Welcome
Welcome to Steps Magazine 2025, a somewhat poignant one for me, as I leave for the University of Glasgow in August, making this my final message to you.
So much has happened in the five years I’ve been privileged to lead this great institution. From landing amidst the first Covid lockdown to this May’s history- making fourth-in-a-row win against York in the annual Roses, it’s been an amazing experience. I’d need another publication of this length to do justice to the successes accrued since 2020 by our students, staff and alumni. So, in highlighting a tiny sample – those Roses victories (and, given the 2020 and 2021 tournaments were cancelled by Covid, I leave undefeated!), the opening of our Indonesia campus, our part in making Lancashire a hub for cyber security research and investment, our bronze race equality charter, and the progress from declaring a climate emergency in 2020 to the solar farm and Net Zero Energy project – I can only scratch the surface of the University’s achievements.
It’s also a reminder of the critically important part you, as alumni, continue to play in Lancaster’s story. In that vein, this edition features news from alumni award winner, Tanya Steele, a roundup of photos from our 60th anniversary celebrations, including a memorable gathering of some 10% of our first graduating cohort, a feature on Martin Faulkner, one of our growing legions of dedicated alumni volunteers, and another on the work of Norman Poole, the 75-year-old Olympic coach. And not to forget the often life changing impact Lancaster has on individual students, we continue our popular roundup of alumni weddings.
It’s no secret that the UK’s higher education sector is under increasing pressure, with the stresses and strains starting to tell on other institutions.
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While Lancaster is better placed than most, we won’t be immune to these headwinds. In this context, I want to pay tribute to all the ways you support us, whether that’s through philanthropic donations, careers mentoring for students, assistance with student recruitment, or the simple act of advocacy that speaking with pride about your alma mater represents. It’s critically important for us to continue – and increase – the help we receive from our alumni community, now numbering over 180,000 people and stretching almost literally to every corner of the globe. We are all Lancaster, and our success is your success.
I want to finish by saying thank you. Thank you for the help and support mentioned above. Thank you for your continued interest. Thank you for the warmth of your friendship. One of the best parts of my job has been the chance to engage in person with so many alumni and donors, and your collective enthusiasm and loyalty to Lancaster has been humbling to witness. I know I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating that you represent the very best product of all the time and energy and effort that have gone into making this University one of the best in the UK. I hope that both you, and Lancaster, will flourish long into the future.
Contents 04 Striking a Balance 06 Alumni in Print 07 The Big Day 08
Professor Andy Schofield Vice-Chancellor
Powering On After Lancaster
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