Macquarie University
Macquarie University is a university located in North Ryde, a north-western suburb of Sydney, Australia. It is adjacent to the Macquarie Centre, a large shopping centre for the district. Macquarie University is a member of Innovative Research Universities Australia (IRU Australia).
History
In the 1960s, with Sydney expanding rapidly, the need arose for a third tertiary institution (in addition to the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney). The location was chosen to be North Ryde, and after much debate, it was decided that it be named after Lachlan Macquarie, an important early governor of the colony of New South Wales. The university was formally established in 1964 with the passage of the Macquarie University Act 1964 by federal parliament, and opened to students in 1967. The Macquarie Graduate School of Management was established in 1969.
In 1990 the university absorbed the Institute of Early Childhood Studies of the Sydney College of Advanced Education, under the terms of the Higher Education (Amalgamation) Act 1989.
Academic structure
College of Commerce Division of Economics and Financial Studies covers the fields of Accounting, Economics, Business, Statistics, Actuarial Studies and Finance. Macquarie Graduate School of Management is a business school run by the university.
College of Humanities and Social Sciences Australian Centre for Educational Studies includes the school of Education and the Institute of Early Childhood. Division of Humanities includes the departments of Ancient History, Modern History, Languages and Politics. Division of Law includes the departments of Law and Business Law. Division of Society, Culture, Media and Philosophy. covers the areas of Media, Sociology, Philosophy and Cultural Studies.
College of Science and Technology Division of Environmental and Life Sciences covers the fields of Chemistry, Biology, Geography, Environmental science and Chiropractic medicine Division of Linguistics and Psychology includes the departments of Linguistics and Psychology Division of Information and Communication Sciences which covers Mathematics, Physics, Electronics and Computer Science
Student life
The university offers many types of programmes, from Bachelor's degrees through to Doctorate level qualifications. Courses may be offered as full-time, part-time or through correspondence. Membership to the students' union Students at Macquarie (SAM) is currently compulsory for all students (according to the Australian law - see Universal Student Unionism), and provides many services to students.
Conception Day
The biggest event at the university is Conception Day, an annual festival put on by SAM. Traditionally held on the last day of classes before the September mid-semester break, the day is supposedly named after the day the university's namesake, Lachlan Macquarie, was conceived (although this is in fact impossible, since Lachlan Macquarie's birthday was on January 31). It features many big-name bands, amusement rides and a lot of sun and alcohol.
Transport
Transport to and from the university is primarily by bus and car, although students who live on or near campus will often walk or ride. Currently the nearest railway station is at Epping, however the university will have its own station with the completion of the Parramatta Rail Link in 2008.
Accommodation
While the majority of students reside off-campus, there are several options on-campus for accommodation. Dunmore Lang College and Robert Menzies College are both traditional residential colleges, providing students with individual rooms and fully catered meals. Macquarie University Village provides townhouse style accommodation.
Sport
The university has a large number of sporting clubs and extensive facilities, which are co-ordinated by the Macquarie University Sports Association (MUSA). Clubs participate in local competitions and also send teams to the annual Australian University Games. One of the most famous clubs is the Rugby Club, which recently won a Bronze medal at the prestigious Australian Univeristy Games in Perth.
Alumni
Margaret Pomeranz, film critic three of the four Wiggles, children's entertainers Colleen McCullough, Author Peter Andren, Member for Calare in the Australian House of Representatives (Independent)
Trivia Macquarie University is nicknamed "Club Mac" (an allusion to Club Med), because Macquarie students supposedly have more holidays than their counterparts from the other universities in Sydney. This is only half-true, for while Macquarie students have longer holidays, they do not have pre-exam breaks ("stuvac" or studying vacation) as students from the other universities do.
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