AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 171, 22 July 1930, Page 10

AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY.

TEN* YEARS' PROGRESS.

SIR GEORGE. FOWLDS' REVIEW.

SEPARATE UOTVERSITY'PREDICTED

A review of the progress achieved during the past decade was made by Sir George Fowlds, president of the Auckland University College Council, yesterday, on the occasion of his completion of ten years' of office as chairman. Among the difficulties that confronted the institution in 1919, he "said, were those of ■ securing the metropolitan site and getting buildings erected, and that of obtaining recognition of the engineering school by the Senate. All were now accomplished facts. A splendid site had been obtained, and the buildings were universally admitted to be both beautiful and useful, and had been important factors in bringing the college into the consciousness and pride of -the. public of Auckland City and province. The School of Engineering was now in a. position to prepare candidates for the first and second examinations of the University of New Zealand, and he believed the Senate would be prepared to grant the right for the third and final examination for the degrees of Bachelor of Engineering (civil, mechanical and electrical) at almost any time it were asked'to do so. Recent Endowments. The wonderful advance made within the last 10 years could not have been made without the loyal support, of the council and staff and the solid founda-i tions laid by previous executives, said Sir George. At a cost of £175,000, which | did not include the value of the site, they I had the arts building, the students' build- j ing, the extensions of the physics department and the,) engineering school, a caretaker's cottage and grounds and playing areas. Of this sum £20,550 had been subscribed by Auckland citizens*. " The founding of Massey Agricultural College, now in full working order with 175.'.students, had been hastened by the Jjequest of £20,000 by the late Sir-John JjOgan Campbell, followed) by the gift of to; Victoria University College: by

the late Sir Walter Buchanan. These gifts ranked high among gifts of endowment sums to university education in New Zealand, which could show pitifully few • examples to compare with these. There were so many public-spirited men and women in Auckland, however, that he was certain that the t example set by these benefactors would be followed, and that some day the university, as it would then be, would be placed financially in a position which would allow it to equip men and women with the ideal university education.

Value To Community. There was no finer service to the community than that achieved by t>e donation of capital sums to ensure that the ranks of the professions, commerce and industry might receive as the product of the 'university young men and women whose capacity and capabilities, strengthened and enriched by a true university education, would mean so much to the country as a„ whole.

The university was rendering a great service by means of its public lectures, said Sir George. "Our present courses in municipal government and local body finance are a base upon which we will some day superimpose a diploma of public administration, and finally, I hope, a bureau of civic research, wherein the resources of the university .will be placed at the disposal of the city and the citizens.

"The farm book-keeping group established at Te Awamutu by the Department of Economics is merely a sample of the Use which the university can be to the country districts. I feel that we can truthfully say that we are now fairly on the road leading to our ultimate aim—a civic and provincitl~university.

"Our "Ultimate Aim." "Looking into the future, I can see that a great expansion lies before us. In Orakei we hope to have a site which will give us room to found as the years go by a university keeping pace with the advance of the community. There we may be able to place buildings for our science departments and our school of engineering, together with . student hostels and playing areas, giving us the nucleus of the residential university with day classes, which we all regard as our ultimate aim. Our present sit© and buildings will always be required to meet_ the needs of the recruitment of certain of the professions "and of business, which appeal' to require evening tuition for the students. °

"If our proposal, in conjunction with the City Council, for a fine arts block on the old Grammar School site comes

to fruition, our very fine school of architecture will be properly housed, our school of music can then find a home which will encourage it to expand, and the cultural and aesthetic societies of the city will find a common home under the aegis of the.university and the City Council. In our school of commerce we have one of our greatest opportunities for expansion, and this matter is continually engaging my thoughts." A chair of anthropology would sooner or later be established in Auckland, the most suitable' of all locations in the Dominion for this work. The University of Auckland might come sooner than was anticipated, and the residential colleges, of the city, St, John's and Trinity, would some day be an important part of the provincial university.

Rapid Progress. "The comparatively small advances made year by year seem little in themselves," said Sir George, "but when a decade is viewed as a whole, we are often surprised to find that we have left many milestones behind on the road of progress. . I feel to-day that our great city can regard our vinstitution as by no means lacking in the vital spark. 1 know -that the administrators of universities abroad look with envy upon more than a few aspects of our own univei'sity teaching, and I feel sure that some day our awn, our separate university, will be a prized and welltended asset of our. great city an<f province." '