Massey celebrating 50 years as a university

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Massey celebrating 50 years as a university

Graduates, staff, students and friends will celebrate Massey University’s 50th year of excellence in tertiary education throughout next year with a programme of events and activities.

Massey, which started as an agricultural college in 1927, became a university on January 1, 1964, under an act of Parliament passed the previous year. It opened its Albany campus in 1993 and established the Wellington campus in 1999.

Massey Heritage Advisory Group chairwoman Robyn Anderson says preparations for next year are well under way. “The jubilee celebrations will provide a new opportunity to tell the Massey story and allow us to showcase the excellence of our academics in teaching, research and engagement with the community."

Activities begin in February, with the launch of a pictorial history of the University, and continue the following month, with the Central Districts Field Days. Graduation events in April and May will include campus tours, dinners and official tours of Turitea House at the Manawatū campus, and a tour of the Massey gardens.

An alumni function will also be held at the National Fieldays in June and the launch of the history of Chaff magazine will be the highlight for activities in July. A public lecture series and staff conference will be held at the end of the year.

Robyn Anderson says a commemorative logo has been created and will be used at celebration events and a project manager is being appointed to coordinate the programme and the development of a website and virtual museum.

As part of preparation for the jubilee, the University Archives has established a page on the definingnz website. You may view film footage of Massey Agricultural College from the 1930s and 1950s and other archival material here http://definingnz.com/category/archives/

More information about the history of Massey University is available here http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/about-massey/history-of-massey-university/history-of-massey-university_home.cfm

ENDS

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