Vice-Chancellor praises staff for a year of success

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Keith Burnett, has given his thanks to all staff for the past year of success at his annual address.

Professor Burnett highlighted the role each member of staff played in securing the award of University of the Year as well our place in the top 10 UK institutions in the National Students Survey.

But while we have had a very good year, with the opening of the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI) and the £10 million Sports Medicine Centre of Excellence, Professor Burnett also spoke about the challenges ahead.

Our response to these challenges has been to meet them head on, taking a unique approach and developing a student proposition in direct response to the changes in higher education funding. We have taken our belief in the student experience to the core of our University’s offer like no other, and though there are likely to be tough years ahead we are making wise investments in our staff and facilities.

Our future will be based on our values and our global reputation. Professor Burnett said: “We would be risking the reputation of our institution and partnerships with global organisations such as Siemens and Boeing if we didn’t invest in our engineering facilities. These partnerships are vital to our future and so are the improvements to the teaching facilities in our Faculty of Engineering as we continue to be partners with the world’s best.

“We will continue to grow as a civic university raising the aspirations of the city and nurturing the talent, creativity and innovation of our students.”

Professor Burnett said: “I think we should be confident that we have already shown, in the face of challenges, that we can do things which other institutions can’t. Our institution is important for us as individuals and as members of society who see its relevance in the every day world.”

You can watch a recording of the Vice-Chancellor’s address by going to: http://www.shef.ac.uk/vc/address (University login required)

Following his address, Professor Burnett presented the Green Impact awards to colleagues from across the University.

This year the teams working towards Green Impact were CiCS, Chemistry and Physics workshop, Material Sciences and Engineering, School of Nursing and Midwifery. Bronze winners were Biomedical Sciences, the Careers Service, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chemistry, Human Communication Sciences, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Property WithUs, Psychology and the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)

The silver and gold winners received a specially printed award made from reclaimed Welsh slate. Silver award winners included Animal and Plant Sciences, Bio Services, Estates and Facilities Management, Kroto Research Institute, Medical School Royal Hallamshire Hospital site, Psychiatry, Registry Services, School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) Public health and University of Sheffield Enterprise (USE).

Gold awards went to Accommodation and Commercial Services (ACS), Finance and External Relations and the office of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor International.

Presenting the awards, Professor Burnett, said: “As an institution we do a lot of research, education and teaching on the subject of the environmental impact. We have a duty to follow that ethos and look at the impact we have as an institution. What’s great about this initiative and this group of winners is that you look at our institutions through your departments and teams and find ways to make it better. I’m very grateful for the work that you do and want to give you my heartiest congratulations.”

There were five special awards this year: Best Newcomer was won by Registry Services; Most Improved Team was ACS; the Office Depot Innovation Award was won by ScHARR; Best Energy Saving Idea went to External Relations and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor International while the Alfred Denny Building Portering staff won the Environmental Hero award.

The Kroto Research Institute, Psychiatry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, SITraN, Animal and Plant Sciences and the Medical School Royal Hallamshire Hospital site also picked up Green Impact awards for their laboratories.