Students commend Tertiary Teaching Excellence

Media release: 10 July 2013

Students commend Tertiary Teaching Excellence

New Zealand’s national organisation for tertiary students has commended the 10 winners announced at this year’s Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards at a function held last night at Parliament.

“As a student member of the Awards Committee for the last two years I have felt privileged to read all of the portfolios, and agree 100% with the statement that outstanding tertiary educators change lives”, said Pete Hodkinson, President of the NZ Union of Students’ Assocations (NZUSA).

“We need more reasons like this to celebrate the relationship between the success of students and those tertiary teachers who inspire them.

“Some of the characteristics of excellent tertiary teachers are that they are humble and caring people. These are people who have an affinity with the importance of the student voice and who take obvious pride in student success.

“They also have a passion for innovation within their academic discipline and make a wider contribution to New Zealand society – as was highlighted last night when Prime Minister John Key presented Otago University’s Associate Professor Gordon Sanderson with the Supreme Award.

Hodkinson noted that it was heartening that 6 of the 10 winners last night are women, given this almost exactly reflects the proportion of the student population who are women.

NZUSA also commended Ako Aotearoa, the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, for their role in staging the annual Awards (the full results from which are available at https://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/ )

ENDS

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