Salford from Salford Citiesa Tale of Two Salford and Mediacityuk
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
From Salford Alumni Magazine 2011 citiesA tale of two Salford and MediaCityUK Alumni Magazine 2011 1 2 Alumni Magazine 2011 From Salford From the Vice-Chancellor Our changing world I recently hosted a reception for our alumni at Joule House, a building we’ve acquired that was once the home of James Prescott Joule. He carried out some of his most important experiments in the basement here in the mid-nineteenth century, giving his name to the standard unit of energy and helping to shape modern Physics. One and a half centuries later, we’re part of the global frontier in digital technology, working alongside the BBC’s research and development division at our new MediaCity campus, pushing terabytes of data across the globe almost instantaneously. Joule would have approved. loan amounts will barely compensate for the block grants, capital funding and earmarked support that the government will take away. The new system has been compared to mortgage or credit card debt; in reality, this is a form of graduate tax, with repayment after earnings exceed £21,000 per year and as a proportion of income, not as a proportion of the balance in the loan account.There will be no up-front payments and, after thirty years, any remaining balance in a graduate’s loan account will be written off. Given this, and the generous bursary ne of our guests described how Salford support we will be providing, there is no reason why had changed in his lifetime. Coming to a prospective student, appropriately qualified and our city to read Engineering in 1970, with the determination necessary to succeed, should he remembered smog so dense that, not attend our university in the years to come. O sometimes, he had difficulty seeing his own feet as he walked from the campus to his digs Given our changing world, and the approach of our in Pendelton. Today, we are working to ambitious fiftieth anniversary as a chartered university in 2017, targets to reduce our carbon emissions, rewarded we thought it appropriate to freshen up our image. by a great result in the Green League of British Our new brand is sharp and contemporary, and universities earlier this year. Walking along the expresses our pride in Salford and our ever-growing banks of the Irwell this summer with a long-time role at the inner core of our city region. Along with local resident, we saw a pair of otters swimming our sister universities and our partners in Further in clear water. Education, we contribute to the dynamism of research, innovation, learning and public life in the Dramatic changes are also taking place in the city that is home to Europe’s largest student ways in which future students will be funded. population. We welcome students from our From next year, we will no longer receive the doorstep communities and from over one hundred block teaching grant that has previously covered countries across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, more than half of our teaching costs. Instead, South Asia and China. And we value our lifetime each student will receive a loan intended to cover association with every one of our graduates, the full costs of their university education. There has whether from the closing years of L.S.Lowry’s been a good deal of misinformation about this new industrial Salford or from our brand new digital system in the press. Some have asserted that we studios at MediaCity. will be getting more than twice as much for each student we teach; we will not, because the new Vice-Chancellor Prof Martin Hall Alumni Magazine 2011 3 As an alumnus, you have lifelong access to the Careers & Employability service at the University of Salford. So if you need help with future career planning, CVs, employer information, are thinking of postgraduate study or anything else careers-related, please contact us. Even if you can’t make it into the Careers & Employability Service in person, you can now get in touch via instant messaging on Skype. Keep a look out on our website for details of the next series of sessions: www.careers.salford.ac.uk We also offer: z Free Enterprise Academy z Mentoring opportunities z Volunteering opportunities z Recruitment fairs and opportunities to meet employers z Business incubation space Why not follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, find us on YouTube or read our blogs? From Salford Contents A tale of two cities 06 A world wide alumni network 10 University highlights 12 Raymond Leonard 14 Developing our University 16 Alumni notices 18 Life changes 19 College Highlights 20 Brendan Rendall 23 Graduate Gateway 24 Alumni updates 26 World beater 28 Brand new 29 Rob Bagshaw 30 Honorary Graduates 32 Events Calendar 33 “Our main focus is to win at London 2012 and this year me and Alexandra have just Alumni Benefits and Services 34 been concentrating on sailing the boat as Quiz 34 fast as we can.” Letter from the Editor I hope you enjoy reading the new look From Salford. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this year’s edition with their news and stories and a warm welcome to our class of 2011 graduates. It has been a busy year for the University and there has never been a better time to be associated with Salford as we embark on a number of exciting developments. These include the launch of our new brand and visual identity, the opening of our state-of-the-art facilities at MediaCityUK and the start of our most ambitious campus redevelopment to date, which will see £130m invested in state-of-the-art buildings and facilities to benefit our students, staff and the organisations with which we work in partnership. These changes will help shape and develop the University’s future and in 2017 Salford celebrates 50 years since receiving its Royal Charter. We are planning on marking this occasion by hosting a celebration event in Salford. But, if you can’t wait until then, Thanks to you can always arrange a trip to campus at any time! Just get in touch to arrange a visit. Caroline Boyd, Robert Caddy, Rahela Choudhury, Lastly please take the time to update your details and let us know what services you want Liam Curtis, Richard Hacking, Joanne Handford, from your University (please see enclosed form). Patti Holmes, Anthony Hopkinson, Steve Lowy, If you have any questions, please email [email protected]. Mary Macfarlane, Janet Moorhouse, Gareth Pettit, Ray Philpott, Udeni Salmon, Catherine Snelson With best wishes for the New Year. and all of our contributing alumni. If you would prefer to receive your magazine electronically, please email your full name, course and year of graduation to [email protected] Anita Irving with ‘Green Magazine’ in the subject line. Alumni Relations and Annual Fund Manager Alumni Magazine 2011 5 “ MediaCityUK is one of the most public demonstrations of how we’re transforming as a University” “ There’s nothing else like it in the UK and it puts us at the centre of the digital world.” Professor Martin Hall Vice-Chancellor, University of Salford From Salford citiesA tale of two Salford and MediaCityUK With our students and staff firmly in place, MediaCityUK is now part of the University’s story hose of you who still live or work in Salford will have already seen the transformation of Salford Quays into a multi-million pound media powerhouse with the launch of MediaCityUK. The former terminal dock for the Manchester Ship Canal has T been turned into a glittering skyline that is now home to BBC North, ITV Granada, a hotel, apartments, a range of cutting-edge creative organisations and of course, the University of Salford. Even Coronation Street is being rebuilt there, while the BBC will broadcast a range of shows including Blue Peter, Match of the Day and Radio5 Live from its studios. Turn over to find out why we got involved... Alumni Magazine 2011 7 From Salford Collaborate to innovate A global resonance “They’ve been very generous in telling us about their journey,” said Andrew, “especially Over 1700 of our students will now have While MediaCityUK is certainly unique, we’ve the benefits of working with sponsors such as access to 40 courses at MediaCityUK not only looked at the skills and knowledge Disney and Lockheed Martin.” including journalism, animation and available within our own walls, but at the documentary filmmaking. We have our own wider world as well when developing our These sponsors work closely with students on suite of High Definition TV and radio studios, programme. proof-of-concept projects, an example being a Digital Media Performance Lab, post the use of computer games to help kids production facilities and research space. “One place is the Entertainment Technology recover from surgery and serious illness. Center (ETC) at Carnegie Mellon University in It’s an area that MediaCityUK is also ideally Our ethos behind MediaCityUK is simple: Pittsburgh, North America,” says Andrew. suited to investigate thanks to its Digital Media we want to use it to increase collaboration “It offers a Masters of Entertainment Performance Lab and the University’s world- between different disciplines, with students – Technology, which combines the arts, recognised health college. and equally as importantly – academics, able technology, humanities and drama.” to work on projects beyond the confines of It’s not just the ETC that is taking an their individual specialisms. A great example The relationship began two years ago and was interest either, with talks taking place with involves some of our current crop of interior initially driven by Professor Brian Longhurst, other overseas institutions about their design students, who while not based at the University of Salford Pro Vice-Chancellor for experiences, such as RMIT – formally the facility, have been able to use it as the basis Media & Digital Futures.