Annual Review 2016

The last year at Goldsmiths cannot be reviewed without first acknowledging the extraordinary external events which have occurred over the last 12 months.

The Referendum and US election were truly seismic. Without doubt higher education will feel the aftershocks for some time, with both events impacting life on campus.

They will also help inform ongoing change in our sector. The Higher Education and Reform Bill is proceeding through Parliament, leading to possibly the biggest shift in the higher education landscape within a generation.

So, we live in interesting times.

But amid these challenges Goldsmiths is doing what Goldsmiths does best: rising and engaging with these changes through a powerful collective creativity.

We have had a year to remember, rising 12 places in the benchmark Sunday Times Good University Guide, being named one of the world’s most international universities by the QS University Rankings and receiving praise for our international outlook in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

 

At a time when many are retreating, we are extending our offering. We’ve strengthened ties with international partners to show our commitment to working on a global scale.

We have opened offices in New York and Beijing to help tell the world about Goldsmiths – and bring students from these countries to New Cross.

Closer to home we’ve continued engaging with our local community: we opened Lewisham’s first cinema for 15 years, sponsored local festivals and welcomed more than 4,000 people to campus by hosting Bestival at Goldsmiths, our very own celebration of creativity co-hosted with alumi Rob and Josie da Bank.

 

This work will carry on: Turner Prize-winning architectural collective Assemble continue to shape the new public art gallery at Goldsmiths with the space due to open in the next academic year.

We will also keep pushing academic boundaries. This year we achieved a world first with the launch of our MA in Queer History while our new undergraduate Economics programme has won widespread praise.

There is no coincidence that these are real-world issues which have true relevance today. We know it is our responsibility to continue to challenge, extend and innovate, and to respond to our changing realities by using all the ability and talent we can draw on from within the Goldsmiths community.

We are so fortunate to be in this position and must use this precious gift to provide leadership and insight to the benefit of all.

I trust the stories in the Annual Review (PDF download) will show how we have been doing just that over the last 12 months – and will continue to do so during and beyond this time of challenge and change.