A message from the President and Principal

A message from the President & Principal

Welcome back - another challenging year, but here we are still going strong!

The last 12 months have seen the RVC returning to what we might call a new normal, a term that is somewhat clichéd, but nonetheless is an accurate portrayal of life in a vaccinated community still living with the impact of a virus that may well be here to stay.

Truth be told, many of the changes we have seen were well underway prior to 2020 but the acceleration we have witnessed has been remarkable. Take blended learning, for example; a phenomenon that was evolving as technology and lifestyle factors allowed for new platforms and scheduling, rising to meet a generation of students with different needs and expectations. All this was underway, but the early months of the pandemic saw a massive and rapid implementation, and advances that we are still enjoying today along side the traditional modes of delivery.

Throughout this year we have maintained our onward march – still QS ranked #1 globally, recently recognised for the strength, depth and breadth of our science, in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF), and always pushing back the frontiers of clinical delivery. The investment in our campuses has also continued at pace. Our £45M project at Hawkshead will soon be complete with new research facilities, learning and teaching accommodation and a breath-taking public space – all in a building that will signal the next chapter of our history and be supported by a new strategic plan.

But as always, it is the people who make us who we are. With leaders recognised internationally in our all our principal areas of endeavour, our greatest investment, and the greatest return, is always in and from our staff and students. Seeing campuses bustling again reminds us that university life is ultimately about community – and even though that connection is enriched by digital and online interactions, it is the coming together that consolidates our relationship and, ultimately, defines the RVC.

So, thank you for your continued interest and support. RVC4Life is the thread that ties our present to our past and the framework on which our futures will be crafted. Thank you most of all for being part of the RVC,  wherever you may be and whenever our paths cross.

With all best wishes,

Stuart