THE West Tamar Council called for the continued provision and expansion of the University of Tasmania's programs in the North at their August council meeting.
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According to the council meeting agenda, for the past 20 years the university's Launceston campus grew slowly while the development of the University at Hobart was given priority.
The motion was brought forward by the West Council Mayor Christina Holmdahl and councillors Tim Woinarski, Peter Kearney and Geoff Lyons.
The agenda also stated that there was an emergence of "Hobart-centric university leadership".
As of 2014, the university's Hobart campus had 12,000 students compared to the 7000 students, including 1600 fully online students, at Launceston.
The agenda stated that it was the academic staff at universities that attracted research and the funding.
"Due to the lack of senior academic staff at Launceston, the ability to attract and undertake research in the North has always been severely hampered, which in turn weakens the North's ability to attract senior academic staff," it said in the agenda.
The possibility of relocating the university campus from Newnham to a new facility at Inveresk has been discussed in Tasmania but the council stated that this could downgrade the university in the North.
It was suggested in the past that the university could look into increasing the number of certificate, associate diploma and diploma courses offered in the North and the North-West.
The council members called for the courses offered in Launceston to continue to include doctorate, masters, bachelor and postgraduate degrees and diplomas, research activity at the highest level to continue in Launceston and staffing at the University of Tasmania in Launceston to be strengthened.
The councillors raised concerns about whether the university had a three to five year plan for the Northern campus and what degrees will offered in each of the campuses.
The council voted unanimously to call on the state and federal governments and the university council to support the continued provision and expansion programs in the North.