Town Hall meeting – the next phase of consultation begins

On Tuesday 14 October, nearly 100 staff gathered for the first ‘Town Hall’ meeting to discuss the development and direction of UCL’s new Global Engagement Strategy.

The meeting was chaired by Vice Provost (International), Dame Nicola Brewer who emphasised the importance of partnerships, commenting, “Our partnerships, of shared values and objectives, of trust, respect and generosity, are key to success. That’s part of the reason why I’ve shifted to a Global Engagement Strategy, rather than an International Strategy: it’s more about wider engagement than a narrow focus on international student recruitment, brand or reputation.”

The Provost and President, Professor Michael Arthur, in opening the meeting had emphasised the importance of the international agenda in realising the ambitions of UCL 2034

Professor Arthur was joined on the panel by Vice Provost (Enterprise), Professor Steve Caddick; Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Lori Houlihan; and Vice Provost (Education and Student Affairs), Professor Anthony Smith who fielded questions from the audience, covering international alumni, study abroad and the student experience, support for international engagement, communications, funding opportunities, teaching, enterprise and London.

There will also be a series of consultation meetings with groups of staff and students over the Autumn Term.

It is hoped to have the new Global Engagement Strategy approved by Easter 2015 at which stage we’ll move on to the excitement of implementation.