A five-year plan to raise the UniversityÔÇÖs academic and international profile has been revealed by the Vice-Chancellor in his 2013 address to staff.
On the 10th October, Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Riordan outlined changes to improve the UniversityÔÇÖs international profile. The annual address re-introduced the points of the brief document ÔÇÿThe Way Forward 2012-2017ÔÇÖ, a blueprint detailing the key-areas of focus for academic and financial investment.
In order to improve the UniversityÔÇÖs reputation with both employers and academics worldwide, the Vice-Chancellor aims to collaborate with two other international universities, with the hope of establishing its first European partner by 2014.
By working hard on the UniversityÔÇÖs international profile, it is hoped that Cardiff will place higher than its current 136th spot on the world-ranking QS league table.
The Vice-Chancellor also spoke of CardiffÔÇÖs current position on The TimesÔÇÖ Good University Guide. After dropping a place since last year to rank joint 33rd, he said, ÔÇ£we want to change that, we want to move up in that particular table to get into the top 20.ÔÇØ
An initiative is already underway to drive up standards and achieve a higher ranking ÔÇ£ensuring consistency throughout the UniversityÔÇØ as well as introducing ÔÇ£flexibility and responsiveness into our process and systems,ÔÇØ said the Vice-Chancellor.
It is hoped that improved standards will help achieve a world-class 90% student satisfaction rate in every school ÔÇô the figure currently stands at 89%.
The address also outlined the goal to secure a 10% per anum increase in industry funding and research income. The Vice-Chancellor stressed that an increase in funding would create much-needed financial breathing space, enabling the University to invest in library and study spaces as well as other academic facilities over the next few years.
In order to attain this head start, a voluntary severance scheme has been introduced and is predicted to save around £8 million a year.
ÔÇ£The essential point is that we need to have a bigger gap between what we spend and what we earn [in order] to finance investments over the next few years,ÔÇØ the Vice-Chancellor explained.
Investments such as the ┬ú44 million upgrade of CUBRIC 2 Brain Imaging Centre, the construction of which is already under way and is expected to ÔÇ£put us right in the very forefront of the world of research and brain imagingÔÇØ.
ÔÇ£The great theme of all this [is] to be able to invest in this university over the next five years, and I hope beyond that,ÔÇØ said the Vice-Chancellor.
Perhaps the most surprising achievement this year was the growth in undergraduates. Despite tuition fees rising to ┬ú9,000 for non-Welsh residents in 2012, student numbers are ÔÇ£bouncing backÔÇØ with a 6.5% growth from last year, 2.2% above the EU target.
Katie Evans
If you missed the Vice-ChancellorÔÇÖs address, a video of the lecture can be found online here, while a full digital copy of Mr Riordan’s┬áÔÇÿThe Way ForwardÔÇÖ document can be found here.
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