Dreaming of a University Quarter

Kathryn Mitchell, @DerbyUni's new Vice-Chancellor delivers her "dare to dream" talk #ABE2016 pic.twitter.com/zvQ36RfP59

— Marketing Derby (@MarketingDerby) January 22, 2016

A key moment at our Annual Business Event is the Dare to Dream slot – where a guest speaker outlines a vision for the city's future.

Last year saw the former President of East Midlands Chamber and Chair of Bondholder Pennine Healthcare, Liz Fothergill, outline her wishes for businesses to help mentor young people in Derby to give them the encouragement they need. This has in turn resulted in schemes such as Education for Enterprise (E4E) which has now secured a significant number of business professionals and leaders to help mentor young people in the area.

This year, the new Vice-Chancellor for the University of Derby, Kathryn Mitchell, addressed the audience with her dream for a University Quarter. Kathryn said: “This is a place where students feel confident, know their place in the city and engage with it. It has to have choice. It should combine the University's world-class learning facilities and merge them with the heritage of the city, harnessing Derby's academic, professional and cultural strengths.”

She noted that the majority of students do not stay in Derby in the summer and that the city does not retain enough of its graduates for employment – her dream would give students opportunities to stay in Derby for longer.

Kathryn closed by saying: “Part of this, is creating a coherent city experience through a University Quarter.”