LINK newsletter Schools Partnership Office, The University of Auckland | February 2008 Welcome to LINK 2008! In this issue we highlight important dates and you can see who your contact person is from the Schools Partnership Office (SPO) team. We look forward to seeing you and your students this year. SPO LINK dates LINK to schools February Auckland • Auckland school visits begin (Overview Presentation) If you have not yet confirmed bookings for Overview Presentations, Careers Evenings and Course Advice Days please contact us (details March overleaf). The Overview Presentation introduces students to the range • Regional visits (Overview Presentation) of undergraduate degree programmes available and what life is like at university. Many schools like us to do this for Year 12 students as well • Auckland school visits (Overview Presentation) as Year 13 students. At a Course Advice Day later in the year, we bring along faculty representatives so that students can make use of their April expertise when planning courses for their first year at University. • Thursday 3 and Friday 4 April – LINK Conference (City Campus) • Auckland school visits (Overview Presentation) Regional visits From the end of February and throughout most of March the SPO • Tuesday 15 April – Futures Evening (see overleaf) team will be conducting regional visits. If you have not already made a booking, please contact the appropriate person for your region as soon June as possible (details overleaf). • Careers Evenings (Auckland) July LINK notes • Wednesday 2 July – STEAM Ahead (Year 12 and 13 Mäori and Pacific Faculty news students) Arts • Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 July – Girls Into Science (Year 10) 1. Subject developments for the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and BA conjoint • Thursday 3 July – Enginuity Day (Year 12 and 13 female students) programmes: • Careers Evenings and Course Advice Days (Auckland) i. Students can now select a major or minor in Writing Studies. The discipline will appeal to students interested in writing, literacy or creative writing and covers the theory and practice of writing in August different contexts – academic, professional, creative and critical. • Saturday 30 August – Courses and Careers Day (City Campus) ii. The Theatre Studies major and minor has been renamed Drama. • Careers Evenings and Course Advice Days (Auckland) iii. Latin American Studies is now only available to new students as April a minor (not a major) subject. SPO LINK Conference iv. Russian is no longer available as a major or minor subject for new Thursday 3 and Friday 4 April students, although courses are still offered in the subject area as • Thursday 3 April – the day’s programme is designed for regional electives. and new Auckland careers advisers. v. English Language Acquisition and Literature in English (a subject • Friday 4 April – the programme will provide key information area previously only available to non-native speakers of English) and updates for Auckland and regional careers advisers. is no longer offered as a BA major or minor for new students. Link | February 2008 | 1 vi. From 2009, the faculty hopes to introduce a new major and/or minor in Criminology. 2. Subject developments at postgraduate level: i. A new subject specialisation in Screen Production is available for the qualifications of Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Postgraduate Diploma in Arts and Master of Arts. Applicants require a major in Film, Television and Media Studies or a related subject in their BA for entry into the subject programme at BA(Hons) or PGDip level. ii. From 2009, the faculty hopes to introduce a new masters degree in Public Policy Analysis (currently going through approval processes). Many graduates find employment as policy analysts in both the public and private sectors. This programme is expected to appeal to those students seeking future employment in the fields of policy analysis or journalism. Related BA majors include Political Studies, Sociology, Mäori Studies, Pacific Studies or Geography. 3. Changes within the Equity Office team: The faculty has appointed Kahurangi Tibble ([email protected], ext 89879) to the role of Equity Coordinator until September 2008, following Leighton Robb’s secondment by the University’s EEdO Office. Hainoame Fulivai has been appointed as Tuakana Leadership Coordinator and will oversee the Faculty of Arts Mäori and Pacific Leadership Programme. Lucy Kapa has been appointed as the Arts Project Coordinator to undertake recruitment initiatives and to coordinate the Faculty of Arts Pilot Track and Trace Project. The Equity Office continues to be led by Equity Manager, Carmel Sepuloni All of the Halls of Residence are full for 2008. As in previous years, ([email protected], ext 89114). O’Rorke Hall received more than twice the number of applications than there are places. The Common Confidential Reference Forms (CCRFs) sent in by the schools in 2007 play an important role in the selection Engineering process. Thank you for sending these forms promptly. From 2008, all students wanting to study Engineering will The new application form that was introduced last year worked well. apply for the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours). However, applicants are still urged to ensure they include all relevant details requested, for example any leadership positions, achievements From 2008, all successful Engineering applicants will gain entry into and special health requirements that may influence where they are the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (BE (Hons)). Students who achieve placed. It is not the time for students to be shy about any of their a sufficiently high Grade Point Average (GPA) in Parts III and IV will be achievements! awarded a BE (Hons). Students who do not achieve a sufficiently high GPA to be awarded a BE (Hons), will be awarded a BE. Over summer, O’Rorke Hall was once again host to 150 top high school senior science students of the Rotary Science Group. If a group Up until 2008, high-achieving students studying the four year BE could within your school is looking for accommodation in Auckland during be awarded the degree with honours, however the official qualification university holiday periods, please do not hesitate to contact us at received was a BE, not a BE (Hons). All other universities with Engineering [email protected] programmes offer a bachelors honours degree. There is almost no difference in the programme requirements between the current BE and the BE (Hons), with the exception that all students must complete a SPO news research project in Part IV. Most specialisations already require students We are sorry to farewell two members of the Student Recruitment to complete a major research project in the final year, but this will now and Course Advice Team. Lucy McKegg was with the SPO for over two become compulsory for all students. years and has moved to a position in the University Careers Centre as Employment Liaison Coordinator. Bethany Hardie, who has been in her position for two years, leaves us to attend a full-immersion Te Reo Mäori Accommodation language course for the year. Schools have commented on Lucy’s In view of the high demand for accommodation, The University of and Bethany’s warmth, enthusiasm and commitment in Hawkes Bay, Auckland has entered into an agreement with Huia Residence (above) Gisborne, Wellington, Waikato, Coromandel, Manawatu and Wanganui, for the exclusive use of the purpose-built student accommodation facility as well as here in Auckland. Lucy and Bethany will be missed. for 321 of our students. The residence is located across Grafton Bridge, an easy 10 minutes walk from the City Campus and adjacent to the We welcome to the team Rebecca Sinclair and Marsha Manning, both Grafton Campus. It is self-catered and will be available to school leavers University of Auckland graduates. Rebecca has responsibility for Hawkes as well as older students. Bay, Gisborne and Wellington, as well as a number of Auckland schools. She has extensive experience in policy and presentation with the Auckland Accommodation and Conference Services will provide support services Regional Council. Marsha’s background includes roles in careers advice such as Residential Assistants and a Residential Community Manager at Careers Services and in the private sector. Starting in March, Marsha who will liaise closely with the Huia managers and staff to ensure the will have responsibility for Waikato/Coramandel, Manawatu and appropriate level of support and care for University of Auckland students. Wanganui, as well as Auckland schools. 2 | The University of Auckland Contact details for SPO team Ken Rapson Julian Rosser Director Auckland and Northland Phone: +64 9 373 7599 ext 84465 Phone: +64 9 373 7599 ext 87991 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Lorraine Pound Deborah Fa’aiuaso Manager Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki Responsibilities include Auckland Phone: +64 9 373 7599 ext 84292 and the South Island Email: [email protected] Phone: +64 9 373 7599 ext 87730 Email: [email protected] Rhona Grogan Rebecca Sinclair Administrator Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Gisborne Phone: +64 9 373 7599 ext 85613 and Wellington Email: [email protected] Phone: +64 9 373 7599 ext 83071 Email: [email protected] Aneleh Midgley Marsha Manning Office Secretary Auckland, Waikato/Coramandel, Manawatu Phone: +64 9 373 7599 ext 85541 and Wanganui Email: [email protected] Phone: +64 9 373 7599 ext 85211 Email: [email protected] Lucy McKegg and Bethany Hardie. The SPO team.