December 28, 2012 10.16 am
This story is over 114 months old
Reflections 2012: The year Lincoln reached the top 50
Mary Stuart: Despite the challenging economic climate nationally, 2012 has seen many successes at the University of Lincoln.
Proffessor Mary Stuart, Vice Chancellor at the University of Lincoln, is delighted to be placed so highly in the rankings.
By Mary StuartUniversity of Lincoln Vice Chancellor
Despite the challenging economic climate nationally, 2012 has seen many successes at the University of Lincoln. We continue to attract good students, do interesting and valuable research and contribute nearly £300 million a year to our local economy.
2012 started with a bang with HRH The Princess Royal formally opening the Lincoln School of Engineering. We are delighted that the university and our partner Siemens have gone on to win further awards this year, including the Times Higher Education national award for Outstanding Employer Engagement in November.
The education of industry-ready graduates by the School of Engineering not only meets the immediate needs of Siemens and other engineering employers, but helps to secure and promote the economic well-being of Lincoln and the wider region, which is something we are very proud of.
In a real landmark moment this year, we are now ranked amongst the UK’s top 50 universities in the Guardian’s 2013 University Guide.
Students also rated Lincoln’s courses in the top quarter in the UK for student satisfaction, with Accountancy ranked number one overall for the fourth year running.
The strength of any university is based upon the relationship between its staff and students, but ultimately, it is students who judge us on how well we meet their needs and expectations. So it is fantastic to see we are doing a good job in this area.
As people may have already seen we are continuing to develop on the Brayford Pool Campus and work has started on the new Art and Design building, which will provide a fantastic space for students to work in.
We were successful in gaining the education contract for nursing across all of Lincolnshire this year and our newly extended School of Health and Social Care admitted a strong cohort of nursing students in September.
And there are a number of exciting developments planned for the future.
We have joined forces with Lincolnshire Co-operative to create a world-class science and innovation park, which will incorporate the newly established School of Pharmacy and several other new science programmes including Maths and Chemistry.
Initial work on the complex will be completed by the end of 2013, with between 1,200 and 1,500 science students based there, along with around 100 academic and research staff.
We have seen a number of new staff join us this academic year, adding to the fantastic pool of people who have helped the University become one of the leading higher education institutions in the UK.
I am delighted to be a part of this exciting and innovative university and with applications already up on the previous two years it is clear that our ability to provide young people with not only an excellent learning experience but also a friendly, supportive and fun-filled environment is becoming ever more apparent.
We move confidently into 2013 and I wish all Lincolnite readers a happy Christmas and a peaceful new year.
Professor Mary Stuart is the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lincoln. She is a graduate of the University of Cape Town and the Open University, where she obtained her Doctorate in Social Policy in 1998. Her research interests are focused on life histories, social mobility, higher education students and community development.
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Drivers in Lincoln will face nearly a fortnight of disruption when electrical works cause a road closure on Skellingthorpe Road from next week (July 11).
Western Power Distribution will install a new electricity connection for a new primary school on Skellingthorpe Road.
The county council has been constructing a new 130-place school on the site of the former Priory Witham Academy Junior School, which will be for St Christopher’s primary-aged pupils.
As a result, Skellingthorpe Road will be closed between Tritton Road and Boultham Park Road between July 11 and July 22.
This is to ensure the safety of engineers and local people while work is taking place.
A diversion will be put in place via Tritton Road, Doddington Road and Newark Road.
Western Power Distribution said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused while we complete this essential new connection.”
We are investigating a road traffic collision which happened just after 5pm today.
The crash happened on the A15 just south of Waddington and involved a black Peugeot 208 that collided with a tree. The driver of the car, a 56-year-old male, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The A15 was closed just before 6pm and is likely to remain closed for some time.
We are particularly keen to hear from those who were driving along the A15 this afternoon between 4pm and 5:10pm and may have captured dashcam footage of the road during the collision.
If you have dashcam footage or any other information that will assist in our enquiries, there are a number of ways you can get in touch.
By calling 101 quoting incident 285 of 4 July.
By emailing [email protected] quoting incident 285 of 4 July in the subject line.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can report via the independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.