(July 2021) Lincoln University, the oldest agricultural teaching institution in the Southern Hemisphere, partnered with international education provider M Square Media (MSM) through its Global Marketing Office (GMO) to recruit more international students from Africa to their New Zealand campus.
Lincoln University is a specialist land-based university founded in 1990 when Lincoln College, Canterbury was made independent of the University of Canterbury. It is the smallest university in New Zealand and among its eight public universities, sitting on 58 hectares of land outside Christchurch in Lincoln, Canterbury. It focuses on land-based disciplines such as agriculture, agribusiness, food sciences, tourism, environmental management, soil and physical sciences, viticulture, and oenology.
Sustainability Focus in Courses & Partnerships
It partnered with MSM to serve as its representative office in Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda and other rapidly growing student markets in Africa and Latin America for increased student enrollment in those regions.
“The African region is a rapidly developing market that the University is keen to explore further. MSM’s unique business model has shown to be highly successful in achieving strong growth in enrolments by managing recruitment through local teams dedicated to each institution. They also manage a large agent network on behalf of each institutional partner. Lincoln University is looking forward to a high achieving partnership with MSM in new markets where previously we had little or no presence,” said Roger Shew, Director, International at Lincoln University.
Taught masters programs, which take 12 to 18 months to complete and include only coursework and no dissertation requirement, are particularly popular with international students. They include tourism, wine, global business, agribusiness, and food innovation programs.
In building a robust pipeline of international students, it seeks to teach “a greater understanding of the relationship between land, food, and ecosystems.” The New Zealand institution is allied with the Global Challenges University Alliance (GCUA), a network of top universities addressing food security and climate changes issues, and is the only full non-European member of the exclusive seven-institution network Euroleague for Life Sciences (ELLS).
Small Environment, Big Learning
Lincoln University is 15th of 65 world universities classified as small and is ranked 372nd in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings overall for AY 2021-22.
“Its boutique size means Lincoln University can provide a more personable learning environment where students can have greater access to lecturers, and the village-like atmosphere fosters a sense of community and knowledge transfer between students,” said Shew, describing the campus as highly diverse, inclusive, and home to clubs and groups for international learners.
Lincoln also boasts of stunning landscapes, beaches, and direct access to a wealth of outdoor activities for young people.
In light of COVID-19 restriction, the university offers online options allowing students to begin their studies at home and complete their qualifications on campus once the border reopens.
Lincoln University is MSM’s first partner institution in Oceania, strengthening its leadership bid in the region as the global and in-country office and pathway partner of its higher education institutions (HEIs) with aggressive internationalization plans.
“We are happy to promote the real-world learning that enables Lincoln University to deliver job-ready graduates through their flagship programs and strong formal internships across industries and expertise in land, ecosystem, and sustainability programs. They do not need to compete head to head with other universities in the countries; we plan to focus on their strengths and work closely with agents in identified markets to increase their international enrollment and achieve common partnership goals,” said Suneetha Qureshi, President of MSM GMO.
MSM’s global and in-country office model currently serves around 45 partner institutions. It has a track record in recruiting for both small and big institutions in urban and rural locations, enabling thousands of student mobilities for its partners since its founding in 2012. Its enterprise solutions include agent management, application pre-screening, pre-departure briefing for students, and a range of enrollment management and market entry/expansion strategies.
MSM was a finalist in the PIEoneer of the Year category of the prestigious PIEoneer Awards 2020. The annual award is organized by The PIE, an independent media, recruitment, and events website in international education that connects its global community of professionals.
About M Square Media
M Square Media (MSM) is a leading service provider in international education and other sectors. We offer a wide range of global business solutions to clients including, international business development, market research and deep opportunity analysis, sourcing sales channel partnerships, market entry strategy, market expansion, lead generation, brand development, finance and accounting management, payroll and expense management, tax compliance and corporate administrative services, staff recruitment, local representation, HR support, and ready-to-go office space. Read more about MSM at https://livemsquare.wpengine.com/.
Contact Information
MSM Communications Group
Phone: +1 250 262 6686
Email: [email protected]
