MUSSE

Professor Rod Keenan (Head of the Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science), Professor Glyn Davis (University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor) and Ms Catherine King (Federal Member for Ballarat) inspect the refurbished student recreation facility at Creswick campus after the official opening. (Photo: Neil Newitt)

Students at the University of Melbourne’s Creswick campus are set to benefit from a newly refurbished student recreation facility.

The project is the first stage of a $1.71 million project funded from the Federal Government’s Voluntary Student Unionism Transition Fund.

Federal Member for Ballarat Ms Catherine King, University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis, and student representative Anne Miehs officially opened the new facilities on Monday 6 October.

Head of the Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science, Professor Rodney Keenan, said the new facility will greatly improve campus life and the student experience.

“The new facility provides improved spaces for socialising, relaxing and shared study for students on campus and space for small functions and parties,” Professor Keenan said.

Ms King told reporters from the Ballarat Courier that it was important for students to “feel at home” and that the new open space amenities for students would “play a fundamental role in enhancing the level of social inclusion within the campus”.

The new facilities will be a major asset to the student community at Creswick. In Stage 1 of the project, existing buildings have been refurbished to create an improved multi-purpose recreational space for students. It includes a games room, lounge and kitchen that will provide a space enhancing all facets of student life.

Tom Wright, President of the Student Association, is delighted that environmentally sustainable design principles and building products have been used where possible. “The new facilities will be of particular benefit to the large number of students we have staying on campus throughout the year,” Mr Wright said.

The second stage of the project, due to commence in 2009, will see a new gymnasium and indoor sports venue built, providing fitness and gym facilities and a general purpose activity space and a social functions area.

Available for use by the local community, this facility has been designed in collaboration with the Hepburn Shire and conforms to the shire’s community facilities strategy. Further consultation with staff and students on campus and with local communities will be undertaken before finalising plans.

The University of Melbourne’s Creswick campus supports a combination of coursework and research higher degree students in forest science.

“With some of the most modern and best equipped forest science laboratories in the southern hemisphere we attract research students from all over the world,” explains Professor Keenan.

“Most stay longer term but we also have short-term exchange students and overseas staff working on collaborative research projects,” he said.

Professor Keenan added that the high-quality student recreation facilities will “match the world-class research laboratories and teaching spaces available at Creswick”.

“With the development of the new Master of Forest Ecosystem Science [a graduate professional program developed under the Melbourne Model] we now have a generally more mature group in our coursework programs, with many students who are currently working or have been out in the workforce for some time and coming back to study. We also have students who have come directly from an undergraduate degree,” Professor Keenan said.

For information visit: www.forestscience.unimelb.edu.au