Welcome


Having ventured into the features section last year, I’m pleased to return to my regular slot to welcome you to the 2024 edition of Steps Magazine.


As we mark Lancaster’s 60th anniversary – our longstanding honorary archivist, Marion McClintock, shares some perspectives on this elsewhere in these pages – I’m delighted to start my introduction in the same vein as the one delivered last year by Nick Fragel, with a report of sporting triumph in Roses. Another resounding win, this time at home and by over 90 points, makes it three in a row for the first time in over four decades. The thing that struck me most about this year’s contest, though, was the sense of community spirit between our students and their opposite numbers from York. Watching so many people competing hard, but playing fair, gives me a sense of optimism for the future.


With so many crises facing the world, this sense of optimism is a quality in short supply, and it is a reminder of the vital part a university like Lancaster plays in the development of critical thinking, open-mindedness and respect; all qualities that future generations will need if they are to resolve the growing list of global challenges. At a time when we are witnessing student protest and anxiety akin to the late 1960s, it is essential that our universities remain places where people can come together to express their opinions, and have them challenged, debated fairly and openly, and in a safe and supportive environment for all.


Your University continues to contribute to tackling global emergencies in other ways. Our green credentials – already strong – are rapidly developing. Among UK universities, Lancaster is already one of the highest producers of renewable energy, and we are investing a further £57million to decarbonise our campus, boosted by the award of a £21million government grant to build a major heat pump facility.


Work has also started on our much-anticipated solar farm, east across the M6. These projects will help us reach our ambitious ‘net zero’ targets for electricity and heating by 2030.


We continue to build our international profile, believing that, through shared education and research we can create better cross-cultural understanding. Last October, we marked the graduation of the first student cohort from our Leipzig campus, while in April, we received the green light for a new campus in Indonesia, delivered in partnership with the Australian Deakin University of Melbourne.


I recently celebrated four years as the leader of this remarkable institution, and in that time, I have been privileged to meet many alumni, some as far afield as China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. This has reinforced my sense of Lancaster as a truly global entity, where people from all backgrounds live, learn, and grow. It is a diverse and exciting place, a fact constantly reinforced by my interactions with our wonderful alumni community, some of whose stories you will be able to read about here. This year, these include alumni award winner, Samantha Renke, current staff member, Fred Binley, and long-time volunteers, David Barron and Funke Amobi. Each reflects an aspect of Lancaster that contributes to making your University special, pioneering and life changing. Long may that continue.


04


Tall Dreams for a Little Person


06 Alumni in Print 07 The Big Day 08


Professor Andy Schofield Vice-Chancellor


2 | STEPS 2024


Countering Terrorism: My Role in its Future


Contents


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24