Welcome from the Associate Dean – Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences
Dear Students,
Congratulations on what must have been a great last year for all of you. For our Freshers, we want you to know that we already think you are brilliant – you have beaten off perhaps 10 to 12 people for your place to study at Southampton and that, in our eyes, means that you are a star. For our Continuing Students, you have not only won your place here, but you have progressed through your initial studies and are well on the way to achieving your degree now. For all of you, welcome (back) to Southampton.
Whilst many of you will be focussed on your own discipline, seeing this as your ‘academic home’, each of your disciplines sits within the Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences. We are one of the largest and the most diverse of the Faculties, and this brings you great opportunity. You can choose from a broad set of ‘minor’ subjects, many of which sit within our own Faculty. Alternatively, you can choose from a long list of broadening modules and option modules to complement your own discipline, many of which also sit within our Faculty. This means that we actively support you in gaining a broad education to suit your interests, and we are sure that there is something for everyone.
Within the Faculty, you may also like to know that there are numerous staff who have chosen the role of ensuring the quality and vision behind your experience at Southampton. My role, as Associate Dean, is to provide leadership to this group of staff, developing educational strategy and a forum for energetic and imaginative discussions about the education we deliver. I have a commitment to ensuring the best possible student experience and, if it is working well, I will be like the duck on the pond – calm on the surface but paddling hard underwater.
In all of our endeavours, we aim to provide a distinctive flavour to our education, both when bringing students from all over the world to Southampton, and when taking Southampton to the world. It is our hope and intention that you too will experience our innovative way of doing things, and that you will thrive and succeed in your studies and in all that University can offer you. Most of all, we hope that you will be happy during your time with us. Our staff are ready and willing to help you on your journey and we will be delighted to hear from you.
For now though, welcome (back) to what we hope will be a ‘home from home’, and good luck for your year to come.
With best wishes,
Sarah Stevenage
Associate Dean (Education)
Professor of Cognitive Psychology
S.V.Stevenage@soton.ac.uk