End of semester message from the President

13/12/2011

Dear University Community,

I am writing to wish you all an enjoyable holiday season at the end of what has been my first semester as President of the University. I have enjoyed meeting faculty, staff and students at a number of open meetings that have taken place throughout the semester. I am grateful for the honest feedback that you have provided and I am gratified by the continuing commitment that you have shown for the University.

As you know we have been developing a new Strategic Plan 2012-2017 and we are excited by the new undergraduate and graduate programs that are being proposed as well as the plans to improve support for teaching and learning, research, the student experience, the IT infrastructure and estates. This will require a new approach to marketing and recruitment for the University and we are advertising two new posts to support this area.

We are also planning events and activities to celebrate our 40th anniversary year in 2012 under the direction of Karen Lippoldt, Director for Alumni Relations. We would like all faculty, staff and students to become involved in these activities and we are especially looking to involve our alumni in these celebrations.

We are making good progress with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) about our accreditation issues. We remain fully accredited by the MSCHE and they have indicated that we are now fully in compliance with Standard 6 on recruitment. They have remarked that we are making good progress on the issues of developing a new Strategic Plan as well as addressing issues of governance and the organization of trustees.

We continue to have a good working relationship with The Open University who provide our UK accreditation and we are preparing for their next institutional visit in the Spring of 2012. We are also developing plans to seek our own independent, degree-awarding powers as a UK university.

I look forward to the New Year as we seek to realize our new mission and vision, ‘to be an international university offering high quality undergraduate and graduate education, research excellence and public engagement’ and I also look forward to your continued support to enable us to fully achieve this.

Professor John Annette
President

Link to this page: http://www.richmond.ac.uk/n/1264.aspx