Edith Cowan University

Joondalup, Australia
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Edith Cowan University (ECU) is located in Perth, Western Australia. It is the only Australian university named after a woman, Edith Dircksey Cowan, who was the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament.

ECU is Western Australia's second largest university with approximately 20,000 students, of which in excess of 4000 originate from countries outside Australia.[2] ECU was formed from the amalgamations of teachers' colleges with a history dating back to 1902 when the Claremont Campus was established; this made ECU the modern descendant of the first institution of higher education in Western Australia.

The university has two metropolitan campuses, in Mount Lawley and Joondalup, and a regional campus in Bunbury, 180 km south of Perth. Divisions of note include the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and the Law School which commenced operation during 2005.

The origins of Edith Cowan University date back to 1902 with the establishment of Claremont Teachers College, the first tertiary education institution in Western Australia. Other teacher training colleges were formed over the years, and in 1982 they were all merged to form the Western Australian College of Advanced Education (WACAE). This was designated a university and took the name Edith Cowan University on 1 January 1991.

It is the only Australian university named after a woman, Edith Dircksey Cowan, who was the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament