Letter: There Are Ups As Well As Downs in the Life of a University

Published on: 17 Oct, 2020
Updated on: 17 Oct, 2020

Surrey University Student’s Union president, Lizzie Rodulson.

From Sir Michael Aaronson

In response to: Dragon Interview with Student Union President

As a great fan of the Dragon but also, full disclosure, as an Honorary Visiting Professor at the University of Surrey, I congratulate you on an excellent interview with Lizzie Rodulson, the Student Union leader, but I have to say I found your headline, Surrey University ‘Drastically Slipping Down The Rankings’ somewhat ungenerous. [The headline has now been changed. Ed.]

That doesn’t do justice to the discussion you had with Lizzie, who commented: “We have very good relationships with key members of the Executive”, and “I can’t imagine an academic here at Surrey who wouldn’t take the time to talk to them (students).”

Yes, as she also said, there are some things the university “aren’t quite getting right” but league tables can be very fickle things (as much when Surrey was shooting up into the top ranks as now that they have slipped down a notch), and I can assure Dragon readers that Guildford can and should be very proud to host the University of Surrey.

From my own experience, they put care of their students as the number one priority, and my own Department (Politics) has always enjoyed an excellent and mutually respectful relationship with the students we have the privilege to teach. “Slipping down the rankings” doesn’t convey an accurate picture at all of what the University of Surrey has to offer.