A year in review

BU is immensely proud of the many achievements made over the past year and looks forward to continued success in the year ahead.

BU climbs higher in UK league tables

In The Times Good University Guide BU achieved the largest rise in ranking of any university, while in The Guardian University Guide BU was named the UK’s number one new University.

For the second consecutive year BU was also one for Tourism and Travel education according to The Guardian University Guide.

TV Studio is declared HD-ready

BU’s multi-million pound HD TV Studio was opened formally by ITV newscaster Mark Austin and actor, Martin Clunes. The two BU honorary doctors praised the new studio which gives BU’s world-renowned Media School the first High Definition facility in a UK university.

Largest grant to support digital media

In December, BU celebrated its largest ever grant from a major UK research council. The £6.35 million award by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) will be shared with the University of Bath and will establish a new Industrial Doctorate Centre in Digital Media, Special Effects and Animation.

The Centre will draw upon the resources and expertise of the BU-based National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA) to provide PhD students in these specialist fields with technical and management expertise as well as research-level skills.

Research paper attracts international recognition

‘Opportunistic Software Systems Development (OSSD): Making Systems from What’s Available’ co-authored by Dr Cornelius Ncube in the School of Design, Engineering & Computing, won the Most Influential Paper Award at an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers International Conference. The paper proposes a radical approach to software systems development.

BU supports Academy at Rossmore

BU, the Diocese of Salisbury and Poole Borough Council received government approval to serve as sponsors in support of the transformation and development of Rossmore Community College in Poole.

Secretary of State for the Department of Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls MP made the announcement as he confirmed that Rossmore will become an academy for 11-19 year olds under the government’s ‘National Challenge’ programme.

The new Academy at Rossmore will bring together the core values of the Church of England with the innovation and commitment to learning excellence of BU and the breadth of services provided by Poole Borough Council.

Marking a decade of art on campus

In June BU unveiled an iconic sculpture created by renowned Japanese artist Koichi Ishino. The stainless steel and black granite sculpture is designed to capture the University vision and was commissioned specifically for BU thanks to a generous gift from the Fine Family Foundation. The University’s Art Loan Collection celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Appointment to academy

Associate Dean Professor Jonathan Parker in the School of Health & Social Care was appointed as a member of the Academy of Social Sciences, a group of learned societies and individual researchers representing UK social science.

Professor Parker achieved the distinguished academician title as a result of both his high-profile research and his contribution to social work.

Honoured at Award Ceremony

ITV lead newscaster Mark Austin and Police guitarist Andy Summers received Honorary Doctorates at BU’s annual Award Ceremonies in November. Doctorates were also bestowed upon Chairman of the Training and Development Agency for Schools Professor Sir Brian Follett, Chief Executive of the Royal National Lifeboats Institution Andrew Freemantle, contemporary artist Brian Graham, Deputy Chairman of Poole Foundation Trust Hospital John Knowles, Bighead founder Ken Stanley and National Clinical Director for Maternal Health and Maternity Services Dr Gwyneth Lewis.

BU invests in a new Executive Business Centre

Strengthening the Business School’s reputation as one of the South West’s leading providers of business education, BU announced a new Executive Business Centre for its postgraduate and professional courses. The new building will be a fine venue for delivering BU’s flagship course, the Bournemouth MBA and nurturing and sharing expertise of relevance to the business community.

MP visit

Liberal Democrat MP for Bristol West and Shadow Secretary for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) Stephen Williams and Mid-Dorset MP Annette Brooke met BU Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Curran and visited the Media School’s High Definition TV Studio.

Chinese connection

BU strengthened its work with China when it welcomed a high-ranking official based at the country’s London embassy. Xiaogang Tian, Minister Counsellor in the Chinese Embassy’s education section, has responsibility for liaising with British schools, universities and colleges.

A new framework to enhance education

The Education Enhancement Strategy which describes BU’s vision for education between 2008 and 2012 was launched in July. It outlined significant change as provision is brought within a streamlined set of frameworks and a standard system of 20-credit units is introduced.

The Strategy will enhance students’ learning experience while ensuring that academic staff have the time to engage in the research and enterprise activity which will further enrich student learning. Contact will be redistributed to ensure students receive a high level of support and resources in their first year and move to becoming self-directed learners over the duration of their programme. This resonates with feedback from employers who are looking for graduates with the ability to contribute immediately.

Funding for UK’s largest study of older people

The School of Health & Social Care’s Centre for Qualitative Research secured funding from the five major Research Councils to take part in the UK’s largest study of the quality of life of older people. Academics will investigate how older people living in rural South West England interact with their local community and what social and economic issues are important to them.

BU experts lead historic excavation

Funded by the BBC’s Timewatch programme, academics undertook the first excavation at Stonehenge since 1964 to determine when the first double bluestone circle, which formed the original Stonehenge, was created.

Olympic expertise

Adam Blake joined BU as Professor of Economics in the School of Services Management.

Professor Blake has addressed issues such as the economic effects of foot-and-mouth disease and the impact of 9/11. One of his most recent projects included a detailed study on the economic impact of London 2012, as part of the UK government’s Olympic Games Impact Study.

Stephen Heppell appointed

Professor Stephen Heppell, the internationally acclaimed academic, practitioner and innovator on e-learning, joined BU as Professor of New Media Environments in January. Professor Heppell is recognised by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) as “the most influential academic of recent years in the field of technology and education”.

BU Students’ Union President elected to National Executive

Former BU Students’ Union President Adam Hyland took on his new role as Disabled Students’ Officer for the National Union of Students (NUS) in July. Adam was also selected as a judge for this year’s Times Higher Education award for Outstanding Support for Students with Disabilities.

Streets of Bournemouth

Staff from BU’s Sir Michael Cobham Library won £440,000 to develop the first online virtual museum of Bournemouth. Working with Bournemouth Borough Council, BU will create the ‘Streets of Bournemouth’ over the next two years in time for the Bournemouth bicentenary in 2010.

Releasing Potential scooped National Training Award

BU’s unique Releasing Research and Enterprise Potential Programme (RREP) was honoured in this year’s National Training Awards, recognising its outstanding success in providing development opportunities for academic staff.

During its inaugural year, some 70 participants joined the programme – representing approximately 15% of the University’s academic workforce. A further 70 participated in workshops and other staff, led by members of the University’s Professoriate, were involved in facilitating action learning sets and mentoring. This increased the participation in RREP to around 38% of all BU academics.

<< Back to contents page

>> Forward to Enhancing education