I have a child starting school today and thought for 2 seconds of starting a blog about that. Then I saw how much content was in this morning’s post and realised I was busy enough in tertiary education! Dave

Policy, Management & People

1. WITT… staff are unhappy at CE Richard Handley’s imminent departure, and two opinion pieces are critical of the WITT Council, here and here.
2. Cultural Awareness Unitec has been recognised by the Office of Ethnic Affairs for implementing its Intercultural Awareness and Communication Training Programme.
3. UCOL… and Wanganui District Council have formed a joint governance taskforce.
4. Falling Enrolments Otago Poly first-year enrolments are down 13%. (Update 7/2 – it was actually falling applications, but they were still well above places available.)
5. Student Survey Otago Poly has scored well in an Australasian comparative student survey.
6. Extras: Auckland promotes 17 to Professor (Newstalk ZB); Otago Uni to collaborate with Burmese university; Otago Uni med students to return to repaired Christchurch campus; no opposing submissions on Massey’s liquor ban exemption.

Research & Innovation

1. Online Entomology Lincoln has digitally catalogued it’s 250,000-strong bug collection.
2. After-School Jobs… provide benefits for children even when poorly paid, according to an Otago Uni study.
3. Flora and Fauna Otago Uni’s Sir Alan Mark has completed a definitive guide to our alpine environment.
4. Power Prices… have increased at twice the rate of nearly every other developed country over the past 30 years, says Victoria’s Geoff Bertram.
5. Antarctic Sea Otago Uni’s Stephen Wing studying Antarctic life under the ice.
6. Movement Music A Victoria student has designed new software to turn movement into sound (3 News).
7. Roebel Cable A WelTec grad has designed a new manufacturing unit for efficient production of Roebel cable, crucial to the superconductor industry.
8. Phone App A Canterbury student has designed a phone app and website for Christchurch’s High Street precinct.
9. Self-Harm Victoria’s Marc Wilson says self-harm patients are getting younger.
10. Fishing Canterbury’s Michael Plank is studying sustainable fishing systems.
11. Extras: Otago Uni’s Miles Lamare on ocean acidification; Massey’s Toby Mundel on the effects of a hot climate on athletes; Otago Uni PhD study on algal bloom in Lake Hayes; Otago Uni zoologists studying Orokonui tuatara; Otago Uni develop a drill-less method for fixing holes in children’s teeth; new book about NZ history by AUT’s Paul Moon; Otago Uni’s Marc Schallenberg on DCD contamination; fish silage developed at Lincoln to be commercialised; Massey survey on home affordability; Otago Uni student research on economic benefits of iD fashion week.

Public Issues

1. Private Education Auckland’s Peter O’Connor on the benefits of private and public education.
2. Green Image Canterbury’s Prof Michael Hall says NZ’s clean, green image is increasingly contentious.
3. Press Freedom Massey’s Cathy Strong says NZers can be blasé about media access to public info.
4. TV Ratings… can be misleading, says Waikato’s Geoff Lealand.
5. Paul Holmes’… death signals the passing of “old-school” broadcasting, says Otago Uni’s Brett Nicholls.
6. Housing Massey’s Prof Bob Hargreaves on housing affordability nationwide.
7. Dung Beetles Auckland’s Grant Guilford says releasing dung beetles in NZ could be risky.
8. Callaghan Innovation AUT’s Prof John Raine and Victoria’s Profs Kate McGrath and Shaun Hendy on the new crown institute.
9. Gender Gap AUT’s Katherine Ravenswood on the pay disparity between men and women.
10. Extras: Auckland’s Nora Yao on learning mandarin; Auckland’s Mark Costello on naming earth’s species; Otago Uni’s Prof Robin Gauld on the Novopay ministerial inquiry; Auckland’s Bill Hodge on legal aid; Massey’s Prof Steve Stannard on sports supplements; Waikato’s Prof Jacqueline Rowarth on agricultural innovation; Canterbury’s John Caldwell on Family Court reforms.

Students

1. Financial Advice… for students facing large student loan debt.
2. Lincoln Reform Lincoln student president Kent Lloyd has been accepted onto the Steering Group for the University’s planned qualifications reform.
3. Extras: Massey student equestrian at Dressage Champs; Lincoln student in Crusaders squad.

Stakeholders

1. Pacific Trades Training… is a joint initiative between TEOs and Pacific churches training Pacific people to help in the Christchurch rebuild.
2. Visiting Academics Otago Uni will host public lectures by Nobel laureates Roald Hoffmann William Phillips.
3. Triathlon NZ Waikato has welcomed Triathlon NZ’s relocation to Cambridge.
4. Apprentices The Gough Group has launched its 2013 intake, taking on 15 new apprentices.
5. CPIT… students have donated three bike racks to Youth Hub Barbadoes.
6. Extras: nanotech art exhibition at Auckland; Massey’s Mandy Morgan and Te Kani Kingi join Glenn Inquiry; radio astronomy conference hosted by Auckland.

Teaching & Learning

1. Kayak Adventure Two TPP tutors have completed the first ever descent of the Upper Waitaha River as part of a 5-man team.
2. Summer School CPIT, Auckland, Unitec and Victoria students are developing ideas for the Christchurch Central development.
3. Trade Grads… from Aoraki are apparently being snapped up , including this one who won an apprenticeship at Ag Rural.
4. Extras: Waikato students in final of Imagine Cup.