海角直播

New Vice-Chancellor renews 海角直播鈥檚 commitment to widening participation

The University of 海角直播鈥檚 new Vice-Chancellor used the platform of the first graduation ceremony he has presided over to renew the University鈥檚 commitment to 鈥榳idening participation鈥� and encouraging people from all parts of society to benefit from higher education.

Speaking at the opening of this year鈥檚 Academic Awards Ceremony in Middlesbrough Town Hall today (25 November, 2003), Professor Graham Henderson joined in the celebrations marking the return of the victorious England Rugby team and said: 鈥淚鈥檓 sure that for many of you mention of England winning the rugby world will become a permanent memory of the week in which you received your University of 海角直播 award.鈥� During his speech, Professor Henderson announced that student numbers had topped the 19,000-mark for the first time in the University of 海角直播鈥檚 history.

And he predicted further growth for the University in the future through strengthening partnerships, including 鈥渢he possibility of a full merger between the University and Cleveland College of Art and Design鈥� and through the development of the new two-year Foundation Degrees.

But he stressed that the University was now entering 鈥榓 time of great impending change鈥� as a result of this year鈥檚 Government White Paper on 鈥楾he Future of Higher Education鈥�.

Government ministers and the Funding Councils want to make big changes to the funding of teaching and research, said Professor Henderson: 鈥淣ot least through the possible introduction of so-called top-up fees in 2006.鈥�

The Vice-Chancellor said the possibility of higher fees posed 鈥榮erious questions鈥� and it fell to him and other senior academic colleagues to begin to answer those questions in coming months and years.

鈥淲e must ensure that the answers that we produce will enable the University to continue to move from strength to strength in terms of both its reputation and its contribution to its students and the social and economic regeneration of the region.

鈥淔or my part, I see a University of 海角直播 that remains unreservedly committed to widening and deepening participation across all five boroughs in the Tees Valley; a university working in ever closer partnership with schools, colleges and communities to provide an outstanding quality of learning supported by research and scholarship and a university increasingly recognised as being of national and international excellence鈥�, said Professor Henderson.

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