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What value is our Global Engagement Strategy adding?
By ucypnmb, on 23 January 2018
In 2017, UCL academics delivered breakthrough research across a broad range of disciplines: from new insights into the health impacts of climate change, to the discovery of the world’s oldest fossil and most recently, the successful trial of a drug to reduce the deadly Huntington’s Disease protein. In all of these cases international collaborators played an important role.
Most, if not all of those collaborations would happen whether UCL had a Global Engagement Strategy or not. So, what value does having a strategy add, and how does the Global Engagement Office (which cost UCL £2.5m in 2016/17, only 0.2% of overall annual expenditure) support UCL’s academic mission?
Meeting the challenge of dementia
By rmhzdal, on 10 November 2017
Professor David Lomas | Vice-Provost (Health)
The UCL Institute of Neurology held its Annual Address lecture earlier this month. It was given by Professor Bart De Strooper, the Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI), who outlined his vision of taking a multi-disciplinary approach to tackle this terrible disease.
The UK DRI that will house the work is a multi-million joint investment into dementia research from the MRC, Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK. UCL was selected as the hub of the research activities and operational headquarters of the UK DRI’s activity in December 2016.
Building philanthropy into UCL’s fabric – It’s All Academic Campaign update
By ucyolma, on 7 November 2017
“What better return on an investment is there than knowing you have made a difference that will contribute to greater knowledge and understanding, and the development of academic excellence?”
I love this comment by Richard Jenkins, one of UCL’s wonderful supporters, because it encapsulates both what philanthropy achieves and what motivates people to give.
Richard along with his partner Maureen Amar fund a range of scholarships and have their own particular reasons for focusing their philanthropy there. But that generous impulse to drive change and improve lives is one that anyone who has worked in fundraising will recognise.
Update on the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) and driving our ambitions for London
By ucypcac, on 30 October 2017
In his speech at the recent HEFCE conference (12 October 2017), the Universities Minister Jo Johnson set out some ideas around the development and assessment of the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF).
Dr Celia Caulcott, Vice-Provost (Enterprise and London), UCL.
How ready are we for this? Put simply, we are very ready.
Knowledge exchange and innovation is one of three key activities, alongside research and teaching, that the UK government actively supports universities to do. The KEF will complement the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), to which our sector already responds.
Supporting students to succeed: priorities for 2017-18
By ucypasm, on 16 October 2017
Professor Anthony Smith, UCL Vice-Provost (Education and Student Affairs)
To say that the higher education landscape was facing rapid change and uncertainty was a cliche even five years ago, but now it seems like an understatement.
The Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) has put university education in the spotlight and we began 2017 expecting that inflation-tracking increases in tuition fees for Home/EU students would be based on TEF outcomes.
Helping put knowledge to work globally
By ucypnmb, on 11 October 2017
In the Global Engagement Office (GEO), we’ve been taking stock of the past academic year and planning for the new one. In July, we reported to Council on the progress of Principal Theme 6 of UCL 2034, the Global Engagement Strategy (GES). This week, we were due to present our global achievements and challenges at Academic Board but a busy agenda meant that we didn’t get the opportunity.
Council wanted to know the cost of implementing the GES, both through the work GEO does directly and through the other central offices like Student and Registry Services and Student Recruitment Marketing. The answer is £4.9m, which is less than half a percent of UCL’s overall expenditure.
Transforming our Professional Services (TOPS): How to get involved in the autumn term
By ucypasm, on 4 October 2017
In the 20 July 2017 edition of The Week@UCL, we shared what we had heard so far on the TOPS programme. This included feedback from 1,700 colleagues on the key issues you face and your ideas for improving professional services.
Throughout the autumn term, we will continue talking and listening to you all – professional services colleagues, academics and students – again to test and gather feedback on the ideas for improving professional services.
To launch this activity, we wanted to provide a reminder of the ideas, explore these in a bit more detail and let you know the ways you can get involved to share your thoughts and feedback.
