7
City of Glasgow College Annual Report & Accounts 2019-20
Statement from the Chair of
the Board of Management
I am once again honoured to
present this Annual Report as Chair
of the Board of Management of City
of Glasgow College. I often say that
each year brings new challenges,
but these past two academic
years have brought unprecedented
change and challenge to us all.
Many of us have lost friends and
family members to the Covid
pandemic and its consequences.
Others have faced extraordinary
challenges in completing their
studies, while our staff have found
innovative ways to support our
students, and one another, through
the crisis.
Through 2020-21, the College
continued to provide quality learning
and teaching, student support,
and all the other vital functions and
responsibilities required of a leader
in the field of tertiary education.
However, my first thought is with
our students, who in years to
come will surely reflect upon the
added pressures that they faced
while undertaking their learning,
overcoming difficulties that few of
us have ever experienced. I am sure
that this will add a particular value to
their achievements.
We regularly remind ourselves of
The College's Values, Our Purpose
and Our Way, highlighting these
words in our web pages and key
publications such as this report.
These are not empty aspirations,
but a true representation of what
every member of staff, from frontline
to Board of Management, believe
and undertake to be our guiding
principles. I am indebted to our
Board of Management for the
reserves of calm wisdom brought to
bear as they ensure these principles
are maintained. I am extremely
grateful for their support, given freely
to the College, to me, and to the
executive team, led through these
times, with an unfaltering sureness
of vision and compassion by our
Principal Paul Little.
In 2019, we celebrated 50 years of
maritime education in the City, on
the banks of the world renowned
River Clyde. 2020 heralded the
10th anniversary of the City of
Glasgow College itself. We could
not of course commemorate these
as we might have done in the past.
However we should still reflect on
our proud history and the many staff
colleagues and Board members
who have shaped the College over
the years. Our specialisms have
expanded across many specialist
technological and professional
curriculum areas. From seafaring to
the creative and communications
industries, food and hospitality,
leisure, sport, health and care,
building, engineering, ESOL,
social sciences and business - our
graduates continue to make their
mark in their chosen fields.
Now, as we face a daunting period
of economic and social recovery,
our City, region, and indeed the
whole nation, are looking to the
College and its graduates to
revitalise our industries and our
society with new energies and
skills. While some businesses may
never fully recover, there are new
opportunities to flourish. This is a
point of accelerated change - from
educational approaches, to green
transport and climate emergency
action. City of Glasgow College
has a vital role to play in upskilling
and reskilling our workforce.
Preparing young people for their first
experience of employment in those
areas where opportunity lies, and
others of all ages for whom change
is full of promise.
City of Glasgow College is now
more than ever a College that
aspires for the best - for its students,
its staff, and the community it serves
- the City as well as industries and
communities well beyond these
shores. We are clear on our role,
to maximise opportunity, liberate
potential, and meet the qualification
and career aspirations of all our
learners - to revitalise and empower
the national and local economy, and
build and renew communities. This
commitment to present and future
generations is clear in our Strategic
Plan, and we shall do so "Our Way",
through Inspiration, Excellence, and
Innovation.
Alisdair F Barron MBE
Chair of the Board