Annual Report 2009 - St Mary's University College

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.
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