Latest news from Loughborough University
| 21 November 2007 | PR 07/147 |
School students have their say about the University, as part of national ‘11 Million Take Over Day’
Should Loughborough University’s iconic Towers building be knocked down? Or the Library become solely a virtual, online facility?
These could perhaps be among the suggestions put forward by around 30
local school pupils,
when they become Loughborough University’s decision makers on Friday
23 November, as part of the national 11 Million Take Over Day initiative.
11 Million Take Over Day is an opportunity for England’s children
and young people to take over
the running of some of the country’s key organisations and services
– to become the head teacher in their school, for instance, or to
run a national newspaper for the day. It is also an opportunity
to demonstrate the country’s commitment to listening to and recognising
the talents and contributions of children and young people.
Loughborough is the only university in the East Midlands taking part in the event, and one of just four universities across the country.
“As a UK leader in social policy and child and family research,
it is fitting that the University
should be taking part in this important initiative, which celebrates the
importance of children and young people in our society,” says Professor
Alan France, director of Loughborough’s Centre for Research in Social
Policy (CRSP).
“I hope the students involved will gain as much from their experience as I know the University will.”
On arrival at the campus, the students will be greeted by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Shirley Pearce. They will then split into groups to begin their assessment of the University.
Students from Burleigh Community College and Woodbrook Vale High School will spend the morning in the Department of Social Sciences. They will help two of the country’s leading social policy research groups – CRSP and the Centre for Child and Family Research (CCFR) – identify potential future research projects that address issues of importance to young people.
The University’s in-house residential accommodation service, imago Services, will also welcome students from Burleigh Community College. They will visit three halls of residence to see where they think improvements, particularly relating to environmental issues, could be made.
A group of sixth form students from Harry Carlton School, East Leake, will spend the morning in the University’s Library, acting as marketing consultants. They will be asked to report on the Library’s current provision and how they would change it for the future.
The fourth group of students, again from Burleigh Community College, will look at the campus’s buildings with the University’s Estates Service. The students will visit the relatively recently built Centre for Collaborative Construction Research and the ECB National Cricket Centre and be asked to report on the impression these, and all the University’s buildings, gave them as visitors.
Afterwards, the students will reunite with the Vice Chancellor to report back their findings and suggest ways for Loughborough’s future direction.
– Ends –
For all media enquiries contact:
-
Hannah Baldwin, Head of Public Relations, Loughborough University,
T: 01509 222239, E: H.E.Baldwin@lboro.ac.uk
Notes for editors:
- Members of the media are welcome at the event. You
must inform the Public Relations Office, in advance, on 01509 222239,
if you wish to attend.
- Schedule
9.30am – The Vice Chancellor will greet the students in the Council Chamber, Administration Building 2.
10am – The students will begin their group work with Social Sciences, Estates Services, the Library or imago Services.
12noon – The students will return to the Council Chamber to report back to the Vice Chancellor.
- The event has been coordinated by 11 Million –
a national organisation led by the Children’s Commissioner for
England Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green. Back in May this year, Professor
Sir Al Aynsley-Green gave a Queen’s Anniversary Prize lecture
at Loughborough to celebrate the prestigious national award to the Department
of Social Sciences for its contribution to social policy.
- Loughborough is one of the country’s leading
universities, with an international reputation for excellence in teaching
and research, strong links with industry and unrivalled sporting achievement.
It is a member of the esteemed 1994 Group – a set of internationally recognised, research intensive universities – and has a reputation for the relevance of its work. Its degree programmes are highly regarded by professional institutions and businesses, and its graduates are consistently targeted by the UK’s top recruiters.
Loughborough is also the UK’s premier university for sport. It has perhaps the best integrated sports development environment in the world and is home to some of the country’s leading coaches, sports scientists and support staff. It also has the country’s largest concentration of world-class training facilities across a wide range of sports.
In the 2007 National Student Survey, the University was voted fourth in the UK, with 23 out of 29 of Loughborough’s subject areas being ranked in the top ten for overall satisfaction. Loughborough is also ranked in the top fifteen of UK universities in national league tables and was named winner of the 2006 THES award for the UK’s Best Student Experience. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, the University has been awarded six Queen's Anniversary Prizes – an achievement bettered by no other university.