Lincoln ‘centred on farming'

Press, 8 May 1978, Page 6

Lincoln ‘centred on farming'

One of the main reasons for Lincoln College’s outstanding achievements lay in its remaining a specialised faculty, the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) told about 800 academics — among them several overseas guests — in an address at the college’s centennial convocation last evening.

The college had not spread itself out into “softer areas” and adopted the “trendy, multi-disciplinary approach which has helped jam the libraries of the world with much worthless paper,” Mr Muldoon said.

It had remained specialised on agriculture . . . "trying early on to provide leadership and cater for the practical aspects of farming,” he said. The convocation was called on the final evening of the college’s centennial celebrations to confer honorary degrees on five men — Messrs Herbert Myer Caselberg, Lloyd Thomas Evans, Charles Hilgendorf. Lance William McCaskill and

lan Edward Coop. The former three received doctorates in law, the latter two doctorates in science.

Mr Caselberg has been a member of the Dairy Products Marketing Commission, now the Dairy Board; and as a representative of the Mortgage (late State Advances) Corporation served on several national agricultural councils. He was awarded the C.B.E. in 1963.

Professor Coop, the viceprincipal of Lincoln College, and its professor of animal science, is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry and a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural Science. He has been a member of the National Research Advisory Council and served as chairman of the Primary Production Committee. He was awarded the 0.8. E, in 1976.

Dr Evans, a plant scientist, is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, and of the Royal Society of London. His research in plant physiology began at Oxford Uni-

versity, took him to California on a fellowship and to Canberra for 15 years where he was a research scientist in plant industry. Mr Hilgendorf, the chairman of the New Zealand Meat Board, was a member of the Lincoln College board of governors for 12 years and became its deputy chairman. He was a member of the D.S.I.R. council for three years and joined the New Zealand Meat Producers Board in 1961. He was awarded the C.M.G. in 1971. Professor McCaskill became associate professor and head of the department of rural education at Lincoln College in 1949. He has served on Nature, soil, and water conservation bodies and park authorities. He is the author of several books, among them “Hold this Land,” “Molesworth,” and “Colourful New Zealand.” He was awarded the C.B.E. in 1969.

Mr Muldoon said the Lincoln College Foundation, set up to mark the centenary, was Lincoln’s way of giving

back to the community in an entirely outgoing endeavour to assist any individual or institution able to serve the interests of agriculture. The college was putting in the equivalent of $200,000, by transferring property owned by it in the Lincoln township. This, when developed, might realise even $25,000. The property was originally bought by the college with its own profits from farming not acquired by Government grants. Mr Muldoon said. Promises from business firms were expected to give $200,000 and the rest to meet the foundation’s immediate objective of $500,000, he was confident would be raised by

appeals yet to be launched by the Old Students’ Association.

The Lincoln College Foundation would be like the Nuffield Foundation in principle, but wider ranging. Among those who benefited from the Nuffield Foundation scholarships were several men who had distinguished themselves as leaders in agriculture. Mr Muldoon said. He told the assembly that the Cabinet works committee last Wednesday had authorised the college to call tenders for a soil and waters laboratories building for the department of agricultural engineering. It approved a grant of $1.45M to meet the estimated cost of the building.