In my newsletter this month: Ranked best in the world for sports-related subjects, the Black in Sport Summit, the inaugural Sustainability Week, recognition for our Covid-related research, International Women’s Day, and the renamed Loughborough Business School.

QS World University Rankings by Subject

Sports-related research is a key part of one of our three strategic themes, with the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Sports Technology Institute and the Institute of Sport Business all renowned for the fundamental and applied research they undertake in this area. I was delighted, therefore, that Loughborough has again, for the seventh consecutive year, been ranked best in the world for sports-related subjects in the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Loughborough was also ranked in the QS global top 100 in five other subject areas. We are 21st for Library and Information Management, reflecting the work of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities and the School of Business and Economics; 32nd in the Art and Design category for the research, innovation and teaching undertaken in the School of Design and Creative Arts; and 62nd for Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering, which covers the Schools of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering and Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering. Architecture and the Built Environment and Communication and Media Studies, reflecting the work of the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering and the School of Social Sciences and Humanities respectively, are both ranked in the 51-100 category.

Enhancing our global reputation in line with our institutional strategic themes and research strengths is a key objective throughout our strategy, one of the objectives of the core plan for international engagement and impact, and a significant element within Project Reputation – one of the enabling projects that is addressing the organisational changes we need make to progress our strategic aims.

To have consolidated our international standing in all of these areas is an important step forward in our reputational ambitions.

Black in Sport Summit

On 25 March we hosted the second Black in Sport Summit (BISS), held at the London Stadium in Stratford – home of the amazing West Ham United Football Club and the host venue for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This year’s event was sponsored by Sky, as part of a wider partnership between the University and the broadcaster and Sky’s £30 million commitment towards tackling systemic racism.

BISS was co-founded by three of our students – Ladi Ogunmekan, Samuel Ola, and Emmanuel Shittu – and is run in partnership with the University and Loughborough Sport. It was established to celebrate the achievements of Black people across the sports industry and to tackle discrimination and underrepresentation of Black people in the sector.

This year’s event was hosted by Sky Sports News presenter Mike Wedderburn, who is a Loughborough alumnus and member of the University’s Council, and freelance sports presenter Anita Abayomi. The speaker line-up was truly impressive, covering a range of roles within the industry. There were sportsmen and women from a number of sports, including the seven-time Formula One title winner, Sir Lewis Hamilton, who gave an exclusive video interview with Mike Wedderburn; former footballer Anton Ferdinand; Alice Dearing, the first Black female swimmer to represent Team GB at the Olympics; and Team GB Taekwondo athlete Lutalo Muhammad.

From the wider sports industry there was Tony Burnett, the CEO of Kick it Out, which aims to end all forms of discrimination within sport, and Carina White, the broadcaster and cultural commentator.

As well as panel discussions and talks on issues facing Black people in sport,

Sky Sports offered work placement opportunities to those participating in the BISS ‘Employer Challenge’ initiative.

BISS is a fantastic concept that aligns with our aim and theme of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. By bringing together people from all areas of the sports industry, with diverse backgrounds and experiences, BISS can help us to gain a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding discrimination and underrepresentation in sport and pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable future for everyone in the industry.

Sustainability Week

This month we hosted our first-ever Sustainability Week, with a packed programme of events and activities for staff and students. The week aimed to demonstrate the behavioural changes we can all make in our day-to-day lives that can help to tackle the ongoing threats to the environment.  

In this short video, Professor Dan Parsons, our Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, explains that Loughborough has an integral part to play in the work to address the climate emergency. The Climate Change and Net Zero theme of our strategy outlines how we intend to do this through our research and innovation, our teaching and student experience, through sport, our partnerships and international engagement.

Alongside this we must make changes on our own campuses – to our everyday working practices and the way we develop and manage our estate – if we are to achieve net zero emissions from our operations. The new Carbon Action Planner is one of the tools we have recently launched to support this. It will enable each Academic School and Professional Services section to create plans that are tailored and relevant for the spaces they occupy and the activities they do. I look forward to hearing more about everyone’s progress with this important initiative.

Award for Covid-related research

The Covid-19 pandemic was one of the most challenging periods of recent times for everyone. At Loughborough our community pulled together to tackle the unprecedented issues that faced us all, from the day-to-day challenges around social distancing and testing to ground-breaking research initiatives with the potential to positively impact lives around the globe.

One of these projects was the Loughborough-led AIRBODS (Airborne Infection Reduction through Building Operation and Design for SARS-CoV-2) initiative – a Government-funded research project that helped to get large-scale events back up and running following the lockdown.

The AIRBODS team, led by Professor Malcolm Cook, the Dean of the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, worked on indoor air quality and helped create guidance on how to design and operate non-domestic buildings to minimise the spread of airborne viruses.

This research was truly pioneering and I was delighted to see it acknowledged at the recent Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Building Performance Awards, where it won the Learning and Development category. The CIBSE awards recognise the people, products and projects that demonstrate engineering excellence in the built environment.

The AIRBODS project – which was delivered in collaboration with University College London, the University of Cambridge, the University of Nottingham, the University of Sheffield, London South Bank University and Wirth Research – is a great example of our strategic aim of partnership working to deliver real-world impact through our research and innovation and effect meaningful change to people’s lives.

International Women’s Day

On 8 March, organisations all around the world hosted events and activities to mark International Women’s Day (IWD). Here at Loughborough, our women’s staff and student networks were instrumental in the organisation of some fantastic events, and in curating stories to showcase the accomplishments of some of the women who work and study here. 

To mark the event, Professor Charlotte Croffie, our Pro Vice-Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), wrote two blogs: one considering how we can embrace equity and the other reflecting on the negativity that often accompanies social media posts about events such as International Women’s Day. Please do read them if you haven’t already.

I know that awareness events, which aim to shine a spotlight on achievements, progress and issues that still exist for groups within our society, are sometimes subject to accusations of tokenism. However, I agree with Professor Croffie’s sentiment in her blog: we should use these events to celebrate progress and people’s achievements, but also use them as opportunities to reflect on what we still have to do to address discrimination that continues both within our own organisation and within wider society.

A new era for the business school

From 2 May the School of Business and Economics will formally become Loughborough Business School (LB), representing the first step in our ambitious long-term strategy to have a business school that is globally recognised and featured in the QS100 rankings. The name change was approved by Senate in November last year.

The vision is for Loughborough Business School to become the first choice for purpose-led people and organisations, fusing theory and practice in the student learning experience, initiating world-leading research and forging partnerships with other organisations. Through this new culture, encapsulated by its overarching philosophy of ‘Progress with Purpose’, the School will increase its postgraduate recruitment numbers and commercial partnerships and challenge policy, practice and performance. 

I look forward to seeing Loughborough Business School’s progress.