Elite honoured on Dean's List

The University’s College of Business is continuing to recognise its high-performing students by putting their names on the prestigious Dean’s List.

This year 258 students are on the list with an overall score of A-minus or better. Of those, eight students are receiving the ultimate accolade of Dean’s Scholar status after securing straight A-plus grades.

The list was established three-years ago by College Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Lawrence Rose to recognise excellence.

Yesterday, at the Albany campus, Professor Rose congratulated the students on their achievements. “New Zealand needs well-educated graduates who are passionate about business, can think innovatively and will go on to have a rewarding career which will make a lasting contribution to the economy,” he said.

Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey urged the students to take their talent and use it to make a difference in New Zealand. He told them the University wanted to ensure that innovative ideas were captured and turned into commercial reality. “In New Zealand we think of ourselves as a highly innovative nation but there is no innovation system. Ideas and people get taken offshore. You are the high achievers and the expectation we have is that you will put that to work in a way that will change the nature of this country.”

Elaine Christy, a recipient of a Dean's Scholar award, says she enrolled after a quarter of a century out of education. “I did the first year of a degree in science when I left school in South Africa 25 years ago,” says the mother-of-three. “It was something that I started and I wanted to finish." She was working as a bookkeeper for her husband’s air conditioning company, so switched from science to a Bachelor of Accountancy. “I took papers in statistics, financial accounting, accounting and fundamentals of finance,” she says. “It was a bit of a battle to get the brain working again but my lecturers were good.”

Third-year accountancy student and another of the Dean’s Scholars Sheryn Becker took five prizes at the ceremony. She is currently studying at the University of California through Massey University’s exchange programme. “My lecturers provided me with inspiration and made my high achievement possible,” she said in a speech read by Professor Jill Hooks, who accepted the awards on her behalf.

The other six Dean’s Scholars are Rohan Biggs, Clare Nolan, Andrew Peddie, Yi Yang, Peter Helles and Genevieve Cooper.

Carlton King is graduating this week with a major in valuation and property management and won six prizes as well as making the Dean’s List.

“I did study a lot – I’ve had no time for a haircut,” he joked.

Dean’s List functions will be held at Manawatu on May 11 and Wellington on May 27.