35°16′35″S 149°07′14″E / 35.276370°S 149.120489°E / -35.276370; 149.120489

The Australian National University, commonly abbreviated to ANU, is a public teaching and research university located in Canberra, the federal capital city. The University was established by an act of the Parliament of Australia and came into being on 7 February 1947, with the legislated purpose of conducting and promoting research in Australia.^[1]

The University consistently achieves the highest ranking for universities in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere according to several compilations, including the Shanghai Jiao Tong University^[2] and the annual THE-QS World University Rankings (known from 2010 as the QS World University Rankings)^[3]. Its notable staff and alumni include five Nobel laureates.

The University is governed by a 15-member council. ANU is a member of several university alliances and cooperative networks, including the Group of Eight (Australian universities), the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy and the International Alliance of Research Universities.

The Australian National University was established by an act of the Parliament of Australia, introduced by the then Prime Minister Ben Chifley and the Minister for Post-war Reconstruction J.J. Dedman. The bill was passed on 1 August 1946 with support of the Opposition Leader Robert Menzies. Its provisions came into effect on 7 February 1947. ANU is the only Australian university to be established by an act of the Federal Parliament.^[4]

A group of eminent Australian scholars were involved in the infancy of ANU, including: Sir Mark Oliphant, a leader in radar development and nuclear physics; Sir Howard Florey, a co-discoverer of the benefits of penicillin; Sir Keith Hancock, an eminent historian; and H. C. Coombs, a renowned economist and public servant.^[5]

After its establishment, the University conducted research and provided postgraduate education. Later, in 1960, the former Canberra University College was amalgamated into The Australian National University as the School of General Studies to provide for the education of undergraduate students.

ANU comprises seven Colleges and the Institute of Advanced Studies. The Colleges undertake both undergraduate teaching, postgraduate studies and research. The Institute of Advanced Studies comprises nine research schools which focus exclusively on research.

The University's seven Colleges combine research with research-led teaching and are responsible for undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

• ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences

The ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences aims to set national and international standards in research, education and community engagement across its three platforms: humanities, creative arts and social sciences. The College plays a vital role in enhancing the distinctive profile of ANU and in shaping its future through a commitment to high achieving academic knowledge, information public debate and instilling a life-long love of learning in its students and graduates. Also part of this College are the ANU School of Music and ANU School of Art.

• ANU College of Asia and the Pacific

The ANU College of Asia and the Pacific houses a remarkable assembly of scholars and resources devoted to the study of Australia's neighbourhood from Afghanistan to the Pacific. Dedicated to outstanding research and education, the College is a centre for Australia's intellectual engagement and scholarly dialogue with the societies, worlds of thought, economies and cultures of Asia and the Pacific. The College comprises Crawford School of Economics and Government; School of International, Political and Strategic Studies; School of Culture, History and Language; and School of Regulation, Justice and Diplomacy.

• ANU College of Business and Economics

The ANU College of Business and Economics seeks to advance knowledge through high quality teaching and research in the closely related fields of business and economics. It contributes to the associated professions, industry and government by conducting world class research and through the provision of a range of coursework and research degree programs.

• ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science [1]

The ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science is commited to world class excellence in teaching and research. The College comprises the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Information Engineering and the Department of Engineering. Some staff and postgraduate students from the schools are also affiliated with the Research School of Information Sciences and Engineering which exists within the College as part of the University's Institute of Advanced Studies.

• ANU College of Law

The ANU College of Law conducts important and socially useful research; imparts the results of that research to some of the best and brightest students in Australia; and engages with the community in a wide range of outreach activities such as advising government, sitting on tribunals, giving pro bono legal advice. Concern about law reform and social justice is a strong component of the ethos of the ANU College of Law.

• ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment

The ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment embraces the Medical Research, Life Sciences, Psychology and Environmental Science undertaken at ANU. The College provides a unique environment to study, research and apply life sciences, and all aspects of medicine from fundamental research to clinical practice and population health.

• ANU College of Physical & Mathematical Sciences

The ANU College of Physical & Mathematical Sciences' focus is on outstanding science research and teaching. The College comprises Astronomy & Astrophysics; Chemistry; Earth Sciences; Mathematical Sciences; Physics; and Science Communication.

• Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics [2]

The Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) is based at the Mount Stromlo Observatory. RSAA runs university's telescopes at the Siding Spring Observatory, in NSW. On Thursday 20 April 2006 it was reported that the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics would build the world's most powerful telescope.^[6] This project is a collaboration between an elite international group of research institutions which also includes the University of Arizona, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Harvard University.

• Research School of Biological Sciences [3]

Research is carried out in areas such as agriculture, environment, neuroscience, visual science, neuroethology, health and technology.

• Research School of Chemistry [4]
• Research School of Earth Sciences [5]^[7]

The Research School of Earth Sciences (RSES) is one of the top ten university geoscience programs in the world.^{[citation needed]}

• Research School of Information Sciences and Engineering [6]

The Research School of Information Sciences and Engineering (RSISE) exists within the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

• Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies [7]

The Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (RSPAS) is Australia's leading centre for research and postgraduate training on the Asia Pacific region.^{[citation needed]} Priority research areas include East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Southwest Pacific.

• Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering [8]

The Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering (RSPhysSE). The school's primary research areas are: materials science and engineering; lasers, nonlinear optics and photonics; nanotechnology and mesoscopic physics; physics of atoms, molecules and the nucleus; plasma physics and surface science; physics and the environment.

• Research School of Social Sciences [9]

The Research School of Social Sciences (RSSS) concentrates on theoretical and empirical research in the social sciences. The following programs exist within the school: Demography & Sociology, Economics, History, Law, Philosophy, Political Science and Social & Political Theory.

• The John Curtin School of Medical Research [10]

The John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) was formed in 1948 as a result of the vision of Nobel Laureate Howard Florey and Prime Minister John Curtin. Two Nobel Prizes (John Carew Eccles in 1963 and Peter C. Doherty and Rolf M. Zinkernagel in 1996) have been won by research performed at John Curtin.

• The Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies (1973-2007) [11]

The Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies (CRES) includes economists, hydrologists, historians, ecologists, anthropologists and soil scientists. Research is undertaken into many natural resource and environmental issues. It was combined with the School of Resources, Environment and Society (SRES) to form The Fenner School of Environment and Society in 2007^[8].

The University Centres are organisational structures that can draw from both the Faculties and the Institute.

• Asia Pacific College of Diplomacy
• Crawford School of Economics and Government,
• Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute
• Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research
• Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics
• Centre for Cross-Cultural Research
• Centre for Mental Health Research
• Centre for the Public Awareness of Science
• Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems
• Eccles Institute of Neuroscience
• Humanities Research Centre
• National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health
• National Graduate School of Management
• Mathematical Sciences Institute (joint with The Faculties and the Institute)
• The National Europe Centre

The Australian National University is consistently ranked as the best in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere. It is also regarded as one of the top 100 institutions of higher learning in the world.

The following publications ranked universities worldwide.

The corresponding rankings within Australia are:

The THE-QS World University Rankings (known from 2010 onwards as the QS World University Rankings) consistently ranks the Australian National University very highly. In 2009, its position was 17th in the world and the best in Australasia, one place higher than McGill University and one place lower than Stanford University on the overall ranking. The Australian National University is the highest ranked university outside North America and Britain.^[9].

The 2009 Shanghai Jiao Tong University rankings place ANU as the 59th university in the world, and 3rd in the Asia Pacific region.

Both ranking systems use research output as a key determinant of quality. ANU ranks highest on research compared to other Australian universities.

The university's main campus occupies most of the Canberra suburb of Acton. The campus covers 1.45 square kilometres (360 acres) adjoining native bushland, Black Mountain, Lake Burley Griffin, the suburb of Turner and the city centre. Eight of the university's nine affiliated halls and colleges are located on campus, while Fenner Hall is located on Northbourne Avenue in the nearby suburb of Braddon. The halls and colleges are:

• Bruce Hall [12],
• Ursula Hall [13],
• Fenner Hall [14],
• Burgmann College [15],
• John XXIII College [16],
• Burton & Garran Hall [17],
• UniLodge Davey [18]
• UniLodge Kinloch [19]
• Toad Hall [20],
• University House [21],
• Graduate House [22]

With over 10,000 trees on its campus, the ANU was awarded the Silver Greenhouse Challenge Award at the annual Australian Engineering Excellence Awards in 2003.

The Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) is located away from the main campus in Acton, at the Mount Stromlo Observatory, near Weston Creek in south Canberra. RSAA also runs the Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran, New South Wales. Since the destruction of Mount Stromlo's telescopes in the Canberra bushfires of 2003, this is university's only telescope site. The university also runs a coastal campus at Kioloa on the South Coast of New South Wales dedicated to field work training, and a North Australia Research Unit in Darwin in the Northern Territory.

Students on all campuses are represented by the ANU Students' Association. Representation for postgraduate students is provided by the Postgraduate and Research Students' Association (PARSA), a member of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations. The Australian National University Union provides representation to all students in the provision of catering and retail services as well as functions amenities.

The ANU campus is divided into eight precincts, with three on the west side of Sullivans creek, and five on the east side.

• The west side precincts are:
  • Dickson Precinct - located in the west, it includes five of the residential colleges - John XXIII, Burgmann, Ursula, Burton & Garran and Bruce.
  • Linnaeus Precinct - located in the centre west, includes the Hancock library
  • Daley Precinct - located in the north west, includes the gym and Willows Oval

• Located on the east side of Sullivans creek are:
  • Kingsley Precinct - located in the north, includes Union court, the Chifley library, Toad Hall, Drill hall gallery and AD Hope building
  • Baldessin Precinct - located in the north east, includes the Faculty of Asian Studies, Crawford School of Economics and Government [23], and the School of Art and the School of Music.
  • Ellery Precinct - located in the centre, includes the Law building and HC Coombs building.
  • Liversidge Precinct - located in the south east towards Acton Peninsula, includes University House, Lennox House and Sir Roland Wilson Building
  • Garran Precinct - located in the south, includes everything south of South oval including the John Curtin School of Medical Research.
• Map of campus - clickable with key to ANU buildings

Academic leaders have included Professors: Manning Clark (historian); Bart Bok (astronomer) and Hanna Neumann (mathematician). Notable alumni include former Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd.

Nobel prizewinners include Sir Howard Florey (later Lord Florey) awarded in 1945. Lord Florey was an early academic adviser to ANU and Chancellor from 1965-1968; Professor John Eccles awarded in 1963 for Medicine - for his pioneering work on aspects of the mammalian central nervous system. Professor Eccles was founding Professor of Physiology at The John Curtin School of Medical Research; Professor C Harsanyi awarded in 1994 for Economics - (shared) for pioneering work on game theory, providing a new tool for economic analysis. Professor Harsanyi taught economics at ANU from 1958 to 1961, completing some of his early research on game theory while at the University; Professor Rolf Zinkernagel and Professor Peter Doherty awarded in 1996 for Medicine - for revolutionary work in immunology, Professors Doherty and Zinkernagel first met and worked together at The John Curtin School of Medical Research.

In May 2010, the Prime Minister announced a $111.7 million commitment to the development by ANU of a new Australian National Institute for Public Policy.^[10] The new National Institute is intended to centralize public policy expertise. A good portion of the funds ($53.1 million) were earmarked for building and developing the previously announced Australian Centre on China in the World, which is one of three specialist centres along with the National Security College and the Australia and New Zealand School of Government to be specifically incorporated under the umbrella of the National Institute. $19.8 million is set aside to create a joint building for the other two centres, with a further $17.3 million expressly dedicated to the National Security College.

• Australian National University Library
• Australian National University Student Association
• Australian National University Union
• List of Australian National University people (notable alumni, faculty and chancellors)
• NICTA - national information and communication technology research centre, co-founded by ANU
• University of Canberra
• Woroni - the ANU student newspaper
• Group of Eight (Australian universities)
• List of forestry universities and colleges

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