Monash turns 50

The site of Monash's first campus in Clayton - 1960. Monash University Archives, IN1857.

This year, Monash University proudly celebrates the 50th anniversary of its establishment. The proclamation of the Monash University Act took place on 30 May 1958 under the then Victorian Premier Sir Henry Bolte.

The then Victorian Minister for Education Mr JS Bloomfield, in the second reading of the Act, declared:

“Our desire is to establish a university which will be recognised as being of a world-wide standard.

Where there is a true desire to pursue knowledge … it will not suffer itself to be confined within narrow channels and that character will … produce the finest men and women.”

Fifty years ago, Monash became the first University established in Victoria in 106 years. Monash University was named after the legendary Australian Sir John Monash, whose achievements are captured by the University motto Ancora Imparo (‘I am still learning’).

During the 1960s, Monash celebrated a number of firsts including the appointment of Sir Louis Matheson as its first Vice-Chancellor in 1960. The first Monash degrees were awarded, to Richard David Harcourt (PhD) and Richard Ian Cashman (MA), on 8 July 1963. The first bachelor degree graduations took place in 1964.

Since its inception, Monash has grown phenomenally in terms of its presence, reputation, student numbers and successes. In 1958, Clayton was chosen as the preferred site for its first campus. By 1994, the University had six campuses in Victoria and, by 2001, Monash became a global institution with campuses in Malaysia and South Africa. From 347 students in 1961 to more than 50,000 today.

Among its many achievements, Monash can lay claim to Minimum Message Length (MML) technology (1968), Australia’s first successful IVF birth (1980) and the development of a new flu drug (1999).

Today, Monash University belongs to the prestigious ‘Group of Eight’ Australian research-intensive universities. It has almost 215,000 alumni and more than 50,000 students from over 130 countries. Monash is responsible for educating students who have gone on to become leaders in their field including barrister and author Mr Julian Burnside, QC (BEc 1972, LLB 1973), scientist Professor Tim Flannery (MSc 1981) and surgeon Dr Susan Lim (MBBS(w/hons) 1979).

A number of exciting activities are planned for the University’s golden jubilee. Celebrations include the 50th Anniversary Public Lecture Series highlighting the achievements of the University’s ten faculties, the 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner (incorporating the Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony), art exhibitions, sporting events and concerts.

Links:

Monash University 50th Anniversary website