By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
CASEY Mayor Sam Aziz’s vision for a top-shelf university on the soon-to-be vacated Monash University campus in Berwick has received interest from the Top End.
Cr Aziz said the council would advocate for Northern Territory-based Charles Darwin University’s ambitious bid for the site – soon after meeting with the university’s vice-chancellor Professor Simon Maddocks on 24 May.
The university’s bid included boosting the range of courses offered – including engineering, business, medicine, nursing and hospitality, Cr Aziz said.
“The downfall for Monash was they did not have that diversity of courses. They weren’t interested in Berwick, but interested elsewhere.
“I’m starting to think the Monash decision (to leave Berwick) was a blessing in disguise.
“It’s not just about the name of the tertiary institution, but what actually gets delivered.”
Cr Aziz said the university – in the top 2 per cent in the world for academic performance – was enthusiastic to accommodate his hope for an elite business school along the lines of Harvard Business School.
It would help drive the council’s vision as a leader in economic development, he said.
“The exciting thing is their business model is for the sort of education we’re looking to offer in Casey.
“They have undertaken to partner with the council and the community to build the DNA on the campus, which tailors it to service the area.”
The university approached Casey Council to outline the bid, attracted by the region’s burgeoning population and quality schools such as Nossal High and Haileybury, Cr Aziz said.
“They believe there’s a really strong market for tertiary education. It just has to be exploited by the right entity.”
Monash University, which plans to vacate Berwick in 2018, is believed to have three suitors for the site at this stage.
Cr Aziz said the council did not have a direct say in the bidding process, but would lend its support to Charles Darwin.
Charles Darwin University stated it would not comment at this stage.
