We would like to respond to an article which has today (25/03/23) been published in the Sunday Times.
The University made repeated attempts to try to engage with the newspaper to provide a fair and accurate reflection of the position of the University of Hull.
As a University we oppose in the strongest possible terms the picture presented as it does not reflect our thriving university community, does not reflect the financial results for 2021-22; does not reflect current student demand; and does not reflect our improvement in league tables, REF or KEF performance.
We made no secret about the challenges the University faced four years ago. Difficult decisions were made and decisive action was taken. Our university community pulled together and worked tirelessly and today the University is thriving. Last year was our strongest financial year since 2018 and our income is the highest it has been in five years. We made an operating surplus of £37.5m and we expect to make a substantial operating surplus this financial year. Our university community is at the heart of everything we do and this substantial surplus will be reinvested into the campus and facilities in order to create and even better experience for both our students and staff.
In addition, applications to study at the University of Hull are up 34.1% on last year – an increase of 9,566 and our staff numbers have grown by 143 since July 2021. We are proud to be one of the highest risers in the UK and the highest riser in Yorkshire for research excellence, according to rankings from Times Higher Education (THE).
This strong performance saw us secure £86m of green funding to invest in sustainable facilities and infrastructure, accelerating our ambition of becoming a carbon neutral campus in 2027. The funding is being invested in world-class laboratories and teaching spaces, carbon efficient and carbon neutral buildings, as well as additional renewable energy and digital infrastructure.
None of this would have been possible without taking the difficult decisions that we did. We launched our ambitious new strategy to ‘Shape a fairer, brighter, carbon neutral future’ last year, and we are working hard as a university community to bring this to reality. We are confident and excited about our future and the positive impact we can have both regionally and nationally.
We are disappointed, as I’m sure our students and staff are, that the Sunday Times has chosen to paint a picture of our university which simply does not reflect our current situation.