Lincoln University

Lincoln University

Lincoln University is a New Zealand public university for higher education and research, initially established as the School of Agriculture in 1878, the institution went through various names and structural changes over the years, a constituent college of the University of Canterbury since 1961, Lincoln College was made an independent university in 1990. It remains the smallest university in New Zealand (by enrolment) and one of the eight public universities. The campus is situated on 50 ha (120 acres) of land located about 15 km (9 mi) outside the city of Christchurch, in Lincoln, Canterbury and is the oldest agricultural teaching institution in the Southern Hemisphere. At present, Lincoln University has more than 3,305 students Equivalent Full-Time Students, out of which around are 1500 international students from 80 different countries in the world, who make up 48% of the student population. and 633 full-time equivalent staff (188 Academic, 135 Administration and Support, 65 Research and Technical, 273 Farms and Operational) and also is a member of the Euroleague for Life Sciences.

Additionally, the university has accreditations from the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST), Pacific Rim Real Estate Society (PRRES), New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI), and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). It has a membership in the Euroleague for Life Sciences (ELLS). The New Zealand Tertiary Education Commission's first Performance-Based Research Fund ranking exercise in 2003—equivalent to the United Kingdom's Research Assessment Exercise—ranked the quality of Lincoln University's research at sixth place. It also received the highest percentage increase in research funding. For 2017/18 Lincoln's ranking is 319, released by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. Lincoln also has a QS Five Stars rating. Lincoln ranks in the top 50 in the fields of Agriculture and Forestry (39th), and also Hospitality and Leisure Management. Lincoln is ranked in the 401–500th bracket according to the 2017 Times Higher Education (THE) world university rankings.

Situated in New Zealand's Lincoln town, the university has a 143-acre campus in Christchurch outskirts that consists of administrative offices, academic buildings, recreational and parking spaces, residence halls, and sports facilities. The oldest building on campus is Ivey Hall, built in the year 1878 as the main teaching, administration, and residential building. It was designed in the Jacobethan style by Christchurch architect Frederick Strouts. As well as lecture theatres, laboratories, and a museum, the College Director William Ivey, his family, and the students resided here. A "West Wing" was added in 1881 for additional student accommodation and study rooms (West Ivey was damaged in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake and remains closed). Extensively remodelled and expanded in 1989, Ivey Hall now houses the George Forbes Memorial Library. Lincoln University has six halls of residence, of which Hudson Hall is the oldest. Colombo Hall, Lowrie Hall and Stevens Hall all opened in 1970, with Centennial Hall opening in 1978, Lincoln University's centenary year. The newest hall of residence is Southland Hall, built in 1993. The university library offers an extensive collection of rare and unique printed and digital resources related to different subjects of study. Other facilities offered on the campus include free Wi-Fi connectivity, a student support system, health services, and counselling. 

Lincoln University has three faculties offering a range of career-focused diplomas and undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral-level degree programs. It also has the University Studies and English Language Division that provides two teaching programs in the English language. The three faculties that the university offers are-

• Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce: accounting, business management, economics, farm management, finance, marketing and property studies.
• Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences: agronomy, plant science, crop physiology, pasture production, animal science, systems biology, computational modelling, food and wine science, entomology; plant pathology and crop protection; ecology, conservation and wildlife management; evolution, molecular genetics and biodiversity
• Faculty of Environment, Society and Design: natural resources and complex systems engineering, environmental design, resource planning, transport studies, landscape architecture, Māori and indigenous planning and development, recreation management, social sciences, tourism, communication and exercise science.

Lincoln University has 14 research centers, the most well renowned being the Entomology Research Collection since the late 1960s, which is now the third-largest entomology collection in New Zealand, containing approximately 500,000 specimens and about 60 types. Apart from this, the university has collaborations with several leading organizations and research centers to help students acquire additional knowledge and skills through practical learning under industry professionals. Lincoln Agritech, Bio-Protection Research Centre, AgriOne, and South Island Dairying Development Centre are the research partners of the university

Lincoln University has an extensive list of alumni who are highly successful and distinguished in their respective fields. A few notable names in the alumni list are- Richie McCaw (former Rugby Union player), Allan James Hubbard (businessman), Margaret Mary Barry (politician), Samuel Lawrence Whitelock (Rugby Union player), Andy Ellis (former All Black), Maggie Barry (National MP),  Col Campbell (TV/radio presenter), Turi Carroll (President of the New Zealand Māori Council), David Carter (National MP and former Speaker of the House of Parliament), John Hayes (former diplomat and current National MP, Rodney Hide (former ACT MP), Mark Inglis (mountaineer), Annabel Langbein (cook and author), Don McKinnon (former National MP), Jeremy Rockliff (Deputy Premier of Tasmania), 

Toni Street (television host), Reuben Thorne (former All Blacks Captain), and Wilson Whineray (former All Blacks Captain).