When I wrote to you earlier this year, I was compelled to observe that we ‘live in history’. It was with the deepest regret that we recorded the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen dedicated her life to the service of her people, both in this country and throughout the Commonwealth. She represented strength, security and stability in an ever-changing world and I am most grateful to her for her many years of service.
The University has longstanding links to the Royal Family, predominantly through Her Royal Highness Anne The Princess Royal, who is Chancellor of the University of London. Some of you will remember Her Majesty and The Duke of Edinburgh visiting City in 2003, to open the new Bunhill Row campus building for Bayes Business School (then known as Cass Business School). Our thoughts and condolences are with the Royal Family.
Here on campus, we are about to embark on the new academic year and welcoming our new and returning students. I am very grateful to staff across City and to the Students’ Union who have been working together to ensure that pre-arrival and Welcome Week is an engaging and positive experience for all new and returning students. We are committed to improving and delivering an excellent student experience as part of the wider work at City to help build a strong sense of community and belonging to support our students’ wellbeing and fulfilling their academic potential.
It is hard to believe that I have already completed my first year at City. As I reflect on this period, it is with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the warmth of the combined welcome and the support the City community has shown from day one. Already, we have made much progress together.
At the heart of this is our compelling and ambitious work on developing City’s new Vision and Strategy. We have completed the extensive work needed to rename and restructure some of City’s Schools and Departments, so we now have six distinctive and coherent Schools. City has always been committed to business, practice and the professions, and our new structure will enable us to forge even closer links with them.
Urdang, the prestigious performing arts school, officially joined City’s School of Communication and Creativity on 1 August and now forms an integral part of our ambitious plans to enhance and develop our reputation for music and engagement with practice and the creative industries.
These changes form the foundation required to enable us to identify and realise opportunities which will ultimately deliver City’s Vision and Strategy and our commitment to growth. Completing these projects in the last year, alongside many others, has been no small feat. Delivering them has taken a huge amount of work, effort and creative thinking from colleagues across City, our committed alumni, and student leaders – thank you to each of you for your contributions and energy.
I’d like to close by extending a warm welcome to the Class of 2022, our new graduates, who have recently joined City’s global alumni network. To our new alumni and to you all, my very best wishes and much success in your private and professional lives for the months ahead.
I hope you enjoy reading this edition of Alumni News.
Best wishes,
Anthony
President
City, University of London