User:Philtweir/History of the Colleges

For further details on the history of specific colleges, see the articles referred to in the List of Colleges.

While the following introduction to the college histories gives a brief overview of their foundations, most of the colleges have changed names and many have changed hands at least once since their establishment. For simplicity, their current names are used in the section below. It should also be remembered that the nature and activities of the colleges may also have altered substantially since the periods described.

The first college, Selwyn College was founded as an Anglican theological college by Bishop Nevill in 1893, aiming to attain the benefits of cross-discipline residences already felt in the British university colleges. It was not until 1909 and 1911 that the next two colleges were founded; Knox College, St Margaret's College, both decidedly Presbyterian initiatives, the former also a seminary for Presbyterian ministers, the latter the first women's college in the university. Shortly after, the university's first hall of residence, Studholme College was opened in 1915 to provide accommodation for students attending the School of Home Science (now Consumer and Applied Sciences ).

It was nearly the end of World War II before the next colleges were founded. Firstly, Arana College in 1943, then Carrington College in 1945, were established through the efforts of the Stuart Residence Halls Council, a body formed of university officials and elders of Knox Church, Dunedin. Aquinas College, opened in 1954, began as a Dominican-run institution primarily intended as a residence for Roman Catholic students, but went through a period under Elim Church management before becoming a university-owned college.

It was fifteen years before the next hall was built; University College was established in 1969 to commemorate the university's centenary and remains the university's largest college, having a capacity of over 500 students. This shortly predated Salmond College, which was founded in 1972 and formed a women-only counterpart to Knox College. These two colleges are still jointly governed, though separately managed.

Between 1989 and 2000, four colleges were founded. Cumberland College became a university hall of residence in 1989, making use of the former Dunedin Hospital Nurses' Accommodation for student purposes. Hayward College did likewise in 1992, formed from the complementary maternity hospital. By 1996, the university was recognising the value of fulfilling the particular needs of international students through the founding of Toroa College as an International House and in 2000, the most recent independent college, City College, was established through support from Dunedin City Council to meet the needs of both university and Otago Polytechnic students.

The growing Otago postgraduate community was given its own university residence in 2008, in the form of Abbey College, the only college to accept a majority of postgraduate students.