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QS campus visit February 2007 - Otago University
The flight between Christchurch and Dunedin is evidence aplenty that Peter Jackson's selection of location for the filming of The Lord of the Rings was not based purely on national pride. The three days we were in the country was woefully inadequate to appreciate the spectacularly diverse scenery of the country, but sufficient to fuel a personal pledge to return.
Dunedin makes an instant impression on visitors. It is quiet – the students had not yet fully returned and constitute almost 20% of the city’s population – attractive, homes of many sizes but of consistent attractiveness line the sides of the road on the way in from the airport. The city centre has quite a colonial feel, there is a lot of space, and old buildings such as churches and the old railway station give the place a sense of history that belies its youth as settlement.
Formed in the mid-nineteenth century, Dunedin (which is apparently Celtic for Edinburgh) was founded by Scottish settlers and enjoyed a short period as the capital, which is perhaps why the original University of New Zealand was established there. As time went by much of the national administration, industry and populace moved north and took the capital with them and in many ways the university followed. Whilst its principal site remained in Dunedin, the majority of the nation’s other universities began as colleges of the then, University of New Zealand. In fact, the University of Otago, strongest in the country for medicine, still runs medical schools, attached to public hospitals in both Christchurch and Wellington.
We were treated to dinner at the home of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Professor Geoff White. He also invited a selection of academic representatives from different departments at the university and we had a very pleasant and sociable meal, accompanied with a selection of fine New Zealand wines – many from central Otago (their universities are generally named after provinces rather than cities) – and very friendly and relaxed conversation. Whilst our work was touched upon, it was by no means the emphasis.
It wasn’t until the following day that I discovered that mild-mannered and modest Professor of Biochemistry, Warren Tate who joined us for dinner is featured front and centre of the universities "highlights of research" and has made serious contributions to the treatment of both HIV and Alzheimer’s.
According to Vice Chancellor Professor David Skegg, with whom we met. New Zealand universities have inherited some characteristics of the higher education system in Scotland, from where many early settlers came, in that the majority of undergraduates will attend their local university. Otago is different… although only 12% of its students are international (this number is capped to ensure quality) a relatively small proportion of its students are local… Otago seems to have a domestic reputation that attracts students from across the country. This in turn, gives Dunedin a real sense of being a university town.
Walking around the campus, presents the university as a truly great environment to learn and spend time. Without collecting stats on number and nature of volumes the new library is an architectural innovation featuring a diverse range of study environments. The main administrative building is a Victorian structure sitting under a clock tower… much like many British “red bricks”. A considerable stream tumbles through the heart of campus and the Centre for Innovation is a shiny glass-walled icon.
Further conversation with the Vice Chancellor and other aspects reveal various additional strengths of this particularly southern university and some of the intelligent strategic concerns that he faces in maintaining the institution’s competitiveness both at home and internationally.
Perhaps the most profound impression that this place left on us though was the vehement passion with which the dinner guests the night before had demonstrated rigorous commitment to and enjoyment of their job. Particularly since two of the dinner guests were products of a US education system and alumni of Princeton… this year’s leading institution in the US News & World Reports.
New Zealand was a great experience, even for such a short visit. Otago currently sits at 79= in the THES – QS World University Rankings, it is based in a great environment and can list amongst its alumni and current faculty some world-class minds. All necessary ingredients for a truly world-class university are there… it may then just be a question of whether the VC is as an accomplished a chef as his Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research.
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