AUT’s leadership AUT is a contemporary New Zealand university, led by a strategic team and governed by a council. The Vice-Chancellor is the head of the University and is supported by the Strategic Leadership Team. The AUT Council is the governing body of the University and is made up of lay members, academic and professional staff, at least one student, and members appointed by the government. 20 years as a university When AUT became a university in January 2000, it had a clear vision: to provide its students with exceptional learning experiences, and send them into the world as outstanding graduates. This student-centred vision has guided AUT’s development over the past 20 years. New Zealand’s leading modern university AUT is proud to be one of the world’s best modern universities. Times Higher Education has ranked us in the top 40 universities under 50 years of age, and among the top 1% (201-250) of universities in the world and equal second in New Zealand. We have an overall five-star rating from university rankings organisation QS, in addition to five-star ratings for Teaching, Employability, Research, Internationalisation, Facilities, Innovation and Inclusiveness. We’re the second largest university in New Zealand and the fastest growing postgraduate study destination, with over 250 programmes, 2,200 academic staff and more than 100,000 alumni all over the world. Collaboration and partnership underpin everything we do and we’re connected to an extraordinary range of organisations worldwide; sharing expertise and resources, collaborating on groundbreaking research, and connecting students with industry leaders and employers. Widely known for academic excellence AUT’s mission is to create great graduates, and each member of our staff contributes to this. We offer exceptional learning experiences that prepare students to be successful wherever in the world their career may take them. Study with us and you can enrol in our range of world-ranked subjects, which include our highly ranked health programmes and one of the world's best sport science schools. Across all of our programmes, we encourage innovation and entrepreneurship, and the ability to explore new technologies, challenge routine thinking and solve problems in new ways. We embrace new technologies to lead the learning of tomorrow and prepare our students for the rapidly changing world. As a contemporary university we also place an emphasis on working across disciplines in our research, and teaching and learning. Thanks to our innovative teaching, excellent reputation and combination of theoretical and practical learning, AUT graduates are highly favoured by employers. Research that shapes tomorrow AUT leads Australasia in global research impact. We’re ranked first in Australasia by university rankings organisation Times Higher Education for the number of times our research is cited globally. We have more than 60 research centres and institutes delivering leading research – from artificial intelligence and robotics to ecology and public health. AUT research benefits all New Zealanders and addresses issues facing the environment and society. Our discoveries are widely used, both in New Zealand and around the world. Our research also feeds back into the classroom, and students can contribute to and learn from these research discoveries. An innovative teaching and learning environment AUT’s three university campuses feature modern buildings that don’t just win architecture awards but also provide excellent collaborative environments where students can develop skills that help them stand out in their future careers. We have a number of world-class facilities including one of only a handful of motion capture studios in the country; New Zealand’s top sports science facility, AUT Millennium; and the country’s only two major radio telescopes, which are involved in projects with international research partners. Our state-of-the-art buildings were created using sustainable principles and feature inviting and functional learning areas, lecture theatres, auditoriums and research spaces. This includes the Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences building, which has unique design features that mean it can be used as a teaching tool and ‘living lab’ where students can get hands-on experience. AUT’s success in creating transformational educational spaces has been recognised with a five-star ranking for teaching and facilities, awarded by the world university rankings organisation QS.