Annual Report 2010 Contents Vice-Chancellor’s introduction 1 Investing in success 3 Research that makes a difference 5 Research highlights 7 A top 10 student experience 11 Truly world class 13 Creating a world-class university together 15 Responsible, sustainable and ethical 17 Governance 19 Sport and wellness 21 Students’ Guild 23 People 24 Facts at a glance 28 Our mission inside back cover Cover: The new Business School building. The year at a glance • Exeter was ranked among the top 200 universities in the • The ongoing £275 million capital development programme world for the first time, coming 184th in theTHE World on the Streatham Campus progressed well. New University Rankings. student accommodation at Birks and Duryard, the INTO international students centre on Stocker Road, the new • We were ranked among the top 100 fastest-growing Business School building and Biosciences refurbishment organisations in Europe and top 25 in the UK in a survey were all delivered by the early part of 2011. by business analysts Dun and Bradstreet. • At our Cornwall Campus, the Environment and • We are proposing to charge a £9,000 UK and European Sustainability Institute won formal approval, securing Union undergraduate fee across all programmes for new £30 million in investment from the European Regional entrants from September 2012. Nobody from these areas Development Fund, the South West RDA, HEFCE and has to pay anything upfront and we will have a generous the University. scheme of bursaries and fee waivers in place. This will enable us to continue to provide a student experience • The Students’ Guild was officially recognised as the best of the highest quality and more fully fund widening student union in the UK in the 2010 NUS Awards. participation measures so that students can attend Exeter irrespective of family income, subject to approval by the • An Environmental Sustainability Policy was launched. For Office for Fair Access. the first time pay and rewards were linked to emissions targets with staff challenged to deliver a five per cent • We continued our strong performance in national league reduction of CO2 in order to qualify for the annual bonus. tables, being ranked 12th in the Times Good University Guide and retaining our top 10 position for student • The HR department delivered the biggest recruitment satisfaction in the National Student Survey. drive in the University’s history. Full-time equivalent academic headcount increased by 13.6 per cent, an • We saw the employability of our students improve, despite increase of 200 staff. the dire economic situation, with 70.3 per cent of them finding graduate-level jobs or further study within six • We received the highest ever level of research awards months of leaving. at nearly £50 million. AnnualAnnual ReportReport 2010 1 The Forum takes shape. Vice-Chancellor’s introduction Achieving a positive impact on our and properly fund widening participation so that students can come to Exeter irrespective of their family income. region, our country and the world However, the government and universities also face a major 2010 saw the University take another important step in its communication task to get across to students the nature of development after being ranked in the top 200 universities in the debt they are likely to incur; in particular that the debt the world for the first time, coming 184th in theTHE World isn’t repaid until after graduation and they are earning at least University Rankings. It was also named amongst the top 100 £21,000, repayment is at nine per cent of salary above that fastest-growing organisations in Europe (and top 25 in the UK), figure, and if they haven’t paid it all back after 30 years the debt having seen its turnover increase by nearly 50 per cent since is forgiven. This is very different from credit card debt or any 2007. Both are indicative of how far the University has come loan you are ever likely to get from a bank, ie it is contingent and also its strength as we enter a very new and different set on income not the amount of debt. of market conditions. The University continued its strong performance in national 2010 will principally be remembered as the year of the league tables, being ranked 12th in the Times Good University Browne Review of Higher Education and the resulting political Guide and retaining its top 10 position for student satisfaction in fall-out from its recommendations. The prospect of increasing the National Student Survey. We also saw the employability of graduate contributions from £3,000 to between £6,000 and our students improve, despite the dire economic situation, with £9,000 posed enormous implications for universities in setting 70 per cent of them finding graduate-level jobs or further study an appropriate fee level and in meeting tougher targets for within six months of leaving. fair access and widening participation. As the new fees come The ongoing £275 million capital development programme in 80 per cent of teaching grant from the HEFCE will be lost. on the Streatham Campus progressed well. New student As a leading university we felt it was appropriate to set a fee accommodation at Birks and Duryard, the INTO international of £9,000 across all of our programmes. This enables us to students centre on Stocker Road, the new Business School continue to provide a student experience of the highest quality 2 building and Biosciences refurbishment were all delivered Marketing/Communications Team. The Graduate School of by the early part of 2011. We expect the first part of the Education enhanced its reputation as a high quality provider Forum Project – the new University reception, piazza and of Initial Teacher Education by being awarded an ‘outstanding’ refurbishment of Devonshire House – to be handed over in Ofsted inspection report. And finally, the Students’ Guild was the summer of 2011, with the main build being completed officially recognised as the best student union in the UK in the by the end of the year. We have put enormous efforts into 2010 NUS Awards. The Guild is an increasingly important mitigating the effects of this work, but clearly construction on partner in all that we do to ensure an outstanding student such a scale cannot be accomplished without some disruption. experience at Exeter and we were not surprised in the least I would like to place on record my thanks to the staff and that they received this accolade. students, and to our Students’ Guild, for the constructive and helpful way they have responded to the challenges of development on such a scale. The University has enjoyed There were some notable team and individual successes an exceptionally strong during the year. Professor Andrew Hattersley, of the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, was elected a Fellow of the Royal performance in 2010 Society in recognition of his world-leading diabetes research. We were delighted to see the Chancellor, Floella Benjamin, In summary, the University has enjoyed an exceptionally strong made Baroness Benjamin of Beckenham in the Dissolution performance in 2010 and can look forward to the new market Honours List. It was great to see the University collect two conditions ushered in by Browne with confidence. We have a national prizes in the Times Higher Education Leadership and strong brand, wonderful new facilities ready for 2012, engaged, Management Awards. The Development and Alumni Relations high quality students and committed, talented staff. We expect team, headed by Susie Hills, won the award for Outstanding the University to continue to prosper in the years ahead, Fundraising Team and Communication and Marketing Services, making a strong and increasing contribution to the regional headed by Stuart Franklin, won the award for Outstanding and national economy. New student accommodation at Birks Grange. Annual Report 2010 3 The new INTO international students centre. Investing in success Transforming the Streatham Campus links the library and Devonshire House, is on schedule. Once completed, it will provide a purpose-built student services Significant progress was made during the year to deliver the centre, 400-seat lecture theatre, additional seminar teaching University’s £275 million capital programme on the Streatham space, and retail and catering spaces. The new University Campus, which is now heading towards completion. reception and piazzas also open this summer to further enhance the campus experience for everyone. Several of the major projects have been handed over and are already proving popular with campus users. Meanwhile, the An £18 million investment in a stunning new building for the first element of the flagship Forum project, the refurbished Business School was also completed. This project has created Level -1 of the library, opened in January. The majority additional world-class facilities for research, teaching, learning of the remaining projects will be completed during the and social interaction. course of 2011. The £47 million INTO project was also completed. The new, stylish teaching centre on Stocker Road features new facilities including flexible teaching spaces, a lecture theatre and a The £51 million Forum learning resource centre. is fast taking shape Meanwhile, the first new student residential accommodation at Duryard opened at the beginning of 2010, with the remaining blocks handed over in April 2011. This sees INTO provide Nestled in the heart of the Streatham Campus, the £51 million around 500 accommodation spaces for international students. Forum is fast taking shape. Having transformed the first Library A second project, which will see a further 80 rooms built by floor into a modern, stylish environment, contractors are now UPP on the same site, gets underway this summer and will working to complete Level +1 by the summer while the final be completed in 2012.