â Annual Report 2007 - St Mary's University College

– 

Annual Report 

2007

Historic moment 

On 14 September 2007 the lease of Walpole’s Villa transferred 

from St Mary’s University College to the Strawberry Hill Trust 

to enable an £8.9 million restoration programme to go ahead. 

The Heritage Lottery Fund is contributing £4.9 million and 

partnership funding has been pledged from a large number 

of trusts, foundations and individuals. 

Horace Walpole built Strawberry Hill between 1747 and his 

death in 1797, converting a coachman’s cottage into what 

he described as ‘my little gothic castle.’ One of a string of 

internationally famous eighteenth century villas along the 

Arcadian stretch of the Thames between Chiswick and 

Hampton Court, Strawberry Hill is unique and Strawberry 

Hill Gothic has become an internationally recognised style 

of architecture. Its influence is seen all over the world. 

Restoration begins in 2008 and will be completed and the 

house opened to the public in 2010, to coincide with an 

important exhibition on Walpole and his Treasures to be 

shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

St Mary’s University College 

Twickenham London 

Annual Report 2007 

www.smuc.ac.uk 1 

Contents 

Chair of Governors 2 

Principal 3 

School of Education 5 

School of Communication, Culture and Creative Arts 6 

School of Human Sciences 7 

School of Management and Business Enterprise 8 

School of Theology, Philosophy, and History 9 

Information Services and Systems 10 

Centre for Workplace Learning 11 

Chaplaincy 12 

Student Services and Widening Access 13 

Sport St Mary’s 14 

Estates 16 

Awards 17 

Board of Governors, Students and Staff Numbers 18 

Finances 19





Introduction 

from the Chair of Governors 

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 2006–07. It paints a picture of a 

University College in good heart, fulfilling its historic mission and looking to the future 

with confidence as a result of meticulous planning. 

Notwithstanding the recorded success of our various degree programmes, it is clear 

the University League Tables produced by the national press have a significant influence 

on prospective students and their families. It was gratifying, therefore, to see St Mary’s 

scoring so highly on the ‘satisfaction’ scale of the National Student Survey. The 

appearance of St Mary’s in no fewer than three of the ‘best for’ categories was further 

affirmation of the work undertaken here. An overall sixth equal place in the United 

Kingdom for graduate employment is a further source of encouragement for staff 

and students alike. 

During the year a great deal of time and attention was given by the Board to the future 

of Walpole House. This is the single most significant building of the early Gothic Revival 

and a key building in the history of world architecture. Despite being part of the estate 

of the University College, the building was no longer part of our key educational 

endeavour and required significant funds for its restoration and maintenance. I wish 

to express my gratitude to Governors and staff who reached agreement with the 

Strawberry Hill Trust in order that the future of Walpole House is secured and developed. 

Work has now begun on a restoration project amounting to £8.2 million, thanks to a 

grant of £4.6 million secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund and partnership funding. 

The process of Incorporation of St Mary’s University College was completed in July 2007, 

thus strengthening the arrangements for the governance of the University College. 

For all this work, and for the wisdom, enthusiasm and support given to all who form 

our University College by our Governors, I thank them on your behalf. 

+George Stack 

Chair of Governors





Letter from the Principal 

Our University College Annual Report can only capture the highlights of an academic 

year. I hope that in what is recorded there is a sense of the range of academic activity 

in teaching, research and outreach that takes place at St Mary’s with its distinctive 

ethos and character as a catholic higher education institution. 

In teaching, we could again have taken many more students to our programmes 

but for the limitations of the funding council on our plans for growth. At the start of 

2006–07 we did not have a single programme in Clearing. 

In research, we moved closer to the submission of our application for research degree 

awarding powers and forward in our preparations for the Research Assessment 

Exercise 2008, building on areas of strength in relation to our mission. 

In outreach, we placed considerable emphasis on community engagement. We have 

developed strong and close links with the South London Lifelong Learning Network 

in pursuit of its objectives in workforce training and professional education. 

St Mary’s entered 2007 with university college title and taught degree awarding 

powers. The only hurdle left to university title is the 4,000 full-time equivalent student 

population that is the normal requirement. In the course of the year, in taking the 

opportunities that we could for growth, we moved nearer to our next strategic goal 

which is full university title as St Mary’s University. 

Dr Arthur Naylor 

Principal 

We could again have taken many 

more students to our programmes




www.smuc.ac.uk 

4





School of Education 

Geraldine Davies, Head of School, reflects on a year of change 

The retirement of Professor Patricia Wade after thirty years 

at St Mary’s University College and twelve years as Head 

of School was a major event during the past year. Under 

Professor Wade’s leadership and guidance the School of 

Education moved into a new building and a new era. Her 

determined focus on quality and high standards enabled 

the School of Education to increase its reputation locally, 

nationally and internationally. 

Her vision in supporting the development of a Masters 

programme in South Africa, under guidance of Professor 

Jean McNiff, has put St Mary’s at the forefront of active 

support for township teachers in Cape Town. 

The expansion of MA in Leadership, Innovation and 

Improvement continues on with the addition of four school 

sites. The PGCE courses have successfully embedded 

the sixty M level credits into their programmes. The use of 

pre-registration on to the PGCE secondary course modules 

has worked extremely well in securing numbers, at a period 

in time when there has been a fall in applications in shortage 

subjects to many PGCE secondary courses. 

New members of staff, including Tony Forrest, Academic 

Director for Leadership, Innovation and Improvement and 

Martin Lowther, Academic Director of Foundation Degrees, 

broaden the experience and expertise of staff with their 

background in Secondary Headship and Further Education. 

A major part of this year has been the huge task of 

revalidating all QTS programmes following the revised 

standards for teachers incorporating Masters modules 

into Initial Teacher Training. 

The School worked with imagination and passion to create 

a programme that not only achieves the standards for QTS, 

but also fulfils the philosophy of Teacher Education which 

has been at the core of St Mary’s ethos and tradition. 

Global citizenship took another step forward with a visit 

to Kenya by three members of staff, and hosting a Global 

Citizenship Day with Vincent Cable, MP as guest of honour 

and we look forward to more developments in this area 

next year. 

The development of 14–19 curriculum in schools and 

colleges has engaged the secondary team in forward 

looking developments with Richmond Local Education 

Authority and beyond. 

In the course of 2007 the School finalised its submission 

for the 2008 RAE around two research clusters: Enhancing 

policy and practice in teaching and learning, and professional 

practice and the learning of others. 

Vincent Cable, MP pictured 

with Monica Baughen and 

Geraldine Davies





6 

School of Communication, 

Culture and Creative Arts 

Professor Brian Robinson, Head of School, reports on a year of success 

in terms of student satisfaction, course development and research 

The School of Communication, Culture and Creative Arts 

had a productive academic year with some notable successes 

and achievements. Students in all the School’s programmes 

endorsed the quality of their curricula and the high level of 

support they received from staff in the results of the National 

Student Satisfaction Survey. 

The Media Arts Programme had a score that made it one 

of the top four media programmes in the UK. Recruitment 

of high quality undergraduate applicants continues to be 

buoyant, and single honours programmes have started to 

introduce interviews as part of the selection process. 

The School continues to expand its programmes and is 

in the process of validating master’s programmes in Sports 

Journalism and International Theatre Performance. 

Infrastructure and resources continue to be developed. 

The Theatre is in the process of being renovated and new 

hardware and software is in place for the Media provision. 

The School is also upgrading and expanding its library and 

internet resources. Recent acquisitions include the British 

National Corpus and the Oxford English Dictionary online. 

The School continues to attract external funding for a range 

of its activities. The Irish Studies degree has been awarded 

funds from the Irish government to support its new courses 

in Gaelic and its regular field trips to Ireland. Drama has been 

awarded Arts Council Grants, and English research grants 

from the ESRC. The total of the external funding the School 

has attracted is in excess of £200,000. 

Student degree results on all programmes remain above the 

national average, while the School record in peer reviewed 

publications and monographs was very impressive. The 

School hosted a number of academic conferences and staff 

also participated in national and international colloquia. Staff 

were also involved as writers and performers and designers 

in several productions on the London stage. 

The School completed its research strategy for its entry in 

the 2008 RAE (Research Assessment Exercise). The focus 

of the submission relates to all aspects of the School’s 

creative and academic work: the study of literature and 

drama; creative writing; the performing arts; language in 

education and society; and the role of the media in 

contemporary society. 

Adam Robson, Media, receives award for Best Research Project





School of Human Sciences 

Steve Talbot, Head of School, offers an overview of the past year 

The School continued to offer a wide range of taught degree 

programmes, from Foundation and Short Course level 

through to Honours and Masters Degrees. 

A key feature of this portfolio is the link with careers and 

their relevant professional bodies. In 2006–07, two new, 

vocationally linked Honours Degrees were validated together 

with two new CPD-related Masters Degrees; BScs in 

Strength/Conditioning Science and Coaching Science 

and MScs in Injury Rehabilitation and Public Health. 

The School successfully applied to the South London 

Lifelong Learning Network for project funds, which led 

to the redevelopment of the FdSc in Sport Health and 

Fitness so that it more closely matches the needs of local 

vocational learners. 

A major part of the academic activity of the School is geared 

towards developing and maintaining relationships with 

industry, commerce and wider society. 

The School has two research clusters, in the areas of sport 

sciences and health sciences, which together form the basis 

of its strategy and submission for the 2008 RAE. 

The Centre for Workplace Health, led by Monica Frost, has 

established itself as a key knowledge transfer unit within the 

University College, rapidly expanding its activities over the 

past year. Working with external workplaces from the public 

and private sector, the Centre focuses on the design, delivery 

and research of healthy workplace solutions and training. 

Building on delivery of projects at Newham University Hospital 

Trust and at Carphone Warehouse, the Centre was awarded 

£330,000 grant in April 2007 from Sport England, Transport 

for London and the London Development Agency to deliver 

a new fourteen month pilot training based project, Activate 

your Workplace. 

Twelve workplaces have been recruited to the pilot 

programme and our current clients include: 

Gate Gourmet 

Sainsbury’s 

Uxbridge College 

Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust 

London Borough Sutton 

Learning and Skills Council West 

Bovis Lend Lease – Stratford City 

Bovis Lend Lease – Hanover Square 

The Probation Service 

Croydon Council 

MCPS-PRS Alliance 

New Covent Garden Market Authority (consisting 

of 250 small and medium sized enterprises) 

In November 2007 the Centre was accredited as a Royal 

Institute of Health Accredited training centre. 

A major part of the academic activity 

of the School is geared towards 

developing and maintaining 

relationships with industry, 

commerce and wider society.





8 

School of Management 

and Business Enterprise 

Adrian Wilkins, Head of School: 2006–07 saw a continued 

period of growth and development for the School 

It has been a significant year for the School of Management 

and Business Enterprise with strong recruitment to both 

undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The School 

continued to expand across a broad range of activities and 

is well positioned to achieve its strategic goals in the future. 

The Business Law programme received sponsorship from 

Oxford University Press for an annual prize for the best overall 

achievement in the first year, which was awarded this year 

to Jade Westwood. The Programme Director for Business 

Law was appointed as Chair of the Association of Law 

Teachers for 2007–08 and organised the Association’s 

Annual conference on the theme of ‘Legal Education: 

Fit for Purpose’. 

In the Management Studies Programme, links with the 

external business community continued to be strengthened 

through a broad range of initiatives. As part of their final year 

studies, students from the Management Consultancy module 

designed a marketing development plan for a local internet 

based company, giving them an opportunity to display their 

newly development management skills. 

Geography and Tourism enjoyed a successful year. The new 

single honours degree in Tourism Management recruited its 

first cohort of students, whilst successful field trips were 

undertaken to both Malta and Grenada. Two further ERASMUS 

links were established with Universities in Portugal and Spain. 

During 2006, Gerard Jennings, a final year Geography 

student, was awarded the Alfred Steers Prize for the best 

undergraduate dissertation from a UK University. 

The MA in Charity Management commenced in September 

2007 with students from a range of charities, including the 

Down’s Syndrome Association and the Richmond Youth 

Partnership. A number of guest speakers from the not-for-profit 

sector have already delivered lectures on the programme. 

At the end of the academic year, we were pleased to welcome 

colleagues from the psychology programme to the School of 

Management and Business Enterprise. As a key part of the 

development team, new developments are planned at both 

Foundation and Masters Degree level in Psychology. 

In the Education and Employment programme, three new 

members of staff joined the teaching team during 2006–07. 

The programme was successfully revalidated for a five 

year period in the summer of 2007, receiving a number 

of commendations from the validating panel. Graduates 

in Education and Employment continue to successfully 

enter a diverse range of careers. 

From left: Don Kennedy (Governor), 

Dr Arthur Naylor (Principal), 

Gerard Jennings and Dr Kevin Cook





School of Theology, 

Philosophy, and History 

Dr Michael Hayes, Head of School, reflects on some 

of the highlights of the School during 2007 

The first cohort of students on the Foundation Degree in 

Healthcare Chaplaincy graduated in July. This unique part-time 

programme is designed to enable practitioners of healthcare 

chaplaincy to gain new perspectives on their role in the 

modern NHS and acquire a relevant degree qualification. 

The first graduates in the joint-honours BA in Philosophy 

also completed their studies. The number of Philosophy 

students is growing steadily and it hoped that in the right 

circumstances in the near future, Philosophy can be offered 

as a single-honours degree. 

In 2006–07 final preparations were made to receive in the 

next academic year, the first students on the Foundation 

Degree in Youth Ministry, which combines academic study 

with vocational experience and which has been developed in 

partnership with Southwark Catholic Youth Service. 

After five successful years, the Pastoral Theology programme 

was revalidated in 2006–07. Following the appointment of 

Peter Tyler as Director, two new pathways were created in 

Christian Spirituality and Pastoral Leadership. As well as the 

St Mary’s students recruited to the programme, a healthy 

cohort (18 Students) was recruited within the Diocese of 

Plymouth and a new agreement has been entered into with 

the Diocese of Northampton to deliver the programme there 

in 2008. 

LOGOS, a student-led Theology forum, was established 

during the year to provide students from across the University 

College with an opportunity to meet and discuss issues of 

interest and significance. Its first discussions were on The 

Da Vinci Code, led by Professor O’Collins, and on global 

warming, led by Professor Mary Grey. 

The MA in Bioethics and the BA/BSc in History were both 

reviewed and revalidated for a further five years under 

the University College’s quality review procedures. Both 

programmes were commended by external examiners 

and their revalidation panels for the quality of their teaching 

and their respective curricula. 

The School’s considerable research work since 2002 was 

collated and reviewed in preparation for its submission to the 

2008 Research Assessment Exercise. This research reflects 

the cross-disciplinary interests of many members of the School 

and is represented by more than forty books, articles, chapters 

and papers written across the three cognate disciplines. 

In December, Professor Gerald O’Collins SJ, joined the 

School as a Research Professor. A distinguished international 

scholar, and Professor Emeritus at the Gregorian University 

in Rome, Gerald O’Collins is the author of fifty books and 

numerous articles on a wide range of subjects in theology 

and liturgy. 

In April, Dr David Jones, Director of the MA in Bioethics and 

the School’s Academic Director, was appointed to a personal 

Chair in Bioethics. Professor Jones’s authoritative book, 

The Soul of the Embryo: An enquiry into the status of the 

human embryo in the Christian tradition (2004) has been 

highly influential since its publication and was short listed for 

the Michael Ramsey Prize in 2007. Professor Jones’s esteem 

and expertise in the field of bioethics resulted in him being 

approached to make submissions to the Joint Committee 

of the Draft Human Tissues and Embryos Bill and the House 

of Commons Science and Technology Committee, both in 

relation to hybrid and chimera embryos. He also served as 

a member of the advisory group for Human Fertilisation and 

Embryology Authority Consultation on the use of hybrid and 

chimera embryos in research, and made radio and television 

broadcasts on this topic. 

Professor David Jones at his 

inaugural lecture 

This research reflects the crossdisciplinary 

interests of many members 

of the School and is represented 

by more than forty books, articles, 

chapters and papers written across 

the three cognate disciplines.





10 

Information Services 

and Systems 

Máire Lanigan, Director of Information Services and Systems 

A year of two halves: from innovative service provision to flash flooding 

This was an unusually challenging year for the service as the 

unpredictable and unexpected happened. 

The Learning Resources Centre was flooded in September 

2006 and again in July 2007, when flooding hit many areas 

of the UK. 3000 books in the Education Collection had to 

be replaced. 

The introduction of wifi and plug-in technology in the 

LRC and more widely on the campus, alongside 24:7 

open access computing, gives further support to 

anytime/anywhere computing. Students can now access 

fixed facilities and hook up their own computers to the 

St Mary’s network when on campus. 

Users had increased access to learning materials. In 

particular the growth of electronic or ‘digital’ resources, 

carefully managed alongside traditional printed material, 

improved both on and off campus use and also supported 

growth in CPD (Continuing Professional Development) 

and work place learning initiatives. 

The creation of different study zones (silent, quiet and 

collaborative) was a response to the ever present challenge 

of ensuring that all LRC users have access to an environment 

that supports their preferred learning style. 

Expanded use by academic staff and students of St Mary’s 

online learning environment was matched by continued and 

focused support from the Information Services Department. 

Specifically, provision of one to one training by the e-learning 

advisor received excellent feedback. 

The continued investment in staff development for the 

department’s multi-disciplinary teams has ensured a unity 

of purpose in our service ethos and high and common 

standards. Through these activities staff are able remain 

current and knowledgeable about sector practices. 

A systematic review of library process has started. The focus 

this year was on Bibliographic Services which, as a result of 

this work with changed procurement arrangements, have 

become more efficient.





Centre for Workplace Learning 

Liz Coombs, Director, summarises another successful year for 

work placement students 

The Centre for Workplace Learning in the School of 

Management and Business Enterprise offers second and 

final year undergraduate students the opportunity to gain 

academic credit for part-time work placements. In 2006–07, 

approximately 130 students undertook work placements 

locally, nationally and internationally in a variety of organisations. 

One quarter of these students chose to work in the not-forprofit 

sector, reflecting the emphasis that the University 

College puts on links with the community. A number of local 

public and charitable organisations were able to learn about 

the work placement programmes and to register their interest 

at a Service Learning and Volunteering event which was held 

in November 2006. Organised jointly with the Chaplaincy, this 

event attracted over sixty attendees who were particularly 

impressed by the presentations made by students who 

recounted their experience of volunteering and undertaking 

work placements. 

Local businesses have also been impressed with St Mary’s 

students. The Chief Executive of the Richmond Chamber of 

Commerce, Dan Jones, who has taken two Management 

Studies students every year for the past three years said: 

“I continue to be amazed by the calibre of students from 

St Mary’s”. 

Final year Management Studies student, Oliver Atkin, was 

given an opportunity to work with an innovative firm of 

architects based in Fulham. They were looking to augment 

their team with someone to help manage their growing client 

base, to manage their office and to help, if possible, with 

project management. Oly quickly gained an understanding 

of presenting professionally to clients and contractors, 

organising a busy and changing workload, multi-tasking 

and managing time, as well as the necessary competitive 

spirit to excel at table football! 

The host organisation praised Oly’s ability to ‘think on his 

feet’, to contribute new and useful ideas and to adjust quickly 

to a new working environment. Oly’s own assessment of the 

experience was of one that allowed him to develop in terms 

of communication and organisation skills and to gain an 

understanding of the complicated design process that is 

crucial to the success of any development project. 

Having made a number of useful contacts, Oly, who 

graduated in July 2007, has now been employed by a new 

architecture company as their Project Manager, a position 

that he could never have dreamed of aspiring to without 

the placement experience. 

One quarter of these students chose 

to work in the not-for-profit sector 

reflecting the emphasis that the 

University College puts on links 

with the community.





12 

Chaplaincy 

Fr Gerard Devlin, the Chaplain, reflects on reaching out 

to others and building our own community 

The Chaplaincy team has been greatly encouraged by the 

number of students taking part in the various Chaplaincy 

groups and activities, as well as in the Outreach programmes. 

It is wonderful to see so many of our students giving generously 

of their time in serving the needs of others. 

In the recent QAA Report (February 2007), the assessor team 

found ‘that the Chaplaincy plays a role that goes beyond the 

spiritual’ and, as noted in the QAA Subject Review Report on 

Education, that its ‘far reaching spiritual and pastoral care 

extends to those of all faiths and none’. 

In the Westminster Record (March 2007) Bishop George 

Stack, our Chair of Governors, spoke of St Mary’s becoming 

a University College and attributes much of the success 

‘to its strong Catholic identity and its commitment to the 

formation of the whole person, whichever academic course 

is being pursued’. As a Chaplaincy team we were delighted 

and encouraged when the Bishop went on to say that ‘the 

Chapel and the Chaplaincy are not only at the geographical 

heart of the College, they truly provide the ‘soul’ of all that 

goes on’. Bishop George said ‘Students of all religions and 

none benefit from the Catholic ethos which permeates 

everything we do for their well being’. This is very much 

a true reflection of life at St Mary’s. 

The Chaplaincy is very much committed to strengthening 

our own University College community and, with the help of 

students, we fundraise to help local, national and international 

charities. During the academic year we managed to raise 

over £20,000. The money from our Lenten Appeal was given 

to ‘Project Life’, which is managed by Sr Dee Smith, a former 

student, in Guatemala. The centre aims to provide education 

in prevention of Aids, as well as diagnostic community 

service for people living with HIV/Aids. We also gave money 

to the Lima School Project, which aims to build a school for 

young disadvantaged adults whose families are unable to 

afford full time education for their children. 

The Chaplaincy is always looking at ways of enhancing the 

student experience at St Mary’s and aiming for greater 

involvement of staff and students in serving the needs of others. 

Our aim is to maintain and develop the distinctive identity of 

St Mary’s and its ethos as a Church University College. 

The Chaplaincy is always looking 

at ways of enhancing the student 

experience at St Mary’s and aiming 

for greater involvement of staff 

and students in serving the needs 

of others.





Student Services and 

Widening Access 

Kevin Germaine, Director of Student Services, 

looks back on a challenging year 

Bursaries and Scholarships 

The introduction of variable fees and the University College’s 

Access Agreement meant the introduction of two important 

schemes: bursaries and scholarships. In March, the first 

Scholarships Awards Ceremony took place with the 

Principal presiding: forty-one scholarships were awarded: 

twenty-nine in sport, seven in creativity and five in 

community engagement. 

The Disability Equality Scheme 

The Dyslexia and Disability co-ordinator contributed her 

knowledge and expertise to the University College’s Disability 

Equality Scheme and established the Disability Forum. The 

Aimhigher Dyslexia Conference took place at the University 

College in March, bringing together year 12 and 13 students 

from across London South interested in attending the local 

universities (St Mary’s, Roehampton and Kingston). 

Campus Watch has been established with the local police 

with the first students from St Mary’s completing their training 

as volunteer police officers. They will be ‘on the beat’ at other 

London universities. The University College will have its own 

‘campus watch’ volunteer police officer this year. 

Careers in the Curriculum 

Careers in the Curriculum (CIC) is now firmly embedded 

within many programmes and been proven through student 

user feedback to contribute directly to the value of the 

student experience and to student transitions to work or 

further study. New employer links in specific subject areas, 

most notably Drama and Physical Theatre, through a 

Careers in the Curriculum employer forum were delivered. 

Widening Participation 

In Widening Participation, the Aimhigher outreach activities 

continue to grow. Schools from Richmond, Hounslow and 

Merton sent students from under-represented groups to the 

University College for master classes, sports activities and 

taster days. 

Scholarship Student Mo Sbihi





14 

Sport St Mary’s 

Andrew Reid Smith, Director of Sport, comments on a year of growth 

and development for Sport St Mary’s 

As the designated High Performance Centre (HiPAC), St Mary’s 

is the base for the UK Athletics endurance squad, and works 

in partnership with the London Marathon and the English 

Institute of Sport to provide multi-disciplinary support in a 

high performance environment. The invaluable backing 

of the London Marathon, a founding partner in the endurance 

programme, has provided dedicated on-site accommodation 

for GB athletes, such as Jemma Simpson, Susan Scott 

and Kate Reed, providing better access to facilities and 

support services. 

There were a number of notable performances at the 11th 

IAAF World Athletics Championships held in Japan by HiPAC 

athletes and/or athletes from the PACE Sports Management 

group who also train out of St Mary’s. 

Nicola Sanders, a St Mary’s student and PACE athlete, had 

an incredible Championships, gaining silver in the 400m and 

running an amazing last leg in the 4x400m to help the team 

win bronze. Jo Pavey, Mo Farah and Andy Baddeley, all 

HiPAC athletes, made various finals. 

St Mary’s scholarship students also did well. Steph Twell 

achieved the Olympic 1500m qualifying time in Riete, Italy, 

running 4.06.7. Andrew Osagie improved his 800m PB by 

more than 5 seconds to place him second in the European 

U20 rankings. Mo Sbihi won a rowing gold in the men’s 

coxless four at the youth Olympics and Jamie Mathews 

and Catherine Hughes won world titles in deaf squash and 

Tyga karate respectively. 

The ongoing enhancement of facilities continues successfully 

and importantly provides a basis for supporting all elements 

of the sports programme. Partnership with the London 

Borough of Richmond upon Thames has secured £300k to 

refurbish the Astroturf pitch at Teddington Lock and for a 

specified period will see Teddington Hockey Club’s activities 

hosted at the site. A planning application for a major new 

building development has been submitted and will provide 

appropriate facilities for delivery of the broad sports programme 

leading into 2012 and beyond. The significance of London 

2012 to St Mary’s can be demonstrated by the appointment 

of Professor Richard Fisher, formerly Vice Principal, to Head of 

2012 Preparations and the cross-University College approach 

that is being taken. 

Steph Twell (photo: Mark Shearman) 

Catherine Hughes





15 

Steve Cram with competitors from the 

’Steve Cram Medley’ at the St Mary’s 

Relays 2007





16 

Estates 

David Leen, Vice Principal, reviews a year where the University College has 

been committed to continuously improving the campus to meet the needs 

of our students, staff and community 

Within the last four years the campus has been substantially 

improved by a £20 million programme of campus 

redevelopment providing new and refurbished teaching 

accommodation, athletics track, 181 new en-suite residences, 

new café, a Learning café and a programme of campus 

upgrades to address fitness for purpose issues and comply 

with disability/other statutory provision. 

The new coffee bar, situated by the athletics track, opened 

in September 2006 and in this first year of operation has 

successfully met its dual objectives of an additional catering 

outlet and alternative social space. Construction commenced 

of the major £4 million refectory extension and refurbishment 

project in January 2007. The expanded and refurbished 

dining area was completed in September 2007, with the new 

kitchens and servery on schedule for the start of 2008. Finally, 

additional teaching and conference space will be provided on 

the first floor of the extended building by the spring of 2008. 

The Learning Café, a new type of ‘social learning’ space at 

the University College, was completed, providing twenty-five 

open access work stations in a relaxed and flexible study 

environment; an existing open access computer suite was 

refurbished and remodelled. The design of the proposed 

£9 million sports facility was completed in 2007 and 

submitted for planning consent. 

Also in 2006–07 work began on the new estates strategy, 

to cover 2008–12 which will focus on improving the quality 

and effective use of the existing spaces: a range of surveys 

were commissioned regarding utilisation, condition and value 

in order to inform the resultant strategies for teaching and 

residential space strategies. Improvements to landscaping, 

security, energy efficiency and sustainability were also 

undertaken, including the adoption of a Green Travel Plan. 

The new coffee bar





Awards 

Honorary Fellowships 

Simon Amor, Lionel Perez and Ann Clynch, all former students, 

were recipients of Honorary Fellowships in 2007. Honorary 

Fellowships are conferred on people eminent in their chosen 

field who have made an outstanding contribution to society. 

Simon Amor is a world class player at Rugby Sevens and 

captained England to victory in the Hong Kong Sevens on 

several occasions. He also captained his team to a silver medal 

in the Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2006. In 2004 he 

was voted the inaugural International Rugby Board’s World 

Sevens Player of the Year. Simon plays for Wasps RFC, one 

of the country’s leading professional clubs. 

Lionel Perez, Chair of the Gibraltarian Association, was 

nominated for his services to Education on the Rock and 

for his work in forging links between Gibraltar and St Mary’s 

University College. He has worked tirelessly to maintain the 

Association in Gibraltar and contact between Gibraltar and 

the University College. 

Ann Clynch is the Principal of Loreto College, Manchester. 

Under her leadership, Loreto College went from threat of 

closure to earning Beacon Status and the Queen’s 

Anniversary Award for Education. Loreto College has 

been completely rebuilt with state of the art facilities. 

The new Honorary Fellows were presented to the Chairman 

of the Board of Governors, Rt Rev Bishop George Stack at 

a ceremony at the University College on Friday, February 23. 

St Henry Walpole Prize 

The 2006 St Henry Walpole Prize for Excellence in Teaching 

was awarded to the Sports Science Programme Team, 

headed by Gill McInnes. The prize was awarded for the 

development of formative assessment in a number of 

modules in the Sports Science programme. 

The St Henry Walpole Prize was first awarded in 1998. 

It was established to recognise the contribution of staff to 

enhancing learning and developing innovation in teaching. 

The aim of the prize is to recognise and reward outstanding 

achievement and innovation. 

The prize is named after Henry Walpole (1558–95), one of the 

Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, who included teaching 

among his mission related activities. 

Pro Ecclessia et Pontifice 

Professor Pat Wade, former Head of the School of Education 

and President of the FIG Acrobatic Gymnastics Technical 

Committee, was awarded Pro Ecclessia et Pontifice at the 

celebration of her career of forty-one years in education and 

sport. Pat, who retired as Head of the School in 2007, was 

an invaluable member of the St Mary’s staff who contributed 

not only to the School of Education, but also to the building 

of the University College community. 

Bishop George Stack, Chair of Governors, on behalf of 

Pope Benedict XVI, conferred the gold medal award, 

known as the Cross of Honour for Church and Pope. 

Award of Pro Ecclessia et Pontifice 

St Henry Walpole Prize





18 

Board of Governors, 

Student and Staff Numbers 

The members who served on the Board 

of Governors as at 31 July 2007 

The Right Reverend G Stack – Chair 6, 7 

Ms J Beedham 3 

Ms C Brett 3, 5 

Dr M Caine 9 

Mr A Carey 1, 7 

Ms L Cunliffe 4, 8, 10 

Dr M Eaton 

Mrs L Fardon 9 

Prof R Fisher 2, 8 

Mrs V Fulton 1 

Cllr E Jaeger 2 

Dr R Kaczmarski 1 

Mr P Keech 3 

Mr D Kennedy 3, 7 

Prof H Michels 1, 2 

Dr A Naylor 2, 3, 5, 6 

Fr M Noonan CM 

Mr P Pledger 3 

Ms O Stannard – Vice Chair 6, 7, 8 

Mr J Walsh 2 

Dr T Walsh 1 

Prof B Weiss 4, 7 

Student Numbers 

Foundation Degrees 

Undergraduate 

PGCEs 

Masters 

MPhil/PhD 

Total 3,562 

Short Courses (FTE) 252 

Total Student Population 3,814 

Staffing 

Full and part time 602 

1. Audit Committee 

2. Estates Committee 

3. Finance and Staffing Committee 

4. Health and Safety Committee 

5. Honorary Fellowship Committee 

6. Nominations Committee 

7. Remuneration Committee 

8. Student Services Committee 

9. Staff Governor 

10. Student Governor 

On 1 August 2007, all the assets, net liabilities and 

undertakings of St Mary’s University College were 

transferred by the Trustees into a newly incorporated 

company, St Mary’s University College, Twickenham (‘the 

company’), a company limited by guarantee having company 

registration number 5977277, and registered with the 

Charity Commission under registration number 1120192.





Finances 

Income 2007 

Total: £26,042,000 

Income 2006 

Total: £22,695,000 

15,000 

13,965 

15,000 

12,966 

12,000 

12,000 

9,000 

6,900 

9,000 

6,000 

4,368 

6,000 

3,000 

268 

541 

3,000 

4,463 4,204 

1,062 

0 

Funding 

Councils 

Expenditure 2007 

Total: £25,025,000 

15,000 

12,000 

9,000 

6,000 

3,000 

0 

11,014 

Academic 

Fees 

1,767 

Academic 

Support 

Research 

Grants 

3,571 

Residences 

Catering 

Residences 

Catering 

Premises 

Admin Other 

3,935 

4,738 

0 

Funding 

Councils 

Expenditure 2006 

Total: £22,154,000 

15,000 

12,000 

9,000 

6,000 

3,000 

0 

10,431 

Academic 

Fees 

1,811 

Academic 

Support 

Residences 

Catering 

Other 

3,355 2,841 

3,716 

Residences 

Catering 

Premises 

Admin 

Surplus for year £1,017K (2006: £541K)





20


Waldegrave Road, Strawberry Hill 

Twickenham TW1 4SX 

Tel. 020 8240 4000 

Fax. 020 8240 4255 


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