SUMMER BALL 2007 - Seren - Bangor University

10 Seren - End of Year Issue 2007THE BIG INTERVIEW WithThank you for agreeing to have achat, I wanted to start with Vice-Chancellor stuff. You started backin 2004 and it’s been seen asa modernising period in theUniversity - a couple of yearsin, how do you think theUniversity has changed?Iformally started back in2004, having been actingVice-Chancellor [VC]for a period and I had alsobeen Pro-Vice-Chancellor[PVC] for some years, 6 yearsactually - because I’d been aPVC for quite a long time and because I’dbeen acting VC, I think I was very aware ofwhat needed to be done.A major part of the first two yearswas to ensure that we have a much moretransparent and efficient managementsystem – for a purpose, though, for theachievement of excellence and particularlythe emphasis on improving our researchreputation and performance, increasingstudent recruitment, improving our estatefor staff and students and a whole rangeof other things – getting degree-awardingpowers, trying to attract major researchcouncil funding, those are all things whichwe have achieved in the first two and a halfyears.That’s quite a quickturnaround – haveyou got more thingsto achieve, or is it just a caseof improving on what you’vegot now?Ithink we’re in a periodnow where there willbe a certain amount ofchange; it was necessary atthe beginning to get a lotof things done – we needto consolidate and makesure that the new college structure worksproperly, which means a certain amount ofdevolution in responsibility to the colleges.And aiming to look again at the studentexperience more generally – we need to beconstantly improving.Talking aboutstudent expectationimproving theproduct – are studentscustomers these days?I’m an old-fashionedchap really, I find itreally difficult to think ofstudents only as customers.It makes me wince.Well, having taughtfor 35 years, I stillsee students aspeople you work with, youteach, but there is no avoiding the culturalshift, which is a long-term one over thepast 20 years, where people see themselvesas customers and are more demanding andwant a better product. We’re operating in adifferent environment. There’s also the issueof student fees – once students are payingindividually for their educations then theytechnically do become customers, and onehas to be conscious of that. There’s a directlink between the student and the product...I’m always a bit nervous about takingthese terms and applying them to highereducation, but they do have a force.When the Students’ Union President, Sam Burnett volunteered to interviewthe Vice Chancellor of the University, Merfyn Jones, SEREN leapt at thechance to print the interview. Armed with a dictaphone and Sam’s ownpressing questions, he set off up the hill with the aim of getting to thebottom of what makes the VC tick. Out came a fascinating 5000 wordinterview. An abridged version is printed here, but for the full version logonto www.samburnett.co.ukIimagine it’s quite difficultfor the University,because you’re not justgiving an education; it’s alifestyle as well. How does theUniversity meet a challengelike that?Being at university, if one is a full timestudent, is a crucial period in people’slives – of course the education youreceive is central, but so are all the otheractivities. I think there aretimes in higher educationwhere that can be lost sightof. In some larger institutionsthey do think entirely interms of the product, ratherthan seeing it in terms of amuch broader experience.That experience can strongly affectstudents’ lives, – I wasn’t eventhinking of politics when I came toBangor, but when I came toUniversity and got involvedwith the Students’ Union…it’s quite a strong influenceon people’s lives we’ve got asa university.Ithink the whole idea of aUniversity is somethingwe need to think aboutfor the future. We can seeelements of it clearly – theenvironment in Bangor is aninfluence, part of the Bangorexperience. There are other things as well -accommodation, interaction students havewith each other, social life. Bangor has manyfeatures of a campus university, in that itfeels like a campus, but actually it isn’t,because it’s in this small city.I see this area where the University is asmore of a student village really. Perhaps theFfriddoedd development, another thousandstudents there, will allow us to do that. But Ithink you’re right, we have to think outsideof teaching and learning.Ididn’t realise untilrecently that Sian Hopeand Meri Huws werethe first women PVCs theUniversity has had - was thata natural progression, or is ithard to challenge academicsin some areas?It still remains the casethat across HE withinsenior managementwomen are few and farbetween. I think there areonly two or three femaleVCs out of 120 institutions– as a lifelong feminist I find that difficultto accept - that cannot reflect the talent thatis available. By saying that I’m a lifelongfeminist – I should explain that I attendedthe first women’s liberation meeting inOxford in 1969, I think it was…That was brave. Higher education, is itmore forward thinking than forwarddoing? Academics are very…thoughtful people; does thatnot necessarily translate intopractical things? There’s thatold saying isn’t there – “thosewho can, do…”Idon’t buy that – HEhas actually changedphenomenally over thepast 30 years or so, in termsof numbers of students,responding to challenges.It’s unfair to say thatuniversities, academics are thinkers ratherthan doers. Academics can be very activein changing their environment. I genuinelydon’t share that view of ivory towers,dreamy academics and so on – academicslive in the real world, more so than peoplegive them credit for.I’ll give you that one. I’dlike to talk more aboutyou now – how do youbecome a VC? Is it somethingyou can set out to do? Whendid you start wanting to beone?Idon’t think I’d be in aposition of how to writea manual on how tobecome a Vice-Chancellor. Ican’t say it’s been a burningdesire throughout my career.Looking back I can see that ithas been a long apprenticeship, if not beinga vice chancellor then doing somethingsimilar. From a very early point in myacademic career I found myself being askedto carry a certain amount of managerialresponsibility.I’ve found as Presidentthat when you take ona title or a job like that,people tend to depersonaliseyou, or treat you in a certainway and assume certainthings about you... I alwaysfind it important to have things that I’vealways done like hobbies, to get away fromit. Did you find the same sort of thing andhow do you maintain Merfyn Jones outsideof work?It shouldn’t havesurprised me, but it did,because people see youas the Vice-Chancellor ratherthan ‘me’ and I suppose thatthere is a certain kind ofsomething that goes withbeing a VC but it can be depersonalising,you’re right. There are two ways I counterit – I try to be myself…I’m quite open andinformal, there’s no ceremony or statusissues – my approach is informal and myapproach is to treat everyone as equals. Thisis reinforced as I don’t live in a VC’s lodge ona leafy part of the campus as many do – myhouse is actually in the centre of Caernarfon,airs and graces wouldn’t see me to the end ofthe road! Once I’m at home I’m just anotherguy in the street.INTERNATIONALSTUDENTSstudents from more thanseventy-one countries, Bangor’sinternational student populationis growing rapidly. During the academicyear 2002/03, it was as low as 290. A surveyfor the academic year 2006/07 shows thatUWB international students have increasedin number, up to 580. However, it’s stillgrowing. The campus has attracted theinterest of many students worldwide withits natural environment and low crime rate.Most students who have studied or alreadystudying tell friends and family about thequiet and friendly campus, while studentssearching for the best campus to study findBangor interesting and attractive.The majority of students who wonscholarships over the years throughorganisational bodies such as theCommonwealth have also chosen UWB, andfrom experience they weren’t disappointed,and highly proud of what they will achievein their studying environment.While international students makeBangor their second home, with the helpof the Students’ Union they can meet andinteract with other international students;award bodies such as SHINE also give themthe opportunity to express their feelingsand knowledge. SHINE helps internationalstudents all over UK by asking applyingstudents to write a “letter home” to familiesand friends. Students use this opportunityto express themselves and what they haveachieved while studying abroad.A regional winner this year, Yusi Liu,22, from China, brightened up the yearfor other international students by makingthem aware of such award bodies. The 3 rdyear psychology student has wide experiencein travelling and volunteering work. Whenshe became Welsh International Student ofthe Year 2007, she inspired a large numberof other students who have undergone aninteresting and stunning experiences whilestudying.Yusi came to study at the University inlate 2003, and started an English course.While thinking of studying abroad, shesearched the net and had a wide rangeof other universities and English schoolsto choose from, but had her eye fixed onBangor, “I wanted a quiet and nice placeto study, so when I read about Bangor, themountains, Snowdonia and mostly, the lowcrime rate, then I knew it was the right placefor me”. She said “with help from people inthe nice friendly environment, I felt for thetown and decided to do my degree in theUniversity.”Yusi won the Welsh InternationalStudent of the Year and a £1000 prize money,hosted by the British Council. She headed toLondon for the finals, and even though shewasn’t the chosen one, she has done Bangorinternational students proud. “I was verylucky to be chosen to sit on the top tablewith the Chairman of the British Council– the Rt Hon. Lord Neil Kinnock, the BBCnews presenter Moira Stuart OBE, and thefamous shoe designer Dato Professor JimmyChoo, OBE” she said. “The whole ceremonywas well organised and I got my trophy asthe Wales International Student of the Year2007 on the stage” she added.Alan Edward, the International StudentsWelfare Adviser adds that Bangor specificallyis a beautiful place to live, has a cheapstudent environment and is in a low crimearea. His advice to international students isto get involved in both student and local lifeactivities, see and experience, take part andtry as many helpful things as you can”.Bangor has helped its internationalstudents in a variety of ways, from a goodwelfare service to scholarships. It is now leftup to these students to be active and effective,participate and help make people aware ofboth the university and themselves.“There is no place like home, Bangor ismy home”, said Xavier, 24, a student fromthe English and Literature department,originally from Martinique. Something thatmost international students are also proudto quote.Noellin Imoh