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Annual Report 2008/9The academic year 2008/2009 was one to celebrate for the University, its students and staff.
As I look back over the academic year 2008/2009 I am proud of the achievements that staff, students and our partners have made possible. We have continued to strengthen the University through excellence in both learning and teaching and research and knowledge transfer, and through an increased focus on the student experience. And where we have really been able to bring to life our vision of 'Making Knowledge Work' is through effective partnerships.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all those organisations and individuals who have provided partnership opportunities over the last year. We are grateful for collaborations from the very local to the truly international; from local businesses providing internships and research collaboration to our partners in Singapore, Brunei, Kuala Lumpur, and Pakistan helping to deliver a University of Bradford education overseas. I must also thank our staff, whose support in taking the University forward has been fantastic over the last year. And finally I want to thank our Chancellor Imran Khan, who continues to provide great support to us, and this year launched our new health centre Unique: Fitness & Lifestyle, as well as helping us increase our educational footprint in Pakistan.
We were delighted to hear in June that Bradford has become a UNESCO City of Film, following a successful partnership bid by Bradford Council, the National Media Museum, Screen Yorkshire and the University. This is a significant achievement for the city, creating the world's first-ever City of Film, a fitting recognition of the city's rich heritage in film production which will help attract talented students.
Of course this year has been challenging too, as the impact of the economic downturn was felt by so many. We have been quick to take positive action to help local businesses, individuals and the third sector - providing a discount on all postgraduate courses and providing internships here at the University. We have also been successful in bidding for £750,000 from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and Yorkshire Forward to deliver a number of courses which will help the local community tackle the challenges brought by the downturn. It is through partnering with business that we can make the most impact and help prepare the workforce for the future.
Our Ecoversity programme, which aims to embed the principles and practice of sustainable development across the entire University, has gone from strength to strength, as we become one of the UK's greenest universities. We achieved two major awards at the sector-leading Higher Education Green Gown Awards in June beating off 170 others to win the 'Institutional Change' category for our 'Beyond Greening' initiative, and being 'Highly Commended' in the 'Curriculum' category, for our institutional education for sustainable development project, as well as picking up two further national awards.
Our staff and students have really taken Ecoversity to their hearts, living and breathing its principles, and this has culminated in this being one of our new key values for the next five years.
This year also saw the development of our new corporate strategy, following extensive consultation with stakeholders, students and staff. This sets out our vision, values, aims and objectives for the next five years – to be a provider of high-quality teaching, informed by internationally recognised research and knowledge transfer which enables students to achieve their educational aspirations and staff to enhance their careers within an inclusive, supportive and sustainable environment.
We've made great headway during the last academic year, but we need your help, and that of all our staff, students and partner organisations, to make our plans possible. I look forward to working with you all on making those plans a reality.
Professor Mark Cleary
Vice-Chancellor and Principal
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