17 September 1992 Lincoln Fertile Ground for Career Growth

Growth is a way of life at Lincoln – the personal growth implicit in education and the progression to a career; the surrounding agricultural and horticultural growth of the fertile Canterbury Plains; and the physical growth of the institution itself.

Lincoln University has doubled its roll in the past five years, growing to over 3000 students, with more than 600 of them living on campus. This is a far cry from the ancestral School of Agriculture which opened at Lincoln in 1880 with just 16 students.

Winning independent university status in 1990, Lincoln is today a specialist institution focusing on land and resource related disciplines. The dramatic roll expansion in recent years is related to this broadened foundation.

"A significant change in emphasis is apparent when enrolments are analysed," says Lincoln University's Liaison Officer, Ron Hickford. "Courses such as agriculture and horticulture now make up only about 10 percent of the teaching programme. Today nearly 60 percent of Lincoln's students are studying for commerce qualifications, although this figure does include the B.Com. (Agriculture) group.

"Having noted this ratio, it has to be said, however, that in headcount terms the number studying for agriculture and horticulture qualifications is the same today as generally in the past. The roll has increased to 3000 but the percentage studying agricultural and horticultural subjects gives a number consistent with the historical pattern.

"Lincoln provides perhaps the widest range of commerce specialisations in New Zealand. In 1993 commerce students at Lincoln will be able to study in the following areas – accounting and financial management; business and marketing, economics, computing, real estate and property management, tourism, transport, hotel and institutional management, agricultural and horticultural management.

"Lincoln has a reputation as a welcoming caring community and students from throughout New Zealand appreciate the opportunity to be part of a small university where individual students are not swamped by huge numbers. Canterbury's famous recreational opportunities are a further attraction, as is the proximity to the major metropolitan area of Christchurch."

Lincoln's University's mission, as set out in its statement of objectives, is to educate people to think critically; communicate effectively; enhance their knowledge; synthesise and use knowledge intelligently, responsibly and creatively. The university's goals include achieving excellence in teaching and research in commerce and management, primary production and natural resources, science and engineering and social sciences, becoming pre-eminent in natural resources and teaching and research in New Zealand and being a leader in these fields internationally.

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