Vice-Chancellor's Reading Today column - December 2021
05 January 2022
Vice-Chancellor Robert Van de Noort has a monthly column with Reading Today and Wokingham today, where he shares University news and updates with the local community.
Reflections on 2021
Looking back on 2021 gives me immense pride when I think of all the achievements of our students, colleagues and our local community, despite some challenging circumstances.
As a university, we began the year with students learning online from home, and I am happy to say we ended it with our first graduation ceremonies for two years. It was wonderful to give our students, and their families, the opportunity to celebrate their academic achievements, even though things looked a little different this year due to enhanced COVID-19 safety measures.
It took a huge effort to bring these ceremonies together and I am grateful to all of those involved.
Other significant achievements in the year include the launch of our new film and TV studios in Shinfield, our collective work on climate change which has seen us honoured with a Queen's Anniversary Prize - the highest national honour for a UK institution in higher education, and the publication of our Race Equality Review. We also learnt in December that two of the biggest science superpowers in Reading and Wokingham boroughs will be coming together on the same site, as the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts agreed to move its headquarters from Shinfield Road to our Whiteknights campus.
The University also supported Reading’s bid for City Status, which was submitted this month by Reading Borough Council, with our work on climate change and sustainability being central to the submission. This is a great example of how town and gown can come together to do more for local residents. Even if we don’t reach City Status, this is still a fantastic opportunity to celebrate everything that makes Reading, and the wider area, a great place to live and work.
What strikes me is the important role that community has played in these achievements. All of these projects brought together a community of people, both inside and outside the University, working together and towards one goal, which will ultimately benefit an even wider community.
As the pandemic takes yet another twist, it is this sense of community that will make us stronger and more resilient to what may lie ahead.
As we look ahead to 2022, there will no doubt be new challenges, but also new opportunities. I am confident that by working together we will meet these head on so that we can continue to achieve our goals, for both the University and the towns of Wokingham and Reading.
Previous columns
- Investing for long-term success (Saturday 27 November)
- Looking ahead to COP26 (Wednesday 27 October)
- How the University of Reading is helping to bring one of the world’s fastest-growing industries to the Thames Valley (Tuesday 5 October)