26 April 1995 NZ Must Stick With Mainstream Development Says Lincoln Vice-Chancellor

New Zealand cannot opt out of the world even though it is isolated from many of the terrible mistakes developed societies have made on the road to progress, said Lincoln's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bruce Ross, at the University's 1995 Graduation Ceremony in Christchurch Town Hall. (21 April)

"The future of humankind depends on scientists, sociologists and economists finding ways of providing acceptably high levels of income to the whole of a growing world population," he said.

"Given the global scale of many current environmental issues it is not possible for even an isolated country like New Zealand to withdraw from further development.

"For example, we have to realize that the environmental impacts of a quadrupling of incomes in India and China, which would still leave average incomes well below those in New Zealand, will inevitably impact of New Zealand, probably in an adverse way."

Professor Ross advised those graduating that debates about where the world went from here should be informed by all the arguments for and against further progress and he pointed out that educating people to "think critically" was a key point in Lincoln University's mission statement.

"It is important that you as graduates of Lincoln University take note of the different sides of the argument before you come down too hard on one side or the other.

"Through your time at Lincoln I hope you have come to appreciate that informed discussion and decision-making can only take place when all sides if an issue are properly considered and understood."

Professor Ross hoped that the education today's Lincoln graduates had received would enable them to respond positively to changes in the world and to cope with an environment in which they were likely to be required to change their job many times more than was the norm in the past.

A total of 790 students graduated with Lincoln degrees or diplomas at the ceremony, a record number for the University which this year has a roll of 3400.

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