Leading AUT’s mahi to boost success
Auckland University of Technology’s (AUT) Vice-Chancellor, Professor Damon Salesa, has begun his tenure with a commitment to growing the organisation’s focus on excellence and equity.
“This is an exciting time to be joining AUT. So much has been achieved since AUT became a university in 2000.
“AUT inspires me as a university of opportunity, a place which aspires to both equity and excellence, and to do so in a way that fully engages with Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is anchored in the culture and whenua where we stand.”
In a message to staff, Professor Salesa noted the deeper origins AUT that, in various forms, has been a place of accessible and transformative learning for more than a century.
The new Vice-Chancellor recognised the challenges of recent times and the extraordinary effort and resilience of AUT students and staff.
“Our difficult and challenging times have affirmed the power of education, research, and knowledge: these defined our response to the pandemic and will be just as important as we chart our way forward and into the future,” he said.
He noted the immediate focus on underpinning the efforts to support students.
“At the front of my mind is our collective effort to support the success of our tauira, our students, so they can fully reach their potential.”
Professor Salesa acknowledged the contribution, leadership, and long service of retiring Vice-Chancellor Derek McCormack.