ENGINEERING SCHOOL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21292, 20 September 1932, Page 11

ENGINEERING SCHOOL

STATUS IN QUESTION

ENGLISH BODY'S ATTITUDE STEPS TO RESIST ATTACK Steps arc to be taken by the Auckland University College Council to defend the school of engineering at the college from an attack that has been made upon its status. At yesterday's meeting of the council, a letter was received from the registrar of the University of New Zealand, enclosing a copy of a communication from the chairman of the advisory committee for New Zealand of the Institution of Civil Engineers (London). The letter from the advisory committee stated that the Institution of Civil Engineers had indicated that students passing the course for the degree of bachelor of engineering in the University of New Zealand would need to take the second, third and fouith years of the course at Canterbury College ill order to comply with the institution's conditions for studentship. At present the university requires students at the Auckland school to take only the fourth year of their course at Canterbury College. The council authorised the president, Sir George Fowlds, and Professor S. E. Lamb, director of the school of engineering, to draw up a statement for submission to the University of New Zealand and agreed that the registrar, Mr. M. R. O'Shea, who is at present in the United States, should be asked to take the matter up with the headquarters of the Institution of Civil Engineers during his intended visit to London.

In reply to an inquiry later, Sir George Fowlds said that for a number of years the Institution of Civil Engineers had recognised the New Zealand degree of bachelor of engineering (civil) as dispensing with certain further examinations of its own. This had not affected the Auckland School of Engineering until its instruction was recognised by the University of New Zealand for the first and second professional examinations. The question of the Auckland school's status had been opened only recently by the institution, and although the matter had been considered by the executive of the University Senate, of which he was a member, the present communication was the first formal notification that the Auckland University College Council had received.

The council intended to submit to the society, through the university, a full statement of the case for the Auckland school and a vindication of the work done by it. Copies of the documents would also be forwarded to Mr. O'Shea with a view to his taking the matter up with the controlling authorities of the institution in London.

Sir George said he did not think that the present' situation affected the right of Auckland students to sit for the institution's own examinations for A.M.1.C.E., as many of them had done successfully before the university gave the school recognition.