Provost's view
In a remarkable year in the history of UCL, Dr Michael Spence reflects on present triumphs and looks ahead to future achievements
People | Portico Magazine | Autumn 2023
This September we saw a genuine landmark in the life and history of UCL, with our new UCL East campus in Stratford, London now fully open. Our Marshgate building, which is home to our Advanced Propulsion Lab, the Manufacturing Futures Lab, the Culture Lab, the Institute of Making and more, has been completed. This follows the opening of the Pool Street building last year. From this year, over 2,000 students will live and study on the new campus, rising to 4,000 over the next few years.
UCL East means a whole new mind-set and way of working for UCL. Just as Bloomsbury has become imbued with UCL traditions, histories, stories and nostalgia – some of which are beautifully captured with alumni in this magazine – so the area around the Olympic Park will be shaped by UCL. Successive generations of students and staff making it their home will shape it over the years and decades to come.
UCL East is one of the most significant developments for UCL since we were founded nearly 200 years ago and it is hard not to be thrilled by how it expands and evolves our academic focuses in ways that would not have been possible at Bloomsbury. If you are planning a visit to UCL, please do take some time to visit UCL East as well as the more familiar spots on the Bloomsbury campus.
And also on a celebratory note, we were delighted by the news that UCL has been named as the Sunday Times University of the Year. When I look at the many elements cited by the Good University Guide in its recognition of UCL, I am struck repeatedly by fact that this accolade could only have been awarded to us because of the way that the entire UCL community works together to further the local innovations and international impacts that make us London’s Global University. From the world-leading medical research which is helping to transform millions of lives, to the academic excellence which sees UCL voices shaping the global response to the challenges of our age, and the “visionary” UCL East campus. These are all areas where not only our staff and students have contributed, but which have benefitted significantly from generous support from alumni and donors.
We are now making preparations to mark our bicentenary in 2026. This will not just be a moment to celebrate a journey that has taken us from small subversive challenger institution to one of the world’s top 10 universities (though it is that as well), but also an opportunity to engage our global community of alumni, supporters, partners and to reflect on the ways in which the world is better because of UCL being part of it and the legacy we want to build for our next 200 years. We will be launching our next philanthropic campaign and activities will take place throughout the year, focused on our past, current and future impact and how we can use this moment to build our global profile.
As I have written in Portico magazine before, I feel strongly that the ability to disagree well is one of the skills that all UCL students should develop during their time here. We have also launched our new Disagreeing Well programme. I’m very pleased that two alumni are already working with us on the programme. International mediator Mia Forbes Pirie (LLB Law with French Law 1998) chaired our internal launch in June and I look forward to welcoming BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen (History 1987), who will chair our event on Disagreeing Well in Higher Education, on campus and online, on 9 November.
All in all, it is a moment of excitement and anticipation at UCL as we celebrate present triumphs as well as looking to the key moments and corresponding celebrations of 2026. I hope that you share our excitement and will stay in touch with us and share your thoughts on where we should be focusing in our third century.
Dr Michael Spence is President and Provost of UCL
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