Lumen Winter 2014 - Flipbook - Page 21
1980s
The early 1980s were a time of financial stringency. The
failure of university funding to keep pace with growth meant
that many difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions had
to be made. It led to the introduction of the national Higher
Education Contribution Scheme fee which was hotly
debated across the University.
A new era of commercialisation
For the first time the University ventured into commercialisation
and knowledge transfer through Luminis, a company created to
realise commercial opportunities from University activities and
intellectual property. At the same time the growing impact of
research and development, and competition for research funds,
saw the development of a more entrepreneurial approach to
many aspects of the University’s operations.
The Dawkins reforms of the late 1980s presented an immense
challenge, with the introduction of the Unified National System
of higher education, the drive towards mass education, and the
creation of new comprehensive universities. By the end of the
decade, the University was poised to act.
Language Laboratory, 1985
A commitment to Indigenous education
Making of a future Prime Minister
Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard credits her time at the University
of Adelaide as fuelling her passion for politics. She studied Law and
Arts from 1979 to 1981 and became President of Adelaide University
Union and a student representative on the Adelaide University Council.
Later she moved to Melbourne to continue her involvement in student
politics at a national level and to complete her degree at the University
of Melbourne. First elected to the House of Representatives at the 1998
federal election, Ms Gillard became Deputy Prime Minister in 2007,
also serving as Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and
Workplace Relations and Minister for Social Inclusion. She was Australia’s
first female Prime Minister from 2010 to 2013. Ms Gillard has joined the
University in an honorary position as Professor in Politics.
Building on the success of CASM, the University developed Aboriginal
access schemes and Indigenous programs throughout the 1980s. In
1986, Sonny Flynn became the first University of Adelaide Indigenous
undergraduate student to complete his Bachelor of Arts and in
the same year, the unique music studies developed for Indigenous
students by CASM were formalised as a Certificate course and the
first certificate award ceremony took place at the University.
This was followed in 1987 by the appointment of the University’s
first Aboriginal Liaison Officer to recruit more Indigenous students
to tertiary study. Since then, the University has demonstrated a
long-term commitment to promote, encourage and support
Aboriginal education and employment and has actively promoted an
understanding of Indigenous issues, culture and history in its programs
and courses. The creation of many different scholarships available to
Indigenous students has provided much needed financial support,
coupled with guidance and mentoring through the establishment of a
dedicated Centre for Aboriginal Education—Wirltu Yarlu—in 1996.
From law to the stage
Shaun Micallef is one of Australia’s
most successful entertainers—and he
honed his comic skills while studying
law at the University of Adelaide. His
talents include writing, producing and
performing on stage, in movies and on
television, and he has starred in popular
programs such as SeaChange and Full
Frontal. Mr Micallef graduated with a
Bachelor of Laws in 1984. Reflecting on
his time at Adelaide, Mr Micallef said:
Julia Gillard accepting her 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award
in recognition of her outstanding leadership and contribution
nationally and internationally in the field of Public Service
Shaun Micallef
"It was there I joined the Footlights Club and participated in comedy
revues in Union Hall and the Little Theatre. I learned how to write
sketches and how to perform for an audience—skills I rely on to make
my living some 20 years later. That’s the wonderful thing about this
place—you get so much more out of it than just the degree."
|e University of Adelaide | Alumni Magazine 19
