Teachers taking learning to next degree

31 March 2016
- for immediate release

Teachers taking learning to next degree

Two Lincoln University staff members will graduate on Friday 8 April, alongside five hundred and ninety-six (596) new degree, diploma and certificate holders who will receive their Lincoln University qualification, either in person at graduation ceremonies at the Lincoln Event Centre, or in absentia.

Mick Abbott will be awarded a Master of Landscape Architecture and Sharon Lucock will be awarded a doctorate in Agribusiness Systems. The morning ceremony will see 238 graduands receive their qualifications, while 268 will receive their qualifications in the afternoon. Twenty-four doctorates will be awarded.

Each of the ceremonies will be preceded by a procession of graduands from the university’s iconic Ivey Hall (Library) through Lincoln township to the Lincoln Event Centre, where the ceremonies have been held since the 2011 earthquake.

Two honorary doctorates and the Bledisloe Medal will be presented at the graduation ceremonies. An honorary Doctorate of Science will be awarded to the Hon John Luxton QSO at the morning ceremony in recognition of his contribution to agriculture and the dairy industry in particular. A recipient of the Queen’s Service Order and an A.C. Cameron Award winner, John Luxton is also a former parliamentarian and Minister of the Crown. He served as a Member of Parliament for 15 years from 1987 to 2002.

An honorary Doctorate of Natural Resources will be awarded to Honorary Professor Peter Skelton at the afternoon ceremony, CNZM. A former Environment Court Judge, now an Environment Canterbury Commissioner, he is considered a pioneer in his field. Following his retirement from the bench in February 2000 he brought his high level of expertise to Lincoln, acting as the Associate Professor of Resource Management Law at the University between 2000 and 2008.

Outstanding achievements and contribution to his community have led to Don McFarlane’s nomination as a worthy recipient of the 2016 Bledisloe Medal, to be awarded at the afternoon ceremony. He was a Kellogg scholar at Lincoln as well as a Nuffield scholar in 1981. More than 50 years as a prominent and active leader in the South Canterbury agricultural sector earned him a Queen's Birthday Honour in 2015. He was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to agriculture and the community.

Dr Sharon Forbes will be awarded the Lincoln University Principal Award for Excellence in Teaching for demonstrating sustained excellence in her teaching. Dr Forbes uses a variety of teaching approaches to improve the learning environment and learning outcomes of her students within all programmes that she teaches into.

A number of local Future Leader scholars will be graduating this year. James Brown (Bachelor of Tourism Management) now holds an events position at the New Zealand Racing Board. He will be heading to the United States for five months travel after graduation and then will return to the Racing Board.

Jessica Page (Bachelor of Commerce) spent the summer travelling through South East Asia and has now started work as an Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Sports scholars are also celebrating their achievements. Since completing his studies, local graduate Tom Turner (Bachelor of Agricultural Science) has been living in Portugal, playing rugby in the national championship. After graduation he will be joining the dairying group Canterbury Grasslands, getting into large scale dairy management.

Hugo Nankivell (Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture)) travelled in Africa for five months since completing his studies and has now begun working in the graduate program for Westpac in the Agribusiness sector.

Property student Claire Burgess from Leeston is adding another trophy to a cabinet filled with swimming medals. She has been awarded the Property Institute of New Zealand Student of the Year Prize for 2015, given to the best performing student completing the Bachelor of Commerce (Valuation and Property Management) at Lincoln. Claire is now working for Colliers in Auckland as part of its retail valuation team.

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