The programme, which broadcasts to millions across East Asia, invited Professor Lauder and the co-author of the book, Professor Phillip Brown from Cardiff University, to discuss economic competitiveness.

The book addresses that for decades, the idea that more education will lead to greater individual and national prosperity has been a cornerstone of developed economies. It challenges this conventional wisdom and reconsiders the views about how the global economy really works and how to thrive in it.

The Princess Royal has always been a great friend to the University as well as a frequent visitor – she commented that it was nice for her to see me at the Palace for a change.

The investiture event is rooted in the country’s traditions and yet I was struck by how diverse the range of individuals and their achievements were. Rather than looking back to this country’s past the focus felt firmly on celebrating its future.

This underlined to me both the importance of valuing the diversity of people’s contributions and the important role we, as a University, have in the country’s future. It was very fitting to see someone who champions innovation and entrepreneurship, Sir Jonathan Ive of Apple, knighted in the same ceremony.

On a personal note it was a very joyous occasion. We were treated wonderfully by everyone and it really did run like clockwork. It’s now only just struck me for the first time that I am a Dame.

But these awards are not for individuals, they are for a community’s achievements and I am deeply grateful to everyone who has helped develop the University into such a dynamic centre for research, teaching and learning. This award feels like the highest level of accolade for the progress we have all made, thank you.

A report was previously presented in 2009 and provided a comprehensive view of the history of the development of campus, the drivers for change, the underpinning evidence base, and the consultation undertaken.

Since that time development on campus has continued apace and the specific proposals outlined in the 2001 Masterplan have now been developed. These include the new 4 West, the Student Centre, the East building and improvements to the Arrivals Area.

Martyn Whalley, Director of Estates, said: “We have continued to engage with key stakeholders in the development of the new Masterplan.  Following comments and public consultation in the Guildhall in 2008 we have made amendments to address comments.

“We are indebted to the input from our staff, students, and the local residents in helping us formulate this plan.  It also aligns with the Bath & North East Somerset Core Strategy document and has the same timeline of 2026.”

The Higher Education landscape in the UK has also changed significantly in the last three years, most notably in terms of Government policy and student funding.

Whilst the University is still expected to grow between now and 2026 it is extremely difficult to accurately predict by how much and in which areas.

“The implication of this for the Masterplan is that a greater degree of flexibility is required in terms of specific nature and timing of development proposals to be able to respond to needs and priorities at that time,” added Martyn.

“This new Masterplan embraces all of the features in the draft document which enhance the unique setting of the University campus and allow us to continue to develop and maintain our position as a major employer and destination for students and research funding.”

Kate will receive the award at a ceremony to be held in Newcastle this September.

The award is made in recognition of Kate’s exceptional contributions to professional practice over the past decade, whilst she has been working at the University of Bath, both in serving the University and in her work for the wider community.

It highlights her interest in partnership and inclusion, demonstrated in projects focussing on transition points in education and how these may be supported, through work with both school pupils and students in further and higher education. In this work she has formalised international reading projects and instigated and supported international learning partnerships.

Her work on library design has informed the development of creative and purposeful learning spaces and her experimentation with social technologies in a service context has engendered significant interest and engagement within the educational communities.

University Librarian Howard Nicholson said: “I offer Kate my sincere congratulations on this well-earned recognition. Kate is the antidote to narrow professionalism and has taken the core skills of the information professional and demonstrated how they can be used to improve student support from school level right through to their experience at university.”

Staff member Fay Hollister was the city’s first Olympic torchbearer, running with the flame past our Sports Training Village and St John’s Field and through to the University entrance, before handing on to the next torchbearer to carry it on towards the city centre.

Fay, from the Department of Mathematical Sciences, was greeted by 5,000 spectators who had gathered in glorious sunshine to enjoy the celebration.

“The experience and feeling of carrying the Olympic torch was unbelievable, and the crowds at the University were amazing,” said Fay. “The whole day far exceeded even my wildest expectations. The people of Bath are so supportive and made the whole event extra special. It’s something I will never forget.”

(l-r) King Edward’s schoolchildren Francesca, Joshua and Tristan. “I’m nervous about being in the final but very excited,” said Tristan “It’s the first time I’ve seen the Olympic Torch in my life and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Students Hanna Wade and Jamie Barrow were also torchbearers in Bath and enjoyed their moments of Olympic history in the city centre, with Jamie receiving the Torch from Bath’s Olympic gold medallist and University ambassador Jason Gardener.

Over 800 children from local schools were part of the crowd that watched the Torch Relay on campus, having taken part in an Ancient Olympics on St John’s Field. The children had created costumes and built chariots at school for a morning of running races, javelin and discuss throwing and chariot racing.

Francesca Hender, aged 10 from King Edward’s School in Bath, said: “I’m really happy to be here and really excited about being in the finals. I’ve seen the Olympic Torch on TV and I feel like I’m really lucky to see it.”

For many of the children it was the culmination of a week of Olympic themed activities and events at school.

Stephen Baddeley, Director of Sport, said: “It was a fantastic day and an opportunity for the University of Bath to celebrate the lead up to the biggest sporting show on earth. We were proud
and exhilarated to have the Olympic Torch on campus.

“It was particularly fitting to see the Torch here given the important role the University has played in helping athletes prepare for Olympic and Paralympic Games past and present.

“It was also great to see so many young people taking part in the Ancient Olympics. It’s an important part of our ethos that we are ‘open to all’, providing opportunities for young people to enjoy our world-leading facilities.”

Dame Glynis received the prestigious honour for her services to higher education on Wednesday 23 May. She has been Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath since 2001 and under her leadership the University’s reputation as a centre of world-class research and teaching has grown significantly.

She has also led the establishment of a flagship sports facility on the campus where many international and medal-winning athletes now train, not least in the build-up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Dame Glynis has an international reputation as a social psychologist. She has written more than 20 books and is active as a policy adviser and researcher specialising on leadership, identity processes and risk management.

Her research has resulted in her acting as an advisor to many government departments, multi-national corporations and not-for-profit organisations.

She has championed nationally the role of universities in scientific and technological innovation, exploitation and economic regeneration, and has worked over many years to widen participation in science and achieve knowledge transfer from higher education to business.

Commenting on the ceremony, Dame Glynis said: “The investiture event is rooted in the country’s traditions and yet I was struck by how diverse the range of individuals and their achievements were. Rather than looking back to this country’s past the focus felt firmly on celebrating its future. This underlined to me both the importance of valuing the diversity of people’s contributions and the important role we, as a University, have in the country’s future.

“I am deeply grateful to everyone who has helped develop the University into such a dynamic centre for research, teaching and learning. This award feels like the highest level of accolade for the progress we have all made.”

Each school was represented by a team of four 11-13 year olds. During the morning the teams took part in a competitive murder mystery challenge in which they used forensic skills to analyse the evidence from the crime scene and decide ‘whodunnit’.

In the afternoon, they competed in the “University Challenge”, a practical activity chosen by the University, in which they were required to “Fix the Tardis” before Dr Who fell prey to the daleks!

This was followed by a fun lecture, given by Dr Mike Hill and Dr Randolf Köhn (Department of Chemistry), involving flashes, bangs, mini volcanoes, screaming jelly babies and much more.

The day ended with a prizegiving at which all participants were given individual fun prizes and participation certificates and the winning teams were awarded prizes for their schools.

Science students use chemistry to find 'whodunnit'

Organiser Dr Simon Lewis, a lecturer in chemistry at the University of Bath, said: “The teams have all had a fantastic day out, they’ve had a chance to try their hand at using chemistry to solve problems and hopefully they will go away with the realisation that not only is chemistry important in every aspect of our lives, but it can also be fun!”

The Salters’ Festival of Chemistry is an initiative of The Salters’ Institute, whose aim is to promote the appreciation of chemistry and related sciences among the young. The festival at the University of Bath was one of a series of 54 festivals taking place at universities throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland between March and June 2012.

The festivals were held in partnership with the Salters’ Institute and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Bath is ranked 9^th out of 120 universities and colleges across the UK – a rise of five places on last year.

The Guardian’s table, published online and in the newspaper, focuses on how well a university educates its students rather than the research it conducts.

Its criteria for judging a university include:

• how satisfied their final-year students are – in the teaching, the feedback & assessment and overall;
• how much they spend per student;
• the student/staff ratio;
• the career prospects of their graduates;
• a value added score;
• and what grades pupils have to achieve to stand a chance of being offered a place.

Bath’s strong showing in many of these key quality performance indicators has led to its place in the top ten nationally.

The University is ranked fifth for student satisfaction; equal fifth in the UK for graduate prospects; and tenth in the UK for student satisfaction in the teaching provided.

Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath, said: “We are delighted with our performance in this latest league table which reflects the very high standards of teaching we deliver here at Bath.

“We have always put engaging with and listening to our students at the heart of our efforts to improve the student experience we offer.”

“
 The very high student satisfaction score is particularly important to us as it reflects students’ view of our complete offer, encompassing teaching quality, career prospects, support services, an award-winning Students’ Union, and the real warmth and friendliness of our campus.
”

— Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath

 “Our performance in this year’s table is also testament to all the hard work by staff at Bath. We are again ranked well ahead of the majority of the self-proclaimed elite on what really matters to students – a great all round experience and the best chance of success in the future.”

Further details about the University Guide are available on The Guardian website.