New regional communities to join CUC network of Study Hubs
25 Mar 2024
The Country Universities Centre (CUC) welcomes today’s announcement of the next round of Regional University Study Hubs (RUSH) funded by the Australian Government.
The CUC welcomes the communities of Warwick, Chinchilla, Longreach, Barcaldine, Blackhall, Winton, Boulia, Bedourie, Birdsville, and Jundah to the CUC Network. The CUC also welcomes the Regional University Study Hub Program funding of two existing CUCs – CUC Cowra and CUC Mudgee Region.
Chris Ronan, CEO of CUC, commended the government’s dedication to regional higher education. “The success of the CUC and Regional University Study Hubs is that it is community-led. We know that when communities work together across regional Australia, we can get incredible outcomes and throw open the door to higher education opportunities.
The strength of the CUC concept is that each Centre is owned and run by a local skills-based volunteer board that chooses to affiliate with the CUC network. This grass-roots community approach is what has made the CUC and Regional University Study Hub Program successful.” said Mr Ronan.
The announcement today will expand the CUC Network from 18 to 21 Centres spanning across 33 communities throughout Queensland, NSW, and Victoria.
The CUC would like to thank Minister Clare and Minister Chisholm for their ongoing support for regional communities across Australia.
CUC CEO, Chris Ronan, highlighted the role that community-led higher education has on meeting the vision of the Universities Accord. “The Universities Accord makes it clear that more people from the regions should have access to higher education, it highlights how models that empower regional communities and are institutionally agnostic can deliver incredible results for Australia.
At CUC Cape York in Cooktown, there are currently 60 students, studying at 27 different universities and providers across 48 unique degrees in a town of 2,800 people. That Centre has been open less than a year and is already demonstrating the incredible opportunity that a community-led approach to higher education can achieve.” he said.
About Country Universities Centre (CUC)
The Country Universities Centre is a network of community-led Regional University Study Hubs dedicated to providing equitable access to higher education for regional people, ensuring they can pursue their aspirations without leaving their communities.
The CUC was founded in Cooma (population 8,000) in 2013 and has since expanded to a network of 21 Centres in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Each CUC provides face-to-face academic and wellbeing student services from local staff, and facilities that have quiet study spaces, breakout rooms, high-speed internet, and a local learning community. This allows students to have the physical infrastructure and personalised face-to-face local support needed to ensure their higher education success. Every Centre is owned and run by a local skills-based volunteer board.