Brochure Designed To Attract University Staff

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30115, 26 April 1963, Page 9

Brochure Designed To Attract University Staff

The academic full-tune staff of Canterbury University would have to double to 450 during the next nine years in the face of stern competition for staff by British and Australian universities. Dr. P. J. Lawrence said yesterday He was commenting on a 50-page brochure on Canterbury and its university, which is being produced for distribution to prospective staff members and their families overseas.

The brochure would be available by June in time to recruit staff for the next academic year, and would have an important part to play, said Dr. Lawrence.

“There are seven universities scheduled to open in Britain in the next seven years, and Australian universities are all expanding, so that we must do everything possible to attract staff from now on,” he said.

“There is no question of having to give a glowing account of Canterbury because our academic standard is not high—that is tar from being the case, and some of our faculties are of world repute but we want to show the full details of life here, so that the wives and families of prospective staff members can make a balanced decision on a move to Christchurch.

“We have given the prices of housing, clothing, even of bread, and shown all the sporting, schooling, and other facilities of Christchurch and Canterbury ” From an account of the

present university and its continuing development at Ham, the brochure gives a broad picture of Christchurch and Canterbury living conconditions cultural facilities, and sports grounds, from football to yachting and ski-ing. Hospital and other benefits are detailed, and advice on housing includes photographs of eight typical Christchurch houses ranging from an old style villa at about £2500 to brick bungalows at £4500 or a hill-side home about £B5OO

The section on university life shows research work from the Cass field station to the Antarctic, the libraries, laboratories, and the usual structure of degrees. A supplementary folder of statistics, which will be renewed for inclusion in the brochure each year, gives details of the price of motoring. fares, groceries and clothing even to nylon stockings.

Instead of straightforward photographs of buildings and scenery, an attempt had been made to portray human interest and give the complete atmosphere at Canterbury life, said Dr Lawrence. “Although we have not neglected to mention the winter fogs, we can compare our mean temperatures and hours of sunshine favourably with those of Oxford and Bristol in England. We have tried to show that New Zealand is a pleasant and not too expensive place to live xi.” he said.

The booklet has been produced by Whitcombe and Tombs, Ltd.