Introduction

Griffith University is an Australian State Government body which generates its income from the provision of higher education in Australia. In 2005, Griffith University employed 3,417 people throughout its operations. Griffith University has five campuses throughout Queensland; Gold Coast, Logan, Mt. Gravatt, Southbank and Nathan, where its central administration is based.

Background

Griffith University is constituted under the Griffith University Act 1998 and is a statutory body within the meaning given in the Financial Administration and Audit Act 1977. Griffith University is named after Sir Samuel Walker Griffith, a former Queensland Premier, Chief Justice of Queensland and the Chief Justice of Australia.

1970 - Queensland Education Minister, Sir Alan Fletcher, approached newspaper editor Sir Theodor Bray with the idea of creating a new university to offer an alternative university experience to that already available in Queensland and other parts of Australia.

1971 - A parcel of land at Nathan, ten kilometres south of central Brisbane, was formally named Griffith University in the Queensland Parliament. The first Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Willett, was appointed

1975 - Griffith University opened its doors at the Nathan Campus to 451 students in four schools: Australian Environmental Studies, Humanities, Modern Asian Studies and Science.

1988 - The introduction of a national unified system for tertiary education resulted in the Mt Gravatt campus of Brisbane College of Advanced Education, the Gold Coast College of Advanced Education, the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and the Queensland College of Art all becoming part of Griffith University over the next few years.

1998 - A $38 million campus was built at Logan City.

Campuses:

LOGAN. Spread over 56 hectares and located at Meadowbrook, the Logan Campus is twenty-five kilometres south of the Brisbane CBD, servicing the Beaudesert and Redland Shires, and Beenleigh District. The Logan campus has approximately 2500 enrollments.

MT GRAVATT. Adjoining Toohey Forest is Mt Gravatt Campus. It's less than 15 minutes by car from the centre of Brisbane. It is Queensland's major supplier of registered primary and secondary school teachers with more 4000 enrollments.

NATHAN. Situated in 175 hectares within Toohey Forest is the Nathan Campus. Nathan is a 10-minute drive from central Brisbane. Nathan Campus has approximately 10,000 enrollments and offers courses in the areas of arts and communication, business and commerce, environment, health, information technology, law, science, and visual and creative arts.

SOUTHBANK. The Queensland Conservatorium is located at South Bank, a 10-minute walk from the Brisbane CBD. The campus is adjacent to the Queensland Art Gallery, State Library, Museum, Performing Arts Complex and the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre. South Bank was originally established for the world Expo in 1988. At the southern end of the South Bank Parklands is Griffith University's Queensland College of Art. The Queensland College of Art is the State's oldest and most distinguished art institution. Organised art and technical education began in 1881 as the School of Art in Brisbane. The College joined Griffith University in 1992 and in 2000 was relocated to Brisbane's South Bank.

GOLD COAST. Spread over 26 hectares in native bushland is the Gold Coast Campus. It's a 10-minute drive from Southport and Helensvale, and 50 minutes on the South East Motorway to Brisbane. It is Griffith's largest campus with approximately 12,000 students and 850 staff.

Courses:

Academic units, including schools, departments and faculties, are organised into four groups:
Arts;
Education and Law;
Business; Health; and
Science.

These groups facilitate teaching, research and service activities across campuses. Most administrative support services, including student administration, finance, human resource management, information technology and technical services are organised as centralised, multi-campus offices.

Griffith University has forty-six schools and faculties, organised into ten study areas:
Arts, Business, Education, Engineering and Information Technology, Health, Law and criminology, Music, Natural and built environment, Science & Visual and creative arts

Griffith University also has independent academic centres, colleges and institutes including:
Centre for Applied Languages and Linguistics;
Centre for Applied Studies in Deafness;
Centre for Credit and Consumer Law;
Centre for Environment and Population Health;
Centre for Financial Independence and Education;
Centre for Leadership and Management in Education;
Centre for Professional Development;
Multi-Faith Centre;
Queensland Centre for Public Health (Griffith);
Griffith Institute for Higher Education; Griffith Sports College;
Gumurrii Student Support Unit and;
Unit for Italian Studies.