11 October 1993 Lincoln University - Well Organised for Overseas Students

Lincoln University, founded as a 'school of agriculture' in 1878, is today a broad based teaching and research institution offering a wide range of internationally recognised degrees and diplomas.

Commerce and management, primary production and natural resources, science and engineering and the social sciences are today the focus of the university's activities.

The University is centred on a 50-hectare campus 20 kilometres south of Christchurch, the largest city (pop. 300,000) in New Zealand's South Island. Nearby is Lincoln Village which offers a range of shops and local services.

The University is linked with the city by a regular bus service and Christchurch International Airport is about 20 minutes' drive away with regular flights to South East Asia and beyond.

Associated with the campus are six farms, a commercial orchard and a horticultural research area. Students at Lincoln are privileged to have access to such a range of agricultural properties in their education and research activities.

The University has modern accommodation on campus for more than 600, including flats for married couples, and there are health, welfare and tutoring services available for all students.

Lincoln University is located in the province of Canterbury which has many attractive recreational facilities covering everything from water sports to hunting, skiing and mountain climbing. The nearest ski field to Lincoln University is just over an hour's drive away.

Christchurch city has a professional theatre, a fine orchestra, numerous restaurants and all the services of a major metropolitan area. Lincoln University is, however, pleasantly rural and the campus with its beautiful gardens, trees and lawns is a tranquil environment in which to study and carry out research.

Lincoln University's commitment to campus-wide computerisation and state-of-the-art teaching aids make the University a favoured study centre – as shown by a doubling of the roll over the past five years.

Today the University has 3500 students, a teaching and support staff of about 500.

An active International Club makes students from overseas welcome. Currently overseas students make up about 10 percent of the University's roll and close to 40 different countries are represented on campus.

Degrees offered by Lincoln include Commerce, Agricultural Science, Horticultural Science, Resource Studies, Natural Resources Engineering, Science, Landscape Architecture, Parks and Recreation Management, Applied Science. Diplomas include Farm Management, Horticultural Management, Wool Technology, Parks and Garden Technology. In most degrees there are programmes ranging right through to Ph.D.

It's not simply fortuitous that Lincoln University has students from 40 different countries studying on its pleasant rural campus, and that proportionately it has always been one of the leading university institutions in New Zealand for the number of overseas students on its roll (14 percent this year).

Lincoln has long believed in the internationalisation of university education. Education confined in a national vacuum is no education at all, and Lincoln is fortunate to have specialised in disciplines with a natural global relevance – agriculture, horticulture, engineering, resource management. All the world relies on food ... everyone is in some way involved in the utilisation of resources. Lincoln's forte has given it a ready worldwide prominence down the decades, and the University is comfortable with its global reputation.

Building on this internationalisation and further expanding it, is a strategy to be pursued in the years ahead. The feeling is as strong as ever that the University needs to continue encouraging staff and students to see themselves as part of the wider world. To this end Lincoln is keen to arrange twinning agreements with selected overseas universities, chosen to complement its focus. It is also keen to increase the recruitment of international postgraduate students, encourage staff development exchanges, and increase the international content of courses.

Already this year the University's Council has agreed to formal linkage agreements with Chungnam University in Taejon, South Korea, and Nanjing Agricultural University, China. These linkages will be formally documented relationships at governing body level and will be supported by joint research and/or teaching activities. They will also involve staff and student exchanges and be focused on natural resources, thus underlining Lincoln's charter goal of international leadership in natural resources.

Over a five year period Lincoln is looking to develop further such relationships with one institution in the European Community, one in South or East Asia, one in Japan or North Asia, one in North America and one in Australia. This is over and above the informal relationships it has with universities in many parts of the world.

Lincoln's drive towards greater internationalisation is not proceeding without an appropriate infrastructure being in place. Indeed the University is very well set up to welcome international students and to help them make the cultural and social adjustment to life and study in New Zealand.

The University has a number of specifically designated staff positions in the international student area. Recently these have been brought together under a single grouping called the International Student Centre, and the new position of Director has been created.

Heading the Centre is Geoff Ormandy, formerly of Christchurch College of Education, and his task is the management of the various services which cover international marketing, the welfare of international students and the processing of international enrolments.

The Director works in co-operation with the University's Community Relations Centre, Academic Section, Registry and Student Services Group. There is also an International Centre Committee which is the liaison point with the academic departments.

Staff of the centre are the International Students Admissions Officer Lesley Grey, International Students Clerk Karen Coleman, and International Student Support Officer Juliet Nicholas.

Lincoln also has two members of the academic teaching staff - Professor Kuan Goh and Mr George Hill - who act as International Student Advisors. Professor Goh, who holds a personal chair in the Soil Science Department, has been closely involved with helping overseas students for many years. It's work backed by his own experience as an international student, coming to New Zealand in 1957 as a Colombo Plan Scholar.

Professor Goh and Mr Hill, who is Reader in Agronomy in the Plant Science Department, have specific responsibility for the academic care of Overseas Development Assistance students who come to New Zealand under Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade arrangements. They are also involved in the special orientation programmes the University runs for international students to introduce them to campus life.

Another arrangement which helps ease overseas students into the campus environment is to have them complete registration procedures a couple of days ahead of domestic students so that they have an opportunity to settle in before large numbers of others arrive. Note too that Lincoln receives enrolment intakes in July as well as the traditional February time.

Among facilities on campus which newly arrived overseas students can make use of is the Student Learning Centre. Under the direction of Tina Troup, the centre offers a range of courses including English Language Support for those for whom English is not their first language.

Other such language courses are available through the Christchurch College of English Language of which Lincoln University is a shareholder.

Lincoln University also has an active and high-profile International Club whose annual International Night Dinner and Concert is one of the highlights of the University's social calendar.

There is too, an active Ethnic Network, which has among its aims cross-cultural communication and the encouragement of cultural awareness of the ethnic groups represented on the Lincoln campus. This year, for the first time, it held an 'Ethnic Week' in association with the International Club, as a prelude to International Night.

Liaison Officer Ron Hickford makes regular visits to South East Asia to discuss Lincoln's courses and he may also be contacted at the University by telephone or fax. International Admissions Officer Leslie Grey and International Students Support Officer Juliet Nicholas are other key people to contact for advice and assistance if you are considering study at Lincoln University.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.