An audience of more than 400 gathered last week in the Bloomsbury Theatre to listen to a lecture and Q&A with the man now steering the big ship UCL, new President & Provost, Professor Michael Arthur.

Professor Michael Arthur

The event was the first of the new season of Lunch Hour Lectures, as well as a first opportunity for many members of the UCL community – a collectively curious bunch – to begin to form an opinion about the man in charge.

One month into the job, Professor Arthur declared that he is “having a great time”, but it is clear that he has already begun to form a view of the university’s current strengths and weaknesses, as well as a tentative but compelling vision for its future.

It is early days, of course, and UCL is a large and complex organisation. However, this lecture made Professor Arthur’s feelings on a number of key issues clear and gave a good sense of the institutional direction of travel he anticipates – one with the student experience at its heart.

(more…)

Written by Alice Salmon, Senior Access Officer (Museums and Academic Skills)

Harshad Karia and Jazib Mahboob

The UCL Widening Participation and UK Undergraduate Recruitment Department welcomed first year students who have previously attended prospective student activities at UCL at a celebratory event on Tuesday 1st October.

The  students and staff enjoyed an informal reception and presentation. This gave them the opportunity to catch up with friends made from our programmes, share their experiences of their first week and celebrate becoming UCL students.

Students who attended the event have participated in a variety of sustained engagement programmes designed for prospective students. Examples of these include the Year 10 Horizons Saturday School, Year 11 Explore UCL Summer School, Mature Student Masterclasses, Sutton Trust Summer School, and the Language and Study Skills Summer School, to name just a few examples.

(more…)