A Comprehensive Guide to the Australian National University Campus

The Australian National University (ANU), a prestigious public research university and a member of the Group of Eight, is located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. This guide provides a detailed overview of the ANU campus, its history, academic structure, student life, and key facilities.

A Legacy of Excellence

ANU boasts a distinguished history, marked by academic excellence and significant contributions to various fields. The university counts six Nobel laureates and 49 Rhodes scholars among its faculty and alumni. It has educated the incumbent Governor-General of Australia, two former prime ministers, and more than a dozen current heads of government departments of Australia.

Early Beginnings

Canberra University College (CUC) was the first institution of higher education in the national capital, having been established in 1929 and enrolling its first undergraduate pupils in 1930. Its founding was led by Sir Robert Garran, one of the drafters of the Australian Constitution and the first Solicitor-General of Australia. CUC was affiliated with the University of Melbourne, and its degrees were granted by that university. Academic leaders at CUC included historian Manning Clark, political scientist Finlay Crisp, poet A. D. Hope, and economist Heinz Arndt.

In 1960, CUC was integrated into ANU as the School of General Studies, initially with faculties in arts, economics, law, and science. Faculties in Oriental studies and engineering were introduced later.

Influential Figures and Historical Milestones

A group of eminent Australian scholars returned from overseas to join the university, including Sir Howard Florey (co-developer of medicinal penicillin), Sir Mark Oliphant (a nuclear physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project), and Sir Keith Hancock (the Chichele Professor of Economic History at Oxford). The first residents' hall, University House, was opened in 1954 for faculty members and postgraduate students. Mount Stromlo Observatory, established by the federal government in 1924, became part of ANU in 1957. The first locations of the ANU Library, the Menzies and Chifley buildings, opened in 1963.

The Acton Campus: A Blend of Parkland and Modern Facilities

The main campus of ANU extends across the Canberra suburb of Acton, which consists of 358 acres (1.45 km2) of mostly parkland with university buildings landscaped within. ANU is roughly bisected by Sullivans Creek, part of the Murray-Darling basin, and is bordered by the native bushland of Black Mountain, Lake Burley Griffin, the suburb of Turner, and the Canberra central business district.

Sporting and Recreational Amenities

The Acton campus is also home to three sports fields (South Oval, Fellows Oval, and Willows Oval), six tennis courts (home to the ANU Tennis Club), two gymnasiums, and a pool.

Academic Structure and Colleges

ANU is organized into several colleges, each focusing on specific academic disciplines and research areas.

ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences

The ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences is divided into the Research School of Social Sciences (RSSS) and Research School of Humanities and the Arts (RSHA).

RSHA contains schools of Archaeology and Anthropology; Art & Design; and Literature, Languages, and Linguistics, the latter of which include departments focusing on Linguistics & Applied Linguistics; English, Screen, Drama & Gender Studies; Languages & Cultures, and Classical Studies. The college also houses the Australian Centre on China in the World, the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, and the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific, Australia. It has dedicated regional institutes for China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Pacific, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. The college hosts a series of annual and biannual updates on various regions in the Asia-Pacific.

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Crawford School of Public Policy

The Crawford School of Public Policy houses the Asia Pacific Arndt-Cohen Department of Economics, the Asia Pacific Network for Environmental Governance, the Australia-Japan Research Centre, The Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, the Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research, the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, the ANU National Security College, the East Asia Forum publication, and a number of other centres. The Crawford School of Public Policy also hosts offices and programs for the Australia and New Zealand School of Government.

ANU College of Systems and Society

The ANU College of Systems and Society brings together critical capabilities in understanding the modern interfaces between systems, technology, processes, the physical world, and the social world. The college comprises six academic units: the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Mathematical Sciences Institute, School of Computing, School of Cybernetics, and School of Engineering.

ANU College of Law, Governance and Policy

The ANU College of Law, Governance, and Policy comprises the ANU Law School and ANU School of Legal Practice. The college covers legal research and teaching, with centres dedicated to commercial law, international law, public law, and environmental law. In addition to numerous research programs, the college offers the professional LL.B. and J.D. degrees.

ANU College of Science & Medicine

The ANU College of Science & Medicine encompasses the John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR), ANU Medical School, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, and Research School of Psychology. JCSMR was established in 1948 as a result of the vision of Nobel laureate Howard Florey. Three further Nobel Prizes have been won as a result of research at JCSMR-in 1963 by John Eccles and in 1996 by Peter Doherty and Rolf M. Zinkernagel.

Student Life and Accommodation

ANU offers a vibrant student life with a range of accommodation options and extracurricular activities.

On-Campus Accommodation

Eleven on-campus residential halls are affiliated with ANU-Bruce Hall, Burgmann College, Burton & Garran Hall, Fenner Hall, John XXIII College, Ursula Hall, Wamburun Hall, Wright Hall, Yukeembruk Village, Graduate House, and Toad Hall. Together, these residences accommodate undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Off-Campus Accommodation

Four UniLodge residences are also available to ANU students, situated just off-campus-Davey Lodge, Kinloch Lodge, Warrumbul Lodge, and Lena Karmel Lodge. In 2010, the non-residential Griffin Hall was established for students living off-campus. Another off-campus student accommodation was launched by UniGardens Pty, University Gardens located in Belconnen.

Student Publications

Woroni is a student publication at the Australian National University. It was first published on 23 May 1947 under the title Student Notes: Canberra University College Students Association. On 14 February 1950, the name was changed to Woroni, which is derived from an Indigenous Australian word meaning "mouthpiece". ANU Observer is another of the Australian National University's student news publications. Founded in 2017, ANU Observer is an online news site that covers breaking campus news, student life, student politics, arts and culture, sports, university policy, and more.

Student Activism

ANU is well known for its history of student activism and, in recent years, its fossil fuel divestment campaign, which is one of the longest-running and most successful in the country. The decision of the ANU Council to divest from two fossil fuel companies in 2014 was criticised by ministers in the Abbott government but defended by Vice-Chancellor Ian Young, who noted: "On divestment, it is clear we were in the right and played a truly national and international leadership role."

Student Protests

In 2014, 2019, and 2020, there were major protests organised by student leaders across all of the ANU's halls of residence against steep rent hikes, neglect of pastoral care support, and repeated failures to address issues relating to sexual assault and sexual harassment. Though supported by a majority of students living on residence, the ANU's response to past protests has been mixed, with many recommendations and requests for student consultations ignored. The outcome of the 2020 protests revolve around demands for stronger SASH policy, accountability surrounding tariff rises, and commitments to adequate pastoral care; the outcome of these protests is as yet unknown.

Key Facilities and Resources

ANU provides a range of facilities and resources to support its students and faculty.

ANU Library

The first locations of the ANU Library, the Menzies and Chifley buildings, opened in 1963. The latest releases of ANU's scholarly publications are held through ANU Press online.

Drill Hall Gallery

The Drill Hall Gallery is housed in a drill hall dating from the 1940s, for use in training soldiers for the Second World War, and as a base for the 3rd Battalion, Werriwa Regiment. The interior was remodelled to create an art gallery in 1984, and in 2004 the building was heritage-listed. Temporary exhibitions of the national collection were held in the hall while the National Gallery of Australia was being built. There are four separate exhibition spaces, which provide the venues not only for exhibitions developed by or in collaboration with the university, but also to accompany major conferences and public events. The venue hosts both national and international exhibitions.

Learned Societies

Four of Australia's five learned societies are based at ANU-the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of the Humanities, the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, and the Australian Academy of Law.

Notable People

ANU has been associated with numerous notable individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields.

Notable Past Faculty

Notable past faculty include Mark Oliphant, Keith Hancock, Manning Clark, Derek Freeman, H. C. Coombs, Gareth Evans, John Crawford, Hedley Bull, Frank Fenner, C. P. Fitzgerald, Pierre Ryckmans, A. L. Basham, and Bernhard Neumann.

Notable Honorary Doctorate Recipients

Notable Honorary Doctorate recipients have included former Australian public officials Stanley Bruce, Robert Menzies, Richard Casey, Angus Houston, Brendan Nelson, and Owen Dixon; Australian notable persons Sidney Nolan, Norman Gregg, and Charles Bean; foreign dignitaries Harold Macmillan, Lee Kuan Yew, Aung San Suu Kyi, Sheikh Hasina, K. R. Narayanan, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and Saburo Okita; and notable foreign scientists John Cockcroft, Jan Hendrik Oort, and Alexander R. Todd.

Challenges and Responses

ANU has faced its share of challenges, including incidents of sexual assault and sexual harassment, as well as cybersecurity breaches.

Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment

A survey conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2017 found that the ANU had the second-highest incidence of sexual assault and sexual harassment. 3.5 percent of respondents from the ANU reported being sexually assaulted in 2016.

Gender and Cultural Issues

In May 2023, the university released the findings of an independent review led by former Victorian Police Commissioner Christine Nixon into gender and cultural issues within the College of Health and Medicine. The review, based on interviews with 83 individuals and 67 written submissions, described a "remarkable tolerance" for misconduct, with reporting pathways often compromised by conflicts of interest. It identified entrenched dysfunction, a toxic "work until you drop" culture, and significant gender imbalances in senior academic positions. Since the commissioning of the review in 2022, the university closed the standalone College of Health and Medicine and merged it with the College of Science.

Cybersecurity Breach

The network of the university was subject to serious compromise from 9 November to 21 December 2018.

Student Safety

In September 2023, an ex-student stabbed two female students and assaulted a male student with a frying pan.

International Collaborations

ANU has exchange agreements in place for its students with many foreign universities, most notably in the Asia-Pacific region, including the National University of Singapore, the University of Tokyo, the University of Hong Kong, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Seoul National University.

Financial Matters

Since 2021, Commonwealth Supported Places have also been limited to 7 years of equivalent full-time study load (EFTSL), calculated in the form of Student Learning Entitlement (SLE). Students may accrue additional SLE under some circumstances.

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