Overview
The Academic Division at the University of Otago includes
- Academic Services
- Distance Learning
- Higher Education Development Centre (HEDC)
- International
- University Library
- Quality Advancement Unit
- Summer School
- Continuing Education.
Our people
- Professor Vernon Squire
- Sarah Lines
- Ruth Taylor
- John Price
- Dr Bill Anderson
- Associate Professor Tony Harland
- Professor Sarah Todd
- Howard Amos
- Margaret Morgan
- Dr Elaine Webster
Professor Vernon Squire
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International)
Professor Vernon Squire has been Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) since 2010, having previously been the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University’s Division of Sciences for seven years and before that the Head of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics for nearly a decade. His academic training is in applied mathematics, with a particular focus on the construction of mathematical models to describe marine hydrodynamical processes that relate to the sea-ice canopies of the polar and subpolar oceans. Professor Squire continues to engage in research, with a specific current interest in the assimilation of ocean-wave / sea-ice interactions into large scale ice-ocean models and OGCMs (oceanic global circulation models) to improve their effectiveness and the accuracy of their operational forecasts and predictions. Currently this interactivity is absent, causing OGCMs to severely underestimate the contribution that adjacent open sea and open leads make to atmosphere-ocean fluxes, especially as global warming continues to trigger significant adjustment of the ice-covered oceans, e.g. decreased ice in the summer Arctic.
As head of the Academic Division, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s role is diverse, including strategic oversight of teaching policy and practice – taking in distance learning, the summer school and continuing education; academic human resources; quality enhancement; and the library; noting that each theme has a director or equivalent who reports to Vernon. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) is also the line manager of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International).
Professor Vernon Squire
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International)
Tel 3 479 8303
Email dvc.academic@otago.ac.nz
Sarah Lines
Personal Assistant
Sarah joined the Academic Divisional Office in 2009 as Personal Assistant to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International). Sarah co-ordinates the Financial and HR requirements of the Academic Divisional Office and oversees the organisation of the annual Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards.
Sarah brings a wide range of administrative skills and experience to the role, having worked in similar roles over the past 15 years. Sarah is Secretary to the Committee for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching (CALT), the Student Management Services Programme Steering Group, provides administrative support to the Pacific Peoples Reference Group as well as looking after a number of ad hoc Working Groups.
Sarah Lines
Personal Assistant to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International)
Tel 3 479 8883
Email sarah.lines@otago.ac.nz
Ruth Taylor
Executive Assistant
Ruth holds a Master of Arts degree in Classics from the University of Otago. After working at Victoria University of Wellington for two years, she joined the University of Otago in 1976, and worked in Student Administration before transferring to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s Office in 1999.
Ruth is responsible for the DVCs/PVCs’ Group, as well as looking after a number of ad hoc Working Groups. She attends Senate meetings, and meetings of the Boards of Graduate (BoGS) and Undergraduate Studies (BUGS) and the Committee for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching (CALT). She has responsibility for coordinating the Divisional budget and monthly financial reports, and manages the PDR process for the Division.
Ruth Taylor
Executive Assistant to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International)
Tel 3 479 8241
Email ruth.taylor@otago.ac.nz
John Price
Director Academic Services
John joined the University in 1991, having previously worked in the banking industry. He initially worked in the areas of student financial support and student finance and then in the role of Management Accountant, in the University’s Financial Services Division. John holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Otago and is a Chartered Accountant.
As Director, Academic Services, John has responsibility for leading a team in the provision of a range of academic services to the University community and for facilitating the development and delivery of academic policies and procedures in support of teaching and assessment.
John Price
Director Academic Services
Tel 3 479 8326
Email john.price@otago.ac.nz
http://www.otago.ac.nz/administration/otago000846.html
Dr Bill Anderson
Director Distance Learning
Dr. Bill Anderson is Director of Distance Learning at the University of Otago with a background in research, teaching and publication in the field of distance and online education. One of his significant recent publications was the Handbook of Distance Education (2003, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates) co-edited with Prof Michael Moore (Penn State University). His research expertise is in the area of online learning communities and interaction online and his extended research interests include the design of online learning environments, teaching strategies in online environments and the nature of the student experience of learning online.
Bill is currently involved in researching the nature of the learning experience of full-time distance students, and has recently completed research into distance student retention within New Zealand. He has considerable experience of teaching online in undergraduate and postgraduate papers.
Dr Bill Anderson
Director, Distance Learning
Tel 3 479 5809
Email bill.anderson@otago.ac.nz
http://www.otago.ac.nz/courses/distance_study/
Associate Professor Tony Harland
Head Higher Education Development Centre
Tony is an Associate Professor in the Higher Education Development Centre at the University of Otago and his research in the practice and theory of higher education is founded on a critique of the values of a university education. The questions that concern him are; what do we value in a university education, how are these values informed, and how might they change in the future?
Tony leads research programmes in teaching and learning that question the nature of curriculum, student learning and the construction of knowledge in disciplinary contexts. Tony is currently HEDC's Head of Department. He supervises postgraduate students, was a founding member of the Tertiary Education Research in New Zealand (TERNZ) and is Chair of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) New Zealand. He is on the editorial board of four international journals including the UK's Teaching in Higher Education.
Associate Professor Tony Harland
Director Higher Education Development Centre (HEDC)
Tel 3 479 8136
Email tony.harland@otago.ac.nz
http://www.otago.ac.nz/hedc
Professor Sarah Todd
Pro-Vice-Chancellor International
Professor Sarah Todd assumed the role of the University of Otago’s first Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) in 2006. Prior to that Sarah was Academic Dean at Otago’s School of Business, originally commencing as an academic in the Department of Marketing and still concurrently holds the position of Professor of Marketing. Her research interests lie in the general area of consumer behaviour, specifically lifestyles and values research, children as consumers and sustainable consumption (the latter includes work on frugality and ethics).
Sarah’s role as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) includes responsibility for the University’s internationalisation strategy, particularly the internationalisation of the curriculum and student experience, as well as managing the University’s international relationships. Her current external appointments include membership of the Confucius Institute Board; Chair of the Advisory Board for the New Zealand Centre at Peking University; Past Chair of the New Zealand Women in Leadership Steering Group; Chair of the Education New Zealand Stakeholder Advisory Committee; Trustee of Education Dunedin; membership of the Universities New Zealand Committee for International Policy and Director of the New Zealand Tertiary Education Consortium.
Professor Sarah Todd
Pro-Vice-Chancellor International
Tel 3 479 8345
Email pvc.international@otago.ac.nz
http://www.otago.ac.nz/international/
Howard Amos
University Librarian
Howard began his role as University Librarian at the University of Otago in October 2010. Since qualifying as an Information Management specialist and Librarian Howard has worked in both the private and public sectors in Libraries and telecommunications. Howard has over 20 years experience working for library software companies and as a practicing librarian developing library digital services.
Howard is responsible for the strategic development of Library policy and planning, and for leading, developing, maintaining and managing the provision of Library services throughout the University. He also ensures that Library services are of a high standard and function effectively and economically.
Howard Amos
University Librarian
Tel 3 479 8933
Email howard.amos@otago.ac.nz
http://www.otago.ac.nz/library
Margaret Morgan
Director Quality Advancement
Margaret Morgan is the Director, Quality Advancement and leads the Quality Advancement Unit (QAU) which has responsibility for the University's ongoing cycle of academic and administrative reviews, core institutional student and graduate opinion surveys, quality forums, improvement grants, external academic audit and liaison with the New Zealand Universities Academic Audit Unit.
Margaret has an MA (Otago) and DipArch/RecMgmt (Monash). She has held a variety of administrative roles at the University and joined the QAU as its first Director in November 2010. She is the current general staff representative on the University Council.
Margaret Morgan
Director Quality Advancement Unit
Tel 3 479 8229
Email margaret.morgan@otago.ac.nz
http://www.otago.ac.nz/quality/
Dr Elaine Webster
Director Summer School and Continuing Education
Elaine was appointed Director Summer School & Continuing Education late in 2011, having previously worked as a Research Advisor in the Research & Enterprise Office and before that lecturing in Sociology at Otago.
Elaine completed her PhD in and Clothing & Textile Sciences and Anthropology at Otago in 2006. Coming late to university from a background in small business and the community sector, she appreciates the value of alternative pathways into tertiary education and is passionate about adult education. Her research is on the role of dress and appearances in identity processes, symbolic meanings in the material world, and fashion as a social phenomenon. Elaine continues this work alongside new research in lifelong learning.
As Director, Summer School & Continuing Education, Elaine is responsible for the planning, development and operation of both the annual Summer School and Continuing Education short courses, maintaining a robust and viable programme in accord with policy, best practice and the overall interests of the university.
Dr Elaine Webster
Director Summer School and Continuing Education
Tel 3 479 5191
Email elaine.webster@otago.ac.nz
http://www.otago.ac.nz/courses/summerschool/
http://www.otago.ac.nz/courses/continuingeducation/
For further information
Tel 64 3 479 8883
