University of Divinity
The University of Divinity is an Australian collegiate university of specialisation in divinity. It is constituted by eleven theological colleges from eight denominations. The University of Divinity is the direct successor of the second oldest degree-granting authority in the State of Victoria, the Melbourne College of Divinity. The university's chancery and administration are located in Box Hill, a suburb of Melbourne in the state of Victoria.
| Type | Theology |
|---|---|
| Established | 1910 |
| Chancellor | Graeme Blackman AO |
| Vice-Chancellor | Peter Sherlock |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Box Hill, East Melbourne, Parkville, North Adelaide, Macquarie Park, Donvale, Mt Claremont |
| Website | divinity.edu.au |
The Melbourne College of Divinity was constituted in 1910 by an act of the Parliament of Victoria. The act was amended in 1956, 1972, 1979, 1990, 2005 and 2016 and is now known as the University of Divinity Act 1910 (previously the Melbourne College of Divinity Act 1910).[1] From its beginnings the college was a self-accrediting issuer of degrees, while not becoming a university until 2011. Representatives appointed by several churches formed the college to provide tertiary level theological education. The first president was the Right Reverend Henry Lowther Clarke, Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne, and the first registrar was the Reverend John Mathew, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria.[2]
In 2010, the Melbourne College of Divinity applied to the Victorian Regulation and Qualifications Authority for approval to operate as a self-accrediting "Australian University of Specialisation"[3] (a category of higher education provider[4]). The Victorian government announced on 30 August 2011 that the application had been approved and on 1 January 2012 the college began operating as a university. Peter Sherlock was appointed the inaugural vice-chancellor in April 2012.[3] In May 2019 TEQSA extended the seven-year licence to operate as a university for an additional three years to the maximum possible of ten years before a review.
In the 2019 Student Experience Survey, the University of Divinity recorded the highest student satisfaction rating out of every Australian university, with an overall satisfaction rating of 92.8.[5][6]
Accreditations and affiliations
The University of Divinity offers awards in theology, philosophy, counselling and ministry.
In 2001 the institution was listed as a Schedule 1 Higher Education Institution by the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training. It receives federal funding for research, Australian Postgraduate Research Awards and International Postgraduate Research Scholarships.
The Higher Education Support Act (2003) (HESA 2003) listed the institution as a Table B (Private, Self-regulating) Higher Education Provider, which allowed its students to access federally funded loans under the FEE-HELP scheme.
The University of Divinity is the only Australian University of Specialisation listed on the National Register of Higher Education Providers maintained by TEQSA.[7]
Publications
- Pacifica, an academic journal (1988-2017)
Colleges
The colleges of the University of Divinity are:[8]
- Australian Lutheran College, Adelaide, South Australia
- Eva Burrows College, in Ringwood, Victoria; Training college of the Salvation Army in Australia
- Catholic Theological College, East Melbourne, Victoria. A federation of autonomous seminaries:
- Corpus Christi College
- St Mary's Seminary
- Salesian Theological College
- St Joseph of Cupertino Friary (Conventual Franciscan)
- St Dominic's Priory (Dominican)
- Pilgrim Theological College, Uniting Church[9]
- St Athanasius College, Donvale and Melbourne, Victoria
- Trinity College Theological School[9] (Anglican)
- Wollaston College, Mount Claremont, Western Australia. Currently affiliated through a partnership agreement with Trinity College and the University of Divinity [10]
- Uniting College of Leadership and Theology, the Uniting Church South Australia from January 2023[11]
- Whitley College, Parkville, Victoria. The Baptist theological college of Victoria.
- Yarra Theological Union, Box Hill, Victoria. Comprises the following religious institutes:
- Blessed Sacrament Congregation
- Divine Word Missionaries
- Discalced Carmelites
- Franciscans (OFM)
- Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
- Pallottines
- Passionists
- Redemptorists
- Wollaston College, Mt Claremont, Perth.
Past members
- Morling College, Macquarie Park, New South Wales. The Baptist theological college of New South Wales.
- Stirling Theological College, Mulgrave, Victoria. The Churches of Christ national theological college.
- United Faculty of Theology, Parkville. Victoria until December 2014, a co-operative venture of the Anglican, Jesuit and Uniting theological colleges.[9]
Associated churches
In 1910
Present
Libraries
Students at the university have access and borrowing rights to a number of library collections including the Mannix Library at Catholic Theological College, Geoffery Blackburn Library at Whitley College, the Leeper and Mollison Libraries at Trinity College Theological School, as well as the Patrick Murphy Memorial Library, the Redemptorist Seminary Library, the Dominican Studium Library, the St Pashcal Library and the Sugden Collection at Queen's College.
Notable alumni and faculty
- Andrew McGowan
- Anne Elvey
- Barbara Thiering
- Cathy Ross
- Charles Sherlock
- Claire Renkin
- Colleen O'Reilly
- Dorothy Ann Lee
- Edith Amelia Kerr
- Elizabeth Boase
- Fiona Kumari Campbell
- Graham Hill
- Greg Homeming
- Hilda May Abba
- Janette Gray
- Janina Hiebel
- Joan Nowotny
- Anne Pattel-Gray
- Kate Prowd
- Katharine Massam
- Kathleen Williams
- Kay Goldsworthy
- Lilian Scholes
- Marita Munro
- Mark Stuart Edwards
- Mary L. Coloe
- Maryanne Confoy
- Paul Oslington
- Richard Divall
- Ruth Redpath
- Sarah Macneil
- Wendy Mayer
- Winifred Kiek
See also
References
- ^ University of Divinity Act 1910, section 35. http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdb/au/legis/vic/consol_act/uoda1910296/ 13 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine or https://divinity.edu.au/documents/university-act/ 16 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "University of Divinity: History". from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ a b "MCD achieves specialist uni status". The Australian. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Australian higher education". Universities Australia. from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "2019 Student Experience Survey" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- ^ Baker, Jordan (10 March 2020). "UNSW students least satisfied in the country, survey shows". The Sydney Morning Herald. from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- ^ "Melbourne College of Divinity | Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency". from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ^ "University of Divinity". from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ a b c "UFT to close at end of 2014: Two New Colleges Approved for 2015 by University of Divinity" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
- ^ "New partnership between Anglican theological schools". 18 December 2020. from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Uniting College for Leadership and Theology joins the University of Divinity, (5 August 2022), Vox: News, Articles and Events from the University of Divinity community
External links
- Official website
- Australian Lutheran College
- Eva Burrows College
- Catholic Theological College
- Pilgrim Theological College
- Jesuit College of Spirituality
- St Athanasius College
- Whitley College: the Baptist College of Victoria
- Yarra Theological Union
- Pacifica
- University of Divinity Act 1910