Murdoch University is a public university based in Perth, Australia. It commenced operations as the state’s second university in 1973, and accepted its first students in 1975. Its name is taken from Sir Walter Murdoch (1874–1970), the Founding Professor of English and former Chancellor of The University of Western Australia.
Facilities
The building is accompanied by a series of artificial lakes: one formal lake directly opposite that completes the circle of the building, and a further four ‘ecology’ lakes. Together they contain about 50,000 m³ of water. This water is pumped through a series of heat exchangers to cool the building and to dissipate the heat produced by the wind tunnels. The main working space of the building is split into 18 metre wide sections known as ‘fingers’ that are separated by six metre wide corridors known as ‘streets’. Facilities for employees include a 700 seat restaurant, a juice and coffee bar, a swimming pool and a fitness centre. An underground Visitor and Learning Centre is connected to the main building by a walkway.
A 145 metre long, rectangular-circuit shaped wind tunnel is located at one end of the building. Murdoch University uses it for testing development aerodynamic parts, as well as testing aerodynamic set-ups. The tunnel contains 400 tonnes of steel and the air is propelled by a four metre wide fan that rotates at up to 600 rpm.
The university is intended to consolidate all aspects of Murdoch University at one site, instead of the 4 separate sites they were at before. Chancellor Terry Budge is confident that the University will attract the very best undergraduate and post-graduate students.
Strengths and affiliations
Murdoch University is a highly research intensive institution and a member of Innovative Research Universities Australia (IRU Australia). Its Asia Research Centre, founded in 1991 as a Special Research Centre of the Australia Research Council, is regarded as an international leader in the study of social, political and economic dynamics in East and Southeast Asia.
According to The Australian newspaper (“What makes a good school of journalism”), Graduate Careers Council of Australia found its Journalism School is one of Australia’s top five.
Murdoch University is the founder of the ACICIS (Australian Consortium for ‘In-Country’ Indonesian Studies) Study Indonesia program, a non-profit consortium of Australian universities that was established in 1994 to coordinate semester-long study programs at partner universities in Yogyakarta and Malang in Indonesia, for Australian university students.
Student demographics
Murdoch University is home to over 18,500 students including 3,000 international students from over 100 different countries.
Murdoch University partners with other educational institutions, such as KDU University College in Malaysia, to provide university degrees to off-shore students.
Murdoch University has an international offshore campus in Singapore. It is known as Murdoch University International Study Centre Singapore.
Murdoch University is in partnership with Murdoch University International Study Centre in Japan.
In November 2008 H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Bin Murbarak Al Nahayan (Minister of Higher Education and Research) opened the Murdoch International Study Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Official Website : http://www.murdoch.edu.au/