奥塔哥大学校训是什么？
The University of Otago is the oldest university in New Zealand. It was founded on 12 October， 1869 by Thomas Brisbane (the then Governor of New Zealand) and William Harcourt (the then High Commissioner for Australia)， when they signed a declaration to establish “A University at Otago” and its charter was granted three days later. The University began with seven professors and 35 students， but had grown to have approximately 400 staff and 17，000 students by the start of the 21st century.
Otago’s founding mission statement was “to cultivate the mind”， from which it derived five core values： Excellence： Innovation： Independence： Integrity： Opportunity. These are still important today， as shown in our strategy document “The Way Ahead 2008-2013”， and especially under the heading of “The Value of a Liberal Education”. We place great value on an education that nurtures freedom of thought——through encouraging critical thinking and effective communication skills；and we encourage independent inquiry and the testing of ideas through active engagement with contemporary problems. In this way， an Otago degree prepares graduates to think critically about the world in which they live， work and play in new ways．
In addition to being recognised nationally and internationally for our teaching and research expertise， one of Otago’s greatest assets is perhaps also its most overlooked： space. With over half of us living in or close to Dunedin，we have more than 132 buildings spread over 616 hectares，with even more land available in the surrounding suburbs. This provides us with ample room to grow， both physically and in terms of student numbers. We can also use this space flexibly—for example， our students often take advantage of greenhouses and other facilities outside normal class times to conduct their own research projects. As a result， we provide our students with opportunities not offered elsewhere in New Zealand： to develop high level research and analytical skills early on in their studies；to participate in groundbreaking discoveries；and to benefit from a wide range of extracurricular activities. All of these things help foster a lifelong love of learning.
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