Students have poured back to Australian Catholic University’s Blacktown campus for a welcome fair and the start of Semester 1, as the university enters the third year of its partnership with Blacktown City Council.
The two entities have just renewed a Heads of Agreement to provide higher education to students in the heart of Western Sydney. ACU and BCC have forged a strong collaboration since the council endorsed ACU’s bid to establish the new campus, which opened to students in 2021.
In that time, residents of Blacktown have embraced the opportunity to attend university in their own community. The Main Street campus attracts students enrolling in university degrees, high school students taking part in pathway programs, conferences on campus that are showcasing ACU research, as well as providing networking possibilities for industry partners.
More than 1200 students enrolled in more than 30 courses across four faculties have commenced Semester 1, around double the inaugural cohort. That number is expected to double again over the next few years, with prospects to expand further once a second building in Warrick Lane opens in 2029.
While the campus is taking shape in the centre of town, the university is actively involved in the development of Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology Hub – BEST – at the Blacktown International Sports Park, which will host ACU’s exercise and sports science higher education and research programs.
ACU Campus Dean Valentine Mukuria said the partnership would continue to flourish in a community that had welcomed it so warmly.
“It has been a whole of community endeavour to bring this concept to life and will continue to be a deep collaboration as the next stages of our commitment continue to unfold,” Dr Mukuria said.
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ACU and BCC partnership continues to flourish in Blacktown (ACU)
