SUBU Annual Review celebrates success

The 2014 Annual Review celebrated SUBU’s 20th birthday by showcasing another year of achievements.

The event, on Wednesday 4 June, was presented by the elected Full Time Officers, who highlighted all the great activities the Students’ Union at BU (SUBU) have been supporting, funding and making happen in 2013/14. Among the guests were Chancellor Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, Vice Chancellor Professor John Vinney, Conor Burns MP, members of the University board, SUBU Board of trustees and previous SUBU Full Time Officers.

The Students’ Union at BU has been in operation for two decades and has grown with each passing year; supporting, developing and entertaining every new cohort passing through BU’s doors. This year was no exception and SUBU have plenty of successes to shout about.

One of the key achievements for 2013/14 was SUBU’s RAG (Raising and Giving) charity activities which raised over a quarter of a million pounds. The funds were split between local charities and worthy causes around the UK including, Dorset Blind Association, Autism Wessex, Alzheimer’s Society and Children with Cancer UK.

Volunteering increased by 40% this year with 734 students giving a helping hand to both local and national projects. The Big Feed was one of the more successful projects, managing to collect and deliver four tonnes of food to local families and food banks. Student engagement in extra-curricular activities, like volunteering, is a major player in affecting employability for BU students and it is high on SUBU’s yearly agenda.

The ‘Lock it or Lose it’ burglary prevention campaign helped to cement community relations this year as SUBU joined forces with Arts University Bournemouth, BU staff, local police and councillors. Combined with the newly created SUBU Community Warden team, this resulted in a 19.6% reduction in crime around Winton and 41% reduction in bin-related complaints from residents. The four new wardens managed to clock up over 50 miles of patrolling around the local area, helping to improve integration and relations between students and locals.

As if that weren’t enough, SUBU’s strides towards becoming a more ethical and environmentally friendly organisation were recognised with a Gold status NUS Green Impact Award.  Next year will see SUBU getting even more green on campus.

Encouraging student engagement in democratic decision-making and student representation also took a major step forward this year. Earlier in the year representatives from six other Students’ Unions were invited to Bournemouth so that SUBU could share their practices and expertise in student engagement. SUBU President Murray Simpson said,

“We’ve been highlighted as a feature of good practice for our evidence based feedback by the QAA, and believe a partnership approach with BU has enabled this to happen. We’ve come on leaps and bounds with welfare and democracy this year, and the Annual Review is a fantastic chance to look back and celebrate these successes.”

As a final visual treat, the audience experienced a nostalgic romp through the history of SUBU in a slide show of the last 20 years. The future of SUBU was also discussed, with a focus on the Union’s new home in the Student Centre and welcoming the new SUBU staff for 2014/15.

BU leaps up 14 places in The Sunday Times league table

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Bournemouth University has leapt up 14 places in The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2014.

The report on 22 September highlighted the fact that BU is the first university to have been “commended” for the quality of student learning opportunities by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) – the highest award possible.

Professor John Vinney, Vice-Chancellor of Bournemouth University said: “I am very proud that BU has made such a big leap up The Sunday Times League table, especially coming so soon on the heels of the QAA commending the quality of our student learning opportunities.

“We are working hard at the University to provide inspirational teaching, world-class research and strong links with the professions to create forward thinking graduates with the skills and flexibility to succeed throughout their career – wherever it may take them. It is very satisfying to see this work being recognised and we look forward to further advances up the league tables.”

The feature also focused on the fact that every undergraduate honours degree student at BU is promised a work placement of typically 40 weeks and claimed that our degrees in public relations, retail management, scriptwriting and tax law were all ahead of their time.

The Queen’s Anniversary Prize for the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA) also was given a deserved mention.

BU was one of the top five universities in the UK to have gained the biggest leaps up in the league table as we moved to 67th.

 

BU commended for the quality of student learning opportunities by QAA

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Bournemouth University has achieved a “commended” judgement for the quality of student learning opportunities from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). This is the first time the judgement of commended for this category, the highest award possible, has been given to any university.

The term ‘learning opportunities’ describes the different mechanisms and facilities that a university provides in order to enable a student to succeed. For this category, the QAA look at many areas of how an institution supports students, including the quality of teaching students receive, academic support, the resources available to students including the library and IT facilities, and the general support they receive.

Professor John Vinney, Vice–Chancellor of Bournemouth University, said: “I am extremely proud that Bournemouth University is the first university to be commended for the quality of students’ learning opportunities. We work really hard to provide a unique top–quality academic experience that combines excellent education, research and professional practice with personalised student support.

The commendation is both a testament to the hard work of the staff and Students’ Union at Bournemouth University (SUBU), and a reflection of the continuing investment in our facilities. Everything that we do is focused on quality, and we will build on this success to ensure that we continue to give our students the opportunity to succeed throughout their career – wherever it may take them”.

The review identified a number of examples of good practice which led to the award. These include the many constructive measures BU takes to engage and involve all members of staff in its mission, values and strategic priorities, including those articulated in its Strategic Plan.

The review also highlighted the way that the University engages students individually, and collectively through the Students’ Union, in its development of academic strategy and policy.

The team of QAA reviewers who visited Bournemouth University also judged that the University’s academic standards, the quality of student learning opportunities‚, and the quality of information about learning opportunities all meet UK expectations.

The QAA review team made no recommendations on any issues for further improvement.

The review team included Professor Richard de Friend (previously of the College of Law), Dr Andrew Eadie (Hazeldene Educational Consultants Ltd), Dr Wendy Gill (the University of St Mark & St John), Ms Elizabeth Dobson-McKittrick (student reviewer from the University of Essex), and Ms Jessica Greenlees (review secretary).

  • The review carried out at Bournemouth University was an Institutional Review (England and Northern Ireland) (IRENI). More information on IRENI is available at www.qaa.ac.uk/institutionreports/types-of-review/ireni/pages/default.aspx.
  • The report on Bournemouth University is published on 6 September 2013. It is available at www.qaa.ac.uk/InstitutionReports/Reports/Pages/IRENI-Bournemouth-13.aspx.
  • QAA safeguards the public interest in the quality and standards of UK higher education. The QAA checks how UK universities and colleges maintain their academic standards and quality. They review and report on how they meet their responsibilities, identify good practice and make recommendations for improvement. The QAA publishes guidelines to help UK universities and colleges develop effective systems to ensure students have the best learning experience. Further information is available at: www.qaa.ac.uk.