Chapter 37: The Australian National University

September 23, 1900, Sydney.

Amidst the wave of celebration and gratitude throughout Australia, Arthur seized the opportunity to establish the first university in Australia, the Australian National University, in Sydney.4 The Australian National University was established in 1946, in Canberra.

This is a large university jointly invested and constructed by the Australian government and the royal family. The government invested one million and one pounds, and the royal family invested one million pounds, totaling more than two million pounds.3

Although it has just been established, the Australian National University occupies a large area, reaching more than two square kilometers, or over 3,000 acres of campus.

Although the school does not actually need such a vast area, Australia is sparsely populated, and land area is not really lacking.

Therefore, these excess areas have been planned as green areas and artificial lakes, which can both improve the natural environment of the campus and make good use of the surplus space.2

As a cradle for cultivating high-quality talents in Australia in a short period, Arthur values the Australian National University very much. He came to the site in person as soon as it was built, and will attend the first meeting of the Australian University with the Minister of Education, Richard Noble Chapman.

Thanks to the low requirements for campus environment in this era, most of the Australian National University campus is just simple roughcast buildings, and only some relatively sophisticated laboratories will use fine decoration, and the cost is generally several times or even tens of times that of ordinary buildings.

The Australian National University.

"Mr. President, will His Highness and the Minister really come to our meeting?" a language lecturer who had traveled from Europe asked in surprise.

In Europe, even as a senior language lecturer at a university, the highest-ranking person he had ever seen was an official from the education department of various countries.

But unexpectedly, just a few days after arriving in Australia, he could see the monarch of Australia and the Minister of Education, and even participate in a meeting with them in person. It was simply too incredible.

As soon as the principal, Wilfred Freeman Wayneberg, finished speaking, a group of teachers, some of whom were recruited from Europe and other places, perked up their ears, afraid to miss a single word spoken by the principal.

"Of course, Professor James. Is there anything his Highness said that isn't true? Besides, the meeting will start in a little while, and you'll find out then," Wilfred Freeman Wayneberg said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the other teachers stopped asking and nodded in agreement.

Although most of them had only come to Australia in the past few months, they were well aware of Arthur's actions in Australia. For a monarch who said what he did and followed through with it, it was really hard to see him break his word.

And as Wilfred Freeman Wayneberg had said, in just a few minutes, Arthur, accompanied by the Minister of Education Richard, entered the campus and, guided by several guards and teachers, arrived at the meeting area where everyone was waiting.

The area where the teachers and school leaders were located was one of the few areas in the school that had been decorated. The walls were covered with a layer of smooth cement and then topped with a layer of lime, making it look clean and tidy.

"Your Highness!"

Seeing Arthur enter, everyone stood up and saluted.

Arthur nodded and sat down at the head of the conference table without hesitation, and then instructed, "Alright, let's not waste any more time and begin the meeting!"

"Yes, Your Highness," Wilfred Freeman Wayneberg stood up, first respectfully responding, then continued, "Your Highness, Minister, and fellow teachers, the Australian National University has gone through more than three months of construction since its inception. In general, our teaching, office, and living areas have been built and can be put into use. However, some advanced laboratories involving precision and environmental factors may still require two to three months of construction before they can be put into use. But overall, the Australian National University can soon begin recruiting students and officially start classes next month."

From the perspective of the educational nature of universities, the current configuration of national universities in Australia is completely sufficient for use. As for the laboratories that are still under construction, they are intended for use by scientists and senior professors attracted from Europe, because there are not yet many scientists and professors at present, so it is not a big deal if they are completed later.

"Very good, President Wilfred Freeman Wayneberg. The Australian National University will be the most important cradle for talent cultivation in Australia in the next few years. I am very pleased that it can be built and put into use in such a short period of time. So let's talk about your enrollment issue! How many students does the Australian National University plan to enroll this year, and how many are limited in each major?" Arthur first nodded in satisfaction and then asked an important question about enrollment.

"Your Highness, currently, because our number of teachers is limited, our school has only opened five majors, namely mechanical engineering, physical chemistry, architecture, medical and literary majors. Among them, mechanical engineering and physical chemistry are relatively important for our industrial development, so the number of students enrolled in these two majors should be at least 200 or more. Architecture and medical majors also have a large number of vacancies in our country's infrastructure and medical development, and the recruitment of talents in these two industries should not be too small, with at least 150 people. Secondly, literary majors are needed to train Australians into a unified culture, as Australia is a multi-ethnic country composed of locals and foreign immigrants. Therefore, the number of students enrolled in literary majors should also be at least 100 or more. Therefore, it seems that our first enrollment should be at least 800 people or more, in order to fill a certain gap in talent for the country after these students graduate." Wilfred Freeman Wayneberg suggested.

This is also Australia's weakness. Although it has a large number of mineral resources and land, talents in Australia are also very scarce, and various industries in national development require a large number of talents.

"I approve, and I allow you to increase it as appropriate on the basis of 800 people, but the number of people should not exceed 1500." Arthur nodded without hesitation and said.

Arthur likes the practical character of Wilfred Freeman Wayneberg, and this is exactly the kind of person who doesn't waste time and only focuses on getting things done that the meeting needs.