Achievements

Exciting projects come to fruition through our partnerships with donors and sponsors. The following examples indicate the scope of our projects and the wide range of disciplines they cover:

• Chancellor's Lecture Series - bringing top international creative thinkers to Victoria
• James Bertram Scholarships (in International Relations with Peking University)
• Don Trow Visiting Fellowships in Accounting Research
• ST Lee Annual Lecture and ST Lee Library in Antarctic Studies
• International Institute of Modern Letters - Scholarships and Prizes
• Shayle Searle Visiting Fellowship in Statistics
• Young Musicians Programme - a Saturday School for talented young school age musicians
• Professorial Fellowship in Monetary and Financial Economics
• Antarctic Research Centre Endowed Development Fund - Scholarships
• Frank Evison Research Scholarship in Geophysics
• Chair in e-Government

Don Trow Visiting Fellowships in Accounting Research

The Foundation has raised $397,000 to establish Visiting Fellowships in Accounting Research in honour of Professor Don Trow, described as "Mr Accounting" in New Zealand. Funds were raised from five principal sponsors - Fonterra, New Zealand Post, Telecom New Zealand, Wellington City Council and Westpac - and alumni donations with the Wellingtin City Council continuing funding for a second five year term. The project is located in the Centre for Accounting, Governance and Taxation Research in the School of Accounting and Commercial Law.

Fellowships cover subjects such as governance, taxation, auditing, sustainability and management accounting.

ST Lee Annual Lecture and ST Lee Library in Antarctic Studies

Dr Lee Seng Tee, based in Singapore, has established an Annual Lecture, and a library, in Antarctic Studies at Victoria's Antarctic Research Centre. The Lectureship brings a world-class speaker to Victoria each year to present on a topic on the environment, climate change and scientific research in Antarctica.

The annual lecturers from 2003 to date have been Professor Robert Dunbar (Stanford University), Professor James Kennett (University of California), Professor David Sugden (University of Edinburgh), Professor Martin Siegert (University of Edinburgh), Professor Paul Mayewski (University of Maine), Professor Richard Alley (Pennsylvania State University), and Dr Robert Bindschadler (NASA Emeritus Scientist, Hydrospheric and Biospheric Sciences Laboratory).

Please click here for details on each of the Lectures.

International Institute of Modern Letters Scholarships and Prizes

In 2001 American literary philanthropist, Glenn Schaeffer, established the New Zealand headquarters of the International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) at Victoria University. The Institute, located in Glenn Schaeffer House on Victoria's Kelburn Campus, is home to the University's prestigious Master's of Arts programmes in Creative Writing and Scriptwriting.

Shayle Searle Visiting Fellowship in Statistics

Victoria University graduate Dr Shayle Searle has generously established an endowment to fund a Visiting Fellowship in Statistics at Victoria. The Fellowship allows the Statistics and Operations Research Group, within the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Research, to host fellows, give lectures and seminars and undertake research.

The first Fellow in 2003 was Professor Alan Agresti of the University of Florida and the second Fellow in 2004 was Professor Frank Critchley from the Open University, UK. The 2007 Fellowship was awarded to Professor Stephen Fienberg from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg and the 2008 Fellowship was awarded to Professor Walter Zucchini from Georg-August-Universitat Gottingen Institute for Statistics and Econometrics. The 2009 Fellowship welcomed Professor Vijay Nair from the University of Michigan.

Dr Searle received an honorary degree from Victoria in May 2005.

Young Musicians Programme

The Young Musicians Programme was established in 1999 to enhance the opportunities available for young and gifted musicians to prepare for future study and careers in music. The Programme is a Saturday School for the most talented young musicians in primary and secondary schools in the Wellington region, but with students coming from as far away as New Plymouth. Scholarships are provided to ensure no student is prevented from attending the Programme on financial grounds. Each year the students perform in mid-year and end-of-year concerts.

Current funders of the Scholarships are the Adam Foundation, Baines Trust, Deane Endowment Trust, Lion Foundation, and the Wellington Masonic Youth Trust.

Professorial Fellowship in Monetary and Financial Economics

Funded by the Reserve Bank, this programme brings top international economists to New Zealand for periods of one to two months. The Fellows divide their time between Victoria University's School of Economics and Finance and the Reserve Bank, leading an international workshop at the Reserve Bank, presenting a public lecture and undertaking seminars at Victoria University.

The 2011 Fellow was Dr Gordon Theissen.

Dr Thiessen, Governor of the Bank of Canada from 1994 to 2001.   He studied economics at the University of Saskatchewan before attending the London School of Economics where he received his PhD in Economics in 1972. At the Bank of Canada, Thiessen was appointed Adviser to the Governor in 1979, Deputy Governor in 1984, and Senior Deputy Governor in 1987.

His public lecture can be streamed at the following link Public Lecture or a printable version is available by clicking here.

In 2011, Gordon Thiessen, former Governor of the Bank of Canda, will take up the Fellowship.

Further information on the Professorial Fellowship in Monetary and Financial Economics can be found at the Reserve Bank web site.

Antarctic Research Centre - Endowed Development Fund for Scholarships

Victoria's Antarctic Research Centre, with the Foundation, has established an Endowed Development Fund providing scholarships for students undertaking Antarctic research, including to ensure that the Centre can continue its tradition of sending students to Antarctica for field study experience. To date 13 students have received grants from the fund.

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