Huddersfield announced as University of the Year

HUDDERSFIELD has been declared University of the Year by one of the UK’s leading publications.

The announcement was made during a ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, venue for the 2013 Times Higher Education Awards.

“This is the most fantastic honour!” said a delighted Professor Bob Cryan, theUniversity of Huddersfield’s Vice-Chancellor, who accepted the award in person.

“It is a tribute to all the staff who have worked so hard to get us where we are today.  We are now well established as one of the country’s innovative universities – and thebest is yet to come!” added Professor Cryan.

Under Professor Cryan’s leadership, the University has become an extremely dynamic institution and its bid to become University of the Year was based on an exceptional performance during the 2011/12 academic year.

Achievements included winning the Times Higher Education award forEntrepreneurial University of the Year; receiving two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise; a top 10 position in the International Student Barometer; the unique attainment ofhaving 100 percent academic staff becoming Fellows of the Higher Education Academy; topping the table for National Teaching Fellows awarded in the last fiveyears; plus a nationwide top 10 rating for graduate employment and for financial security.

The successes earned Huddersfield its place on the six-strong shortlist for theUniversity of the Year title.  Then senior figures from the Times Higher Educationmagazine paid a fact-finding visit to the campus.

Editor John Gill’s visit to Huddersfield helped persuade him that the Universitydeserved the 2013 title, beating the challenge of Birmingham, East Anglia, Newcastle, Northampton and York St John.

The Times Higher Education Awards have been running for nine years and are regarded as the sector’s equivalent to the Oscars.  The competition’s rules stated thatthe title University of the Year is awarded to an institution that has “demonstrated exceptional performance”.

Although research, teaching, access and business performance would be taken into account, the main criterion would be evidence of particular bold, imaginative and innovative initiatives that had advanced the institution’s reputation during the 2011-12 academic year.

The Grosvenor House awards ceremony was hosted by TV and radio comedian and presenter Sandi Toksvig.