Rate My Professor Nick Bates

Nick Bates serves as the Head of Salmond College at the University of Otago, assuming this leadership position in December 2019. Prior to this appointment, he was Head of Cumberland College from May 2013 to 2019. Cumberland College, one of the university's Character Colleges housed in a building originally constructed in 1916 as the Dunedin Hospital Nurses' Home, opened to students in 1989 and accommodates around 325 residents, with 95 percent being first-year students. As a graduate of the University of Otago, Bates holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching (PGDip Tch), and Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling (PGDip Couns). His professional journey prior to university residential leadership includes serving as a secondary school teacher, school guidance counsellor, and youth worker, roles in which he has consistently focused on supporting and working with young people.

In his current role, Nick Bates oversees the management and operations of Salmond College, an affiliated residential college established in 1971 that provides housing for up to 238 undergraduate students. His work emphasizes building a strong sense of community, drawing from principles like those at Cumberland College, including the mottos 'A Community with Heart and Soul' and AWHI, which represent academic achievement, well-being, home, and identity. Bates' daily responsibilities encompass coordinating with staff and senior tutors, engaging directly with residents for academic advice and pastoral care, ensuring compliance with health and safety protocols, organizing social and community events, and facilitating evening activities. Residing in the Head's residence on site with his wife Rachel and son Harry, while their other children Kezia, Heidi, and George live in Dunedin, Bates brings a family-oriented approach to his leadership. Through these efforts, he contributes to enhancing the overall student residential experience within Campus and Collegiate Life Services at the University of Otago.