Throughout the 2023/24 academic year, we have seen a variety of great successes across the university. I am proud that we became the first UK university to receive the institutional Athena Swan Gold award in recognition of our focus on equality and we were recognised for our work tackling some of the most pressing problems of our time, ranking within the Top 200 in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024, against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.  

The university is rightly proud of its rich sporting heritage and this year, we were again named Sports University of the Year by two separate university league tables, demonstrating our continued commitment to sporting excellence and the importance of sports as part of a university student experience. The university also continues to thrive in delivering outstanding research and remains deeply rooted in its region as an important driver of economic and social growth, nurturing some truly outstanding students. 

All UK universities, face financial pressures, due to the impact of high inflation, rising utility costs and a fixed home student fee. We have faced these challenges ourselves, with changes in student recruitment patterns causing some uncertainty in parallel with increased demand for spending on our estate. We remain in a strong position within the sector, but still needed to respond appropriately and make decisions to ensure organisational resilience within the year. We have also supported our students, who face their own financial challenges, as best we can. 

Preparing for the future is important even in the best of times, but it is even more so in the volatile political, social and economic environment of today. In response to colleague engagement and feedback, we are ambitious about developing and delivering an operating model as part of our Future Nottingham vision for the university. This will create an environment which is, more streamlined, open, and transparent, with clarity of accountability for all colleagues and students, making our university fit for the future.  

Professor Jane Norman

Interim President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham