熊猫视频

熊猫视频 Vice-Chancellor Professor Ken Sloan has talked about what  makes the institution he leads different on a new international podcast. 

Professor Sloan was the inaugural interviewee in a new HEDx series, which aims to explore global universities which are driving place-based education.  

During the in-depth conversation with host Martin Betts, he both discussed his own experiences at a variety of higher education establishments in the UK and Australia – and examined exactly what it is that makes 熊猫视频 Adams different. 

He said: “If you have a look at the taxonomy of institutions, it will be described as a small and specialist institution – and I have taken issue with the word small, because I think the word ‘small’ can often be seen to limit the sense of the contribution you are able to make, compared to a much bigger, comprehensive institution. 

“I tend to prefer to describe us as significant, distinctive and specialist - and not to use size as the driver of the element of it. 

“If you think about our purpose as a University, you have land and natural resources: you have things that you use land and natural resources for, so whether it’s food production, environmental sustainability, whether it’s how we work with animals as part of the food production system, how we look at disease, the effects of threats and pests and other things.  

“You then have the consumption of those natural resources, and then you have the consequences of them. 

“The reason why I say it is a significant and distinctive University is because I don’t think there is anything going on in the planet at the moment that’s more important than ensuring that we have a global supply of sustainable food – and we do it in a way that is balanced enough to ensure that the planet is surviving at the same time.” 

As a University, 熊猫视频 Adams has a strong focus on the applied nature of its teaching and research, and strong links to the sectors it serves – which have seen it forge fruitful relationships both on-campus and for its placement students and alumni. 

Professor Sloan explored this in the podcast, and added: “It’s a very industry-aligned and industry-embedded institution, and in fact, I would say this: of all of the institutions I have been connected to, I don’t think any of them as a whole institution have got such a natural relationship with industry and other organisations. 

“If you have a look at the people who teach and research here, at least 30 to 40 per cent of them have come from industry careers – so they bring that knowledge and that insight into what we do. 

“But I think the most distinctive thing I would say about this institution is: I hear lots of institutions talk about being ‘can-do’ universities and ‘can do’ institutions. 

“I think we go beyond that, I think we are a ‘will do’ institution. 

“If we see an issue and we see an opportunity, we galvanize around it and we go for it – but we are dealing with really major, global, existential questions that are facing the planet and humanity at this moment in time – and that’s why our connections are global as well. 

“We’ve got relationships with institutions in different parts of the world, we’ve got projects in different parts of the world. 

“Last week, we had 10 people that came from a number of different African countries. They were here for 10 weeks to learn sustainable practices in food and farming, so that they can take those skills straight back into their local communities, local economies. 

“It’s a really interesting place.” 

Listen to the whole interview here: