Gippsland Portal Feature:
Engineering Closure To Have Ripple Effect For Gippsland

The Gippsland Campus is devastated by the news that the school of engineering is set to close

Massive public outcry at unjust close fuels protest

By Emma Kae - 19th November 2002 - Back to News

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The Gippsland community is reeling from the news that the Engineering unit at Monash’s Gippsland campus is expected to be closed within a year.

This decision comes following a secretive internal review was conducted by the Melbourne based Faculty of Engineering. During this time, it is our understanding that there was no consultation with the staff or students of the Gippsland campus. At the conclusion of this investigation, the Faculty has made the recommendation that the School of Engineering be closed down.

Cited reasons for the recommendation include the cost of running the school, the lack of student enrolments and concerns about the quality of programs offered. The school is furious, as the cost and quality of the programs have been greatly compromised by the Faculty of Engineering’s continual reduction of funding and resources allocated to the Gippsland campus.

While potential solutions could be found in "adequate financial backing" (Andrew Schmidt, Student Union President, Gippsland Campus, 2002) and "the development of marketing" (Antony Svasek, Team Development Leader, the Gippsland Portal), it appears that the dwindling support that the Faculty had for the school has now diminished completely.

The close of the school (pending the decision of the University Council at a meeting scheduled for 11 November 2002), will have a damaging ripple effect across the region if the recommendation is acted upon.

The teachers and student body for the Faculty of Engineering, following a relocation to the Clayton campus, will no longer be spending money in our towns.

Gippsland educational bodies such as GippsTAFE, Gippsland Group Training and the local high schools may lose a close relationship with a school credited for educated many of our young community interested in associated fields.

The lack of the provision of this education could potentially affect Gippsland’s highly industrial-dependent community. Without trained, educated, engineers ready to enter the local workforce and maintain the current momentum of the industry, engineering businesses within the region may fall short of developing to their full potential.

Wednesday morning, a huge crowd of students and teachers alike protested at the arrival of the head of the Faculty of Engineering, and drove him off campus.

There is something that you can do to support the protest of the closure. Visit the Monash website and e-mail your concern to the people that have the power to contest the recommendation made by the Faculty of Engineering.

Join our discussion forum on the topic and have your say!

Visit the Monash University Student Union website for the inside story.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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