Toroa College is going back to the future next year – instead of accommodating mostly first-year students it will house mainly self-catering international students as it did when opened almost 30 years ago.
The change comes as the University embarks in earnest on the global and connected domain of its Pae Tata Strategic Plan to 2030 which has ambitious goals including significant growth in international student enrolments, Chief Operating Officer Stephen Willis says.
International students coming to Otago are increasingly postgraduate students and many are keen to live in University-provided residential accommodation but want a different experience than recent school-leavers.
At Toroa, they will have more independence and a social hub to foster a sense of community – the college already houses about 25 students successfully this way. If any Toroa residents want a catered option, they will dine at Carrington College, Stephen says.
Because the University’s new Te Rangihīroa College opened this year and Arana College will reopen next year after upgrades, the University has about 320 additional college beds for 2025. This means Toroa’s 120 places can be made available for more senior international students and postgraduates while still allowing 200 growth in first-year student numbers in conventional colleges.
Fofoa Accommodation Award Pacific will continue to live at Toroa as well and are already self-catering.
This change does not involve any job losses, staff will be redeployed, including those who helped provide daily meals for Toroa students at the University Union, Stephen says.
Director, International Jason Cushen believes Toroa will be attractive to a proportion of the international student market whose needs the University currently does not meet.
While much work has gone into identifying the markets key to recruiting 20 per cent more international students under Pae Tata, successfully recruiting students also depends on the living arrangements and out-of-class experiences on offer.
“Part of that is thinking carefully about the accommodation options we provide. This includes some different accommodation options to those we currently provide,” Jason says.
Toroa will be led in 2025 by current Deputy Warden Stewart Noguer Blue, who will still live on site. Current Toroa College Warden Christina Watson-Mills will be seconded to lead Caroline Freeman College when that role becomes vacant in January 2025, Stephen says.