Annual Report 2009 - St Mary's University College

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St Mary’s University College Twickenham London Annual Report 2009 www.smuc.ac.uk St Mary’s University College Twickenham London Annual Report 2009 www.smuc.ac.uk Introduction from the Chair of Governors +George Stack St Mary’s catering staff On behalf of the Board of Governors of St Mary’s University College I am pleased to introduce the Annual Report for the academic year 2008/09. This was a successful year marked by record levels of applications to undergraduate and postgraduate courses and a very positive outcome from the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. The primary mission of St Mary’s is in teaching and learning. This is underpinned and enriched by research and scholarship. Governors pay particular attention each year to those key performance indicators that relate to the quality of the student experience. I am pleased to report that the University College continues to perform well in terms of academic achievement, student satisfaction and employment prospects for its graduates. Strengthening the research base is also important as St Mary’s moves to full university status. It was very pleasing that the results of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise showed that research in Theology and in English was awarded the highest possible accolade of 4*, defined as “world leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour”. Success in any area of activity within the University College depends on the talents, commitment and contribution of its staff. In the course of the year a largescale independently organised staff satisfaction survey was undertaken. The results were very positive. St Mary’s is seen by staff as a good place to work and one they would recommend to others. As a result of the satisfaction levels that were recorded, St Mary’s has been designated an ‘Employer of Choice’. On behalf of the Board of Governors I would like to thank all those who contributed to the success of the year which is explained more fully in this Annual Report. +George Stack Chair of Governors Board of Govenors – Research 02 03
St Mary’s University College Twickenham London Annual Report 2009 www.smuc.ac.uk St Mary’s University College Twickenham London Annual Report 2009 www.smuc.ac.uk From the Principal Honorary Fellows 2009 Dr Arthur Naylor Dr Mary Eaton Welcome to our University College Annual Report for 2008/09. It captures the highlights of the year in which we continued to expand numbers in areas where growth was not constrained, to achieve the 4,000 full-time equivalent student numbers that is the only remaining hurdle to full University title. Record levels of applications for courses were achieved for 2009 entry. However, with the cap still in place on home student numbers, expansion was focused, with considerable success, on international student recruitment. There were successes too in the Research Assessment Exercise 2008, which fed through into a 269% increase in research funding grant from the Higher Education Funding Council. Knowledge transfer activities expanded over the course of the year, in particular through the Centre for Workplace Health and the Centre for Bioethics and Emerging Technologies, both of which are covered in this Report. It was an exciting year also in student sport. Our strong relationship with Harlequins Rugby League was strengthened when we became the major shirt sponsor for the 2009 season. Like us, Harlequins RL is committed to developing strong community networks and developing sport and fitness at all levels. Among our strategic aims for 2008-12 is full engagement in the opportunities afforded by London 2012. Following our designation as a Pre-Games Training Camp we were delighted to be chosen by the South African Olympic Team as their base for 2012 preparations. In describing particular events in 2008/09 I would emphasise that, through times of change, St Mary’s remains fully committed to maintaining its ethos and character and, as has been the case since its foundation in 1850, its commitment to wider access to education at all levels. It was very pleasing, therefore, that staff in Theology were successful in bids to the Charles Plater Trust. Fr Plater was a pioneer in widening access to higher education in the early 20th Century and the Trust now exists to support “imaginative projects providing education for people from the most marginalised sectors of society”. In recording the events of 2009 I would wish also to pay tribute to Dr Mary Eaton, who retired after thirty three years at St Mary’s, the last sixteen as Vice-Principal. Her contribution to the development of the University College and its mission has been immense. Dr Arthur Naylor Principal Centre for Bioethics and Emerging Technologies (CBET) – Centre for Workplace Health (CWPH) – 2012 Professor Ronald Barnett – Professor of Higher Education at the Institute of Education and Chair of the Society for Research into Higher Education: a past student of the University College. Sister Ellen Flynn DC – Former Chief Executive and now Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Passage in Westminster; as a Sister of Charity, part of the University College’s Vincentian heritage. Dr Patrick Duffy – Chief Executive of Sports Coach UK, the National Coaching Foundation, Chairman of the European Coaching Council and Vice-President for Europe of the International Council for Coach Education. 04 05
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