the most beneficial."

Professor Delves said similar co-location arrangements were already in place between SCU and the North Coast Institute at Grafton and Murwillumbah.

"Unfortunately, SCU's Port Macquarie campus has never realised the early expectations of student participation," Professor Delves added. "Despite efforts to attract students in the first year of face-to-face courses in Arts, Business and Social Science, the results were disappointing. The low student numbers mean we are unable to sustain the viability of courses, even though many people - quite understandably - want the option of local university programs."

Professor Delves said the chosen option of a 'Distributed Network Campus' was a cost-effective method of delivering high-quality education to the broader region of the NSW North Coast, offering flexible learning options, including high-speed on-line delivery, as well as articulation paths and partnerships with the North Coast Institute of TAFE and other educational providers where relevant.

"This expansion of the Distributed Network Campus will put in place an innovative development, which will extend access and make more effective use of finite public resources and infrastructure," she said. "It will create a unique regional collaboration in post-secondary education without the need for significant extra funding. Moreover, future increased demand would result in additional funding and enable the collaboration to grow beyond the initial phase."

Describing the new arrangements as "every bit as important to SCU as its significant campuses at Lismore, Coffs Harbour and the Tweed Gold Coast", Professor Delves noted that half of the University's 10,000 students were enrolled on an external basis and in most cases did not physically attend lectures on campuses.

"What we are planning in Port Macquarie is a considerable advance on the facilities that many Australian students are offered. Furthermore, it will cement our commitment to the Hastings area and a rapidly increasing population that can be expected to undertake university-level study."