Arana College is a residential college of the University of Otago, founded in 1943 by the Rev. William Turner and the Stuart Residence Halls Council. The name 'Arana' is a Māori transliteration of Allen, and related to Sir James Allen, a former Vice Chancellor 1903-1909 and Chancellor (1909-1912) of the University of Otago. The main administration areas of Arana are based in what was once Sir James Allen’s Queen Anne-style mansion. ^The hall is located immediately to the northeast of the central campus, at the top of a small but steep rise known as Tanna Hill (a corruption of "Botanic Hill", after the nearby first site of the Dunedin Botanic Gardens).
Originally, Arana housed only male students in former World War II Nissen army huts. Public subscriptions and government funding, as part of the Colombo Plan were used to build permanent buildings. The international students brought to Arana as part of the Colombo Plan have added a distinctive international flavour. Arana has accepted female students since 1978.
Notable alumni of Arana include comedian Jon Gadsby(1960s), politician/spin doctor/writer/Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws (1976-77) and satirical cartoonist Garrick Tremain (1950s) during their student days.
The 1980s saw a downturn in numbers of new students at the university, and the College faced challenges in attracting sufficient residents. Downscaling and even the sale of properties were on the cards. Luckily, by the late 1980s the University of Otago was again in a growth phase, and Arana College truly began to develop into a residential village.
During the 1990s and early 21st century, Arana has undergone extensive expansion renovations and redecoration. Although preserving many pleasing original architectural features, as well as ensuring the continuation of positive college traditions (eg. the annual spring gala ball) Arana is now a thoroughly warm, progressive and family-like environment for its staff and residents. Over the past ten years the college has grown from 150 students to 250. In 2005-2006 Arana College undertook a major upgrade all the facilities and increased the number of rooms available to students. The current warden is Jamie Gilbertson.
Coordinates: 45°51′49″S 170°31′03″E / 45.863574°S 170.517522°E
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