St Margaret's College, Otago

Saint Margaret's College, Otago is a hall of residence in Dunedin, New Zealand. Most of the residents are students at the University of Otago. Some residents study at Otago Polytechnic. The current Warden (Head of Hall) is the Rev Dr Peter Norris and the Deputy Warden is Jan Burton.

The college was founded in 1911 as the University's third college, and was the first to be designated specifically as a women's college anywhere in Oceania. Otago University was the first university in New Zealand - or anywhere in the British Empire as a whole - to allow women to attend all lecture courses, and as such had a high proportion of female students. By 1909, between a quarter and a third of Otago university's students were women. [Morrell, W.P. (1969). "The University of Otago: A centennial history." Dunedin: University of Otago Press, p.202-203] Originally located in the former Presbyterian manse in Leith Street, the hall moved to its present site in 1915 following construction of the building in 1914. [Jane Forsyth and Michael Findlay (2003). [http://www.gsnz.org.nz/gs_downloads/fieldtrips/MP116B_FT5.pdf Dunedin building stones and architectural heritage] , in Simon Cox & Belinda Smith Lyttle (eds.), Geological Society of New Zealand 2003 Annual Conference Field Trip Guides, Geological Society of New Zealand Miscellaneous Publication 116B. ISBN 0908678975. Accessed 2008-01-13.] New wings were added to the building in 1946 and 1967. [Herd, J. and Griffiths, G (1980) "Discovering Dunedin." Dunedin: John McIndoe. p. 108.]

St. Margaret's was the first women's college in Dunedin to accept male students, which it did for the first time in 1981.

In early 2006, the college kitchen and dining hall were renovated and repainted. In early 2007, the entrance hall was renovated, with the addition of leather couches.

In summer 2007/8 a new floor was added to Clyde Wing.

External links

* [http://www.smc.ac.nz/ Saint Margaret's College - official site]

In 2008 the ground floor of main wing was refurbished with rooms getting new wallpaper and carpet and more light fittings amounst other things

References