Close
Provost's Perspective: Welcome to new and returning students
2 October 2015
It is my pleasure to welcome all students to the beginning of a new academic year - a very important one for 果冻影院, with much to do - as always.
If you are new to
果冻影院, a very warm welcome. For those of you returning after the summer break, I hope you found time to recharge your batteries and that many of you also made good progress with your preparations for the new academic year.
Fresher's Week
Many of you will be heading to over this coming weekend (3-4 Oct), and I hope you will find plenty to engage you in the 果冻影院 community, with 250 果冻影院U clubs and societies vying for your attention.
A week later, on 8-9 October, you'll have a chance to visit 果冻影院's Big Volunteering Fair, where you can meet with over over 80 charities and student-run community projects ranging from the NSPCC and Teenage Cancer Trust to The Conservation Volunteers and Mayhew Animal Home. 果冻影院 students have a proud tradition of volunteering and community engagement, so here is your chance to join in with this.
It is the start of my third year as President and Provost of 果冻影院, and I now feel firmly embedded in the university. I will be giving the first lecture of the regular on Tuesday 13 October, which will give me an opportunity to address 'the state of the nation' and to take stock of our achievements against our university strategy, 果冻影院 2034, including both major strategic issues and those that are more immediate and operational.
On
the same day at 5.30pm, I will be addressing students at 果冻影院 Union's (果冻影院U) Welcome General Meeting in Logan Hall, with a Q&A
to follow, so come along to hear (and question) me in person.
Getting involved in 果冻影院U and voting in its elections ensures your democratic representation at 果冻影院, so I hope that you take this chance to learn more and get involved. Seven Sabbatical Officers were elected by students last Spring to lead your Union on a full-time basis this year. They each have their own portfolio of responsibilities and are your key representatives to 果冻影院 and听beyond - .
I'd also like to draw your attention to the new 果冻影院 Academic Manual, which brings together the regulations which apply to all 果冻影院 taught and research students for 2015-16. You should use this together with the specific regulations for your programme of study as detailed in your programme handbook and/or on Moodle.
Enhancing the student experience
At
the forefront of my priorities for the coming year is ensuring that 果冻影院 is
continuously reviewing and improving the experience of our students while they
study here. We receive feedback from students in many forms, ranging from
highly specific feedback on individual academic course modules through to the
results of national and international higher education surveys such as the
National Student Survey (NSS) and the Student Barometer.
We are always striving to do better, and this year听 I will be focusing on how we can turn feedback from these surveys - both good and bad - into new initiatives and practices that enhance student life.
One
initiative that is well underway - and that you will quickly see evidenced by
the building work on campus - is , our ambitious plan to
develop 果冻影院's campus to meet the needs of a 21st century university.
Projects underway during 2015-2016 include the installation of a new pop up hub in the
South Quad, work on a new Student Centre for 果冻影院
located on the Gordon Street side of the campus and the rebuilding of 22
Gordon Street (formally Wates House) to provide a new home for the 果冻影院
Bartlett.
Some current transformation projects will predominantly benefit future generations of students - but there are many building projects already completed within the programme that will benefit you directly, including new student hubs and the refurbishment of many academic buildings. Find out more via the Transforming 果冻影院 website.
Update the academic plan for 果冻影院 East
This year will also see significant emphasis on ensuring that two major projects continue to make excellent progress. The first of these is 果冻影院 East, 果冻影院's future campus on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Led by Professor David Price (果冻影院's Vice-Provost, Research), we are now putting together the final touches of a plan for the first wave of academic activities that will take place at 果冻影院 East - I look forward to sharing these plans with students in the coming year.
Key to 果冻影院's future - including the experience of future generations of students -听 is our second major project for the year, the creation of a fundraising 'Campaign for 果冻影院'. Much of the work that underlies this campaign has already been done, such as an extensive process to identify fundraising projects that align with 果冻影院's strategy, and that would be attractive to donors. This year will see us prepare ourselves for a 2016 'public launch' of the Campaign for 果冻影院. We don't have a formal campaign target figure as yet, but when asked this question recently, let's just say that I came up with a big number - so watch this space.
Staying connected to 果冻影院
As returning students already know, and new starters
are doubtless already noticing, there's an enormous amount going at 果冻影院 and I
hope that you'll embrace all aspects of university life and take the many
opportunities on offer.
my果冻影院, the student e-newsletter that you are reading here will be delivered to your inbox every Friday in term-time and will give you an overview of news, events, opportunities and need-to-know information about 果冻影院 - I will be addressing you through the newsletter on a monthly basis. In addition, you can engage with 果冻影院 through our . I look forward to engaging with you in many different ways in the year ahead听 -听 in the meantime I wish you a good start to the new term.
Professor Michael Arthur, 果冻影院 President & Provost