Award-winning educator and educational commentator Dr Stuart
Middleton, Executive Director of External Relations and Student Affairs
at Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT), has been selected to participate
in the 2007-2008 Fulbright New Century Scholars Program – an international
think tank of scholars from 25 countries who work together to address
an issue of global significance.
Dr Stuart Middleton, 2007-2008 Fulbright
New Century Scholar
This year, 36 scholars (12 from the United States and 24 from other
countries) will collaborate on interdisciplinary research on the theme
of Higher Education in the 21st Century: Access and Equity.
“I am anticipating great results from this opportunity to work with
peers from other countries towards resolving issues associated with access
and equity in higher education,” says Dr Middleton. “All education
systems are struggling with this.”
Institutions of higher education are crucial for the development of knowledge-based
economies and thriving civil societies, yet higher education faces significant
challenges throughout the world. Among the most universal and complex
are those related to ensuring equitable access for the rapidly growing
number of individuals seeking education at the post-secondary level.
Dr Middleton will share his experiences in Manukau City, the largest
Polynesian city in the world and one of the most diverse communities in
New Zealand, with large young and migrant populations presenting significant
social and educational needs.
MIT’s successes in meeting the challenges posed by this diverse community
include its Target 2010 strategy – a project that has already achieved
outstanding results in increasing both the number of school leavers enrolling
in higher education and the representation of Māori and Pacific students
amongst the institution’s graduates.
MIT also works closely with the K-16 (pre-school, primary and secondary)
education sector to build pathways into higher education that are seamless
and effective in allowing access for students who have traditionally faced
barriers.
“Despite well-founded and expressed intentions, the allocation of
educational success continues to reflect conventional patterns –
those who do well in higher education continue to be the groups that have
enjoyed the greatest share of success at K-16,” explains Dr Middleton.
“Too many students arrive at the interface between K-16 and higher
education ill-prepared for study at a higher level. We need seamless progression
from compulsory education into higher education if the latter is to be
a realistic goal for members of the diverse communities that education
now serves.”
According to Dr Middleton, all Western countries face similar challenges
of maintaining access within increasingly diverse populations, while at
the same time maintaining standards of educational success and achievement.
As well as sharing his experience of New Zealand’s education system,
he looks forward to bringing back knowledge gained from his international
counterparts.
“In New Zealand blunt policy responses to educational issues have
failed to target key groups, with little impact on access and outcomes.
The study will identify educational policies that can be said to have
lifted levels of access and led to more equitable outcomes. This debate
must be informed by best practices in other systems.”
The New Century Scholars (NCS) programme includes three collaborative
seminar meetings of all 36 scholars, with an orientation and goal setting
seminar in Buffalo, New York, a mid-term meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil,
and a final seminar in Washington, DC. As part of the programme Dr Middleton
will also undertake a three month research exchange as a Visiting Scholar
to the University of California, Berkeley, in late 2007. His award is
valued at over US$37,000.
The programme is carried out under the leadership of a Distinguished New
Century Scholar Leader, an individual selected for expertise and professional
standing in the area of the research topic, and for the ability to approach
the topic from an interdisciplinary perspective. This year’s leader
is Dr Bruce Johnstone, Distinguished Service Professor of Higher and Comparative
Education at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Dr Middleton, who has had a 38 year career in education and twice won
Qantas Media Awards for his column in New Zealand Education Review,
is only the second New Zealand academic selected to participate in the
NCS programme since its inception in 2001.
For more information about the Fulbright New Century
Scholars Program see www.cies.org/ncs
