Annual Report

An introduction from RMIT University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Margaret Gardner AO

In 2007, RMIT marked 120 years since it opened its doors as the Working Men’s College on 7 June 1887. It was a bold experiment to create an institution for those with a thirst for useful knowledge.

Many things have changed over the past 120 years; new professions and disciplines have been created and new technologies have transformed the way we work and live. RMIT has changed also, with new programs, new research areas and education provided in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai and Melbourne.

However, RMIT has remained true to its mission to provide a progressive and pragmatic education that draws on the experience of the world to transform understanding.

It is as a result of this commitment that RMIT finds itself in such a strong position today. RMIT’s strong financial position allowed it to significantly increase its capital expenditure from $39.3 million in 2006 to $78.2 million in 2007. Mindful of the importance of our history, the University has commenced refurbishment of the Francis Ormond Building – RMIT’s first home – as well as the Emily McPherson Building.

But we have also been busy with plans for the future. In April 2007 the RMIT Info Corner opened on the corner of La Trobe and Swanston Streets, providing a high profile point of initial contact with potential new students. In its first year of operation, the Info Corner received 16,584 visits from interested potential students.

In addition, planning commenced on the development of a major academic building for RMIT’s Swanston A’Beckett site and we continued our planning for the development of the Design Hub on the corner of Swanston and Victoria Streets in Melbourne. RMIT also acquired significant property on Victoria Street and Cardigan Street that will provide us with future development opportunities.

In 2007, RMIT continued with its focus on delivering our strategic plan, RMIT 2010: Designing the Future, and our academic plan, Leading into the Future.

Of particular note is the success of our new Learning and Teaching Innovations Program, which provided funding for around 30 projects designed to improve both the teaching and learning capacity of our staff and the learning experience of our students. In addition, 59 of our academics enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching and Learning, which we have made compulsory for new academic staff.

Download the Annual Report for 2007 (PDF 5.66Mb)

Hard copies of Annual Reports are available from the Chancellery.

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