Arana College
Encyclopedia
Arana College is a residential college of the University of Otago
, founded in 1943 by the Rev. William Turner and the Stuart Residence Halls Council. The name "Arana" is a Māori
transliteration
of "Allen", chosen to honour Sir James Allen
, a former Vice Chancellor (1903-1909) and Chancellor
(1909–1912) of the University of Otago. The current warden is Jamie Gilbertson.
The main administration areas of Arana are based in what was once Sir James Allen’s Queen Anne
-style mansion. The hall is located immediately to the northeast of the central campus, at the top of a small but steep rise known as Tanna Hill (a corruption of "Botanic Hill", after the nearby first site of the Dunedin Botanic Gardens
). It overlooks the Otago Campus only 200 metres from the Registry Clock Tower, a notable feature of the University campus. The University of Otago College of Education, Otago Polytechnic and the Dunedin Botanical Garden are all within easy walking distance.
Nissen army huts. Public subscriptions and government funding, as part of the Colombo Plan
were used to build permanent buildings. The international students brought to Arana as part of the Colombo Plan have added a distinctive international flavour. Arana has accepted female students since 1978.
The 1980s saw a downturn in numbers of new students at the university, and the College faced challenges in attracting sufficient residents. Downscaling and even the sale of properties were on the cards. Luckily, by the late 1980s the University of Otago was again in a growth phase, and Arana College truly began to develop into a residential village.
During the 1990s and early 21st century, Arana has undergone extensive expansion renovations and redecoration. Although preserving many pleasing original architectural features, as well as ensuring the continuation of positive college traditions (eg. the annual spring gala ball) Arana is now a thoroughly warm, progressive and family-like environment for its staff and residents. Over the past ten years the college has grown from 150 students to 250 to 397. In 2005-2006 Arana College undertook a major upgrade all the facilities and increased the number of rooms available to students.
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
, founded in 1943 by the Rev. William Turner and the Stuart Residence Halls Council. The name "Arana" is a Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
transliteration
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
of "Allen", chosen to honour Sir James Allen
James Allen (New Zealand)
Sir James Allen, GCMG, KCB was a prominent New Zealand politician and diplomat. He held a number of the most important political offices in the country, including Minister of Finance and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was also New Zealand's Minister of Defence during World War I.-Early life:Allen...
, a former Vice Chancellor (1903-1909) and Chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
(1909–1912) of the University of Otago. The current warden is Jamie Gilbertson.
The main administration areas of Arana are based in what was once Sir James Allen’s Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
-style mansion. The hall is located immediately to the northeast of the central campus, at the top of a small but steep rise known as Tanna Hill (a corruption of "Botanic Hill", after the nearby first site of the Dunedin Botanic Gardens
Dunedin Botanic Gardens
The Dunedin Botanical Gardens are located at the northern end of central Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand. They are located close to the University of Otago and one of the city's most historic cemeteries, the Northern Cemetery, on a spur of Signal Hill and on the river plain immediately...
). It overlooks the Otago Campus only 200 metres from the Registry Clock Tower, a notable feature of the University campus. The University of Otago College of Education, Otago Polytechnic and the Dunedin Botanical Garden are all within easy walking distance.
History
Originally, Arana housed only male students in former World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Nissen army huts. Public subscriptions and government funding, as part of the Colombo Plan
Colombo Plan
The Colombo Plan is a regional organization that embodies the concept of collective inter-governmental effort to strengthen economic and social development of member countries in the Asia-Pacific Region...
were used to build permanent buildings. The international students brought to Arana as part of the Colombo Plan have added a distinctive international flavour. Arana has accepted female students since 1978.
The 1980s saw a downturn in numbers of new students at the university, and the College faced challenges in attracting sufficient residents. Downscaling and even the sale of properties were on the cards. Luckily, by the late 1980s the University of Otago was again in a growth phase, and Arana College truly began to develop into a residential village.
During the 1990s and early 21st century, Arana has undergone extensive expansion renovations and redecoration. Although preserving many pleasing original architectural features, as well as ensuring the continuation of positive college traditions (eg. the annual spring gala ball) Arana is now a thoroughly warm, progressive and family-like environment for its staff and residents. Over the past ten years the college has grown from 150 students to 250 to 397. In 2005-2006 Arana College undertook a major upgrade all the facilities and increased the number of rooms available to students.