The University of Sheffield ANNUAL REPORT 2003/04 Contents Chairman's Foreword 1 Vice-Chancellor’s Introduction 2 Financial Summary 4 Investing in the Estate 6 The Dividend of Research 8 Teaching and Learning212 Widening Participation 14 Enterprise and Innovation 16 Preparing for Employment 18 In Partnership with Industry and Commerce 20 Part of the Region 22 The Union of Students 24 Honours and Distinctions 26 Honorary and Ex-Officio Degrees 28 Staffing Matters 30 Student Numbers 32 Examination Performance 33 Officers and The Council 35 Facts and Figures 36 The University at a Glance 37 Front Cover: The research work of Professor Tim Birkhead and Professor Tony Cullis is brought together in a montage showing the flight feather of a zebra finch (top) and columns of atoms in indium antimonide. Professors Birkhead and Cullis were elected Fellows of the Royal Society in 2004 (page 10). Edited by Roger Allum, Public Relations Office. Photography by Ian Spooner, Mark Rodgers. Designed and Printed by Northend Creative Print Solutions, Sheffield. ANNUAL REPORT 2003/04 CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD 1 Chairman’s Foreword This Annual Report highlights the reinforces our commitment to support achievements of the University in a year fully the health care needs of our that Royal Assent was given to the students, while the opening of the Higher Education Bill. In today’s Advanced Manufacturing Research political climate the Bill was seen as the Centre, in partnership with the Boeing universities’ only opportunity of securing Corporation, is an important additional funding. Its passage through contribution to evolving manufacturing Parliament owed much to those who technology and a stimulus to regional championed its cause in the public economic development. member and as a former Treasurer arena, notably our own Vice-Chancellor. The Council is charged with of the University. At the heart of all our endeavours is responsibility for ensuring that the I shall be standing down as Chairman the pursuit of high quality teaching and University is in sound financial health, of the Council in July next year, after research, and our success in this area and I am pleased to report that an eight years in that position and nearly has been recognised by independent adequate surplus was generated and 40 years as a Council member. It is a external agencies. An Institutional Audit that the balance sheet again showed a privilege to have been involved in such of the student learning experience at healthy position at the year-end. a lively and worthwhile enterprise for Sheffield placed the University in the I should like to place on record my so long. The size of the student body, top category. Our research performance appreciation of the Vice-Chancellor and the research programme, the estate, and has been no less impressive, with his management team. With a massive the impact made by the University in income from research grants and workload, which includes many major this country and overseas have changed contracts showing a healthy increase developments in research and teaching, beyond recognition in this time. over the previous year, in what is always the academic and residential estates, a I owe an enormous amount to many a fiercely competitive market-place. new salary structure, significant lay and professional colleagues – I have commercial initiatives and an increasing Our estates strategy is designed to learnt much, greatly enjoyed the emphasis on alumni and fundraising create world-class facilities to underpin experience and, hopefully, contributed our teaching and research endeavours. activities, the team is constantly a little to the University’s ability to In the past year, two major refurbish- working at full stretch. They have taken develop further its leading position in ment projects were completed, both of the University forward in a very higher education as it enters its second which were generously sponsored by positive way in this session. century. the Wellcome Trust: the £27.2 million I would also like to acknowledge the programme at Firth Court for the contributions made by my fellow Departments of Biomedical Science Council members who give much time, and Molecular Biology & in addition to their governance Biotechnology, and the £12.2 million responsibilities, to providing valuable project in the Medical School to support to the University in numerous create the Henry Wellcome Laboratories other ways. In particular, I would like Peter Lee, CBE, MA, DL for Medical Research. The new to acknowledge the contribution of Chairman of the Council £3.1 million University Health Centre Dr Stuart Johnson, both as a Council and Senior Pro-Chancellor 2 VICE-CHANCELLOR’S INTRODUCTION ANNUAL REPORT 2003/04 Vice-Chancellor’s Introduction One issue dominated all other won by research groupings right considerations in the higher education across the institution. A pleasing sector in 2003/04, and that was the indicator of our research standing is parliamentary debate on the Higher the number of chairs that are filled by Education Bill. The provision in the existing chair-holders who seek to Bill for universities to charge variable transfer to Sheffield from other fees up to £3,000 had been previously leading research universities; this year, discussed and supported in principle 50 per cent of our new professorial by the University Council, and now appointments fell into this category. that the Bill has received its Royal Another positive indicator of the Assent we can begin to make our quality of our research is the large future plans with a greater degree of number of prestige awards made to certainty. our staff by learned societies and The removal of the up-front fixed educational trusts. Most notable this fee means that no student, or their year was the election of Professors family, has to pay the tuition fee Tim Birkhead and Tony Cullis as before entering higher education. Fellows of the Royal Society. We also The repayment proposals are also fair, greatly value the contribution our PhD with both a higher threshold before students make to the University’s repayments begin and lower monthly research culture and performance. repayment rates. State support for During the past five years our full- poorer students will ensure that none time PhD student population has will be worse off financially, and increased by 44 per cent, and the University bursaries – drawn from the University now has the sixth highest new fees income – will mean that they number of postgraduate research are in fact better off. Most students in the UK. importantly, the additional income will The quality of the student learning help the university system in this experience is also a high priority in the THE VALUE OF NEW country to create facilities that begin “ University, as evidenced by the GRANTS AND CONTRACTS to approach those of our competitors outcome of the Institutional Audit, in North America and elsewhere. IS NEARLY 30 PER CENT conducted in November 2003 (with HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR’S Even without this additional income, accompanying audit trails into five FIGURE, WITH MAJOR the University's research performance departments). The Audit, which has AWARDS BEING WON BY has been outstanding this year. The replaced Subject Reviews as the main RESEARCH GROUPINGS value of new grants and contracts is teaching quality indicator, delivered RIGHT ACROSS THE nearly 30 per cent higher than last a very positive outcome, placing the INSTITUTION.” year’s figure, with major awards being University in the best of the three ANNUAL REPORT 2003/04 VICE-CHANCELLOR’S INTRODUCTION 3 categories by expressing “broad with Sheffield Hallam University, won Professor Noel Sharkey as the second confidence” in the standards and the competition to host the new EPSRC Senior Media Fellow: quality of our teaching and learning National Science Learning Centre. Professor Tony Ryan was the first! provision. The Centre will be based at York, As the University prepares to while the Yorkshire Regional Centre Our dynamic estates strategy is celebrate its centenary in 2005 it does will be hosted by Sheffield Hallam designed to underpin our research and so in sound heart, as the pages of this University. This £50 million initiative teaching strengths, and this year has Annual Report testify. Our success is will transform the quality of teachers’ seen the completion of a £52 million manifestly a team effort – inspiring professional development and provide programme of laboratory staff, enterprising students, supportive them with access to the latest scientific refurbishment and new build that will lay members and generous alumni – thinking. stand the University in good stead for and I am privileged to be leading such many years to come. The University Our schoolteachers have a crucial a dedicated team. also has a new Health Centre that will role to play in the economic health of be the envy of many other institutions. the nation by encouraging their pupils It provides clear evidence of our to become interested in science and continuing resolve to address the technology. For our part, we will needs of our most important continue to respond to the needs of Professor Bob Boucher, CBE customers, our students. In this the teaching profession and to work project, as in all the others completed alongside our colleagues at Sheffield this year, we should acknowledge the Hallam University in delivering what professional input of our Facilities has become the largest regional programme for National Science Management staff. There will be no Week. Further national recognition of time for quiet contemplation, however, our commitment to promoting the as we look forward to the start of a understanding of science to a wide major building programme that audience is the appointment of includes a new Learning Resource Centre and further state-of-the-art research laboratories in the Royal Hallamshire Hospital.