What if an earthquake made us all smarter?How UC will support Canterbury’s renewal.

BE PREPARED TO CHANGE THE WORLD

Ngāi Tahu kaumatua and Adjunct Professor, University of Canterbury

Safeguarding

$1.5b worth of value this country cannot afford to lose

UC has been recognised as one of the top 250 universities in the world in the QS World University Rankings. The QS Five Stars rating benchmarked UC as a comprehensive university offering world-class education, graduate employment pathways, expertise in innovation and knowledge transfer, and leadership. It is ranked in the top three of New Zealand’s universities based on research outputs and surveys of prospective and current students.

Half of our postgraduate students come from overseas, choosing UC as their preferred source of advanced learning.UC is Christchurch’s third biggest employer and a recognised driver of Canterbury’s 15% contribution to the New Zealand economy, second only to Auckland. A 2003 NZ Institute of Economic Research study found that the University contributed $435 million directly to the Canterbury economy each year, and a further $1 billion indirectly.

Our region and future students need a strong UCTertiary education is one of the most important engines for the recovery of the Canterbury region. However, the University of Canterbury (UC) faces challenges. A small number of our key buildings are closed and many require remediation. Student numbers have fallen and this

jeopardises revenue from teaching. We also run the risk of losing talented staff, which could trigger longer-term problems.UC is committed to playing its part in the economic and social recovery of our region. With your support we firmly believe that the University will emerge stronger and better

than before, making a significant contribution to the sustainable economic recovery of Christchurch city, the Canterbury region and the people of New Zealand.

Cover: Dr Brendon Bradley, Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering

Second edition: 1 August 2012

Dr Rod Carr, Vice-Chancellor

UC’s vision is to develop “people who are prepared to make a difference / tangata tū, tangata ora”. Our mission is to contribute to society through knowledge in chosen areas of endeavour by promoting a world-class learning environment known for attracting people with the greatest potential to make a difference.

We will be:

• IntellectualleadersworkingfortherebuildandrenewalofChristchurchasasmartcity,generatingwealthandofferingasuperiorqualityoflife;

• Aleadingplayerinthenationalscienceandinnovationecosystemandpartofaregionalnetworkofresearchandteachingorganisations;

• Knownforinnovationandentrepreneurship,contributingtosocialcohesion,resilienceandcollaboration;

• Aplacewherelocalbusinesspeoplecanaccessknowledgeandresearch;

• Asafe,vibrantandengagingtertiarycampusdeliveringanoutstandingstudentexperience,asanintegralpartofthefuturecity;

• Asignificantsourceofgraduateswithemploymentskills,indigenousknowledge,communityandglobalexperience;

UC at a glanceFULL-TIME EqUIvaLEnT

UnDERGRaDUaTE

11,522

InTERnaTIonaL (7%)

FULL-TIME EqUIvaLEnT PoSTGRaDUaTE

2,031

InTERnaTIonaL (17%)

aCaDEMIC STaFF

735oPERaTInG InCoME

$290m

UC offers a wide range of programmes across engineering, science, commerce, education, law, forestry, humanities and social sciences, and creative arts. Key indicators for 2011 were:

Transformational outcomes

• Oneofthetop10engineeringschoolsintheSouthernHemisphereandtheleaderinNewZealand;

• Oneofthecountry’stopsourcesofgraduatesinscience,informationtechnologyandteaching;

• Aglobalcentreofresearchandteachinginearthquakestudiesanddisasterresilienceandrecovery;

• Restoredto2010domesticstudentnumberswithinfiveyears,with2000ofourstudentenrolmentsbeinginternationallysourcedby2020;

• Afinanciallyviable,research-intensiveUniversityhavingretainedourQSFiveStarranking.

We want to be known as a University where research, teaching and learning take place in ways that are inspirational and innovative.

Within this context, we have developed a renewal plan known as UC Futures.This significant investment Business Case scopes earthquake remediation and developments that will transform the campus. With its focus on our existing strengths, UC Futures will enable us to make a direct contribution to the Canterbury region of more than $1 billion per year. By 2020, our indirect contribution through student spending and multipliers is likely to contribute a similar amount, and our staff and graduates will add even more through the community and businesses they support.

Steps to renewal

UC Futures is our project to develop a compelling Business Case for Government and other stakeholders. The Tertiary Education Commission is supporting the Business Case development, and we are working with stakeholders such as the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, our Canterbury Tertiary Alliance partners, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, other government departments, business and industry, Ngāi Tahu, staff, students, and the wider community.

Impacts Without significant investment, the earthquakes foreshadow a concerning future for UC over the next 10 years.

The earthquakes have had significant impacts on UC’s infrastructure, enrolments, staffing and balance sheet. In December 2011 we were down by 1,800 domestic students and 400 full fee-paying international students compared with 2010. Staffing levels have fallen by 8% overall. We face a $17 million reduction in teaching revenue per annum. Our uninsured remediation cost over the next 10 years is currently estimated at $150 million.

Collaboration is key

Collaboration is a cornerstone of our renewal. our plan involves proven collaborative models in three key areas:

• Partnerships with other tertiary education organisations, research providers and industry;

• Partnerships with Ngāi Tahu and schools to produce a strong stream of Māori and Pasifika graduates in the sciences, engineering, teacher education and ICT;

• Hubbed teaching and learning infrastructure and technologies to improve value for money and the performance of the education system as a whole.

IMPACTS

Major buildings closed

Enrolments down

2,200 from 2010 levels

$150m remediation cost over

the next 10 years

8%

reduction in staff

We’ve responded by creating innovative short term solutions. We have repaired and returned to service 40,000 square metres of infrastructure, we’ve adapted available buildings and constructed 15,000 square metres of new temporary facilities for staff and students, and we’ve developed fresh, agile ways of operating.

UC Futures: a system-wide response

We envisage an interconnected, collaborative model of education that is outward facing and value-creating.

Designing our future – the principles

our stakeholders have provided us with foundation principles on which to build our solutions:

• Collaboration with all key stakeholders; • Sustainability of provision;• Leadership within the community,

bringing our knowledge to the recovery;• Secondary-to-tertiary and

education-to-work transitions;• Support for priority learner

groups identified in the Tertiary Education Strategy;

• Priority for Canterbury’s vocational and economic needs.

RenewalOur renewal is designed to bring students, employers and other stakeholders together in a vibrant learning environment. The emerging Business Case builds on our strengths and combines transformational initiatives with investment in our students and staff.

Capital investment

Proposed capital projects include:

• A regional science centre providing a shared hub for the University, schools and other research organisations;

• Modernisation and extension of the College of Engineering, which would allow us to contribute 50 additional engineering graduates per year. This would include a global resilience hub providing an international centre of excellence in engineering, scientific and humanitarian aspects of earthquake studies;

• A new home for the College of Business and Economics on the Ilam Campus, linked to the business community;

• Consolidated teacher education tapping into all disciplines available on campus, and making the best use of e-learning and other forms of pedagogy.

Human capital

We intend to ensure graduating students have a broad, resilient profile and distinctive strengths based on what they have learned about living and rebuilding through a major disaster. The value-added graduate profile will feature:

• Employability, innovation and entrepreneurship;

• Ngāi Tahu indigenous knowledge;• Global context and experience;• Community wellbeing and renewal.

Investing in UC

To deliver this major, complex transformation, UC is using a range of strategies, including:

• Crown investment;• Revenue maximisation;• Cost containment;• Philanthropic support;• Borrowings;• Private investment.

“ My first-hand observation of growth and prosperity in Silicon Valley and New York confirms the truism that great universities give rise to great research and innovative people, who then create growth, jobs and a foundation for the future. The University of Canterbury powers the engine that will rebuild Christchurch for the long term, and ensures that the new Christchurch has innovation and a 21st-century approach at its core.”Dr Craig Nevill-Manning, Google Engineering Director and UC graduate

“ Tait Communications is the principal industry partner of the Wireless Research Centre at UC’s NZi3 ICT Innovation Institute and UC trains and supports Tait staff. I endorse UC’s intention to build upon models like the Centre, which provides a highly interconnected innovation resource for industry. UC has the acumen and willingness to engage that we need to get new knowledge out of the laboratory and into the economy.”Frank Owen, CEO, Tait Radio Communications

“ UC could help Christchurch to become a magnet for talented people with a sense of adventure who are able to build a truly amazing city. Students want to be part of the creation of the new Christchurch, and we need a rejuvenated UC that can give the city the fresh knowledge it needs to rise again, better than ever.”Erin Jackson, UCSA president

“These are exciting times. Ruaumoko and his earthquakes have torn apart not just the land, but also the limitations of last century’s thinking and structures. We now have an unavoidable responsibility to weave ourselves together into the next chapter of this country’s constantly maturing identity. This is the time to weave Ngāi Tahu’s traditions and values and aspirations into a partnership that reflects the dynamic nature of the world in which we live. It is the genuine inclusion of all the past and present strands of our communities that will allow us to realise our collective future potential.Ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi / When the old net is worn it is cast aside and the new net goes fishing.”

Canterbury’s growth sourceUC knowledge has always fuelled Canterbury’s economic engine and we have been there since the earthquakes, helping provide an intelligent and innovative response. Here are some examples of new and leading edge research that builds on our already strong and comprehensive academic foundation.

Geological research

UC’s Department of Geological Sciences undertook a seismic reflection survey in Christchurch with the University of Calgary’s Consortium for Research in Elastic Wave Exploration Seismology (CREWES) and GNS Science. It has also established a Port Hills Geotechnical Group study to inform the rebuild and future land-use planning.

Earthquake engineering

UC civil, structural and geotechnical engineering experts have been called upon to help inform many aspects of the earthquake and its impacts, including fault mechanisms, energy transmission during a quake, ground surface response, liquefaction, designing lifelines to minimise damage, community preparation and planning for emergency response and recovery.

CEISMIC digital archive

The Canterbury Earthquake Images, Stories and Media Integrated Collection (CEISMIC) is an earthquake-related federated archive of digital images, stories, and media led by the new Digital Humanities team at UC’s College of Arts. It is supported by national and local cultural and information agencies.

Augmented reality

The Earthquake AR project, developed by UC’s Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HIT Lab NZ) allows users to see virtual buildings overlaid on the real world with a mobile phone, and to access stories and share feedback.

Psychological responses

The psychology of disaster response and recovery is being studied by UC’s Department of Psychology. The research investigates anxiety responses, the effects of stress, sleeplessness and cognitive disruption, the impact on specific cohorts such as community workers, immigrants and those already suffering disorders, and the effects of the earthquake on decision-making and well-being.

Community discussion and sense-making

UC has promoted ongoing community discussions as the earthquake response has moved from emergency to recovery, to rebuild and beyond. UC leaders and subject experts have been appointed to a wide range of panels, advisory groups and governance roles.

Ngāi Tahu kaumatua and Adjunct Professor, University of CanterburySir Tipene O’Regan