It is little over a year since we embarked on a journey that is set to transform higher education in Wales.
It has been, and continues to be, a challenging undertaking but at the same time there exists a heightened sense of anticipation and a realisation that we are at the cusp of something quite unique within the university sector in Wales. Rarely, in these hard economic times, is a Vice Chancellor afforded the opportunity to lead on the creation of a new university. Such a task will involve us all, as governors, staff, students as well as the extended communities of Trinity University College and the University of Wales Lampeter.
There is a great expectation for the creation of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David with over £18 million of government investment already secured for its future. We are working alongside the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) and partners to ensure that collectively we will make a significant difference to the lives of individuals and communities in Wales and beyond.
UW Trinity Saint David will build upon the excellence of both Lampeter and Trinity to drive forward a radical strategic plan that will address the specific needs of the region whilst also providing programmes of study attractive to students from all parts of the UK and internationally. It will be a new university for Wales but will extend its reach far beyond the boundaries of
Wales to promote inward and outward knowledge transfer.
It will promote excellence in research, scholarship, learning and teaching, through which it will make a considerable investment in the knowledge economy and social innovation. It will support economic growth, social and cultural development as well as the development of communities in its immediate environs to widen access and participation in higher education.
Nationally rooted
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David will be a catalyst for transformational change in South West Wales. It will act as a strategic hub for a new regional confederal framework which will bridge school, further education and local authority adult community education. It will offer a regional model for the development and delivery of integrated learning pathways that will transcend educational boundaries and secure regional progression. Through collaboration with further education colleges, schools, local authorities as well as other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and employers in the region, it will develop provision relevant to the needs of Wales and its communities.
Through its academic units, the University will provide a distinctive and unique curriculum with a strong emphasis on Welsh cultural heritage and bilingualism. It will develop key academies in partnership with other organisations to take forward strategic priorities relating to cultural, social and economic development which will not only benefit the region, but also the wider needs of Wales: The Public Service Academy will provide bilingual training and continuing professional development for public service organisations in Wales.
The Digital Arts and Humanities Centre will create a unique resource with a Welsh perspective to strengthen existing, and create new, expertise in providing access to and analysis of text and images through digital media.
The development of a Rural Health and Social Care Centre, in partnership with the National Health Service and Social Services, will lead research and training in the unique context of health and social care needs of rural communities.
The Welsh Heritage Academy will provide training, research and practical support to the Welsh heritage sector, supporting tourism and local communities in such areas as interpretation, landscape, archaeology, the arts and culture.
The Associate Faculty will provide a seamless pathway to university level study for students within secondary schools and further education colleges. It has already been developed in direct response to the Welsh Assembly Government’s policy for transforming the provision of education and training post-16.
The Skills Hub - Y Goleudy – will become a multifaceted bilingual training and support facility providing academicindustry interaction through networks including employers and Sector Skills Councils. It will develop centres across the region in partnership with other providers to find outlets for the expertise of staff within the University as well as a conduit for the University to engage with external organisations.
UW Trinity Saint David will build upon the partnerships created through the South West Wales Higher Education Partnership to create further alliances and networks of excellence across Wales.
Globally connected
The University will develop scholarship, research, learning and teaching of world-class standard. Building upon the excellent research rating of academic departments based at the Saint David campus in Lampeter, it will develop research activity of world-class renown in key academic areas. It will engage in research activity across both campuses and disciplines in order to underpin learning and teaching of the highest standard.
Our networks and partners extend across the globe providing opportunities to encourage inward investment into the region through capital developments and student recruitment as well as short course provision and fellowship programmes for international students and staff.
It will also develop the UW Trinity Saint David brand in other countries through partnerships in the Far East, particularly through the expertise of the Confucius Centre; and in the Middle East, through the Centre for Islamic Studies. It will continue to promote Welsh heritage and culture through opportunities in the United States of America, particularly through such initiatives as the Welsh American Academy.
The University will develop the success of the existing universities in attracting students from across the UK and internationally. They not only bring with them unique and external perspectives into our lecture rooms and seminar groups, they also make a significant contribution to the University community and the economic prosperity of the region.
Above all, UW Trinity Saint David brand will stand for excellence in terms of the opportunities, experiences and added value it creates for its community of staff and students. It will celebrate the distinctiveness of higher education in South West Wales and will use its networks and expertise to communicate such distinctiveness to the rest of the world.
I hope that you will join us as we embark upon this historic journey.
Dr Medwin Hughes
Vice Chancellor Designate
University of Wales Trinity Saint David
