Lord Bilimoria New Chancellor
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151 buzz August/September 2014 Introducing our New Chancellor Lord Bilimoria 2 VICE-CHANCELLOR’SNEWS VIEW NEWS Vice-Chancellor’s view Building on success As I write, we are coming to the end of a remarkable year. The year began with the news that we had been named by The Times and The Sunday Times as the ‘University of the Year.’ It ended with the Installation of our new Chancellor, Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea. Between these two notable events far Next year we will be taking time to more happened than can be captured develop the University’s new Strategic in one short article. We said farewell to Framework which will act as a compass Sir Dominic Cadbury, and thanked him guiding us through the second half of this for his quite remarkable 11 years as our decade. We can embark on this exercise Chancellor. We acclaimed the election with real confidence that we are shaping of Professor David Charlton to the Royal our own future, and will continue to do Society and Professor Richard Backhouse so. Indeed, as Professor Andy Schofield to the British Academy. This was welcome suggested to the University Leadership Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir David Eastwood recognition by our National Academies Forum, we might think about moving from a of two remarkable colleagues. Professor strategy where we are aspiring to succeed Richard Williams was named by the to a strategy where we expect to succeed. Engineering and Physical Sciences That, symbolically, would mark the distance YOUR BUZZ Research Council in the first select group that we have travelled. of its RISE Fellows. Academic colleagues The work on the Strategic Framework Next edition 1 October 2014 across the University continued to be will involve conversations, focus groups, Copy deadline 5 September 2014 lauded for the quality of their research. and open events right across the University. Contact us I cannot remember a year where we have It is a process to which I hope many of [email protected] won more academic prizes. you will feel that you can contribute. Equally heartening were the colleagues As I have said before, it is a characteristic Buzz online whose contribution to teaching has been of great universities that they are constantly buzz.bham.ac.uk recognised externally, while colleagues in looking forward and reshaping themselves. Follow us on Twitter professional services carried off a Times The very best do that in ways which twitter.com/buzzunibham Higher Education award, and colleagues break new ground and remodel the idea Find us on Facebook in HAS have been garlanded with prizes of a university for generations to come. facebook.com/buzzunibham and awards. We can now, I believe, claim to be in Indeed so successful has the University that select group. been this year that, at the suggestion So next year, the next five years, and of the Provost, we are going to produce indeed the years beyond will be as exciting a supplement to the next edition of as the year that is now coming to a close. Edited by Rebecca Vowles Buzz celebrating all that our colleagues As we face the future with a sense of [email protected] have achieved. excitement and privilege to be working at the It is on these and other successes that University at such an exhilarating moment, Your details we are building the future of the University. we can all reflect with satisfaction at having Please let us know if you want extra Never has the University of Birmingham been part of a truly memorable year. copies of buzz or if you think we need been more popular. Our undergraduate I would like to thank all of my colleagues to amend your distribution details. applications are up by 18 per cent for everything that they have contributed. and we have seen substantial increases Our new Chancellor said at his Installation Views expressed in the magazine are in applications from international and that to be associated with this university not necessarily those of the University postgraduate taught students. Our research at this time is an honour. We are equally or a statement of University policy. awards run ahead of target, though there honoured that he has agreed to become All submissions may be subject to is still much further to go. We have broken our Chancellor and shares our vision. editing. The Editor’s decision is final. ground with Rolls-Royce on the High Our future will be what we choose Temperature Research Centre and, to make it. with colleagues at University Hospital Birmingham, work is well advanced on Vice-Chancellor, Front cover image: Lord Bilimoria the Institute of Translational Medicine. Professor Sir David Eastwood of Chelsea, Chancellor NEWS NEWS 3 University staff recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours The University is delighted that its Vice- University for 29 years, supports the Chancellor, Professor Sir David Eastwood, University’s core activities by managing the has been knighted in the Queen’s Birthday services, buildings and physical resources Honours. Sir David has been honoured in an integrated and co-ordinated way. Her in recognition of his remarkable services work ensures a safe and efficient working to higher education and the drive and environment for staff and students. commitment he has shown to enhancing Earlier this year Pro-Chancellor and the UK’s reputation in this field. chair of University Council Ed Smith was Donna Willmetts, College Facilities recognised in the New Year’s Honours Manager for the College of Social list. Mr Smith is pictured receiving his CBE Sciences, received a British Empire for services to higher education from His Medal for services to higher education. Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales. Mrs Willmetts, who has worked at the University of We would like your Birmingham wins Views on Equality Outstanding in the Workplace As part of our submission for the International Stonewall Workplace Equality Index 2015, we are asking all staff to fill in Strategy a questionnaire on their experiences working for the University. Taking part The University recently won the to enhanced grant capture, increased in the Workplace Equality Index is an Times High Education Leadership & joint publications, increased student effective way to create an inclusive Management Award (THELMA) for its enrolments and plans to enhance workplace for lesbian, gay and bisexual bold approach to securing its position education collaboration and mobility. employees. Please complete the short in Brazil as the higher education institute Over the past academic year, the University questionnaire via the link below; the partner of choice. Working with key of Birmingham has collaborated with all University’s unique three digit code is stakeholders Birmingham has developed of the top ten universities in Brazil and 662. www.stonewall.org.uk/WEI15/ flourishing partnerships that have led 17 of the top 20. weistaffattitude2013.htm Responses submitted online will go directly to Stonewall; you can find more Life Sciences Review – information about the staff feedback questionnaire at www.stonewall.org. your opportunity to contribute uk/at_work/workplace_equality_ index_2015/default.asp. As many of you may be aware, the stakeholders to ensure that we continue University is currently in the process of to enhance our national and international conducting a Life Sciences Review in profile in this area. order to develop a co-ordinated strategy To support the work of the academic at University level that allows us to deliver advisory group conducting the review, world-leading research and teaching. the opinions and input from across The review will assess our current the University community are actively portfolio of activity across the broad encouraged. span of life sciences, identifying existing and potential future strengths. It will also Find out more at: intranet.birmingham. define links with relevant partners and ac.uk/life-sciences-review 4 FEATURE: THE EMERGING POWER OF BRAZIL THE EMERGING POWER OF BRAZIL Dr Marco Vieria, Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS) and Dr Jonathan Grix, Centre for Policy Research in Sport (CPRS), look at Brazil’s role in International Affairs and engagement with the University. The question of how emerging powers and University of Birmingham pump-priming will affect the global order, and the award to critically investigate Brazil’s international regimes and norms that role in the management of international sustain it, is fast becoming one of the security, international development, global Dr Jon Grix, André Almeida Arantes (Brazilian most pressing of the 21st century. economic governance, climate change, Ministry of Sport), and Zena Wooldridge Brazil is a prime example of a new power regional integration, and the political trying to adapt its foreign policy to the leveraging of sports mega-events. This fast-changing context of global politics project has already resulted in a successful and governance. From issues as diverse two-day workshop that brought together this November, will focus on how best as climate change, international policy and academic experts from Brazil to use the Rio Olympic Games (2016) peacekeeping, development assistance, and the UK to discuss the prospects for to improve education and sport in Brazil. humanitarian intervention and economic cooperation between these two countries A major outcome of this will be drawing reform, Brazil is deeply involved in in several areas of global governance. up a set of recommendations for Brazil, reshaping and renegotiating the current A central part of the University’s led by the University, using the experience rules of global governance. engagement with Brazil is what could be and best practice of states around the Since the end of the millennium, Brazil termed a ‘sports agenda’, which has seen world. The final workshop, taking place in has played a central role in the creation University experts advising on a variety December, will conclude the first phase of a web of regional institutions in South of sport-related topics, ranging from elite of collaborative work by bringing together America, provided unprecedented levels sport development to school and youth scholars not just from Brazil, but from each of development assistance to Africa and sports.