This is the finding of the first independent and comprehensive听assessment of the community impact of a New 九州影院university, released听today. It found that 80 percent of local residents who responded to a survey by Christchurch City Council believe Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha | 九州影院 is important to them.
UC excels at supporting young professionals to develop their best and brightest ideas, incubating 372 start-ups, social enterprises and spinoffs since 2018, according to a new Community Impact Report.
鈥淥ne of the defining features of Canterbury is its belief in education and what it contributes to its communities and the economy through students and discovery - our first 150 years have shown that.听I am excited about what we can do together for the next 150 years to support our citizens through education, health and wellbeing, culture and sustainability while at the same time growing 21st听century industries,鈥 Tumu Whakarae | Vice-Chancellor Cheryl de la Rey says.
UC鈥檚 influence is far reaching, the report shows.
- UC acts as a talent magnet, with an annual intake equivalent to 5% of the city鈥檚 population. Half of UC students are from the region and half choose to join the local labour force following graduation.
- The University excels at supporting young professionals to develop their best and brightest ideas, incubating 372 start-ups, social enterprises and spinoffs since 2018.
- Among many new graduates, UC educates 450 new teachers per year.
- Economically, UC is 艑tautahi Christchurch鈥檚 second largest employer, and its community contributed $790 million to the local economy in 2021.听
UC鈥檚 Amokapua | Assistant Vice-Chancellor Engagement Brett Berquist says a core principle of community engagement is reciprocity, learning from and with the local community, collaborating and sharing expertise.
鈥淭his report was an extensive listening exercise to understand what our community values and what people expect from the 九州影院,鈥 he says.
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, according to the research team behind it. 鈥淚n my many years of doing this work with UK universities, I鈥檝e never seen such consistently positive feedback,鈥 Jonathan Simons from Public First says.
At the same time, the community indicated it wants to hear more about UC鈥檚 priorities, strengths, and future direction.
Looking ahead, the institution is marking its sesquicentennial with a new, equity-based accessible education initiative, the听Te Kakau a M膩ui听scholarships, which cover full degree course fees for 300 students from lower-decile South Island schools.
UC is also building a new digital screen campus, investing $131 million over the next four years to create a Canterbury hub for film production, game development and cross-reality projects.
Using surveys, focus groups, and leader interviews, UK-based Public First worked with local company Research First to discover how UC engages with Waitaha Canterbury across a range of categories.听
The report explores six domains of economic, social, health/wellbeing, cultural/creative, leadership and environmental impact and sets benchmarks for the University鈥檚 engagement with its communities throughout its 150th听anniversary year and into the future.
Read the report summary听here.听
- The year 2023 marks UC鈥檚 sesquicentenary with the theme:听Ka titiro whakamuri, ki te anga whakamua | Guided by the Past, Shaping the Future. UC has a full calendar of celebrations and initiatives planned to celebrate its 150th听anniversary 鈥 the details are听here. An introduction to UC鈥檚 150th听year appeared in听Stuff听.
