Northern Territory University
The Northern Territory University (NTU) was founded in January 1989 by merger of the Darwin Institute of Technology, and the University College of the Northern Territory. The merger was controversial, but forced by the so-called Dawkins Revolution under Federal Minister of Education John Dawkins. The new university started life on January 1st, 1999. Degrees of the University of Queensland continued to be awarded for a few years.
The first Vice-Chancellor was Professor Malcolm Nairn from Murdoch University in Western Australia. Under his leadership the university prospered and morale was high among both staff and students. However funding declined as student numbers rose. During his term of office the various study centres around the Territory, that previously had been run directly by the NT Government, became part of the University. The Palmerston campus, for a few years previously a TAFE College, also became part of the university. The Palmerston campus is situated on University Avenue as this was the proposed site for a new university in a submission to the Federal Government in 1981.
The second Vice-Chancellor was Professor Roger Holmes from Griffith University. After an initial excellent start to his period of office, he disappointed the university and local community by resigning after serving for only one semester to take up the post of Vice-Chancellor at University of Newcastle.
He was replaced as third Vice-Chancellor by the then Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ron McKay. Under his leadership, the financial constraints on the university increased. The environment of having to provide as wide as possible a tertiary education to a small population living in a very large area far from alternative institutions became even more hostile and the university did not prosper. In January 2001, the Katherine Rural College, including Mataranka Station, became part of the university.
After Ron McKay's resignation due to ill health in 2002, an interim Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ken McKinnon, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wollongong was appointed. He took various actions to improve the health of the university, some controversial, such as the proposal to merge with Centralian College with a new name for the university.
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