We focus on supporting students both within and outside classroom: AUT, New Zealand Vice Chancellor

In a candid email interaction with Shiksha.com, Professor Damon Salesa, the Vice Chancellor of Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand, discusses AUT's strategic initiatives to attract international students, particularly from India.

In a candid email interaction with Shiksha.com, Professor Damon Salesa, the Vice Chancellor of Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand, discusses AUT's strategic initiatives to attract international students, particularly from India. He elaborates on the financial assistance and scholarships available for Indian students, compares the Indian and New Zealand education systems, and shares insights on the role of technology in shaping the future of education and the job market. Professor Salesa also highlights AUT's transformative approach to learning and its commitment to international partnerships that drive innovation and research.

Q. New Zealand is home to some of the world's top universities. What strategies do you as a leading university have in place to attract more international students to your country?

Prof Salesa: AUT is rated in the top 100 young universities in the world by THE and we have more than 150,000 alumni with successful careers around the world.  AUT offers international students a unique combination of a contemporary university experience and a supportive university culture that celebrates diversity.

Our team understands that moving abroad to attend university is a big decision and we work to provide useful information in a way that makes sense for potential students.

AUT engages with students on every step of the journey, supporting them with their ambition to travel to AUT by; meeting them in India through our staff locally based, supporting them by quickly assessing their applications and then supporting them when they are holding the offer to come to AUT, we have students on hand with real experience to answer questions, we have future students in a network making friends before they arrive and when Indian students land at AUT they join a big AUT community and are welcomed into our University. 

Q. Can you provide details about the financial assistance programs and scholarships available for international students AUT, particularly those from India?

Prof Salesa: AUT offers a range of scholarships for international students https://www.aut.ac.nz/study/fees-and-scholarships/scholarships-and-awards-at-aut/international-scholarships

These include scholarships for specific regions including South Asia for both undergraduate and postgraduate study. 

AUT also offers generous doctoral scholarships that are open to international students, including scholarships covering fees plus an annual stipend equivalent to the living cost criteria for an Immigration NZ student visa.

Apart from university specific scholarships, there is a unique scholarship scheme the New Zealand Excellence Awards (NZEA). This is a joint initiative by the eight New Zealand Universities and Education New Zealand designed exclusively for Indian students.

Q. How does the Indian education system compare with the New Zealand education system?

Prof Salesa: The Indian and New Zealand Education systems work well together with degree structure and progress matching to a very high degree, from Bachelor’s level through to PhD.

India’s education system sets up Indian students to succeed at university level in New Zealand and India.  India has a great group of universities and variety in private and public universities.  NZ has eight public universities all in the top QS 500 and does not have a private university system.

Q. How do you envision technology influencing the future of education and the job market?

Prof Salesa: As New Zealand’s only university of technology, AUT is focused on how best to harness the opportunities it provides. At its most basic, the influence on education will be one of choices, blended learning and responding to students in a way that works best for them.

From an education and job perspective, we know that it is our ‘human’ skills that are least likely to be replaced by technology, which is why AUT remains focused on ensuring our students develop skills such as collaboration, ethical critical thinking, creativity, communication, and cultural awareness. 

We also know that ‘doing the thing’ is just as important as ‘learning the thing’.  90% of AUT’s bachelor’s degree students complete workplace experience as part of their studies, often leading to a career start in New Zealand.

Ever-changing technology is difficult to predict, but AUT adapts and responds to emerging technologies and maintains a distinct and applied approach to learning that helps our graduates to build resilience, a thirst for learning, and the ability to contribute to their chosen field.

Q. What is AUT's approach to transformative learning, and how does it contribute to students' success?

Prof Salesa: AUT is a university of technology and of opportunity.  I often note that while talent is everywhere, opportunity is not.

AUT’s vision is to enrich lives and create a better world through technology, learning and discovery.  In order to deliver on this vision, and provide transformative learning, we focus on supporting students both within and outside the classroom.

One good example of this is a programme many of our international students benefit from, the AUT Edge Award.  This award challenges and encourages students to develop skills through volunteering, leadership and employability activities and is recognised in students’ academic transcript.

Almost half of AUT’s new students are the first in their family to attend university, and we have New Zealand’s most diverse student body. This is because students know they will be recognised, welcomed, and supported.

Q. How important are international partnerships for driving innovation and research at AUT?

Prof Salesa: AUT is focused on real-world impact and international research and discovery partnerships are critical to this.

We have more than 60 centres and institutes delivering innovative research that is world-leading and addresses pressing societal challenges. Many of these centres and a large proportion of our research academics work with global networks of expertise and AUT seeks and maintains a number of bilateral and multilateral relationships with overseas universities, two such Universities AUT partners with in India is IIT Delhi and IIT Madras. https://www.aut.ac.nz/international/auts-international-relationships/aut-international