Triple recognition for Harper Adams University
Harper Adams University was celebrating a hat-trick of UK-wide recognition this week after being shortlisted for two national awards and revealed as one of the country’s most welcoming universities.
Harper Adams is in the running to be crowned the UK’s University of the Year in the 10th annual Times Higher Education Awards. The university has been chosen as one of six finalists in recognition of successes during the 2012-13 academic year, during which it secured university title, recruited its highest ever undergraduate intake, took research student numbers to a record high, and saw 100 per cent growth in research income.
Harper Adams is also a finalist in the Outstanding Contribution to Innovation and Technology category of Awards, in recognition of its work to drive innovation in advanced agricultural engineering. Vice-Chancellor Dr David Llewellyn said: “I am thrilled that the hard work of our engineers has been rewarded with a shortlisting in the ‘Innovation and Technology’ award category. Their contribution to the engineering and agri-technology sectors is growing apace, and they are playing a vital national role in education and research in this field.
“To learn that we have also been shortlisted in the top category of ‘University of the Year’ is, however, the icing on the cake, and recognition that our staff and students have created a university community that is considered, by our peers, to be amongst the best in the UK.”
Hundreds of THE Awards nominations for outstanding institutions, departments and individuals were submitted across 18 categories covering the full range of university activity. The winners will be announced on Thursday 27 November 2014.
Hot on the heels of the THE announcement, Harper Adams University was revealed as the fourth most welcoming university in the UK, as part of research into student dropout rates.
Analysis by research consultancy YouthSight showed that universities which fail to make a good first impression on students are more likely to suffer higher dropout rates than those that make undergraduates feel welcome in the first month. The Higher Expectations Survey conducted by YouthSight concludes that some elite institutions are in danger of seeing more youngsters failing to complete their courses because they are not meeting student expectations.
The consultancy has not named institutions deemed the most unwelcoming, but has revealed the universities that register the highest proportion of 'excellent' early experiences:
1. University of Cambridge
2. University of Oxford
3. University of St Andrews
4. Harper Adams University
5. University of Durham
Dr Llewellyn commented: “We work extremely hard to make sure that our students feel welcome and that they quickly become part of the Harper Adams community. When coupled with consistently high employment rates of over 96%, our students are not only getting a high quality academic experience but our graduates are also getting a great start to their future career.”
Research was carried out by YouthSight amongst 10,358 new students in the UK during the period 14 November 2013 and 7 March 2014. Higher Expectations is the most comprehensive survey of new students in the UK.
