Helen Nicholson, on the right, with alumnus and Otago benefactor, the late Elman Poole.
For two former senior leaders who received Honorary Degrees from Otago in December, their connections with alumni provided many special memories over the years.
Stephen Higgs, who was the Chancellor from 2022 until last September, and Professor Helen Nicholson, who stepped in as Acting Vice-Chancellor twice before retiring in July, were both awarded Honorary Doctor of Laws at graduation ceremonies at the end of the year.
Stephen and Helen have worked closely over the past few years, together leading the University through times of change.
Chancellor Trish Oakley acknowledged their service and commitment to the University and their achievements in their respective business and medical fields.
“Their dedication to Otago is admirable, they have certainly left their mark and we thank them for their loyal and generous service.”
Over the years, Helen and Stephen have met with Otago alumni around the globe, attending alumni events throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, the Pacific, Australia, Southeast Asia, China, Brunei, the United States and the UK.
“I would particularly like to acknowledge the help of the High Commissioners and Ambassadors and their staff across the world, many of whom are alumni, who have supported alumni events and often opened their homes and offices to us,” Helen says.
One of Helen’s memorable highlights is an alumni event which was held in Brunei.
“We thought that in Brunei, because it's a dry state, that it would be a low-key event and that we'd all be home by 9:30pm. But there were mainly young alumni and they just really enjoyed the opportunity to get together. We had lots of photographs taken and they didn't want to go home. We held it in a hotel and the hotel staff cleared the tables, then they took the tablecloths off and finally they got the vacuum cleaners out a 11pm and only then did people leave.”
She also recalls having lunch with alumnus and Otago benefactor the late Elman Poole, in Oxford, UK.
“He took us back to his house, he was in his 90s and a lovely gentleman. He gave me some books to bring home because he wanted to make sure that his scientific books - he was a neurologist - were going to a good home.” Elman died not long after the visit.
Stephen describes alumni as “part of the fabric” of the University of Otago.
“The factor which is always memorable [when meeting alumni], is the shared passion that alumni have for Otago. You can front up in Kuala Lumpur for example, and meet people you’ve never met before, and they just want to talk about the University, what it’s doing, and reminisce about their times and their experiences.
“That’s probably my overarching memory.”
Stephen Higgs, on the left, with graduate Yi-Sheng Wong. Yi-Sheng is holding a phone which has a photo on it of Stephen awarding him with his degree.
In his engagement with donors, Stephen was always struck by their genuine desire to give back, “as a thanks or an acknowledgement or recognition of what Otago had given them”.
He says alumni connect with Otago and offer support in many ways, financially or through voluntary governance or University groups.
“There are some who join subcommittees to support the Business School, they're on advisory panels and they do that for nothing. And you've got people who serve on the University Council, for example. And others who provide mentorship or internships to individual students or groups of students.
“They do that just because they love the place and they want to maintain their connections and give back . . .and it's important that the senior leaders are involved in supporting and encouraging and thanking people for that.”
Stephen and his wife Gail are themselves donors, having established a scholarship in 2019, to support students who have a learning disability which makes studying a personal challenge.
They established the scholarship to return Stephen’s Council fees to the University to support students – “the University’s main reason for being,” says Stephen.
“As we had some family experience of learning disabilities, it is very satisfying to be able to help the University assist students in this way.”
Helen and her husband Phil are also donors to Otago, supporting the Pūtea Tautoko student hardship fund.
“The number of students experiencing financial hardship has been growing, especially since the start of the Covid pandemic,” Helen says. “Financial hardship is a barrier to learning and we want to help students to succeed in their studies.”
Both Stephen and Helen say that alumni they talked to were appreciative of their education and the opportunities it has given them, but they especially valued the broader life experiences and the friendships they gained at Otago.
With more than 85 per cent of students coming from outside Otago, Helen says, “I think they valued the opportunity to be away from home when they were students, the independence and the life skills they acquired.”
She says the level of care provided by the residential colleges plays an important part in this, as often students don’t know many people when they arrive and have to make new friends.
“So many alumni develop friends for life, meet partners or husbands or wives at Otago,” she says.
Unexpected recognition from honorary degrees
Both Stephen and Helen are humbled by the recognition of being conferred honorary degrees.
Stephen says it is hugely satisfying to have an organisation and people he respects choose to honour him with the award.
“I have enjoyed the many ways I have been connected with the University from my student days through to the position of Chancellor,” Stephen says.
Otago is woven throughout Stephen’s life, starting as a Commerce student at the Otago Business School in the 1970s.
After graduating, he became a lecturer in professional taxation for about 15 years, was tax advisor for the University and on the Business School’s advisory committee.
“Those roles were satisfying professionally but also because they kept me connected to my university, such a key institution in Dunedin. My Otago study and degree set me up for a most enjoyable and rewarding career in various aspects of business.”
After joining the University Council in 2012, Stephen became Pro-Chancellor in 2018 and then the 20th Chancellor four years later. He has also served as Chair of the University of Otago Foundation Trust.
Helen says an honorary degree was not something she ever expected.
“Otago has had a huge impact on my life,” she says.
“It provided me with many opportunities to grow my career. I have had the privilege of working with amazing people: students; professional and academic staff, many of whom I now count as friends.
“Coming to Otago was one of the best moves of my life.”
Helen is a medically-trained anatomist who specialises in clinical anatomy and anatomy education.
She joined Otago in 2000, after earning a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Bristol in 1986, and later became Head of the Department of Anatomy in 2007.
Helen has held various senior positions at the University, including Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Enterprise, Pro-Vice-Chancellor International, Deputy Vice-Chancellor External Engagement and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic.
She has stepped into the role of Acting Vice-Chancellor on two occasions, from March 2021 to January 2022 and again from February 2023 until June 2024.
While taking on these leadership roles, Helen has also remained active in her research. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, seven book chapters and co-produced two television documentaries.
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