Invitation

Professor Harlene Hayne, Vice-Chancellor

I am delighted to invite all members of the University of Otago community to join us as we prepare for our 150th anniversary celebrations in 2019.

In the coming months we will be announcing a series of events to celebrate our extraordinary achievements as New Zealand’s first university. These will range from research forums, seminars and symposia, to sporting, cultural and civic events, providing unprecedented opportunities to bring together our students, staff, alumni, friends and our wider community to mark this very significant milestone with us.

The determined settlers who established this institution in 1869 had a deep-seated commitment to education that continues today. In choosing the motto sapere aude – or “dare to be wise” – they threw down a challenge which generations of New Zealand’s finest young men and women have joyously met.

Today the University of Otago enjoys an international reputation for research and teaching excellence. We have combined the traditions of our history with modern scholarship. We have welcomed the challenges of a continually changing world and we have relished our obligation as a “critic and conscience of society”. Our researchers have pushed the boundaries of academic endeavour and our graduates – enriched by all that an Otago education has to offer – have made their mark around the world.

These are some of the stories we want to share.

However, celebrating 150 years is not just about looking back: we are a progressive University with clear strategic goals and a bold vision. In reflecting on the many outstanding achievements of the past 150 years we must use this knowledge and experience to inform our future.

I feel greatly privileged to be Vice-Chancellor of this fine University and I welcome you to join me in this celebration of our past and to work with us to achieve our goals in the years ahead.

Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua
My past is my present is my future

Professor Harlene Hayne
Vice-Chancellor