Foreword by the Vice-Chancellor Every
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2011-12 1 2011-12 Contents 2. Foreword by the Vice-Chancellor 4. Highlights of the year 6. A world-class university 8. Rankings and reputation 10. Research matters 14. A first-class student experience 16. Investing in our future 18. Nurturing entrepreneurial flair 20. Investing in excellence 22. Philanthropy 24. At the heart of our community 24. Our summer of sporting success 28. Statement of accounts 1 Foreword by the Vice-Chancellor very year is the UK and internationally, were up massively challenging in during the year and the numbers coming to E some way for the Bath reached the increased target that we set at universities of England the start of the year. Our research continues to but last year was thrive. Across our three faculties and the School exceptionally so. There of Management, colleagues are engaged in a were enormous changes wide range of innovative and challenging projects in the way university which are truly world-leading in their fields. A teaching is funded – with determination to deliver real-world impact and a shift from government a spirit of interdisciplinary collaboration exists directly providing a large part of undergraduate at the heart of our community. The result has tuition fees to responsibility lying with students been increased research grant and contract themselves via a loan system. Nationally, there capture, accompanied by many more prestigious was a coterminous decline in applications to publications, and the Queen’s Anniversary Award universities and a reduction in the numbers for Higher Education. To remain so successful actually joining undergraduate programmes from we must continue to improve in every aspect the UK and EU. There was also grave disruption of our activities, and initiatives to improve of overseas recruitment following the introduction our communication strategy and grow our of more stringent visa controls. Competition for international presence began this year. grants and contracts became more intense as the economic recession and government cutbacks Improving the campus infrastructure is also vital. hit both private and public sponsors of research. During the year we have initiated the design and Government investment in capital developments construction of new buildings for teaching and in universities was decimated. student accommodation and a new Centre for the Arts, besides the refurbishment of many existing It is against this background that the buildings. This is a three year £100m investment achievements of the University of Bath last year programme which we are able to fund despite should be interpreted. After being The Sunday the erosion of government support for university Times University of the Year, we climbed further infrastructure. in its national league table to third. This is our highest ever ranking and sees only Cambridge It is impossible to talk of 2012 without speaking and Oxford sitting above us. Internationally, we of the Olympics and Paralympics. The University were ranked 12th in the world by The Guardian Sports Training Village was the home to many among those hundreds of universities less than athletes in the run up to the London 2012 50 years of age. These rankings, which take into Games. Eleven medals were won by Bath-based account the quality of virtually every aspect of athletes and alumni. We were very proud to have university activity, are a testament to the world- contributed to their success. class research which takes place here and the excellence of the student education we offer. In Challenges will abound as we go forward. crafting the Bath student experience, we are ably Thanks to the commitment, enthusiasm, supported by our Students’ Union, which itself and dedication of our staff and students to received the highest accolade available from the achieving excellence in all that we do, we have National Union of Students last year. confidence that we will turn those challenges into opportunities. Our reputation has acted as the platform from which we have tackled the challenges now facing Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell DBE DL all English universities. Our applications, from Vice-Chancellor 2 2011-12 Artist’s impression of our proposed new Centre for the Arts which forms part of our three year £100m campus investment programme. Due to open in autumn 2014, the building is subject to planning approval 3 Highlights of the year We were ranked 3rd in The Our students are amongst the Fay Hollister, a Department Sunday Times University most satisfied in the UK. In the Coordinator in our Department Guide 2013 – our highest ever 2012 National Student Survey of Mathematics, had the honour ranking in the league table our students had an overall of being Bath’s first Olympic placing us ahead of all other satisfaction rate of 91 per cent torchbearer carrying the flame universities and colleges apart ranking us 5th in the national through the University campus from Oxford and Cambridge. table of over 250 higher in front of thousands of cheering education institutes. students, staff and local people. This marked the start of the Bath leg of its 8,000 mile journey around the UK. We launched a three year Our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Professor David Miller from the £100m investment project in Glynis Breakwell, was made Department of Social & Policy our campus which includes a Dame in the Queen’s New Sciences was awarded a Global new teaching space, student Year Honours in recognition Uncertainties Leadership accommodation and a new of her services to higher Fellowship by the Economic Centre for the Arts. education. Under her leadership & Social Research Council the University has significantly with a grant of around £400,000 increased its profile as a to explore the production and world-class research-intensive communication of expertise on university. terrorism. Our fantastic sports facilities We welcomed Professor The Engineering & Physical were home to 31 Olympic Colin Grant as the new Science Research Council and Paralympic athletes who Pro-Vice-Chancellor for provided funding of £1.5 competed at London 2012. Internationalisation. Professor million to the ‘Enliten’ project. Bath-based athletes and alumni Grant is responsible for the Led by the Department of won an amazing 11 medals at development and implementation Architecture & Civil Engineering the Games. of the University’s international it aims to improve low-impact, strategy and leadership, as well energy efficient buildings by as acting as an ambassador understanding and influencing while overseas to raise our the occupants’ habits and international profile. behaviours around energy use. 4 2011-12 We received around £2.5 million Dr Darren Cosker in the Our Students’ Union is ranked in awards from the Medical Department of Computer as one of the best in the UK Research Council, including Science was awarded a Royal and won a national Gold award projects on insulin signalling, Society Fellowship to continue in the national Student Union cell migration, and physical his cutting-edge facial animation Evaluation Initiative for the activity profiling. research with the country’s excellent student experience it biggest special effects company. provides – one of only four to Dr Cosker will spend four years achieve this high standard. working in collaboration with animation giant Double Negative, the company behind box office hits such as Harry Potter. The Department of Chemistry Professor Michael Danson Our campus is a safe and received an Engineering & from the Department of Biology supportive place to study and Physical Sciences Programme & Biochemistry joined a group work. We were the first university Grant of £3.2 million, to of biologists, archaeologists and to be re-accredited as a Secured support the research of an architect on a two week trip Environment, a police-backed Professor Paul Raithby and to conserve the historic huts certification scheme. his team in developing dynamic of Scott and Shackleton in structural materials for wide- Antarctica. The project comes ranging applications. 100 years after Scott’s fateful last expedition. In the Economist’s Which MBA? We opened a new Graphene Bath once again took its place Centre Laboratory to study the amongst the top 25 global elite material’s amazing properties MBA programmes. We retained and develop its potential our position of second in the UK, applications. Forty times stronger behind only London Business than steel and conducting School. We also held on to our electricity ten times better than title as first in the UK for salary silicon, graphene is the wonder increase and first in the UK for material that could one day faculty quality. replace silicon in microchips. The Roman Baths, located in the city centre, are among the finest Roman remains in Britain 5 A world-class university in a World Heritage city All universities are at heart communities dedicated to the generation and transmission of knowledge. We are committed to excellence in research, with a focus on real-world impact and a true spirit of interdisciplinary collaboration. Our superb facilities and the practical support provided to our academic community inspire a culture of innovative thinking which both attracts world-leading academics to the beautiful city of Bath, and nurtures the researchers of the future. Our academic programmes combine rigorous intellectual challenge with real-world relevance. Our campus and location provide outstanding sporting facilities and cultural opportunities. We invite prospective students to join our close-knit community to gain the knowledge, skills, experience and network needed to thrive in a globally connected world. Our past Our future Based on the edge of a beautiful As we head towards our 50th world heritage site, the history of anniversary in 2016 the University the University is rooted in the former continues to develop and evolve. Bristol College of Science and Demand for places at Bath is higher Technology. It wanted to expand its than ever.