New Campus For Newcastle University

 BY IAN CROUCH

The University of Newcastle is set to expand, with a new campus planned for Gosford.

It comes after the university and the state government agreed to match federal funding of $18 million dollars for the project.

The campus will be built on a half hectare site on Mann Street which includes the location of a former Mitre 10 store.

Vic Chancellor Alex Zelinski says the campus will offer courses to support the development of a health, innovation and education, as well as law, business and cyber security.

"We are proud to have been on the Central Coast for more than 30 years at our Ourimbah Campus, educating more than 40,000 students during that time. Today marks the next stage of our partnership with the people of the Central Coast - a new campus that demonstrates a commitment to our young people and assurance that they will be able to complete their study without leaving the region," he said.

It's expected the campus will be open within 5 years, catering to an initial intake of 1000 students, growing to 3000 students a year within a decade.

Newcastle University Vice Chancellor Alex Zelinski

 

Newcastle University Counting Big Losses During COVID-19 Pandemic

BY IAN CROUCH

The University of Newcastle is expected to miss out on tens of millions of dollars in revenue as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an update to staff, Vice Chancellor Alex Zelinski said the loss of income from international student fees, commercial income, interest and dividends would likely be in the order of $58 million this year.

The university is currently looking at potential cost savings to cushion the economic blow,

However the National Tertiary Education Union says the university should not use the loss to justify cuts to staff positions and conditions, saying the lost revenue was the same amount as the surplus achieved in 2017.

NTEU branch president, Dan Conway says the university has significant cash reserves and investments available, along with substantial lines of credit which it can use to minimise the impact on staff.

"We believe the university will not be able to justify requiring any cuts to staff conditions or staffing levels as a result of the crisis in light of the decision to peruse $168 million capital expenditure this year," he said.

Vice Chancellor Alex Zelinski says UoN likely to lose $58 million from its bottom line in 2020 Picture: newcastleherald.com.au