Residential College
Prospectus 2005
Transforming students’ lives since 1872
RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE
PROSPECTUS 2005
Trinity aims to offer its students the best all-round education
in an Australian university [is this still the right message??]
No – use
Transforming students’ lives since 1872
CONTENTS
Welcome to Trinity by the Provost and Acting Dean,
Professor Robert Chambers BA Duke BD Yale PhD Brown 3
Trinity College’s Mission 4
Trinity’s Values and History 4
Trinity’s Academic Life 5
Trinity’s Extra-Curricular Life 7
Trinity’s Facilities for Student Life 8
Trinity College Staff 9
WELCOME TO TRINITY
For over 130 years, Trinity College in the University of Melbourne has been one of Australia's pre-eminent tertiary institutions for nurturing excellence, leadership and community service. We have one of the most challenging, rigorous and rewarding academic programs for undergraduates in Australia. At Trinity we realise that during these critical years, you should also be learning the personal disciplines, the social skills, and the deep commitments that will enable you to use your intellectual depth to make a practical and significant difference in the world.
Many of the most important learning experiences for Trinity students occur in tutorial groups and college activities, on playing fields, in debates, in plays and musicals, in spending time with friends. The quality of the people, the staff and student body, is crucial in modelling the servant leaders who truly make a difference in the world.
Trinity women and men have gone on to serve the community and provide outstanding leadership in a wide variety of fields - in the law and in medicine, in politics and public service, in business, in the Church, in universities and schools, in the arts, in science, and in many other walks of life. From Governors-General to Premiers to chief executives to Vice-Chancellors to Archbishops, from teachers to welfare workers to researchers and artists, and in much else besides, Trinity people have made a quite exceptional contribution to Australia's life and the life of many other countries.
In an age of ever-increasing competition, the edge that the Trinity experience gives to students is increasingly valuable - and very highly sought after. There are places at Trinity for undergraduate and post-graduate students, both resident and non-resident, for tutors of all ages and subjects, and for visiting scholars from around the world. Trinity offers a community that is friendly, welcoming and enriching - and likely to offer you one of the most rewarding and stimulating experiences of your life.
Is the Trinity experience and the Trinity ‘edge’ for you? We hope that this prospectus will help to answer that question, and we hope the answer will be ‘yes’. It would be our great pleasure to hear from you further about your interest in joining us in this remarkable community.
Professor Bob Chambers
Provost and Acting Dean
TRINITY COLLEGE’S MISSION
To be faithful to its founding purpose and to help its students face the challenges of the 21st century, and in supporting the mission of the University of Melbourne to be recognized as one of the world's great universities, Trinity College works to offer all students in all its programs a collegiate education which is increasingly comparable with the best in the world. Trinity offers 'large and liberal education' with emphasis on international awareness and on ethical values and social responsibility. A Trinity education promotes the highest standards of academic excellence in a context of personal and intellectual breadth.
The College celebrates the diversity of backgrounds of its students, and - in upholding the principles of equity and diversity - works hard to offer a Trinity education to talented students from around Australia and around the world regardless of their means. The College draws on the strengths of its various programs, taking advantage of synergies within a unified college offering a range of educational programs, and works to develop the human and material resources needed to be a high-performing institution seeking always to do better for present and future generations of students.
Trinity is proud to have a diverse population, with our students and staff coming from all over Australia and the world. The College stands firmly in the Anglican Christian tradition, but welcomes students of any faith and of none. Among the values that the College therefore encourages are:
high academic standards and the encouragement of all-round excellence
· a commitment to equality of respect for women and men of all backgrounds
critical and creative thinking
leadership
spiritual reflection
integrity and ethical conduct
a balanced approach to life
international and inter-cultural awareness
tolerance of and respect for diversity
compassion for the less fortunate
team-work, living and working in harmony with others, and resolving conflict appropriately
· a life-long aspiration to grow as a person and to serve the community.
TRINITY’S VALUES AND HISTORY
Trinity College, a fully co-educational residential college in the University of Melbourne, is an academic institution established on Christian principles, in which each individual is valued and nurtured, and encouraged, helped, and expected to give his or her talents their fullest expression. The College aims to give as much personal attention as possible to the academic as well as the broader development of all its students and to their career and further study plans. Through the provision of teaching, educational resources, and opportunities for community service, cultural and spiritual experience and growth, and sporting and artistic endeavours, the College seeks to ‘add value’ to the education provided by the University. This includes not only specialist teaching in discreet subject areas, but also training in generic skills that will help equip our students for their entire careers.
Trinity has been home to resident and non-resident students since 1872, and in 1883 was the first university college in Australia to admit women as non- resident students. It was also the first to provide a residential college facility for women with the establishment of the Trinity Women’s Hostel in 1886, now Janet Clarke Hall. Trinity’s residential college comprises a community of over 260 resident students and up to one hundred non-resident students, supported by a tutorial team of approximately fourteen resident and twenty six non-resident tutors drawn from across the University of Melbourne and the various professions. Trinity combines a traditional concern for personal growth and intellectual inquiry with an aim to foster a broad, international outlook and a life-long commitment to learning and community service. Women and men have made life-long friendships at Trinity for over a century, and today’s students look upon their time in College as one of the most enriching and significant times of their lives.
EQUIPPING STUDENTS FOR PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS
Over the years Trinity has served an important role in equipping young women and men for successful roles in public and professional life. Trinity graduates have gone on to achieve international prominence in an extraordinary variety of fields, showing leadership and outstanding achievement in the arts, business, law, medicine, political and public service, education and the Church, both in Australia and abroad.
The commitment of the College to all-round excellence is reflected in the high number of Trinity students awarded Rhodes Scholarships, which are won on the basis of scholastic achievements, leadership, commitment to the public good, and such personal qualities as truth, courage, unselfishness and fellowship.
Trinity College Rhodes Scholars
1904 J C V Behan
1904 L N Morrison (Tas)
1905 H Sutton
1911 G M Sproule
1912 E F Herring
1919 S C Lazarus (Leslie)
1919 A W Clinch (Tas)
1920 C E G Beveridge
1920 W K Hancock (Aust)
1924 R R Sholl
1927 F K S Hirschfeld (Qld)
1928 A Garran
1930 J F Loutit (WA)
1935 J C Mann
1936 M N Austin
1937 M R Thwaites
1938 A W Hamer
1946 A H Cash
1951 J R Poynter
1954 J D Anderson
1955 B E Kent
1956 A M Gibbs
1960 P A V Roff
1965 C Selby-Smith
1972 C D Cordner
1975 C M Maxwell
1979 J S Glover
1980 E Storey
1988 A E Nicholson
1992 J C Turner (Aust)
1993 C D McCamish
1993 C R B Day (Aust)
1994 L M Gorton
2000 T R Snow
2000 C J Hepburn
TRINITY’S ACADEMIC LIFE
The promotion of educational excellence has always been at the forefront of Trinity’s mission. Speaking at the foundation of the College in 1870, William Wilson, Foundation Professor of Mathematics at the University of Melbourne, noted that Trinity had the unique opportunity of fulfilling what he termed an ‘incomplete university’. Itself drawing upon the experience of the finest collegiate universities of the world - including Oxford, Cambridge, and Trinity College Dublin - Trinity provided the educational model for the other colleges of the University of Melbourne. Today the College retains its commitment to modelling ‘best practice’ for Australian education, not only by drawing upon the educational models offered by the most distinguished universities in the western world, but also by making a unique contribution of its own.
Trinity employs outstanding tutors from among the most capable university graduates. At a time of expanding university class sizes, Trinity tutors work with individual students and small classes. As tutors are not tied to the demands of the formal syllabus and do not have to grade students’ work, College provides a teaching environment in which students can obtain specific assistance with their courses while exploring intellectual skills and specialist knowledge, helping them fully to understand and master their field of learning.
Trinity’s academic program has four main elements:
• the tutorial program
• the academic and pastoral mentoring program
• the program of generic academic skills training
• the contribution of visiting fellows who may assist, through occasional lectures and teaching, in the academic programs of the College.
This program is available to all resident and non-resident students, while students from other colleges may attend the Trinity tutorials.
Tutorials
Trinity offers approximately ninety tutorials a week, making it one of the largest providers of tutorial education of all the colleges of the University of Melbourne. Tutors hold regular one-hour tutorial classes in their subjects, and are both encouraged and trained to be creative and dynamic in their teaching methods. Typically, the College organises tutorials for groups of four or more students, but will consider smaller tutorial classes on a case-by-case basis. Trinity has particular strengths in the areas of medicine (pre-clinical and clinical), law, commerce, and the humanities.
Tutorials are held on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings throughout the academic year. Where tutorials are not available at Trinity, the College will seek tutorial assistance on behalf of the student from another college at the University of Melbourne.
Mentoring
As in institutions such as Harvard, Princeton and Oxford, Trinity College sees the provision of academic mentoring for all resident and non-resident undergraduate students as one of the most valuable contributions it can make to enhancing their university education. Academic mentors are usually College tutors or other members of College staff. Mentoring is aimed at encouraging and assisting all students to fulfil their potential in their studies and in their personal development, including assisting them in course and career choices. At Trinity, all resident and non-resident students are allocated a mentor whose role is to give guidance and academic advice to her or his students throughout the course of their University studies. Students are required to meet with their mentors formally at least twice per semester. Of course, the mentor is the first port of call for students whenever they have a question or concern about their academic progress, or about any aspect of their studies. All mentors report, through the Director of Mentoring, to the Dean, who from time to time will provide further advice and other assistance.
The Director of Academic Studies and the Director of Mentoring are available to provide advice at any time. Of course, all students are welcome to speak with any of the College’s academic staff.
Generic skills training
The academic staff of Trinity College, along with the senior leaders of the University of Melbourne, are increasingly aware of the need for all students to be well-versed in the generic academic skills that cannot be directly taught within the formal university syllabus. In addition to its tutorial program, Trinity therefore runs periodic training sessions in generic academic skills, such as written and oral communication, research and exam preparation skills, and critical thinking. These seminars are invaluable in equipping students to work and study efficiently, and also in preparing them for the transition from university to professional life.
TRINITY’S EXTRA-CURRICULAR LIFE
By encouraging its students to take a full role in College and University life, and the life of the wider community, Trinity aims to foster qualities of leadership and participation, and to encourage students to seek new opportunities to learn and grow in areas that will complement their academic formation. Trinity students demonstrate talent, enthusiasm and creativity in art, music, drama, debating, literary pursuits, team and individual sports, spiritual and religious activities, and community service, as well as enjoying and organising a wide array of College social activities. Trinity is a place to become involved, and there is a range of ways in which the College helps students to develop their talents, and to enjoy their student years.
The Trinity College Associated Clubs (TCAC) Committee was formed in 1934 to provide the central point of contact for student clubs and societies. It organises student activities in intellectual, cultural, sporting and social matters. The Dialectic Society, Musical Theatre Society, Wine Cellar, Billiards Room, Outreach and the Drama Club are just some of the societies in which students can be involved. Along with the various Transition and Orientation activities, the College Ball and sporting and cultural competitions, these clubs help provide a focus for students to become involved in community, intellectual, and social life.
TRINITY’S FACILITIES FOR STUDENT LIFE
The provision of facilities for study and accommodation, music, creative arts, sport and leisure are a vital part of Trinity’s contribution to its students’ education. Trinity’s magnificent grounds are immediately adjacent to the University of Melbourne and are within close walking distance of the city’s cultural and culinary precincts. Trinity aims to offer up-to-date resources for students to pursue their degree.