MAYOR TO SIGN MOU WITH UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG

28 July, 2016Posted in: Other
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Wingecarribee Shire Mayor Councillor Larry Whipper has signaled his support for a strong university presences in the Southern Highlands with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) supported at this week’s Ordinary Meeting of Council.

To be signed in conjunction with the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wollongong (UOW), the MoU is intended to foster a relationship of collaboration and cooperation between Council and the University.

“At the same time this MoU is intended to raise the profile of our Shire by showing that not only are we keen to host a campus, but that we’re also perfectly positioned and extremely capable,” explained the Mayor.

“We want to remind everyone that our Shire is centrally located between Sydney, Canberra and Wollongong, who are all homes to world-class universities themselves,” Councillor Whipper said.

“This provides us with the perfect opportunity to capitalise on our proximity, our existing services, amenities and infrastructure and support the university campus for ourselves.”

Mayor Whipper said the strengthening of the relationship with the University of Wollongong will further reinforce the Shire’s outstanding reputation as a region for excellence in secondary education.

UOW established a presence in the Shire in 2003 and expanded in 2007 with the opening of the $2.5 building designed by renowned architect Glenn Murcutt.

“Having a university campus right here in our Shire provides greater choice for prospective students, but also eases the financial and emotional burden on parents supporting their children located outside of the Southern Highlands.

“It also has the added benefit of increasing economic stimulus across the Shire as it has potential to attract other students from across the country and abroad.”

The Mayor’s Memorandum of Understanding was unanimously supported by all Councillors.

“The passing of this MoU is another step towards formalising the future of a first-class university campus right here in our own backyard.”

UOW is ranked in the Top 2% of universities in the world, and number 1 in NSW based on performance in the Australian Government’s Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching 2016.