15 July 2008 'Information' and 'Experience' keynotes of Open Day at Lincoln University

Lincoln University's Open Day on Thursday (17 July) will be an open "day-and-night" event for some 60 of the 600 or more visitors expected on the campus this week.

"Traditionally the emphasis at Open Days is on providing first-hand information about university courses, services and facilities to prospective students and their families," says the University's Liaison Events Coordinator Sarah Benton, "but at Lincoln University we also like to make these days an opportunity to 'experience' university and campus life.

"We like to give families the chance to stay a night on the campus, living in the halls of residence, dining with the students and taking part in evening activities.

"This year double the number who stayed overnight in 2007 are booked in for the day and night experience and they're coming from all over the country, from Auckland in the north to Dunedin in the south."

Open Day starts at 9.00am and runs through until 3.30pm. The headquarters is in the Stewart Building, where programmes will be available and Open Day team members will be on hand to provide help, guidance, tours and information.

The programme for the day includes an opening welcome from Acting Vice-Chancellor Dr Chris Kirk at 9 o'clock; a series of sample lectures on a wide range of topics including horticulture, viticulture and wine science, commerce, hotel management, environmental management and social science; guided tours of the Winery; a special tour of the Lincoln
University Dairy Farm; a sausage sizzle on the campus' Sunken Lawn with crew from The Edge radio station; information sessions about the halls of residence, costs, campus activities and university support services; tours of the campus and its facilities such as the Library, Recreation Centre, Book Shop, Halls of Residence and Student Union Building.

"We hope that the combination of 'information' and 'experience' will give visitors a good insight into university life in the 21 st century at Lincoln," says Sarah.