Annual Review 2012-2013 Contents - Welcome from the Vice-Chancellor 02-03 Top 10 Achievements of the Year 04-05 Feature: Creative Edge 06-07 Student Experience 08-19 Research and Impact 20-33 International Partnerships 34-41 Feature: A Year of Culture 42-45 External Engagement 46-55 People 56-67 Feature: 80 Years in Ormskirk 68-69 Sustainability 70-77 Future Plans 78-79 Honorary Graduates 80-83 Financial Summary 84-85 Principal Officers of the University 86 Donors 86 1 Welcome 2 Annual Review 2012-2013 Welcome from the Vice-Chancellor The start of the academic year in 2012 Thanks to our strong partnerships with external saw the withdrawal of most Government employers, the University came top in the support for undergraduate teaching region in the First Destination Survey, which details destinations six months after graduating, and the introduction of the £9,000 with 93.4% of Edge Hill graduates in work or tuition fee. Applications to English further study and just one in 20 seeking universities fell by 9% and entrants employment. by 14%. As one of only four English universities to see an increase in Having moved up 40 places in the Times/ Sunday Times league tables in the past seven applications for 2012 entry (+7%), years (and 30 places in the past four), we are Edge Hill University was unaffected by also sowing the seeds of our future progress. this seismic change. It was also We now know that we will be submitting more gratifying, as the year progressed, to than two-and-a-half times as many staff into see applicant numbers for 2013 the forthcoming Research Evaluation Framework, ensuring that our teaching is increase still further. underpinned by nationally and internationally recognised publications. Why is Edge Hill bucking the trend? I believe it’s because we have clear, achievable objectives Our financial strength, reported in the figures at which everyone at Edge Hill, regardless of their the end of this Review, ensure that we will role, is committed to supporting. These goals continue to invest in both staffing and facilities are reflected in our recently-launched Strategic to continue this upward trend. Further student Plan which sets out our priorities around residences (making 1,400 in five years) and a Student Experience, Research and Impact, new Sports Centre are among the priorities International Partnerships, External planned for the current year. Engagement, People and Sustainability. And finally, none of this can be achieved without The University has invested more than the professionalism and commitment of my £41 million this year on state-of-the-art sports colleagues and the student body. More than facilities, the new Creative Edge building, nine-tenths of staff and students think this is an additional capacity for both Biosciences and excellent or good place to work and study, as is Geosciences, and a further 273 student rooms recognised by a series of national awards, and of the highest quality. But more important than we are determined to sustain this reputation in this physical infrastructure is the commitment the future. to the student experience, and I am delighted to report that, taking an average across all 23 Dr John Cater questions in the 2013 National Student Survey, Vice-Chancellor Edge Hill was the top-performing university in the North West of England. 3 Top 10 Achievements of the Year Top Best Students’ Union in the North West 10 (National Student Survey 2013) Achievements of the Year Ranked in the Top Five Best Universities in the North West (Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2014) A rise of 40 places in the Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide over the Top last seven years, making us one of the in the North West for overall Top student satisfaction (National Student Survey 2013) Three universities in the UK for continuous improvement 4 Annual Review 2012-2013 93.4% 19,296 of our students are in work or full-time applications for 2013 entry – up employment within six months 2.3% on last year of graduating, putting us in the top 10% nationally for graduate employment (DLHE survey by the Higher Education Statistics Agency) £41m 280-320 UCAS points is now the minimum spent on capital projects this year, required for our courses, highlighting including our flagship £17M the increasingly high calibre of Creative Edge building our students The We welcomed Safest 577 of the top achieving ABB students in 2013, showing that Edge Hill University is Campus attracting the VERY BEST to the North West in the North West and fourth most crime-free university in the country (Complete University Guide 2014) 5 Creative Edge Opened in 2013, the latest addition to Edge Creative Hill’s ‘creative campus’ features industry standard equipment for film and TV production, animation and computing to rival any in UK Edge higher education. It also brings Media, Film, PR, Animation, Advertising and Computing students and staff together for the first time, encouraging teaching and research collaborations and reflecting the way the Employability, creativity, creative industries work in the real world. collaboration – Creative Edge raises the bar for teaching and research The building features TV and radio studios, digital editing suites, high-spec computer labs With facilities to make full length feature films, and innovative teaching spaces, all designed to render CGI animations and work on live replicate the kind of working environments television, Edge Hill’s new £17 million Media students will be entering when they graduate. and Computing hub, Creative Edge, is set to There is also a 250-seater lecture theatre, make our students even more employable. complete with cinema-style surround sound, to show students how their film projects will look and sound on the big screen. 6 Annual Review 2012-2013 Students, staff and external organisations now have access to resources and equipment on a par with those used by the BBC at MediaCityUK, including: - TV studios with broadcast capacity and full production capabilities for news, drama, documentary and experimental work - Recording studios - Lighting studio - Sound-editing suites - Radio studio - Animation studios - Photographic studio - Multimedia laboratory - Practice rooms - Networking and forensics laboratories - Computer laboratories The development of Creative Edge has also The investment in Creative Edge has enabled paved the way for a new Institute for Creative the development of several exciting new courses Enterprise (ICE), which brings together related to add to Edge Hill’s growing creative portfolio. research from across the University and will act as the interface between academic research and New, state-of-the-art facilities mean that the the creative industries. University can now offer a range of additional programmes in Animation and Computing As well as enhancing teaching and research, including Games Programming, Security and Creative Edge also offers greater opportunities Forensics, Mobile and Embedded Systems and for external engagement through improved Motion Graphics. These new programmes are media and IT consultancy, hire of facilities, designed to help Edge Hill students stay ahead enterprise projects and a business incubator for of developments in these fast-moving industries. fledgling companies. One of the first collaborations is with Liverpool- based internet broadcaster Bay TV. The joint venture will see Bay TV broadcasting from Creative Edge, beaming images of Edge Hill’s award-winning campus into homes across the region and creating exciting opportunities for Edge Hill students to work on live TV programmes and secure work placements without leaving the campus. 7 Student Experience 8 Student Experience A growing campus that mirrors the personal transformation of our students Outstanding student support, passionate and nationally recognised teaching staff, innovative learning and teaching spaces, industry-focused courses, and excellent graduate outcomes – plus a welcoming community atmosphere that remains the same no matter how much we grow – make the student experience at Edge Hill officially the best in the region. Student Experience 1 2 10 Annual Review 2012-2013 Creative Investment in Showcase Biosciences Edge Hill hosted its most Edge Hill University has spectacular end-of-year show invested more than £4 million in to date when students from new accommodation and state-of- departments across the Faculty of the-art facilities for Biology Arts & Sciences came together at students and researchers. The Lowry in Manchester to The new Biosciences building features high-spec showcase their talents to friends, teaching spaces and dedicated laboratories, family and potential employers. with brand new resources including DNA analysis equipment, a scanning electron Exclaim! brought students from Media, microscope plus several insectaries for breeding Performing Arts, Creative Writing, Computing, and studying disease-transmitting insects. Film, Television and Advertising together under one roof for the first time to exhibit work from “Practical experience of molecular biology is across Edge Hill’s creative degree programmes. vital for a range of careers, and essential for As well as film screenings, animation, dance, further study,” says Paul Ashton, Head of the drama and readings, there was also a showcase Biology Department. “Our new facilities will for computing and web development activities, give students the opportunity to work with the showing the breadth of Edge Hill’s ‘creative campus’. latest equipment, broaden their knowledge