Thank you for inviting me here today to share some brief thoughts with you about the future of our Town. I will apologise now that I will have to leave swiftly after my allotted time as I have a Commonwealth Flag to hoist as today is Commonwealth Day. I am hoping that some of the students and staff from Commonwealth countries around the world will be joining us down by the Community Centre at 9.45am.
But to return to the subject in hand:
For more than 40 years, I have lived in towns and cities, where a significant feature of the place has been the University. I have lived and loved living in Reading, Oxford and now here in Buckingham. And one of the main reasons I have loved living in these places is due to the presence of a university.
For me, here in Buckingham, the university provides melodies, harmonies and rhapsodies in our Town’s symphony. These complement, of course, the music provided by Buckingham’s local communities, commerce, history, architecture, culture, sport and all the vibrations that come with a growing and dynamic market town.
The question is now: what even better music can be made by the ‘Town and Gown’ working in even greater harmony together? How can we make the Buckingham symphony an even richer composition that makes our Town an even better place in which to live, work, study, play, visit.. and grow?
As many of you know, the Vice Chancellor and I went on a road trip a couple of weeks ago to Aberystwyth and Bangor to find out how those two (broadly comparable) towns managed their ‘town & gown’ relations. We went in search of what worked, what didn’t and their ideas about what we could do to improve matters here in Buckingham.
But to return to the subject in hand:
For more than 40 years, I have lived in towns and cities, where a significant feature of the place has been the University. I have lived and loved living in Reading, Oxford and now here in Buckingham. And one of the main reasons I have loved living in these places is due to the presence of a university.
For me, here in Buckingham, the university provides melodies, harmonies and rhapsodies in our Town’s symphony. These complement, of course, the music provided by Buckingham’s local communities, commerce, history, architecture, culture, sport and all the vibrations that come with a growing and dynamic market town.
The question is now: what even better music can be made by the ‘Town and Gown’ working in even greater harmony together? How can we make the Buckingham symphony an even richer composition that makes our Town an even better place in which to live, work, study, play, visit.. and grow?
As many of you know, the Vice Chancellor and I went on a road trip a couple of weeks ago to Aberystwyth and Bangor to find out how those two (broadly comparable) towns managed their ‘town & gown’ relations. We went in search of what worked, what didn’t and their ideas about what we could do to improve matters here in Buckingham.
And when I say, improve, I absolutely mean: build on all the existing the ways in which town and gown are already working together. There is no criticism implied whatsoever - just so I make myself clear.
And we found out lots and lots. We discovered how the arts provide a fulcrum for joint working. We learnt about how students & lecturers volunteer and do research in various communities of those two towns. We found out about how the presence of a large student body helped protect local services from losing viability. We were also told about some of the problematic issues like noise, rubbish and parking. There are ceremonial attachments between the offices of the Towns and the Universities. There is a great deal of shared sport: the community power of students, staff and residents sweating together, side by side, is never to be underestimated!
So we both returned with a renewed focus and energy on how to develop the relationship between town and gown. Tonight, I am taking a paper to the Town Council on all these matters. I hope the TC will agree to my recommendation that a small but dynamic joint planning team is established which will provide a platform for taking all these ideas forward.
And I would urge everyone here this morning, to consider what more ways are there that the University and the local communities of Buckingham can work together for sake of everyone here. How can you go out to the town more - and how can the town come here more too.
My vision for the Buckingham is one in which town and gown are much more than just happenchance neighbours sharing the same geographical space - I want a deep intricate symbiosis of all parts of the University and all parts of the town - where we all become so much more than the mere sum of our parts.
And so I am greatly looking forward to being part of your graduation ceremonies this week, celebrating the achievements of your students. And by being here, I am also praising your expertise as teachers and administrators towards helping those students realise their educational ambitions.
And may you continue to provide the opportunities for people to learn, realise ambitions and make dreams for better lives and a better world come true.
On behalf of the town, thank you for doing this! And let’s do even more together!
No comments:
Post a Comment