New senior appointment at UCOL

New senior appointment at UCOL

UCOL’s Manager of Student Support Services and Educational Delivery has been appointed to the position of Deputy Chief Executive Academic. She replaces Dr Sheila Grainger who is going to a new position in the South Island.

UCOL Chief Executive Paul McElroy says Ms Dewart brings a wealth of experience to the position and will be a valued member of the UCOL management team.

Bonnie was born in Canada and came to New Zealand in 1975. She has a Masters in English from the University of Alberta and is completing a Masters in Public Policy at Victoria University.

Before joining the then Manawatu Polytechnic, later part of UCOL, as an academic counsellor in 1989, she taught in primary schools and worked in the Education Department at Massey University.

At UCOL her focus has been on student support. “I have a strong commitment to access to tertiary education for all who can benefit from it. I believe institutes of technology provide the sort of ‘hands on’ applied education that can really make learning come alive for students,” she says.

“My commitment in my new role is to provide leadership in academic and educational matters; to continue to develop UCOL’s research culture in our degrees; to work with staff at UCOL to continue to deliver excellent education; and improve the tertiary experience for people from a wide range of cultures with varied educational experience.”

Bonnie Dewart says UCOL has a commitment to excellence and also to support for students. “The current environment for provision in ITPs is challenging, but UCOL intends to work with all its communities to enable people to gain skills, qualifications and education.”

ENDS

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