JANUARY 1997 RESEARCH RATINGS CONFIRM UNIVERSITY’S HIGH STANDING THE University’s standing as a factor in determining the received a 5 or 5-star rating: leading research institution amount of research funding Pharmacology, Biochemistry, was confirmed by the results university departments Physics, Archaeology, TIN of the latest Research attract. Genetics and History (which Assessment Exercise carried The Exercise also highlights includes the two University out by the Higher Education the importance placed on Departments of English Local Funding Council. research in British universities History and Economic and The Exercise, last carried which helps keep the country Social History). out in 1992, is a UK wide at the cutting edge and The University had a total assessment of research underpins teaching carried of 34 subject areas assessed performance in each out at universities. and was one of only 15 university in the country, with In the results of the 1996 universities in the whole individual departments, or Exercise, the University’s tally country to enter 90 per cent groups of departments, of subject areas awarded the or more of its entire being given ratings of 1 (the top ratings of 5 or 5-star has academic staff in the lowest) to 5-star (the highest) gone up to six. This Exercise. The results reveal for the quality of their compares to one top rating that over 94 per cent of staff research work. The results of in 1989 and three in 1992. entered at Leicester are in http://www.le.ac.uk/ the Exercise are a critical The following subject areas areas rated at 3a or above. LE JUBILEE DEGREE PROCESSION INSIDE RESEARCH ASSESSMENT EXERCISE: STATEMENT FROM THE VICE-CHANCELLOR: PAGES 4-5; TABLES AND FACTFILE PAGES 5-6 HERITAGE LOTTERY BOOST: PAGE 15 NEW HISTORY OF BUL THE UNIVERSITY: PAGE 21 HISTORIC PARADE: The first degree ceremonies of the University’s Jubilee Year were held in December. Full story and more pictures, Page 20. BULLETIN: Your award-winning newsletter - Heist Marketing Awards 1996 NEWS STRAIGHT TALKING WITH VOLUME 29 SIXTH-FORMERS NUMBER 4 THE new edition of Leicester University’s colourful and imaginative student JANUARY 1997 recruitment magazine, Next Steps, has been sent to schools and colleges across NEWS......................1-19 the UK. It profiles a successful FEATURES/ graduate in Psychology who ARTSTOP..............20-26 now works with the BBC CUTTINGS.................27 and there are columns, written by students, PEOPLE......................28 describing their courses in the Medical Faculty as well RESEARCH...........28-29 as what they like about life NOTICES..............30-31 in Leicester. This is the 13th edition A.O.B.........................31 of the magazine which, in Back Page previous editions, has CROSSWORD spotlighted a vast spectrum of Leicester life. Details of Open Days and photographs of the Halls of Residence, clubs BULLETIN and sports activities are also included in this vibrant publication. The Bulletin aims to publish news and features which For more information about Next Steps, or requests for inform staff and students of developments affecting the University, and to report on the decisions of Council inclusion in a future edition of Next Steps, please contact Jacky and Senate. Wetzig on ext 2189. Tell us your news! We welcome stories and pictures from individuals and departments, so send your copy to the Editor in Press and Alumni Relations, Registrar’s Office. The closing date for the next issue is Wednesday 15th January for publication in the first week of A WAY WITH WORDS February. The Editor reserves the right to amend or abbreviate copy without notice. The Bulletin is edited in Press and Alumni Relations. Small advertisements (up to 30 words in length) should be accompanied by cheques, payable to University of Leicester, at the following rates: House sales and lettings: £5.00 Other sales and services: £2.00 Prices for display advertisements are available on request. Please contact Julie Franks, Marketing Officer LUSU, extn 1168, to whom all adverts should be sent. Private, non-commercial announcements are carried free of charge, subject to space. Editor: Ather Mirza (Extn 3335) Deputy Editor: Barbara Whiteman (Extn 2676) People, Books, Research, Cuttings, Notices, Artstop. Reporter: Judith Shaw TECHNICIAN in Pre-Clinical Sciences Department Chris Contributors: Jane Pearson, members of staff D’Lacey has been honoured for his work by the Leicester Writers Club. Design and layout: Kamlesh Chandarana Leicester Mercury columnist Joan Stephens was the Pictures: Central Photographic Unit, Leicester speaker at the awards ceremony and presented the Best Mercury, members of staff Children’s Writer award to Chris as well as awards to Printed by Central Reprographic Unit. winners in other categories. It was the first time an award had been made to a children’s writer. Chris, whose previous works have been Newsline: 0116 252 3335 featured in Bulletin, has a number of other books in the pipeline. Advertising: 0116 223 1168 Mrs Stephens is pictured with Chris and the other award winners. 2 NEWS UNIVERSITY SUCCESSES HIGHLIGHTED IN ANNUAL REPORT IN the new Annual Report (1995-96), the far received from the Funding Council’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr Kenneth Edwards, Teaching Quality Assessments, and the reflects on the University’s successes and praise which the curriculum for medical achievements but warns of potential courses has attracted for the way it has falling standards in higher education been developed to fit the new nationally if a solution is not found to the requirements of the General Medical funding crisis. Council. He also pointed out the growth in distance learning courses. “Amongst the most remarkable developments over the last few years, has been the rapid rise of a range of Master’s courses taught through distance learning techniques. The University now has approximately 3,000 students on such courses and is one of the leaders in the country.” Among other significant achievements, he cites the imminent opening - in January 1997 - of the new to take at least the Richard Attenborough Centre for Disability first steps towards the establishment of and the Arts, enabling people with such a Centre.” disabilities to participate in forms of art Dr Edwards pointed out that these which were previously achievements were remarkable in a year of inaccessible to funding crisis. them, and also the “Since 1989, the real value of our creation of funding for teaching, on an individual Leicester student basis, has been reduced by 30%. Biosciences Limited For the coming year, the reduction will be which will act as a a further 5% in a single year. More cuts broker between the are threatened.” work of University He called for a solution to be swiftly laboratories and found to the funding crisis in higher Commenting on industries which wish education and warned of the danger that the University’s to develop research the quality of higher education may be strong reputation more widely. damaged by funding cuts, in particular for its research Writing of the the threat to technical facilities required in programmes, he proposed new the teaching of science and the increasing wrote, “Last year, I National Space difficulty in providing contact between pointed out that Science Centre he teachers and students. the University commented, “Another ranked fifth in the product of our Note of optimism country, in terms scientific expertise and of the proportion the University’s very of total income strong position in space Concluding on a note of optimism, Dr arising from science, has been the Edwards said, “Providing that something grants from development of a is done about the funding problem, I am national major research councils proposal to the confident that the University will continue and major charities - an excellent Millennium Commission for the creation in to adapt to the ever changing world achievement for an institution of our size. Leicester of a National Space Science which faces higher education and, in so This position has been sustained again this Centre. This exciting scheme has been doing, will maintain the fundamental aims year. Furthermore, the value of new developed jointly by the University and the set out in the Charter. The University will grants and contracts announced during City of Leicester, with the help of many make a significant and characteristic the year was £27,466,537, an increase of others in the local community. The contribution to the totality of higher 10.3% over the equivalent figure for decision by the Millennium Commission is education, within which there will be, I 1994/95.” expected in December, and we very much believe, an increasing degree of The Vice-Chancellor went on to hope the result will be positive. Even if collaboration between institutions in the highlight the high scores which the the Commission is unable to support it to UK as the competition extends to a global University’s teaching programmes have so the extent that we hope, we firmly intend rather than a national arena.” 3 NEWS RESEARCH ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1996 THE University has good 5* (Business and Management reason to be well pleased with A STATEMENT BY THE VICE-CHANCELLOR and Sociology), while a further the results of the 1996 6% are in Environmental Research Assessment Exercise, DR KENNETH EDWARDS Science which achieved a with one 5* rating rating of 5. For Leicester, the (Pharmacology), five ratings of December 1996. The Funding extent of active research staff distribution was broader, with 5, twelve of 4, eleven of 3a Councils, in developing the in a university and can also be the major concentration being while there were four at 3b current scale, have stated that included as a weighting. in the three clinical medical and a single 2. The units the aim is to subdivide the When this is done a new table units of assessment for each obtaining ratings of 5* and 5 ratings of 3 and 5 which were can be produced (table 1, of which the rating was 3a represented a diversity of used in 1992; nevertheless the page 5) and the Leicester and which collectively activities occurring in ‘Higher’ has converted the position is improved to 30th.