University of Canterbury

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**University of Canterbury**

Motto	Ergo tua rura manebunt (therefore may your fields remain [unto you]) (Virgil, Eclogues)
Established	1873
Type	Public
Chancellor	Robin Mann
Vice-Chancellor	Roy Sharp
Students	12,600 total
Postgraduates	1,800 graduate
Location	Christchurch, New Zealand
Campus	Urban
Website	http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/

This page is about the New Zealand University. The Universities in Canterbury, England are the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University.

The University of Canterbury, New Zealand's second-oldest university, is located in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It offers degrees in Arts, Commerce, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Forestry, Law, Music, Social Work, Speech and Language Therapy and Science.

1 Campus
2 Organisation
3 Students and staff
4 Student Association and Traditions
5 History
6 Coat of arms
7 Noted alumni and staff
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] Campus

The James Hight building at the University of Canterbury

The University has a 760,000 square metre site at Ilam, a suburb of Christchurch about 7 km from the city centre. There are five libraries, with the Central Library housed in the tallest building on campus, the 11-storey James Hight building. Also of note is the Rutherford Building, which houses the Physics & Astronomy and Chemistry departments.

There are four Halls of residence: Bishop Julius Hall, College House, Rochester and Rutherford Hall, and University Hall.

The Science Lecture Theatre complex with the top of the Physics & Astronomy and Chemistry building in the background

There are four field stations that are administered by the Field Facilities Centre:

Cass Field Station - Provides a wide range of environments - montane grasslands, scrub, riverbed, scree, beech forest, swamp, bog, lake, stream and alpine habitats can all be reached by day trips on foot
Kaikoura Field Station - Provides a wide range of environments - diverse marine habitats, alpine habitats, Kanuka forests, rivers, lakes
Harihari Field Station - Access to native forests, streams
Westport Field Station - study of the West Coast of New Zealand in particular mining

There is also an additional field Station run primarily by the University and its project partners in the Nigerian Montane Forests Project - this field station is on the Ngel Nyaki forest edge in Nigeria.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy run their own field laboratory:

Mount John University Observatory at Lake Tekapo for optical astronomical research
Birdling's Flat radar facility
Scott Base radar facility
Cracroft Caverns ring laser facility

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is also involved in the Southern African Large Telescope.

University of Canterbury logo

[edit] Organisation

The Vice-Chancellor is Professor Roy Sharp, who has held this position since 2003. The governing body of the University is the Council. The Council Chair is the Chancellor, who in 2005 is Dr Robin Mann. Also on the council are representatives from the faculties, students and general staff.

The University was restructured in 2004 into four Colleges and a School of Law, administering a number of schools and departments (though a number of departments are involved in cross teaching in numerous academic faculties). The main constituents of the university structure are:

College of Arts, administering:
- School of Classics and Linguistics
- School of Culture, Literature and Society, School of Education
- School of Fine Arts
- School of History
- School of Languages and Cultures
- School of Māori and Indigenous Studies
- Centre for Music and Theatre & Film Studies
- School of Philosophy and Religious Studies
- School of Political Science and Communication
- Social Work
- School of Sociology and Anthropology

College of Business and Economics, administering:
- Accounting, Finance, and Information Systems
- Economics
- Management
- Management Science

College of Engineering, administering:
- Civil Engineering
- Chemical and Process Engineering
- Computer Science and Software Engineering
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mechatronics Engineering
- Natural Resources Engineering
- School of Forestry

College of Science, administering:
- School of Biological Sciences
- Chemistry
- Communication Disorders (formerly Speech and Language Therapy)
- Geography
- Geological Sciences
- Physics and Astronomy
- Psychology

School of Law

The above are administrative groups - Each College and the School of Law is headed by a Pro-Vice-Chancellor (PVC), who is responsible to the Vice-Chancellor for all activities of the Colleges/School. The PVCs are supported by a College Office providing financial, administrative, academic, and human resources advice to the PVC. Each College also has a College Manager, who acts as the day to day manager of the College.

It will be merged with the neighbouring Christchurch College of Education on 1 January 2007 [1].

In addition to the administrative structure, there are six faculties in the University: Humanities and Social Sciences, Commerce , Engineering and Forestry, Science, Visual and Performing Arts, and Law. Each faculty consists of the teaching staff of the departments and schools which offer courses that may be part of the particular degree from that faculty. There are also student representatives on the various faculties.

The University is state funded.

[edit] Students and staff

As of 2005, there were a total of 13,555 students, with 1,855 being Post-Graduates and 2,453 being international students (students who are not New Zealand citizens or residents). There were 680 academic staff and 957 general staff.

[edit] Student Association and Traditions

The University of Canterbury Student Association (UCSA) is active on campus with its own radio station RDU and magazine Canta. They also run two bars, the 430 seat Ngaio Marsh Theatre, and several cafes around campus. The most popular on-campus bar is The Common Room (known as The Foundry until 2005).

There are several academic, sporting, recreational and cultural societies and clubs. The most prominent of these are the University of Canterbury Engineering Society (ENSOC), the Law Society (LAWSOC), the Commerce Society (UCom), as well as the largest non-faculty clubs such as CUBA (Canterbury University Boardriders' Association), CurrySoc, the Gentleman's Club, and KAOS (Killing As Organised Sport). The University of Canterbury Drama Society (Dramasoc) is famous for its 1942-1969 Shakespeare productions under Dame Ngaio Marsh, but regularly performs as an active student and alumni run Arts fixture in the small Christchurch theatre scene. There is also a similarly active Musical Society, MuSoc.

One of the biggest student traditions is the Undie 500. This is an annual car rally from Christchurch to Dunedin run by ENSOC. The only stipulations are that the car must cost under $500, have a sober driver, and be road legal.

[edit] History

The university was established in 1873 in the centre of Christchurch as Canterbury College, the first constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It was the second institution in New Zealand providing tertiary level education, following the University of Otago which was established in 1869, and the fourth in Australasia.

It was created partly out of the efforts of the Canterbury Museum and Library and Christ's College, which were dissatisfied with the state of higher education in Canterbury.[2] In 1933, the name changed from Canterbury College to Canterbury University College. In 1957 its name was changed again to the present University of Canterbury.

Until 1961, the University had been part of the University of New Zealand, and issued degrees in its name. In that year the federal system was dissolved and the University of Canterbury became an independent University issuing its own degrees. Upon the UNZ's demise, Canterbury Agricultural College became a constituent college of the University of Canterbury, becoming Lincoln College.PDF Lincoln College was made independent in 1990, becoming a full university.

Over the period 1961 - 1974, the university campus relocated from the centre of the city to its much larger current site in the suburb of Ilam. The neo-gothic buildings of the old campus are now the site of the Christchurch Arts Centre, a hub for arts, crafts and entertainment in Christchurch.

[edit] Coat of arms

The University inherited the arms of the former Canterbury College.

The "dead sheep" (actually a silver fleece) symbolises the pastoral pursuits of the province of Canterbury, while the plough on the base of the shield symbolises agriculture. The symbols from the at the top are (from left to right) Bishop's pall, an open book and a cross flory. The two crosses represent Canterbury's ecclesiastical connections. As it is an institution of learning, the University's coat of arms does not have a helmet, crest or mantling on its armorial bearings.