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A WORD FROM OUR VICE CHANCELLOR
My time so far in post as vice chancellor has certainly been an eventful four-and-a-half months, dealing with a succession of challenges arising from the Government’s radical policy changes on higher education.
The challenges of the new fee regime and student number controls in 2012 are still major issues for all universities. I make no secret of my dislike for the proposals, but I believe it remains the case that investing in higher education is still the most effective step that anyone can take towards achieving future career success.
I am confident that there is every reason for optimism in looking to the university’s future. In the address I gave at my installation I referred to the proven quality of the academic provision at the University of Cumbria, to our strengths in health, education, forestry, outdoor studies, and the creative disciplines. I referred also to the partnership we enjoy with our students and my pleasure in working in an institution where the quality of that relationship is so very high. Much of the credit for that relationship goes to the outstanding team we have in our Student’s Union, with Execs and officers of the highest quality. It is an exciting prospect to consider our future work with them as we take the university into the next phase of its development.
Throughout this next phase the university will of course maintain a sharp focus on its principal aim, to provide the very best educational experience for our students, delivering programmes of the highest quality in an environment that provides outstanding support for student learning. We are determined to provide accessible higher education to all who can benefit from it, particularly those from within the county. We do this because we know that education transforms people lives; it opens up opportunities that cannot perhaps be easily imagined; it develops a degree of
understanding and personal development that cannot be achieved in any other way, and we want to bring those benefits to as many people as possible.
The university and its predecessor institutions have a fine record in the delivery of accessible education, regionally, nationally and internationally. Our revised and successful OFFA agreement means that we can now offer our high quality courses at a very competitive fee rate, supported by a range of bursaries and scholarships from which a great number of our students will benefit. We hope that this will encourage more students to apply, including larger numbers from areas where participation rates are historically low. It is important to understand that net fees for many students will be well below the headline fee, and that the loans that are available to cover these fees will only be paid back once graduates are in employment and earning significant salaries. The payback period for the loans, over 30 years, means that the monthly repayments, taken through the tax system, will be relatively small and really should not provide a significant disincentive for university study.
And so, as we move into 2012, I firmly believe that the University of Cumbria will achieve the level of success to which so many people in our region aspire. I am committed to that success, I know that my colleagues are too, and we can look forward to the next few years of the university’s development with genuine confidence and keen anticipation.
Professor Peter Strike Vice Chancellor
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