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The exact starting date of the Liaison Committee of the Schools of Civil Engineering and Transport and Highways is unknown but it was in place by 11th September 1979, which was the earliest meeting date of the committee the University Archives holds minutes of. The committee was formed to consider the pros and cons of an amalgamation of the School of Transport and Highways into the School of Civil Engineering as an independent department. The committee was to investigate the desirability of the integration, from both a global and local view point; the feasibility of such a move; the mechanics / logistics of the move; and the time scale involved. The committee consisted of the heads of the two schools, heads of departments within the schools, and senior academic staff. Meetings were called on an ad-hoc basis whenever the need arose.

On 8 July 1947 the NSW Government appointed a Developmental Council (under the chairmanship of the Minister for Education, the Hon R.J. Heffron, MLA) to establish the New South Wales Institute of Technology. The purpose of the Institute was to train scientists and technologists to meet the needs of the expanding economy. The Council met on 18 occasions between 27 August 1947 and 26 May 1949, during which time the name of the proposed body was changed to the New South Wales University of Technology. The major role of the Developmental Council had been preparation of a bill for an Act that passed though the parliamentary process in 1949. The Council had identified two unique features of the new University courses - some humanities component would be included, and practical industrial training would be a requirement. Premises of the Department of Technical Education were utilised until a site and buildings for the university were available. The first degree courses in Civil, Electrical, Mechanical and Mining Engineering commenced at Sydney Technical College in March 1948. (1) The Technical Education and University of Technology Act, 1949 (Act No 11, 1949) came into effect on 1 July 1949. It formally constituted the University as a body corporate, and consisting of the Council, the professors and other such classes of persons giving instruction within the University as may be prescribed and the graduate and under-graduate members thereof. (2) The objects of the University were (a) to provide facilities for higher specialised instruction and advanced training in the various branches of technology and science and in their application to industry and commerce; and (b) to aid by research and other suitable means the advancement, development and practical application of science to industry and commerce. (3) The University was managed by a Council of up to 30 members, (4) who were appointed by the Governor for periods of up to four years. The principal officers of the University were the President, Vice-President and Director. The Council was appointed on 5 July 1949 (5) and held its inaugural meeting the following day. The first by-laws were adopted on 12 September 1949, which included provision for the formation of the Professorial Board in the following year. (6) Building on the University's site at Kensington commenced in October 1949. (7) Finance was allocated for the building program by the New South Wales University of Technology (Construction) Act, 1951 (Act No. 35, 1951). The buildings authorised under the Act included a 3-4 storey permanent brick building to accommodate the schools of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Mechanical Drawing and Design, Geology and Mineral Engineering together with administrative offices, lecture theatre and cafeteria and 13 steel clad aluminium buildings to accommodate the School of Chemical Engineering, furniture, equipment and services for these buildings, access roads and other necessary site works. (8) The first graduates of the University were awarded their degrees on 15 March 1952. Thirty-four degrees were presented to graduates at a ceremony held at Great Hall, University of Sydney. The structure of the Council was altered by the Technical Education and New South Wales University of Technology (Amendment) Act, 1955 (Act No. 8, 1955). The Council was increased to a maximum 39 members and the titles of President, Vice President and Director were replaced by those of Chancellor, Deputy Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor. The University of New South Wales Act, 1958 (Act No. 24, 1958) altered the name of the University to the University of New South Wales and added a third object to that of the principal Act. ' c) to provide instruction and carry out research in the disciplines of humane studies and medicine and such other disciplines as the Council may from time to time determine.' (9) The University of New South Wales Act, 1961 (Act No 49, 1961) increased the Council to 40 members (10) and set in place an annual budget allocation from the NSW Government following the submission of a budget from the University. (11) Existing legislation was consolidated by the University of New South Wales Act, 1968 (No 37, 1968). Under the University of New South Wales (Amendment) Act, 1970 (No 75, 1970) the number of Council members was again enlarged to a total of 43. The University of New South Wales (Amendment) Act, 1978 (Act No 170, 1978) added to the Council one member elected by the non-academic staff of the university. The University's Constitution was altered to transfer responsibilities to the Minister including making nominations to the Council and authorising disposal of real property. In 1984 and 1985 two University of New South Wales (Amendment) Acts (Act No. 15, 1984 & Act No. 81, 1985) were passed. The former regulated the type of investments that Council was permitted to undertake for the University, while the latter decreased the number of Council members to 29. In 1988 the Professorial Board was replaced with a reorganised Academic Board. This was followed in 1989 by a restructure of Council under the University of New South Wales Act, 1989 (No. 125, 1989), where the number of Council members was reduced to 21 and its terms of reference revised. The 1949 Act had given the Council the power to create colleges or branches elsewhere within New South Wales. The first of these was established at Newcastle in 1951. The Broken Hill Division was formed in 1959, while Wollongong University College was founded in 1962. On 1 January 1965, Newcastle was granted its autonomy and became the University of Newcastle. On 1 January 1975 Wollongong likewise attained the status of the University of Wollongong. In 1981 the termination of operations at Broken Hill was commenced, with the final graduation ceremony occurring in 1985. On 10 July 1967 an agreement was signed between the Department of the Army and the University to form the Faculty of Military Studies. The Faculty provided the opportunity for cadets at the Royal Military College at Duntroon to attain University degrees. On 7 May 1981 a new agreement was made between the Australian Government and the University to create a University College within the Australian Defence Force Academy. The College began operations on 1 January 1986. In 1969 the Australian Government created a Committee of Inquiry into Postgraduate Education for Management, under Dr Richard Cyert. In March 1970 the Committee recommended that a 'national graduate school of management be established at the University of New South Wales'. On 23 August 1973 the Government decided to initiate this proposal and the Australian Graduate School of Management was formed. Teaching began at the School in 1977. In 1998 the Australian Graduate School of Management merged with the University of Sydney's Graduate School of Business to form a joint university Australian Graduate School of Management. On 1 January 1990, as a consequence of the Higher Education (Amalgamation) Act 1989, two sections of the Sydney College of Advanced Education - the City Art Institute and St George Institute of Education (both previously a part of Alexander Mackie College) - were integrated with the University. On 2 December 1996 the decision was made to close St George campus, with the premises being vacated by the University in January 1999. The Faculties of the University were formed in the following order: Engineering, Science, Architecture/Built Environment, Humanities & Social Sciences, Technology/Applied Science, Commerce/Commerce & Economics, Arts/Arts & Social Sciences, Medicine, Law, Military Studies, Biological Sciences/Biological & Behavioural Sciences, Professional Studies, College of Fine Arts, Life Sciences and Science & Technology. (1) New South Wales University of Technology First annual report of proceedings for the year ended 30 June 1950 p1. in NSW Parliamentary Papers 1950-51-52 vol. 1 p. 567 (2) The Technical Education and University of Technology Act, 1949 s.16 (3) Ibid. s. 18 (4) Ibid. s. 19 (5) NSW Government Gazette 8 July, 1949 p. 1923 (6) NSW Government Gazette 9 December, 1949 p. 3673 (7) New South Wales University of Technology First annual report Loc. Cit p 8 (8) New South Wales University of Technology (Construction) Act, 1951. Schedule (9) The University of New South Wales Act, 1958 s. 2 c) (10) The University of New South Wales Act, 1961 s. 2(b) (11) Ibid. s.2.c(1) Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 01/07/1949-

The Department of Structural Mechanics was created within the School of Civil Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering by the Vice-Chancellor on 2 December 1968. The first head of the department was Professor F. S. Shaw (file 00020416). At the 12 January 1972 meeting of the Vice-Chancellor's Advisory Committee, the department was disestablished. Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 02/12/1968-12/01/1972

This series contains notes and assignments compiled by Professor Bryant while he was a student at the Sydney Technical College, studying for his diploma in Mechanical Engineering. Most of the papers are in handwritten format or consist of a mixture of handwritten and typed notes.

This series contains Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Yearbooks. Each item is a typed booklet, which includes student profiles and contributions, as well as a message from the Dean. The University Archives only holds year books for 1956, 1986 and 1987.

This series consists of the booklet leaflet collection of the Mechanical Engineering Society (MechSoc), a student organisation. The material consists of documents outlining the activities of the organisation.

This series contains the Public Service Board Papers of Emeritus Professor Ross Blunden. The material is typed and maintained in a manilla forlder, and incluldes letters and memoranda detailing Professor Blunden's period of service with the NSW Public Service, first as a cadet with the Department of Main Roads, then as an Engineering Assistant with the Department of Works and Local Government, and finally as an Assistant Engineer with the Department of Main Roads. During 1939 Blunden also held an appointment as a part-time teacher in fluid mechanics at Sydney Technical College. He later taught Civil Engineering at the College after World War II. This series consists of the Scientific Adviser to the Military Board Administration File of Emeritus Professor Ross Blunden. The material is taken from a general administration file kept by Professor Blunden during his time as Scientific Adviser to the Military Board. The file reflects some of the major research initiatives undertaken by Blunden and his colleagues. There is also a considerable amount of correspondence between Blunden and members of the Operational Research Group, particularly Lieutenant-Colonel W F Caplehorn

Papers including minutes of meetings, correspondence, notes and reports of Advisory Committees established to advise on the syllabuses for courses in Civil, Mechanical, Mining and Electrical Engineering as well as proposed Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering degree courses for the new Institute of Technology / University of Technology. 'The committees represented a wide range of public utilities and industrial organizations and the representatives were men of considerable standing in their profession.' (Director's report to Developmental Council,August 1948) Minutes for the first meeting of the Committees are signed. Generally the papers are incomplete and in a poor state with rust and mould stains from water damage.

This series consists of the Reports of the Working Parties of the Academic Planning Committee of ADFA, reporting to the Professorial Board of UNSW. The Academic Planning Committee (APC) was involved with the detailed planning of courses, and these working parties were established to take a focused look at the curriculum for specific fields: Arts/Science; Behavioural Science/Management, English Communication; Computer Science; Electrical, Electronic and Commuinications Engineering; Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering. Notices of the Meetings of some of these Working Parties are held with their associated "objectives" or "recommended topics". The material is typed and arranged in folders in chronological order. Reports, in a similar format to committee minutes, are held for the meetings. Later meetings have agendas followed by the attached papers, and then reports. The agendas show the issues to be discussed; the reports show the meeting's attendees and topics discussed; and the papers consist of reports or other submissions that were to be discussed by the party. The final records in this series are from the 10 May 1983 meeting. These reports do not refer to a conclusion of the working parties' activities but the APC's work was concluded in August 1983, therefore the working parties would have been required to deliver their final reports prior to this date.

This series consists of Military College of Science Lecture Books of Emeritus Professor Ross Blunden. Major Blunden attended the Military College of Science in 1944 to complete the No. 7 Advanced Class (War) - Fire Control Instruments course. A range of subjects were studied - Mathematics, Mechanical and Optical Instruments, Radio Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Ballistics and Radar Technique - and Major Blunden kept his lecture notes in nine exercise books. All lecture notes are handwritten. This series consists of Military Service - Weapons Systems Papers of Emeritus Professor Ross Blunden. During his time in the AIF Major (later Lieutenant-Colonel) Blunden was heavily involved in scientific work concerning the development of weapons systems, especially fire control systems. This series consists of reports, technical drawings and photographs detailing his work in this area. ACCESSION0027 converted to SERIES01169, CONSIGNMENT00449