Uni’s big hopes after
FAMOUS FACES GIVE STAMP OF APPROVAL AS CAMPUS GROWS
STAFF and students at the University of Huddersfield have celebrated a successful 2018 – and are looking forward to more accolades in 2019.
The university, led by vice-chancellor Prof Bob Cryan, won awards for teaching, research and collaboration work and opened the internationally-acclaimed Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre.
An innovative scheme that ensures new students get off to a flying start and make the most of their courses earned a prestigious prize at the 2018 Guardian University Awards.
Judges were impressed by a project that is named Flying Start, launched at the beginning of the current academic year.
Described as “an intense, aspiration-building, academically-challenging introduction to undergraduate study”, it consists of a two-week timetable of special sessions designed to stimulate academic interest, develop good study habits and provide opportunities for students to work and engage socially.
There was a string of awards for “behind the scenes” success stories too.
At the 2018 Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards, the university was the big winner, coming away with prizes for Outstanding Leadership and Management Team and Outstanding Strategic Planning Team. It was the only university to receive two prizes on the night.
At the Cost Sector Catering Awards – especially prestigious because they cover almost every aspect of the industry in the UK – the university’s Catering Services were announced as winners of the University/College Award, while catering operations manager Michaela Booth received the Innovation Award.
There was celebration in the uni- versity’s School of Applied Sciences, when it was announced that efforts to promote gender equality had led to a Silver Athena SWAN award.
It is the aim of the university to become the world’s first large organisation to be led by a team in which all have earned the qualification Chartered Manager, as bestowed by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Eventually, some 350 will have undergone the rigorous accreditation.
The university stayed on target for its goal of achieving international renown for its research. International students returned a highly positive verdict on its teaching, facilities, accommodation and support services, so that it ranks as one of the top 20 institutions in the influential International Student Barometer.
The response rate at Huddersfield was higher than the UK average, and so were most of the scores in a wide range of categories.
There were high marks for factors such as the quality of lecturers, language support, accommodation, social activities and the campus buildings.
Staff and students at the university formed many research collaborations and with the wider world.
For example, the Centre for Sustainability, Responsibility, Governance and Ethics continued its vital work protecting the tropical rain forests of South West Ethiopia ; and the Global Disaster Resilience Centre’s projects included research into improving the river management in Indonesia, which often threatens to inundate Jakarta.
There were important research developments in many fields, ranging from the use of 3D bioprinters to produce replacement body parts to work on the digitalis ati on of Hansard, the role of social media in encouraging teenage violence, artificial intelligence in public relations, the social factors behind obesity,