Principal's Column

Welcome back. I hope all staff and students have returned to Dundee refreshed, energised and with new experiences, ideas and perspectives to drive the University forward in 2004-5.

As I write this I have just had news that the University of Dundee has been named by the Sunday Times Good University Guide as this year's Scottish University of the Year. This independent review rated our teaching standards the best in Scotland. It rated the pay and job prospects of our students the best of any university north of Oxford and it painted a picture of consistent renewal and improvement. This is excellent news with which to start a new session and to welcome our largest ever intake of new students.

It is down to the dedication, hard work and professionalism of staff - and students - across the whole University, that Dundee has achieved this recognition. Our three pronged philosophy of excellence in learning and teaching, excellence in research and the creation of an environment in which students and staff can fulfil their potential is beginning to show real results.

While most people working in higher education have reservations about league tables, we would be unwise to underestimate their influence. I am reminded of a meeting between senior members of staff and a Chinese embassy educationalist whose first action on hearing "University of Dundee" was to pull out the Good University Guide and check Dundee’s ranking. Meanwhile students are voting with their feet and we are very pleased to see not just a record number of new students but a rise in the best qualified entrants and a substantial reduction in places going into clearing this year.

Attracting the highest calibre of staff in an international market continues to be a priority with some excellent appointments made over the last year. The Discovery Days in January 2005 provide a valuable opportunity to showcase the research of 20 recently appointed professors from across all disciplines.

Those returning to the city centre campus after a period of leave - or even a weekend - at present will find enormous changes taking place. Ideas which have existed for several years as artists' impressions, virtual buildings, models and plans are at last taking concrete shape and our ambitions for developing a 21st century environment for learning, teaching and research are well on their way to being realised. In the meantime we have to ask your patience in coping with the restrictions this necessarily imposes on car parking and access while building is going on.

At the end of last academic year we examined our progress on the vision:towards 2007 and settled on operational priorities for the coming year in pursuing the University's 12 strategic objectives. All staff are welcome to attend a presentation and discussion on the current position on October 6, 12-2pm at the Ustinov Room. Meanwhile I leave you with a quotation from the creative thinking guru Edward de Bono "Opportunity ideas do not lie around waiting to be discovered. Such ideas need to be produced."

Alan Langlands
September 2004