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Universities play a multiplicity of roles in society, of which teaching and learning and, in many cases, research too lie right at the core. Providing an appropriate and stimulating environment for appropriately qualified students at all levels would be seen as absolutely central to the mission of any worthwhile university, while for many, including of course Newcastle University, the carrying out of research at the highest international standard, and the dissemination of the findings is also a key objective. At the same time, the university sector as a whole has many other important functions, including perhaps above all that of enabling young people, and many not so young, to educate themselves to levels where they can contribute to, and benefit from, the Knowledge Economy. Universities may not be primarily organs for upward social mobility, but that has always been a significant outcome for many of the young women and men of ability, selected on merit alone, attending a university which stretches their talent to the limit. What this should mean in practice, the reconciliation of excellence and inclusion, is the central theme of this talk.

 

Sir Martin Harris became President of Clare Hall, Cambridge in October 2008. He has been Director of the Office for Fair Access since 2004 and was Chancellor of Salford University from 2005 – 2009. He has been a Director of Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) since 1991 and Chairman since 2006. Sir Martin was Deputy Chairman of the North West Development Agency from 2003 until 2008. By background a graduate of Cambridge and London in linguistics and philology, he was Vice Chancellor of the University of Manchester from 1992 to 2004 and Vice Chancellor of the University of Essex from 1987 to 1992. He served as Chairman of the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals (now UUK) from 1997 to 1999.  He has chaired a number of national reviews, in particular in the fields of modern languages, careers services and postgraduate education.  

 

He chaired the Clinical Standards Advisory Group from 1996 to 1999 and was a Commissioner for Health Improvement from 1999 to 2002.  Sir Martin was knighted in the Millennial Honours List.  He is an Honorary Fellow of Queens’ College Cambridge and has been awarded honorary doctorates by the Universities of Essex, Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University, Lincoln, Plymouth, Queen’s University Belfast, Exeter, University of Ulster, UMIST, and the University of Manchester.  He was made Hon FRCP and Hon FRSEd in 2006.