Vice-Chancellor celebrates the past and the future

Professor Graham Henderson, the University of Teesside’s Vice-Chancellor, is celebrating the University’s 75th anniversary at this week’s graduation ceremonies. And his speeches at Middlesbrough Town Hall will also look to the institution’s future.

Thousands of graduates and their guests will gather at the Town Hall for ten ceremonies this week, and the Vice-Chancellor will be present at each one. His speech will highlight the 75th anniversary of the opening of Constantine College, the University’s educational predecessor. The College was founded in the 1920s thanks to an £80,000 donation from the family of local shipping magnate Joseph Constantine.

Professor Henderson said: “As our 75th anniversary year draws to a close perhaps I could take this opportunity on behalf of everyone who has ever been touched by the University to thank the Constantine family one last time. They gave Middlesbrough and the Tees Valley the opportunity to have its own University.”

Professor Henderson will also describe the financial support available to Teesside students from September 2006, when deferred tuition fees are introduced. He said: “The future of higher education is, as you will know, not without its challenges – not least as a result of the imminent changes in student finance including the introduction of top-up fees.

“We here at Teesside are committed to positioning this University in a way that will continue to make higher education accessible to everyone who has the capacity to benefit – irrespective of their background. The University has made a conscious decision to invest a significant proportion of the additional income it will generate from student fees into a wide, and we believe imaginative, range of bursaries, fee waivers and scholarships to try and ensure that students, at all levels, can still afford to take advantage of the benefits offered by higher education.”

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