Message from the Vice-Chancellor
Welcome to James Cook University. This Handbook is an important reference guide to the administrative and academic services provided by the University. Please take time to go through it carefully as it contains not only details of all the essential procedures and information necessary for undergraduate and postgraduate enrolment but also information on how to make the most of JCU’s services and facilities.
As a dynamic university in a unique region of Australia, JCU has a great deal to offer students embarking on or continuing a tertiary education. It has developed a well deserved national and international reputation for its teaching and research programs, while taking a leading role in the social and cultural life of the North Queensland community.
To assist you as much as possible during your studies the University offers a comprehensive range of student services, including counselling, guidance for overseas students, assistance for people with disabilities, health services, financial assistance and career advice. Full details of these services can be found in this Handbook.
Currently there are more than 1100 staff working at the Douglas and Vincent Campuses in Townsville and the Smithfield Campus in Cairns to serve the needs of more than 11,000 students.
The University’s outstanding growth in recent years has opened the way for a diverse range of new courses previously unavailable in Australian regional centres such as Townsville and Cairns. In addition the University’s research opportunities have been enhanced through involvement in seven of the nation’s Cooperative Research Centres.
What you make of the opportunities presented to you in the coming years is very much in your hands but there is no doubt a university education will give you distinct advantages and open up many career possibilities which you may not previously have even imagined.
Our goal is to equip you with the knowledge to tackle a wide range of challenges that you may face as you pursue your chosen profession. I invite you to make the most of the outstanding facilities and resources available to you at James Cook University and I wish you every success during 2001.
Professor Bernard Moulden, Vice-Chancellor and President