As you will see, BU staff and students have delivered this year on our ambitious plans to become a world-leading university.
Building on our success in the Research Excellence Framework (REF), which classed 96% of BU’s research as internationally recognised and 18% as world leading, we continue to focus on real impact, supporting our vision to inspire our staff and students to enrich the world.
BU continues to realise its potential to develop and nurture research, innovation and learning both nationally and internationally, from the Festival of Design & Technology, the Festival of Learning and the BFX Festival, to our research into media approaches to the EU referendum, which has been showcased at Westminster – the very heart of British politics.
We are immensely proud of our students, finding year upon year that their achievements in the professional world have been recognised by employers, industry experts, and even at the Academy Awards, where our alumni have become performers on the world stage. Our #BUProud campaign offers just a glimpse of the many accomplishments of our students and graduates.
As the sector increasingly focuses on outcomes for graduates, we are proud that we were the first university to offer every student the opportunity to undertake a work placement. We believe that our Fusion of excellent education, world-leading research and professional practice will enable our students to achieve their potential and make a difference in their chosen fields.
This year we have completed the first of our new academic buildings, The Fusion Building. It provides a beautiful space to create, share and inspire. We have continued to work closely with our Students’ Union at Bournemouth University (SUBU), which won a national award for its partnership with us on education and for their work on student feedback – something that is very important to us.
We are actively engaged in working to help shape the future of Higher Education in the UK at this time of change. We worked with SUBU and local groups this year to engage as many people as possible in a lively debate about the EU referendum, and we have continued our vital outreach and community engagement with local schools and organisations. BU is a diverse and open community with global engagement at its heart – this year our fantastic Festival of Learning went global with events in China and Malaysia.
This is an amazing time at BU – we’re #BUProud of all that our staff and students have achieved with the support of the wider BU community
We hope you enjoy this Annual Review.