Message from Professor George Edward Holmes, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive

SINCE my appointment in 2005, I have had the great privilege of leading the University of Bolton.

The University has a significant role to play in our town.

As an organisation we are a major employer and we annually contribute significantly to the town’s economy.

But more than that, a large proportion of our graduates are local and they stay local, going on to contribute to our region’s economy in many different industries, from the traditional — engineering— to the 21st century, such as special effects for film and television.

Our history as an institution stretches back to the 1820s, to the Mechanics’ Institutes which were founded to educate working people.

There are elements of our distant past which remain with us today — textiles was the lifeblood of our town’s industry in the 1800s and today we are world leaders in smart materials research and innovation.

Along with textiles, engineering is in the bedrock of our institution and today we have a Centre for Advanced Performance Engineering, which is the first of its kind in the UK to have an in-house and fully-functioning motor racing team on a university campus.

We have been shaped by almost two centuries of development already.

Our goal for the future is to grow as a “distinctive, teaching intensive, research informed university” committed to the provision of first class higher education.

There have been significant developments on our campus in recent years and we plan much more in our mission to give our students an outstanding experience. Partnership working, always a major strength in our development, continues to grow.

We are building on our links with employers to give our students the best job prospects and we will work with our partners to create the campus that enables us to play our part in building a better Bolton.

I hope all of our partners, alumni and friends join us in our 190th year celebrations.