University had record number of Maori graduates

THE University of Otago hit most of its performance targets last year, including the largest number of Maori undergraduate and postgraduate students to graduate.

The university’s key performance indicators were released at a university council meeting last week, and showed Maori made up 11.8% of the university’s domestic equivalent fulltime students.

The pass rate for Maori firstyear students was down from last year, at 77.5% compared with 81.5%, but the number of Maori students passing their degrees was well up.

A total of 310 undergraduate students and 141 postgraduate students completed their degrees, up from 256 and 125 respectively in 2017.

Maori students also made up 9% of the total postgraduate enrolments, up from 7.9% the previous year.

The university also reached its target roll increase with Pasifika students, having 5.2% equivalent fulltime students compared with 4.9% in 2017.

Pasifika students also comprised 3.6% of all postgraduate enrolments, compared with 3% the previous year.

Otago hit its qualityassured research projects targets at 5086 and research funding from outside sources reached $122.5 million.

The proportion of equivalent fulltime students doing postgraduate research was also on target, at 9%, and research degree completions were also on target at 553.

Otago was also ranked as one of the top two universities in the country, in the annual Marsden and Health Research Council funding rounds, measured by the value of grants awarded.

It was also ranked first in the WFC component of the nature publishing index, a scale that assesses institutions based on their contribution to 68 highquality journals.

The target of providing learning assistance or access to special equipment for at least 500 students with a disability was exceeded by more than 300 extra students — at 883.

While its greenhouse gas emissions were lower, the university failed in some of its ecological targets.

Reduction of energy use per metre of floor was higher than last year, and the amount of waste sent to landfill per capita was also up on the previous year, at 121.1kg per person compared with 113.8kg.