CQUni marks Townsville milestone

Yesterday marked a big moment for CQUniversity’s future – and for the future generations of Northern Queenslanders.

I was thrilled to attend the opening of CQUniversity Townsville last night, and to see so many local business, education, and community leaders be wowed by this incredible $3 million project. At the event, there was a palpable sense - CQUniversity Townsville isn’t just a place to kickstart careers, but hub for the region’s growing community aspirations, too.

Townsville is now a two-university city, and the new campus provides exciting opportunities for local students.

Our expansion into Townsville demonstrates our national reputation for supporting our students to achieve, no matter how they choose to study.

Many of our regional students, and also our international students, tell us they want to study in regional centres, and we believe Townsville can deliver them a great experience for study, and for lifestyle.

It’s this experience, and our determination to engage all our students, that puts CQUniversity on track to becoming a truly great university.

The campus is already supporting more than 600 Distance Education students, and I can see great potential for allowing growth, in face-to-face programs including Paramedic Science, Nursing, Law, Education, and Psychology.

With multiple universities calling Townsville home, the Northern Queensland hub joins the ranks of Australian capital cities, and vibrant regional centres such the Gold Coast, Geelong, and Mackay.

The CQUni Townsville campus includes large teaching spaces for class and residential schools, computer and videoconferencing labs, a Paramedic Science lab, a library, staff offices, study spaces and a welcoming reception area. It also boasts plenty of student parking, and room for further expansion along with this CQUniversity’s popular Study Hub at Jones St, which opened last year, will remain as a study space for students, with secure access available around the clock.

The Townsville campus is one of 24 CQUniversity sites around Australia, and is a key to our plan to grow student numbers to 50,000 nationwide by 2020.

The campus will not only support face-to-face learning, but students can also access a range of expanded services, including careers advice, counselling, and scholarship support.

As I continue to serve on the panel advising the Prime Minister on the development of Northern Australia, the potential and growth opportunities of Townsville, and all of Northern Australia, continue to amaze me.

Same goes for the enthusiasm of local people. Since we first established a presence in Townsville in August last year, I’ve been thrilled with the excitement of local leaders, businesses, and students who have welcomed us to Townsville. Yesterday, it was great to catch up with many of them, and hear how CQUniversity is already making a difference in their lives.  

Whether it’s helping locals to reach their dream careers, or attracting new students to Townsville, or even inspiring school leavers to pursue higher education that they might not of previously considered, I’m confident that this campus can deliver real social and economic benefits for the Townsville region.