SYDNEY --- Queensland Premier Peter Beattie was in the city’s central business district Friday to stake ground for Central Queensland – smack in the middle of Sydney.

Beattie, a supporter of Central Queensland University (CQU) and its growing international programs that serve 8,000 students, officially opened the university’s new campus located at 333 Kent Street.

Premier Beattie, glowing that a “little bit of Queensland was in News South Wales,” said the opening demonstrates how regional communities and progressive universities like CQU have leadership roles in making education more accessible to more students.

.“What I like about the [CQU] Sydney Campus is that students are predominantly studying subjects vital to a future in business, said Beattie.”.

Beattie called CQU “one of the most successful Queensland universities” and congratulated it on its “smart thinking in the education field.”.

He said he and CQU would continue to build on strong relationships in the region, “tap into the global knowledge economy and promote community and diversity.”.

CQU, awarded a 5-star Diversity rating in the Good Universities Guide, received the Premier of Queensland’s Export Award in 2001 (Education Section) for its global teaching delivery networks. The university’s first “international” campus, CQU Sydney was established in 1994 with 29 students. It now has an enrolment approaching 3-thousand and is the CQU’s second largest campus outside of its Rockhampton headquarters.

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“In 2001, CQU had a larger percentage of international students than any other university in the country. And figures released this month indicate CQU is at the top of the list for the percentage increase in total student enrolment from 2001 to 2002, ” said Vice-Chancellor Professor Glenice Hancock. Almost 50% of CQU enrolments are international students.

The new Kent Street campus, close to Darling Harbour, replaces more limited accommodations previously located in the Imperial Arcade and has the capacity and flexibility to meet the university’s requirements into the future.

CQU also graduated approximately 275 students from its Sydney International Campus Friday. They were from Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Brunei, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, India, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Laos, Lithuania, Myanmar, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Slovakia, Taiwan, United Kingdom and Vietnam. Four students received degrees from the school of Arts Health & Sciences; 77 from Business and Law; 19 from Education and Creative Arts; 4 from Engineering; and 170 from Informatics and Communication. The university also graduates 300 more form its international campuses in Brisbane and Melbourne this month.

CQU is one university that offers a broad curriculum to a diverse student population from 44 countries across many campuses. Full fee-paying international students benefit from the experience and expertise a leading regional university can offer, including CQU’s excellent reputation for conducting vital regional research and the implementation of those research findings into the curriculum at all its delivery sites. This arrangement enables CQU to provide a breadth and level of higher education to all of its 19,000 students, especially those located in Central Queensland, at standards well above what is possible through traditional funding approaches.

A national leader in distance education and flexible-learning programs, CQU also has facilities in Bundaberg, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Gold Coast, Fiji, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.