Inducements Needed To Fill University Posts
The University’ of Canterbury has about 40 staff vacancies at present, ranging from lecturer to head of department, and in the next few months it expects to advertise about 40 new positions to cope with roll increases without significantly improving the staff-student ratio. 1 o interest possible applicants, the ViceChancellor (Dr. L. L. Pownall) has spent the last five weeks travelling in Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Dr. Pownall said New Zealand academic salaries were still lower than in other countries but this was not the only important factor in recruitment. Facilities for research, for study’ leave, and for technical assistance could be persuasive considerations.
Dr. Pownall emphasised that his was not a recruiting tour. He had made no offers and received no applications, hut he “talked to a number of international authorities in certain fields and to a number of other people from whom
we would be very pleased to receive applications to join us at any time.” Dr. Pownall said that as well as improving salaries New Zealand must continue to improve research facilities, libraries, travel grants, and supplementary staffing. All these were better than they were but still far below world standards. A significant development was the emphasis on technician aid, particularly in the sciences. He had noticed, as close to home as Australia, Adelaide advertising on one day for eight academic staff, two post-graduate fellows, and 10 technicians. This was the new pattern. Canterbury might have one technician to four academic staff in some departments.
“Overseas one to one or better is becoming more common,” he said. “We need also to make it possible for our staff to visit freely overseas. Provision is more generous than previously, but New Zealand is still a long way from world centre of learning and it is expensive for staff to attend conferences and other meetings. Overseas teachers would require assurance that they could keep in touch personally if they came to New Zealand.”
Dr. Pownall said he was still satisfied that New Zealand’s general family living conditions were the highest in the world and this could be a helpful factor in attracting academic staff —if other factors were improved.
Inducements Needed To Fill University Posts
Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30724, 13 April 1965, Page 11
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