University of Canterbury

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University of Canterbury
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha
Motto: Ergo tua rura manebunt (therefore may your fields remain [yours])
(Virgil, Eclogues)
Established: 1873
Type: Public
Chancellor: Robin Mann
Vice-Chancellor: Roy Sharp (Mar 2003 - Jun 2008)
Students: 20,927 (2007)
Postgraduates: 1,642 graduate
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Campus: Urban
Website: www.canterbury.ac.nz
This page discusses the New Zealand university. For universities in Canterbury, England, see the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University. For a similarly-named, unaccredited institution, see Canterbury University of the Seychelles.

The University of Canterbury (Māori: Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation Cantuar. or Cant. for Cantuariensis, the Latin name for Canterbury), New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates 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, Science, Sports Coaching and Teaching.

Contents

[edit] Campus

The James Hight building at the University of Canterbury
The James Hight building at the University of Canterbury

The University has a main campus of 76 hectares at Ilam, a suburb of Christchurch: about 5 km from the centre of the city. Adjacent to the main campus stands the University's College of Education, with its own sports-fields and grounds. The University maintains six libraries, with the Central Library (Māori: Te Puna Mātauraka o Waitaha) housed in the tallest building on campus, the 11-storey James Hight building.

The University's College of Education maintains additional small campuses in Nelson, Tauranga and Timaru, and "teaching centres" in Greymouth, New Plymouth, Rotorua and Timaru. The University has staff in regional information offices in Nelson, Timaru, and Auckland.

Canterbury University has six halls of residence: Bishop Julius Hall, College House, Rochester and Rutherford Hall, University Hall, Sonoda Christchurch Campus and Ilam Village.

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

The Field Facilities Centre administers four field-stations:

  • Cass Field Station - Provides a wide range of environments: montane grasslands, scrub, riverbed, scree, beech forest, swamp, bog, lake, stream and alpine habitats; all accessible 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 - for study of the West Coast of New Zealand, particularly mining

The University and its project-partners also operate an additional field-station in the Nigerian Montane Forests Project - this field station stands on the Ngel Nyaki forest edge in Nigeria.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy runs its own field laboratories:

The Department of Physics and Astronomy also has involvement in the Southern African Large Telescope.

University of Canterbury logo
University of Canterbury logo

[edit] Organisation

Professor Roy Sharp assumed the position of Vice-Chancellor on 1 March 2003. In May 2008 he announced his imminent resignation from the position, following his acceptance of the chief executive position at the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), which he will take up on 4 Aug 2008. At the 28 May 2008 Council Meeting (minutes still forthcoming) it was announced that the current Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Town would be assuming the role of acting Vice-Chancellor on 1 Jul 2008. The governing body of the University, the Council, has as its Chair the Chancellor — as of 2005 Dr Robin Mann. The Council includes representatives from the faculties, students and general staff, as well as local industry, employer and trade union representatives (for more details see pp. 14-5 of University Charter 2003-2010).

In 2004 the University underwent restructuring into four Colleges and a School of Law, administering a number of schools and departments (though a number of departments have involvement in cross-teaching in numerous academic faculties). 2007 saw the addition of a fifth College with the merging of the Christchurch College of Education into the University. The main constituents of the university structure include:

  • The College of Arts, administering:
    • the School of Classics and Linguistics
    • the School of Culture, Literature and Society
    • the School of Fine Arts 1966 Article
    • the School of History
    • the School of Languages and Cultures
    • the School of Māori and Indigenous Studies
    • the Centre for Music and Theatre & Film Studies
    • the School of Philosophy and Religious Studies
    • the School of Political Science and Communication
    • the School of Social Work and Human Services
    • the School of Sociology and Anthropology
    • the MacMillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies

(After a rather lengthy and at times contentious, restructuring exercise, Council voted at its 28 May 2008 meeting (minutes still forthcoming) to restructure the College of Arts from 1 Jan 2009 thus:

  • The College of Arts, administering:
    • School of Humanities
    • School of Social and Political Science
    • School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics
    • Centre of Music, Fine Arts and Theatre
    • Aotahi: School of Māori and Indigenous Studies
    • School of Social Work and Human Services
    • the MacMillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies

)

  • The College of Business and Economics, administering:
  • The 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
    • the School of Forestry
  • The College of Science, administering:
    • the School of Biological Sciences
    • Chemistry
    • Communication Disorders (formerly Speech and Language Therapy)
    • Geography
    • Geological Sciences
    • Physics and Astronomy
    • Psychology
  • The College of Education, administering:
    • the School of Educational Studies and Human Development
    • the School of Māori, Social and Cultural Studies in Education
    • the School of Literacies and Arts in Education
    • the School of Sciences and Physical Education
  • The School of Law

The units listed above constitute administrative groups. Each College and the School of Law has as its head a Pro-Vice-Chancellor (PVC), who answers to the Vice-Chancellor for all activities of the College/School. College Offices support the PVCs, providing financial, administrative, academic, and human-resources advice to each PVC. Each College also has a College Manager, who acts as the day-to-day manager of the College.

In addition to the administrative structure, the University has seven faculties:

  1. Humanities and Social Sciences
  2. Commerce
  3. Engineering and Forestry
  4. Education
  5. Science
  6. Visual and Performing Arts
  7. Law

Each faculty consists of the teaching-staff of the departments and schools who offer courses that may form part of the particular degree from that faculty. Student representatives participate in governing the various faculties.

The University receives funding from student fees, the New Zealand government (in partial support of domestic students, and via various research funding mechanisms), non-government research funding agencies, bequests and so on.

Together with the New Zealand government, the University formed the UCi3 ICT Innovation Institute in 2006 to commercialize research and to encourage local high-tech industry. The cluster of technology-companies around Christchurch has led to name "Silicon Plains" for the area.

[edit] Students and staff

As of 2008, the University had a total of 16,159 students, with 1,552 of them post-graduates and 1,393 international students (students apart from New Zealand citizens or residents). The University employed 596 academic staff and 1,014 general staff.

[edit] Student Association and traditions

The University of Canterbury Students' Association (UCSA) operates on campus with its own radio station (RDU) and magazine (Canta]). The Association also runs two bars, the 430-seat Ngaio Marsh Theatre, and several cafes around campus. The popular on-campus bar, "The Foundry", known as "The Common Room" from 2005, has reverted to its former name as promised by 2008 USCA president, Michael Goldstein.

The University has over 100 academic, sporting, recreational and cultural societies and clubs. The most prominent of these include 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 Gentlemen's Club, and KAOS (Killing As Organised Sport). The University of Canterbury Drama Society (Dramasoc) achieved fame 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. The Musical Society, MuSoc, engages in comparable activities.

One major student tradition, the Undie 500, involves an annual car-rally from Christchurch to Dunedin run by ENSOC. The rules require only that the car must cost under $500, have a sober driver, and be road-legal. The 2007 event ended in rioting in the student quarter of Dunedin and North East Valley, and the future of the event now seems murky.

[edit] History

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

The Canterbury Museum and Library and Christ's College, dissatisfied with the state of higher education in Canterbury, had both worked towards setting up Canterbury College.[1] In 1933, the name changed from Canterbury College to Canterbury University College. In 1957 the name changed again to the present University of Canterbury.

Until 1961, the University formed part of the University of New Zealand (UNZ), and issued degrees in its name. That year saw the dissolution of the federal system of tertiary education in New Zealand, and the University of Canterbury became an independent University awarding its own degrees. Upon the UNZ's demise, Canterbury Agricultural College became a constituent college of the University of Canterbury, as Lincoln College.[2] Lincoln College became independent in 1990 as a full university in its own right.

Over the period from 1961 to 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 became the site of the Christchurch Arts Centre, a hub for arts, crafts and entertainment in Christchurch.

[edit] Coat of arms and motto

With the dissolution of the University of New Zealand, the newly independent University of Canterbury devised its own coat of arms. This replaced the arms formerly used by Canterbury College, which in turn were an unofficial, simplified version of the Canterbury Province coat of arms. A more detailed history of the arms, including their formal heraldic description, is available here.

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

In 1962 someone proposed changing the University's motto — a reference to the original endowment of land — to something more relevant. A cleric proposed "The Truth Shall Make You Free" (John 8:32), but Professor of Mathematics Derek Lawden,[3] a noted atheist, asked: "But what if the truth should be that we are automata? Then we should not only be automata, but foolish automata." The motto retained its original wording.

[edit] Noted alumni and staff

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.collegehouse.org.nz/history.html
  2. ^ http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/story_images/952_LincolnUniversity_s3422.pdf
  3. ^ NZMS Newsletter 25 Centrefold - Derek Lawden
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