2006 Media Releases
Friday, 10 February 2006
State Government helps fund new La Trobe University Shepparton campus
The State Government has awarded a $2M Regional Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) grant to La Trobe University for its new campus at Shepparton.
Minister for State and Regional Development, Mr John Brumby, announced the grant today, Friday, 10 February, at a ceremony held on the University’s Shepparton campus.
The $2million in State Government funding follows Federal Government commitment of $1.5 million towards the development of the campus last year.
The University is currently in the planning stages of its first Shepparton building, to be located in the Shepparton Tertiary Education Precinct.
La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Brian Stoddart, said plans for the campus reflect the University’s commitment to Shepparton and regional Victoria.
‘They will allow La Trobe to develop a stronger local program profile and to enhance teaching and research activities to better meet the needs and aspirations of students in the Goulburn Valley.
‘The Shepparton campus will also play an important role in our bid to set up a new regional medical school,’ Professor Stoddart said.
Since 1994, the La Trobe Shepparton campus has been co-located with Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE in Fryers St. Last year administration offices moved to new premises at 127 Welsford St in preparation for the planned development of the separate campus.
Head of the Shepparton Campus, Ms Elizabeth Lavender, said a new phase was about to begin: ‘These changes will help focus the University's education services to the Shepparton region.
‘We are excited about our future here and trust that schools and students from across the Goulburn Valley and surrounding regions will see La Trobe as their university of choice.’
Local businessman and Chair of the University’s Shepparton Regional Advisory Board, Mr Jeff Martin, welcomed Government funding commitment towards a standalone campus for La Trobe University.
‘We see the University as fundamental to growing the economic development and social needs of industry and the community in the region.’
La Trobe University's campus at Shepparton offers attractive opportunities for students to study in a setting different to a traditional university environment.
As a small regional campus, it provides advantages such as small class sizes, ready access to library and computing resources, more affordable accommodation, and a compact and congenial study environment.
To ensure that students at Shepparton benefit from the latest and best educational innovations, close links are maintained with the main campus at Bundoora, and with other regional campuses at Bendigo and Albury-Wodonga. Video conferencing and the internet are important elements in a network of electronic resources available to students.
Two new nursing courses – a three-year Bachelor of Nursing program and conversion Bachelor of Nursing for Division 2 nurses – began at Shepparton this year. The courses have strong support from Shepparton City Council, regional health facilities and education providers.
A new Graduate Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) is another innovation at Shepparton. The region has a growing multicultural population with increasing demand in local schools for teachers with qualifications to teach students from non-English speaking backgrounds. A two-year part-time program, it accommodates people in the workforce who need to combine work and study.
For further information:
Please contact Elizabeth Lavender, email: e.lavender@latrobe.edu.au or Tel: 03 5821 8530.