Haere Mai - Welcome
Current NZ Time:
12:22:41 AM Sunday, 29 January 2012
Hamilton
Weather
From
the Vice-Chancellor
Professor Roy Crawford
In this final issue of the Alumni
& Friends E-News we share several recent achievements: the official
opening of our new five Green Star certified Student Centre, with
Waikato Distinguished Alumnus Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae
officiating; the conferral of Honorary Doctorates on Maori language
proponent Cathy Dewes and the Topp Twins, Jools and Lynda; the opening
of Te Kotahi, our new Maori Research Institute; the adventures of a
Waikato research team in Antartica with National Geographic; the latest
Tauranga development of a new coastal field research centre; and the
successes of one Waikato alumnus on his way to Microsoft and the other
bound for Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
This issue also includes a link to the 2011 year in review Off Campus magazine.
I hope our stories inspire your continuing pride and support for the University of Waikato.
With best wishes for the festive summer season.
Professor Roy Crawford
Vice-Chancellor
Off Campus - now online
It’s time again for a review of the ‘year that was’ at the
University of Waikato, and our annual round-up comes to you via the alumni
magazine Off Campus - now
available to read
online.
The 2011 issue features inspiring stories of alumni achieving in their careers and top Waikato
achievements – including the new Student Centre, the region’s first 5
Green Star rated building; news of a magnificent $2.5 million commitment from
the Gallaghers; and other great stories that we hope will make you feel proud
of your University.
Enjoy this
issue of Off Campus for 2011. If you would like to receive a
printed copy, please send us an email with your postal details.
New Student Centre for a dynamic campus
Distinguished
Alumnus and Governor-General, Sir Jerry Mateparae, officially opened
the University of Waikato's new Student Centre on a day of celebration
in November. The stunning multi-functional facility is the
region's first building to gain a prestigious 5 Green Star rating from
the New Zealand Green Building Council.
The Student
Centre will be the social heart of the campus with places to meet,
cafes, shops and relaxation spaces, and provide a central point for
student services on campus.
Vice-Chancellor
Professor Roy Crawford says the opening of the Student Centre is a
significant occasion for the university. "The conception and
completion of this building is another demonstration of our commitment
to the delivery of a world-class education while providing our students
with a dynamic university experience." Click here for more.
New Dean completes full cycle
Professor
Roger Moltzen, recipient of a Prime Minister's Supreme Tertiary
Teaching Excellence Award, was appointed Dean of the Faculty of
Education in September. He now leads the Faculty where he first
began his education career as a student in the 60s.
Professor
Moltzen is known nationally and internationally for his extensive
knowledge of gifted education and talent development, special
education, inclusive education and tertiary teaching. He has
spoken at numerous events and published widely on these topics.
He is currently New Zealand's delegate for the World Council of
Gifted and Talented Children, a member of the European Council of High
Ability and patron of the New Zealand Association of Gifted Children.
Click here for more.
Honours for Maori language advocate
When
Cathy Dewes (pictured centre) was Head Girl at Wellington Girls' High
School in the late 1960s she was able to learn Italian, German, French
and Latin, but her request to learn Maori was turned down by the
Principal. It was the catalyst for a life-long career in teaching
Maori and championing Maori - as well as women's - rights.
Ms Dewes (Te Arawa and Ngati Porou)
was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in front of 400 people at Ruamata
Marae in Rotorua, the place where as a trained teacher she opened one
of the first Maori language schools in New Zealand in 1985. She
worked unpaid for almost a decade until government funding was secured
and she is still the principal of Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Ruamata.
Click here for more.
Waikato graduation for Topp Twins
A
great day for the Topp Twins as they were conferred with honorary
doctorates from the University of Waikato at October's graduation, and
always the entertainers, they managed to get the crowd at Founders
Theatre to yodel.
Vice-Chancellor
Professor Roy Crawford said the Topp Twins had been entertaining New
Zealanders and international audiences for more than 30 years and at
the same time addressed social issues relevant to us all. "They
are intuitive readers of the nation's pulse and they know that people
will usually listen to a song before they will listen to a speech.
Knowing this, they have been able to change people's minds over a
number of issues, or at the very least they get people to accept
different points of view," said Professor Crawford.
Click here for more.
New Institute promotes innovation, wellbeing and inspiration
Maori
research at the University of Waikato has been given a boost with the
formal launch of Te Kotahi Research Institute (TKRI). The
Institute's ethos is 'Koi te mata punenga, maiangi te mata puihoiho',
translated as 'Imagine the invisible, explore the potential, defy the
impossible'.
The launch was marked by a free day-long symposium on the
Waitangi Tribunal's Wai 262 report, co-hosted by TKRI and the new Maori
and Indigenous Governance Centre in Te Piringa - Faculty of Law,
followed by an invitation-only dinner in the evening. Keynote
speakers at the symposium included High Court Judge Justice Joe
Williams, former Chair of the Waitangi Tribunal and former Chief Judge
of the Maori Land Court, and barrister Leo Watson. Click here for more.
Coastal field research station a milestone for Waikato
The
University of Waikato officially opened its new coastal research field
station as part of the recently launched Environmental Research
Institute. The new facility is a first for the University, and a
significant milestone for its Coastal Marine Group, Vice-Chancellor
Professor Roy Crawford said.
"This is an
historic occasion for the University. We have been conducting
research in the Bay of Plenty for many years under the guidance of the
late Professor Terry Healy and a field station is something we have
been wanting for some time.
"We
have created a beginning that will be the start of something very
important. Research will start here but will then be disseminated
around the world."
Click here for more.
National Geographic following Waikato scientists
Professor
Craig Cary (pictured), Associate Professor Ian McDonald and Dr Craig
Herbold have left for the most isolated geothermal sites on earth, at
the summit of Mt Erebus, and National Geographic are photographing them
at work.Professor Cary is the director of ICTAR,
an international Antarctic research centre based at the University of
Waikato, dedicated to understanding Antarctica's unique and fragile
terrestrial environment. "We've got temperature probes placed
all around the volcano that we'll be recovering this year along with
extensive sampling. We'll also be drilling ice chimneys and
scaling down them into caves to collect soil samples. It's cold
and dangerous stuff, it's hard work but it's so exhilarating." Click here for more.
Computer Science alumnus off to Microsoft
World
lightweight blokart champion and Waikato University computer science
graduate Gabe Young has landed a job at Microsoft headquarters in
Seattle after five hours of interviews at a Sydney hotel.
"It
was gruelling. I had five one-hour interviews back to back.
Different people gave me different problems to solve. When
they finished I only had to wait ten minutes before they offered me the
job. They expect you to decline or accept on the spot."
Click here for more.
Waikato student wins Rhodes Scholarship
Waikato
University's Briar Thompson is one of only three New Zealanders to have
been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University next
year. Rhodes Scholarships are the pinnacle of achievement for
university graduates wishing to pursue postgraduate study at one of the
world's leading universities.Briar says it's a real
honour to be selected. "The pool of candidates was of such a high
calibre. This is a tremendous opportunity and I'm excited about
going there and making the most of what the Rhodes Scholarship and
Oxford have to offer." Click here for more.Foundation Trustee: Pat Peoples
Waikato
businessman Pat Peoples says being a trustee on the University of
Waikato Foundation has personal benefits - he gets to work with a
diverse and interesting group of people who help broaden his knowledge
and exposure to different businesses and industry. At the same
time he's able to contribute to the lifeblood of the University as it
strives to improve the services it offers its students and raise its
profile on the world stage.Mr Peoples has been a
Foundation trustee since 2008. He is owner and Managing Director
of Schick Construction and Cartage. A mainlander by birth, he
graduated from the University of Canterbury with a degree in civil
engineering and spent time working with Fulton Hogan in Christchurch
and the Waikato before establishing his own business. Click here for more.
Alumni and Friends reconnect
The University of Waikato reached out to alumni and friends at events in Tauranga and Auckland during November.Mills
Reef Winery in Tauranga played host to Prof Bob Evans - and over 120
guests - who gave an eye-opening account of the current global
environmental situation and the need for more sustainable cities. Click here for photos.Auckland's St.Matthew-in-the-City church provided the perfect backdrop for launching The Juniper Passion
- a haunting opera that tells the story of the World War II battle of
Monte Cassino as seen through the eyes of a Benedictine Monk, a German
army officer and a New Zealand soldier. Click here for photos.
| 
