AGY-3839 | Armidale College of Advanced Education

Full description

In mid-1973 the Commonwealth agreed to assume full financial responsibility for the entire tertiary sector and to discontinue charging tuition fees for courses leading to formal qualifications at Universities, Colleges of Advanced Education (CAEs) and Technical Colleges. The reforms were implemented in January 1974, upgrading state Teachers' Colleges into degree-granting institutions in the CAE mould. The Tertiary Allowance Scheme was implemented in 1974; the Higher Education Act 1969 (Act No.29, 1969) defined the structure under which CAEs became autonomous corporate bodies.

On 1 December 1974 the Armidale Teachers' College became the Armidale College of Advance Education (ACAE) incorporated under section 16 (1) of the Higher Education Act 1969. Under this Act and the subsequent Colleges of Advanced Education Act, 1975, the ACAE became an autonomous body governed by a Council comprised of members appointed by the NSW Minister for Education and additional elected members. The Principal and Deputy Principal also served as ex-officio members. The Council was authorised to appoint such Boards and Committees as it saw fit and to draft the by-laws governing the ACAE. The by-laws governed all aspects of the College including academic regulations, residence halls, fees and charges, courses of study, awards, student discipline and the appointment, promotion, resignation, conduct and discipline of academic and non-academic staff. Degrees and courses were accredited by the Advanced Education Board and registered by the Australian Council Awards in Advanced Education. Student admissions were submitted and approved directly by the ACAE

An interim Council chaired by Paul Lorimer Johnstone was appointed in 1974 to implement the Higher Education Act with the first Council appointed 1 December 1974. (1) The first ACAE Council Chairman was P.L. Johnstone, the first Principal, Patrick Desmond Leary, MA BSc, and first Deputy Principal, P. Lamb. The by-laws were drafted and approved on 11 November 1975. The ACAE 1975 handbook was the first handbook to list the appointed and elected members of Council. It also first published the draft by-laws and regulations proposed for 1975 with annotation that, while adopted, they were still subject to revision. This statement was repeated in the 1977 handbook's publication of the by-laws. The 1978 handbook included the first listing of the designated Council Committees -Finance and Management, Legislative, Properties and Executive - and their serving members. The 1981 handbook was the first handbook to publish an organisation chart of the ACAE.

While the top three tiers of the governing structure - Council, Committees, Boards - remained static, the make-up and function of the lower governing tiers was changed and revised several times. These changes were due to their structuring of the academic program, the addition and deletion of degree programs, the restructuring of administrative and service departments and the general expansion of the ACAE during its lifetime. The changes were often frequent and sometimes short-lived.

The 1978 handbook describes an ambitious academic redevelopment program mounted over 1976 and 1977 which resulted in the abolition of the Core Course structure and the establishment of 'Curriculum Centres': the Centre for Education Studies, Centre for Expressive Arts, Centre for Language Arts Education, Centre for Natural Science and Mathematics Education, Centre for Social Science Education, Centre for Administrative and Nurse Education Studies, and the Centre for Multicultural Studies.

In 1979 the committees of the Council consisted of the Executive Committee, Finance & Management Committee, Properties and Legislative. The Boards were the College Board, the Tender Board and the Board of Survey. The academic structure was divided into two divisions - the Undergraduate Studies and Graduate Studies - as well as the Curriculum Centres. Academic support was provided by special Units - Student Welfare Services, Historic Resources Centre, Media Services, the Research Committee - and the administrative offices of the Registrar and the Bursar. This structure remained with minor alteration from 1979 to 1989, the final year of the ACAE.

The Higher Education (Amalgamation) Act 1989 (Act No.65, 1989) abolished the Armidale College of Advanced Education, dissolved its Council, and passed control of its land and property to the University of New England with effect from 17 July 1989. (2)

Endnotes
1. Higher Education Act 1969 (Act No.29, 1969), s.16(1); NSW Government Gazette No.143, 29 November 1974, p.4619.
2. Higher Education (Amalgamation) Act 1989 (Act No.65, 1989), s.4; NSW Government Gazette No.83, 14 July 1989, p.4203.

References
P. Biskup, Libraries in Australia. Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, 1994.
Handbook 1974. Armidale: Armidale Teachers' College, a College of Advanced Education, 1973.
Handbooks 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1986, 1988 & 1989. Armidale: Armidale College of Advanced Education, (each published at the end of the preceding year).
Handbook 1999. Armidale: Publications Office, University of New England, 1998.