VC'S DESK

Future calling

The University has been given a new look in more than one way.

Connecting the academic and recreational hearts of the campus is central to the University’s master plan

Whilst the Shared Identity reinvigoration project has reintroduced the Macquarie Lighthouse across the University community, on the ground definite changes to campus have been taking shape.

The biggest changes you will notice when you next visit are the re-routing of University Avenue, and the disappearance of the former home of the Department of Psychology. Buildings C4A and C4B were demolished at the end of last year to restore the University Library forecourt to grassland and allow the further development of Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue connecting the library with the central courtyard.

Connecting the academic and recreational hearts of the campus is central to the master plan, and I am delighted that we have been able to do so by reintroducing a bright, open and green space amongst our buildings. This work contributes not just to the facility of the University, but also to the park-like setting for which it is rightly famous.

This year several of our older buildings will undergo restorative work to upgrade their working spaces and facilities, and revive their interiors. Whilst their brutalist architectural style divides opinion, they remain striking and vital landmarks on campus and we will continue our investment in the homes of our learning, teaching and research activities.

I am confident that, as we grow, we do so in a way that looks to our future and enables our continued growth for decades to come.