Looking forward to the year ahead
Firstly may I wish you all a very Happy New Year, I hope that you all enjoyed the festive break.
I consider it a huge privilege and opportunity to lead our University and feel very lucky to be starting 2017 as its new Vice-Chancellor and President.
In taking on this role, I hope I have an advantage in terms of knowledge of our University, but I recognise that I still have lots to learn. I have been spending a lot of time meeting people to gain first-hand experience of teaching and research in all disciplines across the University and I will continue to do this over the coming months. I truly believe that our strength lies in our multi-disciplinary environment and working together to deliver excellence and impact in all that we do.
We start from a position of strength; our University is one of the UK’s great civic universities, founded in 1834 to address the economic, health and social issues of an industrial city. Today, we have grown in scale and diversity and we are now operating on a truly global stage.
We deliver excellent research-informed teaching, facilitate learning of the highest quality and contribute to the prosperity of the city of Newcastle and the North East. I am heartened that the students we teach, the collaborations we have with our many partners and the facilities we provide here are enriching people’s lives economically, culturally and socially. I firmly believe that one of the most important contributions we can make as a University is through the quality of the graduates that we produce and the impact that those individuals then go on to make in society.
The challenge for us now is to increase the breadth and depth of our research excellence across the University and to ensure that our national and international reputation reflects this excellence which is not currently the case. I remain committed to our vision of: ‘Excellence with a Purpose’, stressing the ‘excellence’ as much as the ‘purpose’, and to evolving our own version of the ‘Civic University’. To realise this vision I want to create an environment and culture where every member of staff, academic and professional service, aspires to excellence and can realise their potential. Over the coming months, in consultation with you all, I want to work on the detail of how we achieve this.
So I am starting 2017 with a resolution to communicate more, and I am placing the emphasis very much on two way communication. I want to share my thoughts on future plans and keep everyone updated on the strategic picture, but I want you to be able to share your views too. I will be out and about over the coming months catching up with those of you with whom I haven’t had the chance to meet during my days as VC-elect. I want to build consensus for the future by listening, consulting and facilitating open discussion on key issues.
That's why I am introducing this monthly update. In it, I will share with you some of the meetings I have had, any key decisions taken at Executive Board and the things that I feel are important for everyone to be aware of. In return, I hope that you will give me feedback on the content, or ideas on how we can further improve communication. I will also be very interested to know what you want to know more about, and whether there are particular issues that you feel I should be addressing.
If we work together, I know the combination of world-class research, innovative teaching and societal impact in our areas of strength, aligned to the global challenges will firmly establish us as a world-leading university.
Best wishes
Professor Chris Day
Vice-Chancellor and President