University of Greenwich embarks on EU teaching and research project
The University of Greenwich has received a prestigious funding award from the European Commission to help it run a diverse range of projects including a series of public lectures, exhibitions and workshops.
The award, known as the Jean Monnet Chair, is part of the EC-funded Jean Monnet programme, an initiative to promote teaching and research in European studies among universities both in the EU and throughout the world.
Greenwich is one of just four UK universities to be handed the award of the Jean Monnet Chair in 2010, which saw a grant of 45,000 euros being made to the university’s School of Humanities & Social Sciences.
The range of projects at Greenwich, many of which will be free and open to the public, will run for three years under the theme of ‘Europe and the World’. Dr Mary Farrell, Reader in European and International Studies at the university’s School of Humanities & Social Sciences, who led the successful application for the funding, says: “The programme will explore the European Union’s place in the global arena, and its ability to influence international politics.
“We have an exciting programme coming up. Many of our events will be available to the wider community as well as our students and staff, ranging from taught courses, a public lecture series and themed workshops.
“The award ensures we are part of the crucial debate about the role of the EU in all aspects of life, such as security, humanitarian crises, the current financial crisis and the global economy – in short, issues that could affect all of us.
“Our success in gaining the award is also welcome recognition for the links we are already building with EU and global partners. It will help open doors to further partnerships with European and international institutions.â€
In addition, funding from the project will help the university to offer European-focused topics in history, law, politics and public policy, for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Greenwich will also provide specialist expertise to international students coming to the university for short or long stays.
The School of Humanities & Social Sciences also has ‘Erasmus agreements’ with ten European partner institutions, whereby it undertakes regular student and teaching exchanges.
Dr Farrell adds: “The University of Greenwich has tremendous expertise on European policy-making, European law and politics, and one of our other aims is to make this expertise more widely available across the community, to local schools, businesses and industry partners.â€
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Notes For Editors
Photo caption: Dr Mary Farrell from the School of Humanities & Social Sciences.
1. University of Greenwich
The University of Greenwich is a large university with three campuses - in Greenwich, at the Old Royal Naval College, a World Heritage site; in Avery Hill, south-east London, set among 86 acres of parkland; and in Medway, at an elegant Edwardian red-brick campus in Chatham Maritime. The university is home to a thriving community of more than 26,000 students, one in five of them postgraduate, and combines strong regional, national and international links with a record for excellence in research and a mission for access to higher education.
The university carried out more than £12 million of research and consultancy for companies, research councils and other public and private bodies last year. The quality of the university's research work has been recognised in the award of three Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher & Further Education and three recent Times Higher Education awards.
Alongside its major economic, social and cultural contribution, the university prides itself on its high standards of teaching, careers guidance and personal support. The two most recent Sunday Times University Guides have placed Greenwich at the top of the London league table for student satisfaction. In the 2011 Sunday Times Guide, Greenwich was ranked 26th overall for student satisfaction, placing it among the top quarter of all UK universities. Greenwich also topped the publication's national league table for student satisfaction in a variety of subjects including Civil, Chemical and other Engineering courses, Law, and Medical Sciences and Pharmacy. The Sunday Times added that students at the Greenwich campus “have some of the most exquisite university grounds in the countryâ€.
People from more than 140 countries choose to study at Greenwich, part of an international student community of 5,000. The university also has an extensive international network of partnerships with universities and overseas colleges.