Two Histories, One Future: The Making of Adelaide University
Nestled alongside one another on Adelaide’s bustling North Terrace sit the beating campus hearts of the University of Adelaide and University of South Australia (UniSA). Starting January 1st, 2026, these two buildings will symbolise a new era of tertiary education as they officially merge and create Adelaide University.
As per their brochure, the new Adelaide University sets out to be an educational powerhouse, with a clear focus on research, accessibility and diversifying curriculum, all whilst fostering individual and academic growth of students. It has clear goals of becoming one of the top five universities nationally and also placing as one of the top 100 universities across the globe.
But where did this all start?
Merger conversations between the two universities have been in the works since 2012 and resurfaced again in 2018. However, it wasn’t until the lead up to the 2022 state election, where then-opposition leader Labor’s Peter Malinauskas pledged his commitment to the cause, that the merge gained traction. With Flinders choosing to remain as an independent institution in 2022, negotiations fell to just include UniSA and the University of Adelaide.
Fast forward to December 2023, the Labor Party is in power, and the State Parliament has just passed the Adelaide University Act. This piece of legislation proved to be a big day in South Australian education history. It signified the beginning of a new institution but the eventual end of two others.
No, but seriously, where did this all start?
The University of Adelaide and UniSA have been key players in improving state tertiary education since their establishments, and they will continue to do so as their legacy informs the new Adelaide University.
UniSA Vice Chancellor and President Professor David Lloyd says the new institution will be “informed by the past” and the histories of these two longstanding universities.
“When I think about this new institution, I think of it as a new institution that has… got a good pedigree – it’s got two really good parents,” Professor Lloyd says.
The birth of the future Adelaide University’s ‘parent,’ UniSA, can be traced back as far as 1856 where it began as the South Australian School of Art. Under this name, UniSA can be attributed to being the first institute to appoint a female teacher of painting and an Australian forerunner in having a majority female teaching staff.
The UniSA we know today is the byproduct of multiple mergers, taking the best of previous institutes to become one that is stronger, more unified and offers the best education to its students. The most significant merge, where we saw the official founding of the University of South Australia, occurred in 1991. It saw the amalgamation of South Australian Institute of Technology (SAIT) and South Australian College of Advanced Education (SACAE) during a period commonly known as the ‘Dawkins Revolution’.
The ‘Dawkins Revolution’, a term coined during the 1980s, refer to a series of higher educational reforms put in place by then-Education Minister John Dawkins. During this time, Dawkins transformed colleges into universities, including UniSA. He also laid the foundations for the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (aka your HECS debt) which signalled the end of free tertiary education in Australia.
Whilst not being the result of previous merges itself, other ‘parent’ the University of Adelaide stills boasts a rich educational history.
Founded in 1874, the University of Adelaide was the first tertiary institute in South Australia and third across the nation to be established. From day one, it dedicated itself to challenging educational barriers and preparing the next generation of national leaders.
These values are reaffirmed through some of the institutes current achievements: the first Australian university to admit an equal number of female and male students (1881), and first to offer degrees in science (1882) and business (1902). The University of Adelaide is also the alma matter of Honourable Julia Gillard, the first female Australian Prime Minister, and Andrew Thomas AO, the first Australian to walk in space.
I don’t understand - why is their history so important today?
With both universities deeply rooted in South Australia’s educational history, the upcoming merge undoubtedly raises questions about our strong attachment to the past and how this affects our ability to move forward.
University of Adelaide Vice Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj AC says both universities have long and proud histories, which many people were afraid to lose heading into the merge.
This was echoed through the words of UniSA Standing Acting Vice Chancellor and Distinguished Professor of History Marnie Hughes-Warrington AO who says some people are programmed into the future and other remind us of the past, neither being detrimental.
Taking all of this into consideration, Professor Hughes-Warrington says the best way to step forward together is to not “turn our back” on history, but to use it to inform the present and future.
“…I always say to people, if you want to move into the future, open the door on the past,” Professor Hughes-Warrington says.
As Adelaide University intends to capitalise on the strengths of both institutions, it must have a clear understanding of where it has come from, in order to determine where it can go. It must not only take on the legacy of academic excellence, but it must also recognise the areas where their ‘parent’ universities have fallen short and improve. Without a clear understanding of the past – what worked and what didn’t, it would be like the new Adelaide University is walking into a test they haven’t prepared for.
Professor Hughes-Warrington says the histories of UniSA and the University of Adelaide, along with the past experiences of students will come together to create “one big history of Adelaide University”, an institution founded on the shared belief in the power of education and innovation.
Keen to leave a behind a piece of history or take a scroll down memory lane?
Both the University of Adelaide and University of South Australia have created digital time capsules where you can do just this!
Whether it’s looking on past memories or uploading your own photographs or footage, each website allows you to play a role in shaping the history of all three universities.
*Many of the photographs included in this article were sourced from these websites.