Highlights 2011

Universities Week 2011 was a great success. We received over 380 pieces of media coverage about the week, from national and regional newspapers to radio and TV (double the coverage of 2010), had over 330 events taking place around the country and 110 universities taking part.

We had more support than ever, with 52 renowned ambassadors pledging their support including Loyd Grossman, Greg Dyke and Natasha Kaplinsky to name just a few. We also had support from 68 stakeholders including Cancer Research UK and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) as well as National Union of Students (NUS) and UCAS.

Below are just some of the highlights that took place throughout Universities Week 2011 at universities around the UK and in the media.

Tuesday 14 June - Big Ideas for business

Our Universities Week launch event, More than just fees: Communicating student finance and the wider benefits of university, started off the week at the National Liberal Club in Westminster.

On the panel were, the President of Universities UK, Professor Sir Steve Smith; Minister of State for Universities and Science, The Rt Hon David Willetts MP; financial journalist and founder of Moneysavingexpert.com, Martin Lewis; Chair of Parenting UK, Dame Jane Roberts; and Tracey Lancaster of the Universities' Marketing Forum. The event was attended by Simon Hughes MP, outgoing NUS President Aaron Porter, vice-chancellors and education journalists, all of whom had a chance to put questions to the panel.

On Monday afternoon, the University of Northampton held an event at the House of Lords to demonstrate how they are working to help improve the lives of the people of Northamptonshire through their social enterprise strategy. 

Above are: Chancellor of The University of Northampton, Baroness Falkner of Margravine,; Vice Chancellor, Professor Nick Petford; Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of Universities UK; and Councillor Jim Harker, Leader of Northamptonshire County Council.

Universities Week was also welcomed in an Early Day Motion tabled by Julian Huppert MP. To date this has 44 signatures from cross party MPs. The week was also recognised in a motion put to the Northern Ireland Assembly

Monday also saw the launch of the Factshare Generator which saw university sourced facts and figures available at the touch of a button.

Media coverage

A YouGov poll commissioned as part of Universities Week looking at parents' reaction to the changes to student finance made the front page of the Metro on Monday morning. Click here for the full story.

Universities UK Chief Executive Nicola Dandridge also appeared on the BBC Breakfast sofa to discuss findings of the YouGov poll.

The Guardian Higher Education network held a webchat on Monday afternoon discussing the challenges of Communicating the wider value of a university. On the panel were a selection of marketing and communications directors from within the higher education sector and universities. Click here to see what was discussed.

Tuesday 14 June - Big Ideas for Business

The University of Reading kicked off the Big Ideas for Business day by inviting Minister for Business and Enterprise Mark Prisk MP to open their new enterprise centre. The incubation hub will provide start-up development for SMEs and see them work with the university.

Above: Minister for Business and Enterprise Mark Prisk MP opening the new enterprise centre at the University of Reading

Wednesday 15 June - Big Ideas for Society

On Wednesday Universities UK launched a report, Degrees of Value, with the think tank the new economics foundation, looking at some of the social benefits of UK higher education.The report showed that UK universities add at least £1.31 billion a year in value to UK society in the form of health and wellbeing, citizenship and political engagement.

Universities UK were joined by MPs, journalists and representatives from within the sector to launch the report at a roundtable discussion at Westminster.

You can download the report by clicking on the below image.

On Wednesday evening, CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) held an event at the British Academy to celebrate the achievements by universities in the second year of the matched funding scheme. The event attracted a large number of donors, volunteers and representatives from universities all around the UK.

Below: Executive Director of CASE Europe, Kate Hunter, speaking at Wednesday's event

Thursday 16 June - Big Ideas for the Future

Kingston University helped start off the Big Ideas for the Future day with their event The Humanities and Money, looking at the role of humanities in the UK and their impact on our economy, culture and society. Speakers included Universities UK Director of Policy Paul Clark, comedian Josie Long, Guardian journalist Dan Howarth as well as lecturers working in humanities around the UK. You can listen to a podcast of the event here.

On Thursday evening, Universities UK and Research Councils UK held a joint event at the House of Commons to launch the report Big Ideas for the Future, looking at the top 100 research ideas currently underway at universities that could have a profound effect on our future. The event was attended by the Minister of State for Universities and Science David Willetts MP (see photo left), Chief Executive of Universities UK Nicola Dandridge and Chair of Research Councils UK, Rick Rylance, as well as some of the researchers responsible for the ideas. The chapters are narrated and backed by high-profile academics including Professor Lord Robert Winston, Dr Alice Roberts and Professor Iain Stewart. 

You can download the full report by clicking on the below image.

Media

We gained several pieces of national coverage on the Big Ideas for the Future report:

The Mirror did a spread on the various research ideas featured in the Big Ideas for the Future report entitled 'Tomorrow's world-beaters...and all of them made in Britain'.

Click here to read the story.

The Metro highlighted the research into an invisibility cloak at the University of Birmingham and Sheffield Hallam University's discovery that certain properties in rhubarb can help prevent cancer. Read more here 

The Daily Mail looked into the idea of virtual boxing, as developed at Teesside University, and how it can help beat the middle age spread. Read the piece here

Loyd Grossman appeared on ITV's Daybreak with Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley to talk about Universities Week and the societal benefits of higher education.

Friday 17 June - Inside Big Ideas

On Friday we held a 24 hour Twitter feed asking people within higher education to let us know what they were doing via our #UniWeek hashtag. We had over 1,100 tweets from students, alumni and staff from all over the UK on that day telling us what they were up to.

Media

Friday also saw Chief Executive of Universities UK Nicola Dandridge take to the airwaves at over 160 radio stations, including many regional stations, to talk about the changes to student finance in England from 2012. She was joined by spokespeople from universities around the country who let listeners know what they were doing to get the message across about the new system.

The Guardian Higher Education Network held another webchat as part of Universities Week, called 'Ask the VCs'. It featured nine Vice-Chancellors and you can read what was discussed here.

On Friday it was also announced that Universities UK would help form an independent taskforce to help communicate the changes to university student finance, headed up by Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com and deputised by former NUS President Wes Streeting. Read the announcement here.