Chancellor, Russ Ballard - very nearly the last word

The graduates turned up armed with amazing stories and lively groups of family and friends. The room was full of celebratory balloons and fancy table decorations so we took to the celebrations with gusto. The guest speaker, Dr Richard Shaw, described his Dirty Harry [...]]]>  

Chancellor, Russ Ballard - very nearly the last word

The graduates turned up armed with amazing stories and lively groups of family and friends. The room was full of celebratory balloons and fancy table decorations so we took to the celebrations with gusto. The guest speaker, Dr Richard Shaw, described his Dirty Harry student ranking system: the good, the bad, and the ugly. It was a memorable night filled with “after years of skype talk, this is first time we have met face to face” types of stories.

We heard about others’ journeys, from Southern Belles to Invercargillians, and how distance study had made such a difference in so many lives. It was in the graduates’ stories that we found the commonalities that ring true with us all: it is important to strive, it is meaningful to succeed, it is important to always be learning, whatever form that may take.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Therese who organised our event, and to the graduates who attended and charmed us with their tales of hardship and eventual success, and to Richard our guest speaker, and finally,to the Chancellor, Russ Ballard, who had, very nearly, the last word.

EXMSS will release an article about the EXMSS Graduation Dinner soon so keep a look out and look forward to when you can sit down among friends, family and peers and be recognised for all the hard work you have done.

On a quiet Monday evening the School of English auditorium rang with raised voices and laughter. Mixed teams of students and lecturers dramatically argued the moot That Distance Education Does Not Go Far Enough.

The Affirmative team, saying that we need to go further [...]]]>

The Negative team. Jacqeline Rowarth, Amber Malloy and Kent Gearry

On a quiet Monday evening the School of English auditorium rang with raised voices and laughter. Mixed teams of students and lecturers dramatically argued the moot That Distance Education Does Not Go Far Enough.

The Affirmative team, saying that we need to go further in order to provide the best education possible to all members of society was led by Ralph Springett from EXMSS. Jacqeline Rowarth, leader of the negative, made it very clear that there are many groups in society that felt distance education had gone far enough.

The adjudicator Virginia Goldblatt, had her work cut out for her keeping order. Virginia is blessed with a seemingly supernatural ability to cut people both down and off simultaneously so interjections seemed to assist the current speaker on most occasions.

Team leaders in action

At the end of the hilarity the negative team took line honours; success indicated by the adjudicators improvised clap-o-meter. The point was made that this seemed an affront to Massey’s vision of the future, but by then it was well past wine o’clock and our attention had turned to having another and polishing off the last of the sandwiches.

Good times as part of the celebration of 50 years of distance study at Massey University.

What a fantastic week. Beyond the Walls exhibition, the EXMSS Graduation Dinner, all those ceremonies and the fantastic graduates. That will be you one day; a graduate. Perhaps you have already done the [...]]]>

Christine Te Namu (Prersident of Te Waka) accepts koha for support of Maori extramural graduates from Tiri Porter (right) of EXMSS

What a fantastic week. Beyond the Walls exhibition, the EXMSS Graduation Dinner, all those ceremonies and the fantastic graduates. That will be you one day; a graduate. Perhaps you have already done the walk and are going again.

Highlights – Maori Graduation Ceremony, extramural artwork and the students stories at the EXMSS graduation dinner.

A lot goes on when everyone gets together. We have had meetings with both Maori Ropu (Te Waka in Albany and Manawatahi in Palmerston). We are working together to support services that students want (like social events on campus, access to computers and a common line in our representational activity). We have also had a Council meeting where the building work (for a student centre and accommodation block) on Albany campus was approved. There is a lot going on within Massey’s senior leadership team, a shared services initiative and discussion around what words can be used to describe Massey graduates key attributes – more about this next week. 

The graduate stories are a clear highlight for me. At our Dinner we heard from eight graduates and listened to the story of their journey. This is truly a fantastic event and one that we have recorded. So look out for the Grad Dinner short video and make sure you book your ticket for next years event well in advance.

Study Pods in the Albany Library

One final note; the Albany Library extension was officially opened at the beginning of May. It looks like a fantastic facility and we are privileged to have access as extramural students.

Where do I find [...]]]> It’s all about getting everything in its place: your study material, the library, your lecturer, student support… It all needs to be easily accessible. Not only are you expected to soak up the study material but your organisational and time management skills are about to be tested. Welcome to extramural study.

Where do I find out about academic writing and referencing? What’s this about assignment pre-reading? Where is my extramural orientation meeting? Searching the library databases, voice recognition software, professional proofreading and transcribing, do I really need Abrams? There are so many issues, steps and hassles to distract you at the outset of the year it is hard to focus on the study. Even so, it might even be nice to check out the campus and get involved in some of the orientation events.

EXMSS can help. The website is current, check it regularly. If the Massey website has confounded you, use the EXMSS free-phone (0508 439677) or email info@exmss.org.nz and speak with someone who knows. Find out what we offer and use it!