On Friday 3 November, almost 300 alumni, friends and supporters of the University came together for the 14th annual House of Lords reception to celebrate the successes that the University has achieved over the last year and the launch of the bold new appeal, 10,000 Lives.
Hosted by the University’s Chancellor, Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea CBE DL, and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir David Eastwood, this celebration was attended by alumni and friends from across four continents, representing almost 70 years of the University’s history, with alumni from graduating years spanning from 1945 to 2017.
You can view and download the event photos from our Flickr site.
Lord Bilimoria took the opportunity to warmly welcome everyone to the event, and to share in some of the University’s recent successes, including our ranking as a top 100 university of over 8,000 universities according to the QS University Rankings.
Professor Sir David Eastwood highlighted some of the university’s major achievements over the past year, including the new postgraduate teaching centre for the Business School, the Alan Walters Building, and the newly built Sport & Fitness club. He also mentioned upcoming campus developments, including the Collaborative Teaching Laboratory, the Green Heart, and the Birmingham Life Sciences Park in Selly Park.
The Vice-Chancellor also shared the university’s global ambitions with attendees in the room. In May, the University announced a new partnership with Jinan University, which will allow students to receive degrees from both universities. As well, he mentioned the University will open a campus in Dubai in November, becoming the first global top 100 and Russell Group University to establish a campus in this burgeoning international education hub.
The highlight of the evening came when the Vice-Chancellor officially launched the University’s brand new appeal, 10,000 Lives. This exciting new initiative forms the first phase of the University’s next campaign, which will launch publicly in the years ahead. The appeal is unique within the Higher Education sector because its success will be measured on the number of lives it changes, not on reaching a financial target. It will raise aspirations in 11-18 year old prospective students, develop confidence and employability amongst our current students, and support young alumni as they start their careers.
Thank you to everyone that attended and made the evening such a wonderful occasion. We are grateful for your continuing support, which is critical to the ongoing success of the University.
Next year’s House of Lords reception will take place in autumn 2018. Details of the event will be emailed to all alumni and online booking will be available in August. To ensure you receive your invitation, please visit www.your.bham.ac.uk to update your details.