CDU top of class in international education
Charles Darwin University demonstrated its ability to punch above its weight in international education by winning a prestigious national award for excellence at the Australian Export Awards in Sydney last night.
CDU won the Education and Training Award, becoming the first NT exporter since 2009 to win an Australian Export Award.
The win acknowledges CDU’s long-term strategy to engage with international education, develop research partnerships and for the support of academic staff to be directly involved with international activities and exchanges.
International Strategy and Development Director Monica Turvey said she was delighted that CDU had been acknowledged for its international success.
“We export the delivery of high-quality research, education and training in more than 75 nationally and internationally recognised and accredited programs, in multiple study locations across Australia,” Ms Turvey said.
“In 2013/2014 Charles Darwin University recorded a growth in excess of 40 per cent in international student enrolments compared with the previous year.
“Our international students come from more than 50 countries, a proud achievement for CDU that now has one of the most diverse on-campus international student populations in Australia.
“We have grown our market share of students from India and Nepal, expanded recruitment activities to Sri Lanka and Vietnam, and signed an education and training contract with the Timor Leste Ministry of Finance in the past 12 months.”
Ms Turvey, who attended the award ceremony, said the judges had commented on CDU’s commitment to growing its international business in a strategic and sustainable way.
They noted that our strategy differed from others in the sector by taking an innovative and longer term approach to market development, she said.
It is the second time in six weeks that Charles Darwin University has been acknowledged for its outstanding international success, having last month won the Export Award at the Chief Minister's NT Export and Industry Awards.
“With more than 1500 international students enrolled in PhD, masters and bachelor programs and in VET courses, we are the leading education services exporter in the Northern Territory,” Ms Turvey said.
“These awards speak of the staff commitment to a quality educational experience across the university and of the hard work and dedication of the international office team in managing the market development opportunities.”
CDU is ranked in the top two per cent of universities in the world and in the top 100 universities in the world less than 50 years old.