Thursday, 4 April 2019

University of Newcastle Expansion Announced

BY ALICE PEART

The University of Newcastle has announced plans for the development of a multi-campus presence on the Central Coast following an 18 million dollar investment from the federal government. 
The expansion will take the form of a health and innovation hub for university students alongside the Central Coast Medical School and Research Institute forecasted to open in 2020, creating a health precinct in Gosford’s CBD. 
The investment, following on from the previous federal funding of  85 million, seeks to address the estimated additional 4300 workers needed in healthcare and social assistance roles needed over the coming years on the Central Coast. 
The precinct will have an emphasis on entrepreneurship and community engagement using technology such as augmented and virtual reality. 
The university has already piloted virtual reality teaching programs in health with The Road to Birth designed to teach skills which would either be otherwise too dangerous or expensive to be experienced in the classroom. 
This will be expanded by the innovation hub to provide enhanced teaching, conference, community engagement and social learning facilities. 
Many courses offered by the new precinct will be unique to the Gosford campus says the Dean Dr Brok Glenn, such as the proposed Master of Medical Imaging and Master of Professional Prescribing. 
The investment from the federal government represents just part of the 250 million dollars needed to complete the multi-campus university.
Image by the University of Newcastle.