The University of Glasgow has been named Times Higher Education University of the Year, it has been announced tonight
Glasgow’s work to redress its historic links to slavery through a significant programme of reparative justice helped it to secure the prestigious title.
The judges hailed Glasgow as a “hugely deserving” University of the Year.
The awards shine a spotlight on the exceptional achievements of individuals, teams and institutions working in Higher Education.
A spokesman for the judging panel said: “At a time when universities are too often on the back foot in public debates about value and relevance, Glasgow stood out as a shining example of what a university should be: institutions of courage and action, uniquely placed to tackle the biggest issues facing the world.
“By taking a moral position and leading the way in facing up to the legacy of slavery and making amends, it has set the bar high both for itself and for all universities.”
Describing the award as a “huge honour” Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, Principal of the University of Glasgow, said: “For any institution, talking about historical links to slavery can be a difficult conversation but we felt it was a necessary and right one for our university to have.
“For Glasgow, this initiative has had an immense impact on our institution today – in the way we teach, the way we think of ourselves and how we think about and interpret our history.”
Liam Brady, President of the Students’ Representative Council, said: “This is a tremendous recognition of the ground-breaking work of our students and staff on slavery and reparative justice.”
