Avondale University is an Australian

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

affiliated with the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sa ...

. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world’s second largest Christian school system. It has two campuses, the

Lake Macquarie The City of Lake Macquarie is a local government area (LGA) in the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city on 7 September 1984. It is adjacent to the city of Newcastle and is part of the Greater Newcastle area. The ...

campus being the primary campus situated in

Cooranbong Cooranbong ( ;) is a town in a suburb of the City of Lake Macquarie, Greater Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, west of the town of Morisset off the M1 Pacific Motorway. Cooranbong is surrounded by the Watagans National Park. The town's ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. The other campus is located at

Sydney Adventist Hospital Sydney Adventist Hospital, commonly known as the San, is a large private hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Fox Valley Road in Wahroonga. Established on 1 January 1903, as a not-for-profit organisation, it was originally named the Sydn ...

in the

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

suburb of

Wahroonga Wahroonga is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Shire. ...

and is the main campus of the nursing school. It primarily focuses in the areas of

teaching Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the of an educational institution. Teaching is closely related ...

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

, and

nursing Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

, but also offers

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

s in business, science and the arts as well as certificate studies in outdoor recreation. The nursing program commences at the Cooranbong campus for one or two semesters and is completed at the

with hands-on experience gained in the hospital.

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

s are offered in theology, education, nursing, ministry, and some business related fields by distance education, including a one-month on-campus component in the winter semester. Research doctoral (PhD) programs are offered in selected areas. Avondale University runs Avondale Academic Press, a small

academic publisher Academic publishing is the subfield of publishing which distributes academic research and scholarship. Most academic work is published in academic journal articles, books or theses. The part of academic written output that is not formally publi ...

. Avondale University worked toward full University status from the

Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

for many years. It was granted full University status on 1 July 2021. It is an international affiliate of the

Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) is an international organization of evangelical Christian colleges and universities. The headquarters is in Washington, D.C., United States. History In 1976, presidents of colleges in Chri ...

. Avondale University is an institution of the

South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath ...

. The library on its Lake Macquarie campus houses a local research centre of the

Ellen G. White Estate Ellen Gould White (née Harmon; November 26, 1827 – July 16, 1915) was an American author, and was both the prophet and a co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Along with other Adventist leaders, such as Joseph Bates and her husb ...

Educational philosophy

During the 1890s, Ellen White reformed the curriculum to make the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

the center of study, in place of the

classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

. This change soon spread to Adventist schools in the United States.

History

A small Bible school was commenced in Melbourne in 1892,Avondale College
from the

South Pacific Division The United States Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division (SPD) is an Army organization providing civil works and military water resource services/infrastructure. It also supports economically viable and environmentally sustainable wat ...

website "AVONDALE COLLEGE" in ''Historical Dictionary of Seventh-day Adventists'' by Gary Land, p. 29–30 on the counsel of

Ellen G. White Ellen Gould White (née Harmon; November 26, 1827 – July 16, 1915) was an American author, and was both the prophet and a co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Along with other Adventist leaders, such as Joseph Bates and her husb ...

. She preferred a rural location, and as a result a search for a rural location was commenced in 1893. A common account is the

furrow A plough or ( US) plow (both pronounced ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses but modern ploughs are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, ...

story, in which Ellen White was reported to have had a

vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

concerning the land. Finding land for a college seemed to be an impossible task, as the small church in Australia at the time did not have the finances to support such a project. Eventually the committee searching for the land found a block of land near Cooranbong ( north of Sydney) priced at $3 per acre ($741/km²) because of its "poor, sandy and hungry" land. They asked White to inspect the land, who gave her approval. An

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

expert from the government who was commissioned to look over the land reported that it was of extremely poor quality. The land was purchased in the Spring of 1895, and the Avondale School for Christian Workers was opened there in 1897. In 1911 its name was changed to Australasian Missionary College. The College was a major influence on later Adventist education. Shortly after 1951, students could study a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

through the external program of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, and a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

through

Pacific Union College Pacific Union College (PUC) is a private university, private Seventh-day Adventist Church, Seventh-day Adventist liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Angwin, California. It is the only four-year college in Napa Cou ...

Renamed Avondale College

In 1964 the institution was renamed to Avondale College and the current men's residence, Watson Hall, and first-year women's residence, Andre Hall, were completed by the following year. In 1974 it received government

accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

to offer bachelor's degrees of its own. Master's degrees were first offered in the 1970s, through

Andrews University Andrews University (Andrews) is a private Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists and is the flag ...

, and from Avondale itself in the 1990s.

To University Status

In 2013, the college signed a memorandum of understanding with

Charles Sturt University Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus public university located in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Established in 1989, it was named in honour of Captain (British Army and Royal ...

in its bid to attain full university status and, in the academic year 2015, the first students graduated with degrees jointly awarded by both institutions. In 2019,

TEQSA The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) is Australia's independent national quality assurance and regulatory agency for higher education. The agency's purpose is to protect student interests and the reputation of Australia' ...

approved Avondale College of Higher Education’s change of category application from "Higher Education Provider" to "Australian University College". In 2021,

approved Avondale University's change of category application from "Australian University College" to full Australian University status.

Adventist Heritage Centre

Information and records of the

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

region are kept at the Adventist Heritage Centre, which is located within the library of the University campus.

Heritage architecture

There are a number of historic buildings that have been preserved on the Cooranbong campus. These include Bethel Hall and College Hall (which formerly functioned as the College Chapel), both of which are unique multi-storey wooden buildings. The refurbished Chan-Shun Auditorium is based on the original auditorium. Photographs and memorabilia of the College in its early years are housed in the Sunnyside Museum located at the nearby EG White Estate.

Today

The Cooranbong shopping district and Freemans Drive now occupy some of the land that was part of the Avondale Estate, creating a disjointed estate. Avondale School, which once shared facilities with the university, and the Cooranbong Aerodrome (which up until 2006 was used as part of the aviation certificate training) are located on one section and the university on the other. FEE-HELP was introduced to the College in 2005. PhD degrees have been offered since 2006 upon approval from the

New South Wales Department of Education and Training New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. In 2010, the college council voted to change its name to "Avondale College of Higher Education" as an interim step to achieving full university status. For 30 years the college operated a school of aviation, first at Cooranbong and then at

Cessnock Airport Cessnock Airport is a civil airport located North of Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia. History Built by the Department of Main Roads during World War II named as RAAF Base Pokolbin, as part of a system of parent and satellite aerodromes ...

in the

Hunter Valley The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, Newcastle Region, or simply Hunter, spans the region in northern New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its ...

after Cooranbong Airport closed. In 2008 the school was closed due to concerns over its long-term financial sustainability. Enrollment for the school reopened in January 2009. However, the school was sold in 2010. The University maintains close links with many colleges and universities within the

Seventh-day Adventist education The Seventh-day Adventist educational system, part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is overseen by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists located in Silver Spring, Maryland. It is considered as the largest Protestant educational ...

system and international students have an option of spending the semester or year at Avondale. It also has mutual agreements with the University of Newcastle,

University of New England University of New England may refer to: * University of New England (Australia), in New South Wales, with about 26,000 students * University of New England (United States), in Biddeford, Maine, with about 6,000 students See also * New England Coll ...

and the nearby branch of Charles Sturt University, where students have had the option to do "cross-credit" courses online.

List of presidents/Vice-Chancellors

* Cassius B. Hughes: 1897–98; 1900–02 * Edwin R. Palmer: 1899 * Charles W. Irwin: 1903–08 * John H. Paap: 1909 * Benjamin F. Machlan: 1910–12 * George Teasdale: 1913–14 * Joseph Mills: 1915 * Johan M. Johanson: 1916–17 * Ludwig D. A. Lemke: 1918–20 * Henry Kirk: 1921 * William W. Prescott: 1922 * Lynn H. Wood: 1923–27 * Erwin E. Cossentine: 1928–29 * Hubert K. Martin: 1930–32 * Albert E. Speck: 1933–35 * Cyril S. Palmer: 1936–37 * Albert H. Piper: 1938–39 * Thomas C. Lawson: 1940–43 * Benjamin H. McMahon: 1944 * Edward E. Rosendahl: 1945–46 * William G. C. Murdoch: 1947–52 * Edward E. White: 1953–58 * E. Gordon McDowell: 1959–70 * Eric A. Magnusson: 1971–81 * James J. C. Cox: 1981–84 * Bryan W. Ball: 1984–90 * Geoffrey A. Madigan: 1990–2003 * John F. Cox: late 2003–08;
"New president for Avondale College" by Brenton Stacey. ''Record'' 113:36 (20 September 2008), p5 * Ray C. W. Roennfeldt: 2009–20 * Kevin Petrie: 2020–2023 * Kerri-Lee Krause: 2023–2024 *Malcolm Coulson: 2024–present

Academic organisation

The university is organised into four schools: *School of Arts and Business *School of Ministry and Theology *School of Nursing and Health *School of Education and Science

Undergraduate

All courses are taught on the Lake Macquarie campus. The nursing school is primarily located on the grounds of

. Nursing students have the option of spending their first year on either campus.

Postgraduate

The university offers Master's degrees (taught and research) and graduate certificates/diplomas in education, nursing, leadership and management, arts, theology and ministry. The PhD programme is offered predominantly in the fields of Education, Arts and Theology.

Tuition, loans and financial aid

For international students starting in 2025, tuition fees range from to per academic year for award programs lasting at least one year, with a 5% discount after the first year. Australian citizens may be offered a federally-subsidised Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) which substantially decreases the student contribution amount billed to the student. The maximum student contribution amount limits that can be applied to CSP students are dependent on the field of study. Since 2021, Commonwealth Supported Places have also been limited to 7 years of equivalent full-time study load (EFTSL), calculated in the form of Student Learning Entitlement (SLE). Students may accrue additional SLE under some circumstances (e.g. starting a ''separate'' one-year honours program) or every 10 years. Domestic students are also able to access the HECS-HELP student loans scheme offered by the federal government. These are indexed to the

Consumer A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or use purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. ...

or Wage Price Index, whichever is lower, and repayments are voluntary unless the recipient passes an income threshold. The university also offers several

scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

s, which come in the form of

bursaries A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awar ...

or tuition fee remission.

Student life

Avondale University fosters a wide variety of students from varying cultural backgrounds and beliefs. Over the years, the college has hosted students from all continents. The majority of students are from Australia, New Zealand,

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and

Pacific Islands The Pacific islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of several ...

. Exchange or transfer students from Adventist tertiary institutions in Europe and Asia make up the bulk of foreign students not from the aforementioned countries. On campus, social activities form a part of student life outside academics. The auditorium, gym, library, College Hall, and cafeteria all provide meeting places for students. Both Indoor and Outdoor students have ready access to on campus events and services. In common with the Seventh-day Adventist community, Avondale University ceases secular activities on a Friday afternoon. Over the

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holid ...

hours students are encouraged, though not required, to attend a variety of religious programs. There student-led Bible study groups and evening worship services open to students and staff alike. The men's and women's residences also host their own worship services during the weekday. Evangelical author

Philip Yancey Philip Yancey (born November 4, 1949) is an American author who writes primarily about spiritual issues. His books have sold more than 15 million copies in English and have been translated into 40 languages, making him one of the best-selling con ...

gave a presentation at Avondale College Church on 20 October 2001, which was broadcast throughout the

. He returned to speak again at Avondale in 2007.

Residential

The Lake Macquarie campus has three halls of residence: Watson Hall for males, Ella Boyd Hall for females and Andre Hall for guest visits. Students also have the option of renting a College View residence, an off-campus housing estate owned by the university. The Sydney campus (nursing school) has a single large hall of residence mainly for female students. Male students reside in a separate section of the building.

Avondale University Church

"University Church" is situated on the main (Lake Macquarie) campus. Seating 900, it is one of the largest Adventist churches in Australia.The Avondale, Australia, Church Recognizes Tensions
by James Stirling. ''Adventist Today'' 10:5 (September 2002) Its main services are "7:28" (formerly "First Church") on Friday evenings; as well as small group Bible study or "

Sabbath School Sabbath school is a function of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Seventh Day Baptist, Church of God (Seventh-Day), and some other sabbatarian denominations, usually comprising a song service and Bible study lesson on the Sabbath. It is usual ...

", children's Sabbath School and a main church service on Saturday mornings. The church regularly hosts major college events, such as an annual presentation on church-related topicsThe ''Being Adventist'' Conference in Retrospect
, a report and consensus statementbrief news article on p.3 of th
20 August 2005
issue of '' Record''

Arthur Patrick Arthur Nelson Patrick (23 February 1934 – 8 March 2013) was a Seventh-day Adventist theologian and historian. At the time of death, he was an honorary senior research fellow at Avondale College in New South Wales, Australia. He also wor ...

. ''Adventist Studies: An Annotated Introduction for Higher Degree Students'', May 2006. Prepared for Avondale College.
Online version
– without footnotes; probably an earlier version) and other creative arts events or concerts. Keynote speakers at the presentation have been Fritz Guy at the 13–15 September 2002 conference, "Being Adventist in 21st Century Australia"

available online), Bill Johnsson in the 22–24 August 2003 conference, "Hebrews for Aussies in Century 21", Alden Thompson in 2004, and Kendra Haloviak in 2005. The 2006 conference included

president Niels-Erik Andreasen as a presenter. It was initiated by the " Membership and Relational Issues Committee" which formed in 2001. The annual Avondale College Murdoch Lecture started in 1997.

Publications

Student publications include the ''Orana'', "a means of introducing students and staff to each other" early in the semester, and the

yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of Annual publication, a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually ...

''Jacaranda''. There is also a student newspaper called "The Voice", which is published twice a month. The weekly campus newsletters is named ''Connections''.Avondale Publications
, from the Avondale College website. Retrieved 27 May 2007

Notable alumni

* David Down, archaeologist and author who studied theology there in 1941, and later taught there in the academic year 1964/65 while on furlough from India *

Michael Chamberlain Michael Leigh Chamberlain (27 February 1944 – 9 January 2017) was a New Zealand-Australian writer, teacher and pastor falsely implicated in the August 1980 death of his missing daughter Azaria, which was later demonstrated to be the result ...