Message from the VC

Welcome to the University of South Australia (UniSA) and to the beginning of a rewarding and inspiring journey of discovery.

Our 150 year educational tradition embraces engagement with the wider world, and we have earned a reputation for innovative research and commitment to social justice and equity.

Our academics and professionals are committed to high quality research and teaching which strengthen the educational experience of all of our students. In the past three years, 32 UniSA staff have been awarded 22 Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC). Five UniSA teachers have been awarded the ALTC Award for Teaching Excellence, and in 2009 one staff member was awarded one of only nine ALTC Teaching Fellowships and another was awarded the prestigious Prime Minister's Award for University Teacher of the Year.

Our international reputation for excellence in research has seen millions of dollars of government funding put towards our research in areas such as a Materials and Minerals Science Learning and Research Hub, and the Australian Government's National Centre for Student Equity.

Our commitment to building a sustainable, cohesive and innovative society is further evidenced by the establishment of our new $10 million International Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding.

But most of all, we have responded to the needs of our community by producing graduates who are educated and ready to take their places in the professions of their choice. We have more than 147,000 alumni working around the globe, many of them in senior positions in government and business.

We have 22,000 undergraduates and 7,000 postgraduates studying here with us in Adelaide. Around one third of them come from international locations. Another 8,000 study offshore or online in their own countries. They have all been drawn to UniSA by the excellence of our teaching and research. I hope that you too will join us here to study in the safety and security of mainland Australia's most affordable capital city.

Professor Peter Høj
Vice Chancellor and President