QM News 74 (pdf 1.58 MB) - Queen Margaret University

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NEWS IN BRIEF
QMU is top for living
experience and student
support
QMU has been ranked 1st in the UK
for Overall Living Experience, and 1st
in the UK and worldwide for Overall
Student Support, by EU and international
students participating in the autumn 2010
wave of the Student and International
Student Barometer, an independent
sector-wide survey. The survey looks at
both undergraduate and postgraduate
students’ decision-making process and
the quality of their experience before and
after arrival at QMU.
For further information visit:
www.qmu.ac.uk/marketing/bulletins/
barometer2010.htm
QMU’s gains one of UK’s
highest response rates in the
National Student Survey
QMU participated in the National Student
Survey for the first time in 2011 with the
third highest response rate of all higher
education institutions in the UK. An
impressive 78% of all eligible students
took part.
The results reveal some areas of excellent
practice. For example, QMU ranked first
in Scotland for students agreeing that
their communication skills have improved.
We are pleased to see an improvement
in the NSS results compared to our own
internal survey results from the past three
years. These improvements demonstrate
our focus on continuous enhancement.
The survey was also useful in helping
identify other areas for improvement
which we are currently addressing.
Scotland gets its first
NHS consultant surgical
podiatrist
Colin Thomson, from QMU’s Podiatry
subject area, is to be the first full-time
NHS Consultant Surgical Podiatrist in
Scotland. This is a seconded post from
QMU. Colin will be based in the Royal
Infirmary of Edinburgh where he will work
as part of a multidisciplinary orthopaedic
team. This is a significant achievement
for Colin and a very positive step forward
for the podiatry profession. We wish Colin
every success in his new role.
Honours for top chef, Lord
Lieutenant and leading nurse
The UK’s most influential chef, a former
chief Scout and a leading nursing
figure credited with shifting the focus
of nursing to patient-centred care, all
received honorary degrees from QMU at
its 2011 summer graduation ceremony.
The honours reflected the University’s
commitment to teaching and research
that is relevant to today’s society.
Sir Garth Morrison
Albert Roux OBE
Alison Tierney CBE
Honorary doctorates were conferred on
the influential chef Albert Roux, OBE and
Legion d’Honneur, who revolutionised
British cooking in the 1960’s; Sir Garth
Morrison, KT, CBE, Her Majesty’s Lord
Lieutenant for East Lothian and former
Chief Scout; and Professor Alison Tierney
CBE, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of
Advanced Nursing and internationally
recognised nursing researcher and
educationalist.
QMU Principal, Professor Petra
Wend, said: “We recognise the unique
contribution of three distinguished
individuals who have addressed society’s
needs. Sir Garth Morrison, Professor
Tierney and Albert Roux have enhanced
the lives of others at home and abroad,
and have left their mark by sharing our
guiding values of inter-professional
education, inter-disciplinary work,
industry relevance and internationality.”
The event was also the first graduation
ceremony that recognised the
achievements of students who had
completed an entire honours degree at
QMU’s Craighall campus.
More green awards recognise
qmu’s focus on sustainability
The winning QMU team - Fraser Muir,
Steve Scott and Ivan Meyer
In the autumn, QMU gained two
prestigious green awards for its work in
the area of sustainability.
The University achieved success in the
Green Gown Awards for the third year in
a row. QMU was highly commended in
the Green ICT category of the prestigious
awards which recognise exceptional
initiatives undertaken by universities and
colleges across the UK to minimise their
environmental footprint and enhance their
social contribution.
The Green Gown award acknowledged
the University’s holistic approach to
green ICT, through which the University
has combined estates and information
technology to ensure both elements are
recognised as inseparable. The judges
said that QMU had demonstrated a
continual, concerted effort not only to
push a green ICT agenda, but also to
drive down costs and make the ICT
function more efficient.
The University was also highly
commended in the Energy Efficiency
Category of the Green Business Awards
2011.
Fraser Muir, Director of Information
Services at QMU, said: “Despite our early
success with our energy efficient building
and technology, we have not rested on
our laurels. We are totally committed
to climate change and sustainable
development and are continually
refining our processes to reduce energy
consumption and improve space
efficiency.”
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