16.10.07
1994 Group response to the Publication of the Burgess Report
As the group of internationally recognised, research-intensive universities recognised to deliver the highest quality student experience, the 1994 Group welcomes the publication today of the Burgess Group's final report on measuring and recording student achievement.
Professor Steve Smith, Chair of the 1994 Group and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Exeter said:
'We warmly welcome the publication of the Burgess Report today. We congratulate Professor Burgess and his Working Group on the production of such a detailed and balanced report. Because this is such a complex issue, with employers and students being used to the existing degree classification, our members will want to study the report in depth to assess the detailed implications of its recommendations. We take very seriously the conclusion that appropriate change is needed to the degree classification system to maximise its usefulness to students and employers, and are committed to playing our part in effecting that change.'
Notes for Editors
The 1994 Group was established in 1994 to promote excellence in research and teaching. The 1994 Group represents nineteen of the most research-intensive universities in the UK. In 2007, for the third successive year, the 1994 Group emerged as the leading group of universities in the National Student Survey.
The Group's members are small-to medium-sized institutions, and are generally campus-based.
They operate on a human and personal scale, maximising student-staff contact and ensuring an adaptable and inter-disciplinary approach to both research and teaching. Research-led teaching is key to the 1994 Group's mission, and a large majority of the top academics who achieved the Group's outstanding results in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise teach students.
The 1994 Group in partnership with the NUS will hold a conference in central London on 28 November to mark the launch of the Group's policy statement 'Enhancing the Student Experience.' The national one day conference will set out what the undergraduate 'student consumers' of today and tomorrow are expecting from learning and teaching, support, and prospects on graduation. Delegates will be given the opportunity to consider how to define the student experience at their institution, and how to capitalise on the student experience to help secure the future of the university.
Member universities are: University of Bath, Birkbeck University of London, Durham University, University of East Anglia, University of Essex, University of Exeter, Goldsmiths University of London, Royal Holloway University of London, Lancaster University, University of Leicester, Loughborough University, Queen Mary University of London, University of Reading, University of St Andrews, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of Surrey, University of Sussex, University of Warwick and University of York.
Press Enquiries: Stuart Franklin, Head of Press and PR, University of Exeter, 01392 263146; Paul M. Marshall, Executive Director, 1994 Group, 0207 1642095