Alumni Update from University Court December 2022

As a nominated member of the University Court and a member of the Graduates Association, Jane Marshall acts as an intermediary between graduates and the University Court.

Court last met on 15 November. The meeting was preceded by a useful and informative presentation about the work of the Leverhulme Centre for Forensic Science (a subject in which the university was ranked top in the UK in the 2023 edition of the Complete University Guide league tables). Presentations like this are designed to help Court members better understand the range of activity undertaken in the university and are becoming a regular feature of Court life. I invariably leave these presentations feeling proud of  the quality and importance of work being done and the expertise and commitment of the staff doing it.

As ever, the Court meeting covered a variety of topics. Court was pleased that the process designed to make the new university strategy a reality was taking shape, and a wide range of associated activity was discussed, from regional initiatives (such as the Eden Project Scotland and a commitment to further funding for the Innovation Hub project) to a strategic plan to deliver digital enhancement. We continue to grow our student body with a strong focus on international recruitment from many different countries. The growth in student numbers is being carefully managed, given Scotland-wide challenges around the shortage of student accommodation: the close working relationship with the City Council will help in addressing such issues. The importance of that relationship is clear from a recent report highlighting the economic value of the university to the city and wider economy. Every £1 of Scottish government funding generates £10 for the Scottish economy .We were encouraged to learn that the university was recovering from the effects of the pandemic and that students were once again enjoying the full university experience. Practical steps are being taken to embed university initiatives on equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Court approved financial statements for 2021/2022 and welcomed the improvement in the university’s financial position and the capital expenditure that would be available to meet some of the issues on the estate. It was hoped that in the near future the university would generate an operating surplus, which would be the first time in 10 years that this had been achieved. There were, however, difficulties ahead. In addition to inflation, general economic uncertainty, and sector- wide industrial action on pay and pensions, a significant challenge was the prolonged systematic underfunding of the sector by the Scottish government. Court discussed how the university might communicate the impact this was having to government.

Notwithstanding the economic challenges, there was a sense of purpose connected to the university's strategic direction and its implementation.’

Jane Marshall