Accolades flow for innovation and excellence

"Teesside University was named as the Times Higher Education University of the Year". I'm sorry, but this is politicking, not judging.

Teesside is a fantastic place to work and study - it's got character, energy and optimism. Is that perhaps a little bit of sour grapes from "Sceptic"?

Big accusation from an anonymous poster. Very brave – now where’s the evidence ‘septic’? Teesside is a great place to work and is innovative in it's approach to business engagement.

Ever visited Teesside Sceptic? No.... thought not!! Before making such silly, small minded and snobby comments why not go and visit the place first! I think you will be very surprised!

I was at the awards and the Teeside University VC's speech was a breath of fresh air. A university that genuinely sees itself as a team, where all staff from the cleaners to execs were publicly recognized as having contributed, masses of real engagement with the local community and an amazing operational surplus at a time of financial crisis - why wouldn't it have won? BTW I don't work there.

A great place to work, with by far the most "can do" attitude I have encountered in 20 years at 5 HEIs including Research Intensive and Modern Universities. Lots more to do but this award really inspires. Thanks THES Award panel

Well deserved a true community leader working in partnership with business, local government and NHS Tees Valley

Geordies galore praising a former poly. Have visited and worked in this so called Teeside U and lived in the surrounding area. The verdict: Left the place as soon I could find another job. All these kudos and awards mean nothing. In the rest of the country no one has heard of the Teeside Sunshine! Just when working with the dysfunctional NHS is a wonderful experience? The NE must the only place the Labour has a chance of winning in the next election with characters like Nick Brown. Was not Lord Sleeze Mandelson once an MP in a neighbourhood constituency and Tuscan Tony had a constituency nearby? These say it all!

I have worked at the University for over 11 years and had the privileged for being able to see the institute develop.

These awards are truly well deserved, congratulations to all staff.
XX

Dwell on your prejudices, why don't you, you sad sad person?

I'm sure your mighty presence was missed by all those you came across in your ever so brief stay in the heart of the country.

These awards actually mean a great deal for the hard working people who make the University what it is - a good place for good people, but obviously not for cynical no hopers who deride the achievements of their peers with, again little or no evidence to back up their bile.

Well, well, well - did you leave or were you sacked? I sense a number of issues you may need to deal with.

Well, well, well - you have spelt Teesside wrong, it is double 'S'. Plus, The term 'Geordies' refers to people from Newcastle, not Teesside.

I work at Teesside, am relatively new to the institution and I cannot begin to tell you how proud everyone is here of this wonderful accolade. No institution is perfect, but I can promise you that no institution values its staff, students and the community it is based in more than Teesside. We all genuinely feel that we share in this award and yes, thank you THE for recognising us- sometimes nice guys win!

I've worked at Teesside University for eight years and have always been proud to do so. Seeing the changes to the busy campus over this time has been inspiring and has enhanced the town centre. Staff here genuinely care for students and feel cared for themselves. I think it is a well deserved award for a hard working and forward thinking university.

what a change to finally see somewhere get an award on merit rather than trading on past reputations. you only have to look at how they have acheived some 5 star rae, national teaching fellows and widening participation etc etc while still putting money in the bank and fighting elitist prejudice. well done to them

well done teesside, i did work there and really wish i had stayed. the staff do work really hard for the students and hopefully will get a big christmas bonus from those reserves from the VC

Anyone who has visited Teesside University can not fail to be bowled over by the energy, enthusiasm and skill of the staff. The degrees are innovative and designed to give students the real skills they need to succeed in the workplace. Well done Teesside!

We're walking a foot off the ground, while recognising that even more responsibility comes with winning this. Very proud for everyone here, and for friends and family who worked so hard for Teesside for so many years. Well done.

So sorry that some people can't be pleased for a well deserved recognition. I'm a mature student in the first year at Teesside and have foung the whole place to be a breath of fresh air. Yes, I'm a northerner, but over the last 30 years I have worked the length and breadth of the UK - everywhere have problem bits, but let's celebrate the good for a change.
Well done, Teesside

I've studied and worked in Russell Group and 1994 Group universities, and am a newish member of staff at Teesside. And Teesside is thoroughly deserving of this accolade. I'm sorry if some rather blinkered correspondents think that this is somehow a sop to the North East (which it isn't - we're in Yorkshire!) or to any other political agenda. I am very proud to work here and would caution naysayers to visit and think again.

I went to Teesside. I was very dissappointed with some aspects of the course - mildly please with others. Won some awards but it was nothing to do with the guidance or support of the university. They wanted to use me for some of their literature. I told them no for that very reason. If anything they impeeded my development. The town is shoddy, the nightlife is shoddy. Genreally people from similar size or smaller towns really enjoy it - those from larger places find it chlostraphobic and the students very conformist.

The one saving grace this uni has for me is its association with the Institute of Digital Innovation.

Congratulations Teesside.

Clearly a well deserved award.

With best wishes from the University of Leicester
Times Higher Education University of the Year 2008-9

Well done Teesside! I know little about the place, but I reckon I'd struggle to find so many employers at the University I work for claiming to be so proud of the place. Nice to see the THE taking the focus off the Russell and 1994 group Unis for a change.

I am very proud to be both a graduate and a current member of staff at Teesside. This award recognises years and years of hard work and teamwork which has finally come to fruition. It is a fantastic place to work and a great place to study, with a well-deserved reputation of positive engagement with the community. If politics had anything to do with it, we wouldn't have got anywhere - as anyone who lives here knows - the upward struggle against prejudice is a continual one, but hopefully now some people will sit up and take notice of this well-kept secret.

As a lecturer at one of Teesside partner colleges teaching their BA and Msc, very proud and honoured to be associated with your institution.

wel well and well, it's the negative people that bring down any town or place, it's the positive that make it a good place and help to win awards like this, so maybe we won it because you left, so a big thank you.
And well done Teesside, and everyone who works or studies there, awards are just a bonus, being part of it and seeing it all develop was a great experience.

Well done Teesside. To the critics that will appear in here - go find some one else to annoy. The team at Teesside has clearly done a good job and should be congratulated and not have to read your views. Ps I went to the uni and it looked after me - now working at a top 10 employer.

As a student myself here of the last four years, can I just say a massive congrats to them! They'd rightly made a big deal of the nomination, but I'd hardly expected them to win the thing, and a bit more besides. I have to agree with those who say that it's a breath of fresh air after years of sumptuous acclaim in these kind of awards for the 'traditional' universities. Institutions like these face challenges that you have to really appreciate on their own terms.

Though I work at Teesside I feel I can be objective about it because I have worked elsewhere and worked with a lot of other Universities. People like to knock places like Teesside but the critics need to consider whether their own institutions could expand as rapidly as Teesside while still maintaining financial stability and student satisfaction. People at Teesside, staff and students, are genuinely world class. I would happily replace the government of this country and its civil service with Teesside graduates.

EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT
I am so very very proud of Teesside, its student and staff are wonderful. You deserve this award Teesside.....
A fantastic University with a warm heart....passion from all.
Passion is a kin to excellence...keep going Teesside...it can only get better.

I have studied and worked at Teesside and at other Unis and can honestly say that Teesside is an innovative, hardworking, forward- looking institution - always striving to develop its students and staff to be the very best they can be - there is a buoyant, up-beat, 'can do' attitude which prevails here - and thank goodness for that when you read some of our petty detractors above!

I worked at Teesside for 9 years and felt like I was leaving my family behind rather than my last job. How many employers can boast the same committment from their staff?

A very well done to the team at Teeside. If the passion evident in some of the postings here is indicative of the instituional culture one can see why the acolade was given.

Teesside ot Teeside or Teessssssssssside who cares? The place is a rundown and a dump and the people are the voting fodder for Labour. No wonder Bliar and Mandy were elected from constituencies nearby as Well, well... says. I worked in this university as an academic and was not impressed with it and moved to a better and proper university.. I was not sacked and so are my 5 other colleagues who left. Well, well .. says what his/her experience is and the fact he/she is derided and laughed at is the typical attitude of this Tesssssssssssside U staff. But they are in a bunker and hence are blinkered. Who cares for this award, not the good students who go to Russell Group universities. They are proper universities. I am more proud of my old institution UCL up the league table than a former Middlesborough Polytechnic getting an award which means nothing to many outside this bunker. They declare themsellves to be world class and where is the Teesssssside U in the THE world league table? I agree with " The Truth". Those who moved out of this area never go back

Will she come to Wolverhampton on a free transfer?

Don't believe well well well's suggestion that politics are involved. The NE receives few favours from London, and such favours as do come here are snapped up by Newcastle (the town) or Durham (the university). Middlesbrough isn't in Yorkshire any more (sorry JT) but it might as well be for all the support it gets from further north. Well done Teesside!

If you don't care about the award, why waste your valuable Russell Group time attacking the place. Does the time you spent count as research and development time, or is this waste of your employers time the reason why so many Russell Group Universities are in the red and laying off staff left right and centre?

Congratulations to Teesside on the awards. It's great for the North East, for the university and for the town. It's also great to see that the university keeps the staff that support its students and their goals, but lets the Russell Group keep the stuffy old goats who can't see the good in anything.
I would take more notice of the negative comments, people, if the writers could string a sentence together - "I was not sacked and so are my 5 other colleagues who left"; really?!?
The university is something to be supported, congratulated and to be proud of. Is that really something to knock?

This is a day to remember for a long time! What displays of rage! What great recognition that Teesside is developing a new agenda! No one who has worked there ever said it was easy. Congratulations! Wonderful news!

I am a student at the recently re branded University of Teesside, where we are having a bit of an identity crisis at the moment. In regard to the award I could not believe myself when I read that we were nominated for the University of the Year, today I found myself reading that we have won the award!

You could not make this up, did the judges actually bother to come to ‘sunny’ Teesside? Where they all shout Tees what? Whenever they get excited. Don’t ask I have still quiet to get it.

Sadly I am not proud of the award the slightest, because I know that we do not deserve it! We have been given the award to say sorry for all the years that the generations have been pumped with every chemical possible, you don’t need to be a scientist to know that just walk around the place. We actually do not even have a 24 hour library. Students are scared to fill the national student survey in truly as not the have repercussions from their schools. Some schools have lectures in place of their normal lectures on how to fill the student survey out! They cancel lectures for a full day and give us one day notice to accommodate an open day.

I am from outside of the north east but when I came to this place I really thought to myself I have made a bad decision here. I honestly did not know Teesside Uni was in Middlesbrough if I had, I would have stayed well clear of the place. Even the uni knows that Middlesbrough is such a big mess that they did not call it Middlesbrough Uni.

This year we have so many students the infrastructure is just not coping both in the sense of buildings and the minds of the staff that are the worst thing about the place, it seems that bar a few very, very good lecturers it has been filled with staff that are end of their self life and dead ended.

I honestly can’t wait to leave this place for a town that has a university I cannot believe the ‘backwardness’ of the town and residents are just horrible the place has this blazay feeling.
If it was not for the university yes Middlesbrough would still be in the cave days but with the uni its in the dark ages. The minds of the population have not opened to accept people different to their trends.

If Teesside University is to be truly successful, they are in desperate need of staff from out of the region who have minds in the year 2009. They are in need of a diverse workforce to compare with the student population, and the student need to be put first not the staff.

I am in such a good mood reading all these comments, especially the ones from the petty-minded baffoons who rubbish a fantastic institution and who are quite obviously immensely jealous of Teesside's success. They might be correct in saying they were not sacked, but they are quite clearly incompetant!!!!

only if people from the marketing team and those on the pay roll gave it a rest we may get the true picture. maybe from the students? who are the key ingredient in this and should not be forgotten.

The Truth Hurts, i'll take your bitter comments with a pinch of salt as anyone who goes to a uni without knowing the town its in must be abit silly. Having spent four years living in Middlesbrough i can assure you that if you were maybe abit less anti social and went out and mixed you would find it a great town. I'm very happy for the University and all those who work for it and study there, it is a truely great place that plays to its own strengths and makes you feel a sense of belonging. A University that lives by a work hard play harder moto if there ever was one. What more could a student want?

What a sad bitter piece written by the Truth Really is! Are they sure they weren't sacked? These are the kind of people the University doesnt need when working towards a wonderful vision of offering courses to people who wouldnt have otherwise had the opportunity to study at HE level. The progress they have made in working with industry and its partner colleges is inspirational. The University appreciates and respond really well to positive, innovative, hard working people who appreciate the beauty of the area around Teesside and what the University is trying to achieve. We are ever so proud to receive this award. This from somebody who CHOSE to move back to the area!

I am not surprised by the attacks on " Well, well and well" and "The Truth really is". I too was literally harassed by all kinds of people, lecturers and students when I expressed my desire to take a transfer from this university. It was mistake to have gone to this university but my mates were going and I did. The first year was a bad experience, lectures were pathetic but as " The Truth hurts" says, the force to complete student surveys is something to believed The library is a pathetic place, had restricted openings and library staff were downright hostile. The students numbers are large for a university like this. The town is pretty run down and the residents it appeared were never out of their town for centuries. Theie attitude was appalling. If an institution has to live on propaganda, go to Teesside University. I worked hard to get good grades in first year and filled in the forms for a transfer to Durham University. Durham University accepted me based on my grades for their second year and from then on until the paperwork was completed I was treated like a leper by the admin and academic establishments. Who cares for this award?. Durham U is not in Russell Group and is in the top 10 of the UK league table. But friends who study in universities in Russell group are happy and their degree is worth more than the paper on which it is printed ( this canot be said for Teesside). As regards to old goats there are very many at Teesside as these lecturers do not get jobs anywhere else and have stayed put for years. Many of them were born and bred in the NE and have an attitude which I can also call as " bunker attitude". Take the award and put it on your website, the real world does not care for this Middleborough institution.

I studied at Teesside Poly and came back here as an employee. I've seen the place expand massively and the environment has changed beyond recognition, but I have been so proud that it's never lost its caring , family feel. The students, staff and Middlesbrough should be proud of their achievement. Well done all.

If you honestly took that comment with a pinch of salt you would have realised I was talking out of figure of speech. I did visit the town as a matter of fact I did on 2 separate occasions which were both open days and all I can say it is a very deceiving place. I am out most nights but not in Middlesbrough, thank god, I thankfully managed to find my accommodation in Yarm where things are a lot nicer if only we had a campus and not resolved around one road called the Southfield. By the way, feel free to rebut my other comments and not just take the one you felt you could take on the roundabout, and spin or misinterpret.

I have studied and worked at a number of institutions and can honestly say that the commitment and professionalism of my colleagues at Teesside knocks the rest for six. With or without this award, I am incredibly proud of Teesside.

Has anyone noticed that nearly all of the negative posts are FULL of spelling mistakes!! haha

All those who call themsleves, "HH,K,Za, etc.. etc..", well done marketting blokes. But the truth is different and I fully agree with the two students who have posted. But I was lucky, I discovered the appalling attitude of the residents of the town and the "old goats" who call themselves lecturers during the induction week and left the university fast! If one wants to see a place where "hobbits" live, go to Middlesborough. If one wants to see how the lecturers behave having shackled to this university for life with no opportunities to go to another place, go to Teesside. I also agree about the Library. NE is a dark place but Middlesborough is darker! For prospective students my advice is go to a better university. You spend so much money and you deserve a better education. If you want to be in NE go to NewCastle U a reputed institution, otherwise avoid NE completely, particularly this shanty town and its so called university.

Yet more people talking about their employer, zzzzz

we need more opinions from students. It is frankfully disgusting if they feel that they are not able to fill the National Student Survey out as truly as possible.

They are typos as this blog does not have a preview facility. You are a typical Teesside rebuttal automaton! Did your mother call you "a"? Why are other posters have two letters? Come on, if your uni is that good and deserves this award, put your full name, why shy away?

lol, its funny that A has picked up on one thing and that is spelling mistakes. Such typical attitude of one not wanting to address the issue at hand.

why does anyone not want to discuss any of the issues that the students have raised. Is is possibly because they are right?

If the uni has a surplus why not give the students a reduction in fees and stop building, buildings with not enough people to fill them.

That comment really did get up my nose about staff receiving bonuses as if the country is not in enough mess at the moment with that kind of attitude!!

down with the elitist agenda, DOWN WITH STUDENT FEES

Ha ha, no, my mother didnt call me 'a'

I just think its funny, because clearly your 'Russel Group' university educations arent as first-rate as you're making them out to be!

Also, the person who didnt realise that Teesside Uni was in Middlesbrough, come on! You obviously did your research before choosing a university!

It appears that Teesside senior management have let loose these Ds, Ks, JTs to propagate this "good headline news" to the world!! The best universities are known to good students and they care very little for any award of any kind.
I do agree with Simon and the students and the academics who were brave enough to say what they did. There is already a fatwa on their heads!!! Add this fatwa onto me as well as my niece too had a horrible story to tell about the university and the " communities" of the town when she came to spend the Christmas with us 2 years ago. She too left the university after her first year and her dilgent study paid off as she was accepted at the Edinburgh U for the second year.

Parents work hard saving money ( many students too) to send their sons/daughters to universities. These days the students end up with tens of thousands in debt after their studies. Since they are paying their way to get education and get life experience, why go to an isntitution like this Teesside University? They should go an university which has real academic reputation. The top 30 universities have it. Also they should consider what they will do during week ends. Cloistered in a town like Middlesborough which is hardly Oxford or Cambridge or Edinburgh or London.? Llet Teesside folks platter about the award, but avoid this institution and the town.

Andy you clearly have done your research! you don't know yourself who you are referring to. If you read the comment, Truth said that he/she was not aware it was in Middlesbrough obviously he/she has left it to the readers intellect, to suss out that they were referring to initially hearing the name Teesside. It is difficult to differentiate where it is based just by the name. If Middlesbrough is so great, why not just call it that instead of Teesside?

'The truth' what is your problem? You claim to have worked within universities although you display the knowledge, attitude, ability and bitterness associated with a spoilt brat attending a nursery. You seriously need to grow up and get a life. I however welcome your attitude as it only fuels the passion and drive amongst the people of my area and University. For years before us this area has being at the forefront of building the world's empires, bridges, railways, buildings,etc. while fullfilling the ever growing need for chemical substances. I am proud that now the University is providing the world with excellently educated and forward thinking people who will have as much impact on the world as the industry before it has. Congratluations, ' we shall be ' .

TEES WHAT... TEES SMOGGY HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA

Mr Keith Price, you have spelt Middlesbrough wrongly, maybe you should be back at University. And just because a University has a good reputation it doesnt mean it is currently a good University.

I got a degree from this prestigious establishment and as you can guess I am unemployed, as must be the majority of Teesside defenders who are posting their defence during working hours.

The degree is worthless. Working at McDonalds looks better on your CV than a degree from the University of the year.


I think this sums up Teesside best. I FAILED my dissertation by a long way as well, I needed an extra 20% to pass and I dont think I would have got it on a 2nd attempt. Yet Teesside University said I could progess and gave me a 2-2 anyway. What kind of University does that? Not a proper one.
Forget University of the Year they should be happy with there 76th placing in a proper judgement, because in my opinion Teesside should be 111th

It would appear that some people feel threatened by the idea of an ex-polytechnic winning the University of the Year aware in the THE. The fact is that the University has had world-leading courses in such subjects as Chemical Engineering for years; if you are applyign to one of the major chemical companies and you have Teesside on your CV then it is regarded as being as impressive as Oxford. It is building a similar reputation for digital industry degrees. It is thus focusing on providing world-leading education in courses that are of diret relevance to significant real-world industries; leading firms in these industries already recognise the quality of this education, regardless of what such spectacularly ill-informed idiots as well, well, well claim. If the award really was as insignificant as some of these types claim, then of course there would be no need to shout it down as vociferously as they are doing.

I'm genuinely sorry that your neice had a bad time in Middlesbrough and that she wanted to leave, that's a shame for any student, but the comments about fatwas are frankly ridiculous and undermine any sensible points you're trying to make.
It's also laughable to think that the THES blog is a place to 'propagate headlines': really! Only interested parties are reading this blog anyway. I do work at Teesside (sorry, angry people) and none of us here actually have to be encouraged by senior management or any marketing spin to be positive about our workplace and what goes on here - we're just enjoying the moment and continuing to work to educate, which is what we've been doing for years without the need for praise or accolades. all the students I've seen today have been delighted and proud.
Anyway, I'm going home with a smile on my face!

haha you serious University of the Year who you trying to fool? come on wake up!

So "a" stands for Andy! "za" for Zebra and JT for John The (Baptist)? As has been alluded to U of Middlesborough would have been a real turn off!
As for propspective students doing research, the Teesside University hides some of its web pages. For example, the school of computing masks details of most of members of staff ( only available through the university intranet I guess) except those in DFI as if the others do not exist! Why this shyness about opening the web pages of all schools and the staff web pages with their names and expertise clearly visible? All top universities have open web pages, and indeed in cases like UCL, Imperial, Oxford and Cambridge propspective students can communicate with members of staff whose expertise matches the areas the students are interested. Enjoy this award for whatever reason it was given. But in the real world, Teessides do not count.

Why can't people spell Middlesbrough properly?

i went to newcastle uni and yes what a great reputation it has but the attitude to students from most of the staff was dreadful and i have friends in russell group unis that also found this, by the way we were coached to complete the NSS as i am sure every student is. i am sure a few bitter and twisted 'i hate the backward north east' types need to reflect and work out their unhappiness for themselves. its probably all written by one student who isnt doing as well as expected. i am suprised you were lectured on the NSS but are still a student as it would surely have been done in the second term of your final year, your comments dont add up. finally well done teesside, never been there, probably never will but its good to see the complacent supposedly 'elite' institutions get bitten on the bum by the successful underdog

Erasmus87. What a name it is. We type in and submit once and there is no preview facility here. These are typos in case you do not understand. Why can't you brave enough to post with a name. If I need to go to a uni I would not go to Teesside. Anyway I have to go and am not paid by the university for rebuttals.

It is not Erasmus87 which makes sense but Erimus87, what a name! Teesside U education perhaps!

Jack "Why can't people spell Middlesbrough properly". Because it is a dreadful place!

Peter Swallow, you are unemployed precisely because you clearly can't be bothered to work hard enough to get a 2:1.

is this the daily mail or the times higher, so much bile and bitterness. well done teesside and all who work there.

Mr Price, my real name is Jack Carey. I am student of Teesside University, I was born and live in Middlesbrough. What more do you want to know? Erimus is the original motto of Middlesbrough and 87 is the year that I was born. One could say that your neice is the one who isn't brave if she couldnt handle being out of comfort zone.

actually norman - in the 'real world', as you call it - we all count - sorry if that isn't the way you would like it to be

@john. We are not threatened by a Teesside U in Middlesbrough ( what kind of name these are!). Some academics view these pages, but secondary school students and particularly their teachers who help the students fill in the UCAS forms look at the THE league table in my neighbourhood schools and colleges which produce good results and they do not touch new universities, let alone this university in the backwaters of NE. As for your boast about Chemical Engg, You forget that Imperial College has an enviable reputation in this area. Where was I- Teeside, Teessside, Middlesborough, Middlesbrough? Oh, well, skip this place.

People at the awards ceremony were genuinely pleased for your win and, as a poster has said above, the speech by your v-c was heartfelt and genuine. Don't let a minority of disgruntled naysayers who hate all new universities for no particular reason dampen your spirits - you earned this award and thoroughly deserve it. Up the Boro!

What fantastic news for Teesside, really excellent news. The campus has changed so much in the last few years and the place has come fantastically on leaps and bounds. Brilliant News.

Hi, I was a student at Teesside and like the majority of students there was very pleased with my experience at the University. Its a great place to study. Sure there will always be some with gripes, but take it from me it is good and people care about your success as a student. You cannot make people fill in the national student survey and if you try and make people do that they will rebel and record bad comments. Why not look at Teesside's NSS scores - which are entirely driven by students and surprise yourself. You might also notice the student union has won "Student Union of the Year" on more than one occasion.

@John the Baptist. Whatever. The fact is that in certain fields Teesside is either anoutrigh national leader or in the top 3-4 universities in the UK. Granted, for more traditional subjects such as English or History, Teesside is a poor place to be; indeed, they don't even have a History department to my knowledge. But they do have a tremendous current track record in things like Chem Eng and Digital Design. I suggest you do some basic searches for such things as Institute for Digital Innovation, Digital City, BohoZone and look at how these have actively contributed to wealth-creation in Teesside to the tune of tens of millions of pounds. Like it or not, this is increasingly how universities will be judged in the future (i.e. their relevance to the economy). I should add as a disclaimer that I do not, nor ever have, worked for Teesside University; indeed, I do not work for a university at all. I do, however, work for a research company in the private sector that evaluates the value of HE courses to local economies, and Teesside does very well for that particular region. You don't have to like the fact, but it can't actually be denied as the empirical evidence is absolutely beyond question.

Congratulations. I graduated from Teesside with an MSc in 2002 and can say that I had a truly wonderful time as a student. The staff genuinely care about about the university and the student population. Teesside has worked very hard for this award. It is fantastic news to know that all of your hard work has finally been recognised.

@John.
Teesside does have a history department, in fact it's quite acclaimed, especially for research.

history....grade 5 rae and 100 percent student satisfaction at teesside.

The comments on this story have exposed the absurdity of the THES awards, and the opportunity they offer for self-congratulatory hot air. I am not a snob, and have the highest regard for the public sector polytechnic tradition (although I should add that I am very much Russell Group through and through). Unfortunately this honourable tradition has been thrown to the dogs since 1992, and resulted in previously creditable institutions like Teeside turning into hotbeds of self-delusion, offering shameless excuses for educational programmes that would not have been permitted in the old secondary modern system. Unfortunately, places like Teeside, along with other formerly fine institutions (Middlesex and Hertfordshire spring to mind) are now packed full of careerist academic/administrators who use senior posts at these institutions as springboards for their own personal advancement, with little thought for the well-being of the student population (as is evidenced by the numerous posts here), the long term health of the institution, or the local area and population. We have, as I have outlined elsewhere, a growing 'private equity' approach to university management and administration, where senior staff are parachuted in and out (often within short periods of time) to deliver 'change programmes' and any number of initiatives to help institutions achive 'world class status' that are implemented with enormous fanfare, achieve 'success' that is much heralded but never evidenced properly (don't start me on the disgrace that is the NSS), and actually result in considerable confusion and often long term damage to staff and student morale. I have no doubt that there are 'pockets' of excellence at Teeside, although they are probably the pockets of a pair of swimming trunks rather than an overcoat, and do not counterbalance the overall atmosphere of mediocrity that pervades Teeside and its environs. However, as a true socialist and a historian I accept that life has not been kind to Middlesborough and that much of the pain inflicted on Teeside is the consequence of the industrial and educational policies of post-war governments, the worst of which was of course that headed by a half-human between 1979 and 1990 - say no more. In summary, I will not say 'Well done Teeside' as 'all should not have prizes' if they don't really deserve them. What I will say is that privilege is rife throughout the HE sector and that Teeside is a victim of a system in which its virtues will never be prized (not until we have a revolution, of course!). Yours, ever, Hoggie.

some of the negative comments regarding this are laughable. You really do seem to have a massive chip on your shoulder, or why would you bother to comment with what are more than likely lies, to be honest. I work at the Uni, and have for 12 years, and I met my wife here so believe me it's not a case of me saying it's amazing just because i'm staff as even bad things happen, like meeting my wife! Joke, obviously, but we are sat laughing at how ridiculous some peole sound, especially you Peter Swallow, who is complaining at being given enough support to complete and gain a degree when it sounds like you don't deserve one! Just because you can't get past interview processes and gain employment with anybody, is NOT the Universitys fault my friend. I have also been a student at Teesside, as has my wife, funded by the University itself showing a great example of the support they give to thier staff, and whilst on the course i don't remember once being asked to complete a student survey. Also, the Library has gained great comments in previous suveys from students and the only complaints can be the opening hours, which was only requested in the survey by about 3% of users - so the Library opened until 2.00am during exam times and times of assignment hand ins etc, i.e. when it was needed. Teesside University, congratulations, a great accolade for yourself and the town, and I for one am proud to be an employee.

The person who did not know Middlesbrough was in Teesside, you have made my night, please accept the award for biggest idiot of the year

Kev

CONGRATULATIONS to Teeside. Any right-minded reasonable person will join with me is wishing you well. Sadly that description may exclude some posters.

The only idiot here is you kev, i feel sorry for you very sorry indeed you found your other half @ the uni that says it all. Your whole life is based around the phony sorry excuse of an institution. Why do you wonder no one at first say knows where Middlesbrough is? Because it has no significance in any way or form to the rest of the country. If you ask any one slightly further out than Leeds, they would probably not have even heard of Middlesbrough hence the girl who did not know it was in Teesside till she found out more info.
Ok you can argue that it was once leading in engineering and probably still is, however the region as a whole has been neglected to say the least by so-called politicians who have wanted to connect with the north and have never made any real attempt to do so. There are some nice areas within the area but the university has a long way to go, by getting on your high horse and thinking you’re the University of the Year you are not doing any justice to yourself. You mean to say that Teesside Uni out did Queens Marry get out of your pit people.

You can carry on rambling about what a great place it is Kev with your desk job in the Library probably spending most of your time on facebook and the likes but we all know the truth about the place and the service students get from the administration staff at the university especially the Library front desk. In regard to students being told how to fill the student surveys up there is clear proof of this in the one of the schools I have heard this from a past student in another discussion board. They were told that if they do not fill it out positively they could have difficulties achieving employment.
There is no excuse for a leading University not to have access to a 24 hour library, not just at exam times. How many students actually filled the questionnaire in? There is a need for it considering there is a very high percentage of part time and mature students last I checked there were more part time students than full time.

"we are sat laughing at how ridiculous some peole sound, especially you Peter Swallow"

Not as hard as the rest of the country are at Teesside for celebrating a pity award. Its the equivalent of a primary school sports day where everybody gets a trophy. I'm pretty sure that all of the 3rd class British universities will win this in the coming years.

Fred. You are vitriolic and bitter. Get over yourself ! You obviously have a very large chip on your incompetent shoulders.

I'm afraid that 'Kevin S' displays all the dismal petty-minded blockheaded characteristics of a true resident of the Tees region. The 'accolade' that he so applauds is a pitiful patrony offered on behalf of the real universities of the year/decade/millenium who snigger as the day nursery on the Tees gets its five minutes of shallow fame. As Hoggis Brown has suggested above, this is part of a process that started in the 1980s and has completely corrupted these institutions - their inadequacies in comparison to serious universities are now even more obvious as they have lost the clearly defined roles they once had. Now in Scotland things are different of course...

I find the negative comments on here abhorrent. If you do not agree with Teesside's award, that's ok but to present it as an attack against the whole of the area seems slightly over the top. Should Teesside be 'blamed' for winning this award? It seems some people would rather the whole area put it's hands up and said 'We're useless and should stop trying to better ourselves'. I can't understand how people think these kind of comments are acceptable. Teesside is trying it's best to raise the standards of it's students and the aspirations of it's community. Why pour such scorn over that? As my mum always says 'If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all, espeically when there's no need to get involved'.

As a young (26 years old) mature student at Teesside University, I would like to say I am proud to be able to say that i have studied here. Also being from Middlesbrough, this is an award which is close to my heart, and I can see the progression Teesside Uni has made from when it was a Polytechnic (I can't remember as far back as Constantine College. I'd like to say though, all of these people who are bad mouthing, belittling or to be blunt, displaying sour grapes, need to wise up.

The nightlife and the town, as some have quoted, is not the University. Teesside is the first of the Modern Universities to win this award, and whichever, or whenever, a modern university won such award, it was always going to face a backlash of some description. The older, more research based universities are still very good at what they do, but if they don't change with the times, they become stagnant. Teesside is a forward thinking university, with a great inclusion policy at both local, regional, national and international levels.

Those above who claim the award to be a pity award, or liken in to a primary school sportsday please, live in the real world. Would such a highly thought of award from such a mainstream, highly regarded newspaper really just have been handed out due to a pity vote?

Those who can do, those who think they can, well, they go nowhere...

Three cheers for Teesside I say! The staff (from the cleaners, the admin staff, the lecturers to the management and the VC), The Students and the local community who support the University.

Everywhere has something wrong with it, no-where is perfect - it just so happens 'WE' got the most right this last year!

@John: Teesside Uni does have an English and History department. I am a Teesside graduate with a first class degree in History. The teaching standards are excellent; two of my former tutors are oxbridge doctorate graduates who, along with the remainder of the History teaching staff, guide their tutees to developing their historical knowledge to graduate with the best possible. Whilst I cannot comment on other degree courses, Teesside has begun to branch out into attracting more Arts students by fragmenting it's past as a HE institution catering for Science, Technology and Engineering degree programmes. This transition has gone hand-in-hand with the collapse of industry in Middlesbrough and the Tees Valley region since the late 1990s.

Yours and other people's comments about Middlesbrough being the backend of the North East are wrong. I wasn't born in the North East, in fact I was born in the south-east with a middle class up bringing and private school education. The reason's behind me attending Teesside Uni are that after failing my first year Law degree at Durham I stayed in the North East as I was dating my now wife. In the six years I spent living in Teesside, I have noticed the town develop and grow in unison with the growth of the university. It is snobbish, zealous London-centic snobs like you and others who both praise the Russell Group and disparage former polytechnics whilst slating the North East and its inhabitants - with your prejudices based on THAT recent Channel 4 show.

Like many towns and cities across the UK, Middlesbrough has noticeable pockets of social deprevation - a result of Thatcherite economics, with mines and factories closed and no policies from central government and successive governments since 1997 to implement new strategies to develop either waste land or regenerate former industrial communities. (In fact, if you were to look outside Central London you will see similar pockets of social deprevation in the suburbs, a result of pseudo-Conservative voters like yourself). Middlesbrough's continued regeneration into a vibrant metropolitan town has on the one hand been due to the policies and strategies of it's Mayor Ray Mallon, and on the other economic injection from internal and external resources. One of the biggest economic boosts for the town has been premiership football; in recent years until the club's relegation in 2009, away fans have been witness to the gradual regeneration of the town and the economic resources they feed to the local government - bars, alcohol and accomodation have been used to build new homes, attractions - such as the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, cut crime and other strategies to modernise the town and dislocate it from the surrounding, poorer and less academic areas, such as Hartlepool or Redcar. With this has come new employment opportunities; whilst there has been a slump during the recession, Middlesbrough's employment rate has remained somewhat consistent. To say that Middlesbrough's inhabitant's voted in Labour is an inaccuracy as the political map of the region is split between the three major parties. However, the marginal problem is that traditional Labour seats in the North East are hard to unsettle and with the continued growth of the town, people have been happy to sit back, abstain from voting and protect the status quo. However, with changing fortuntes comes changing attitudes and the once-safe Labour seats of the North East are under threat from the electorate unhappy not just with current policies but also from the fact that the town, along with the country, needs a new direction.

However, the biggest factor to Middlesbrough's renaissance has undoubtedly been the University of Teesside and it's expansion not just in terms of buildings, but also of course programme options and reputation. Whilst Teesside may languish 81st in The Times' Top 100 Universities List, it's ambition is to climb to the league table in forthcoming years and establish itself as a university with a national and global reputation. Of course this will take time, but it is feasible. To compare Teesside Uni against older FE institutions is disrespectful to a new university establishing itself amongst the elite of Britain's academic circles and rival its neighbour's York, Durham and Newcastle universities. Teesside's expansion in recent years has seen it able to attract student from outside the North East and has proved it is able to accomodate a wide and diverse student body from across the UK and elsewhere with several new state-of-the-art halls of residence. Furthermore, the Student's Union's success in winning awards of excellence has also shown that Teesside Uni is becoming an attractive place to study; the Student's Union is a staple place at any university for social and extra-curriculur activities and Teesside is able to offer (along with other excellent academic and research facilities, including the Library) good value for it's students. Moreover, during my academic studies at Teesside I was Campaigns and Communications Officer and was in the right place at the right time to be involved with a growing, metropolitan and fashionable Union and University.

Both Teesside University and the town have been altered and scarred by recent socio-political and academic developments. Despite now living in London and working in Public Relations, I was surprised and pleased to hear that the University of Teesside has won this award. In receiving this award, the University, its staff, students and academic body - both past and present thoroughly deserve the recognition for developing a former politechnic into a vibrant, expanding, exciting and interesting place to study, learn and enjoy the benefits of undergraduate and postgraduate university life. For all those who have, and continued to mock Teesside, whether it be because of it's former reputation, it's location or the name, the award bestowed upon the university should act as a buffer to its critics. One hopes that the university will capitalise on this award to meet and exceed its ambitions of being a modern, prestigious and globally-known HE institution. Had I, and many other students not studied at Teesside, we may not have received the excellent education we received there. I, along with my fellow graduates, would like to congratulate the University of Teesside on its future success. Well done to all involved and may 2010 and the years that follow be great ones for the university, Middlesbrough and the country.

From what I read here, the North East is basically a dump that should be avoided at all cost and god forbid that anyone should try and do anything to change that?? This is how I sum up those negative comments which so far are more concerned about criticising a whole region and town than offering any form of constructive criticism.
No, Teesside University is not the best university of the country but this is not what this award is about! Teesside Uni got this award partly for its work towards regenerating the region and because of its commitment to raising people's aspirations.
Obviously, it is clear that not everybody thinks that university education should be available to the wider community, or that any effort to make this possible should be rewarded. This the 21st Century and I'm afraid this is the way the world is going so get used to it!

I do not originally come from the North East but think it's a great region to live in! I do both work and study at Teesside University and do really believe that both awards are a well deserved recognition of the work that has been accomplished so far and a good motivation to keep it going!
Oh, and to all the ever so negative stereotyping sceptics out there, no my employer does not pay me to say this! May be try to open your minds a little, who knows you might even surprise yourselves!

A quick glance at recent winners (2004 UCL; 2005 Durham; 2006 Manchester; 2007 Cambridge; 2008 Loughborough) suggests that this is a prize worth having. Certainly these 'old' universities were all happy to give it some prominence on their website when they won, so why shouldn’t Teesside staff be pleased?

A quick glance at recent winners (2004 UCL; 2005 Durham; 2006 Manchester; 2007 Cambridge; 2008 Loughborough) suggests that this is a prize worth having. Certainly these 'old' universities were all happy to give it some prominence on their website when they won, so why shouldn’t Teesside staff be pleased?

Can anybody, but particularly 'FJS', tell me what a 'pseudo-Conservative voter' is? Or is it a social classification invented by the esteemed History department of Teeside? When is a Conservative voter not all that he seems? When he votes, appears to vote, doesn't vote, or votes for a different party to that which he professes to vote for? I am confused, and I hope that 'a Teeside graduate with a first class degree in History' who has valiantly strode to the defence of his venerable, and much maligned, institution, will enlighten me.

'The day nursery on the Tees' - ha ha ha .....very good.. and what about the 'toddler collective on the Tyne' for Northumbria?

Teesside U had its one minute of glory and will be back to where it was, a third rate university ( as a poly it was no better) which recruits students who are not academically able and hence have no chance of earning a place in the Old universities-the proper universities. As for those who praise this institution, you do it because you have not seen anything better as your limited experience suggests. Middlesbrough sure is a dump and Teesside U is a product of this dump. Before you accuse me, I was born and brought up not far from this dump and fortunately I do not live there. For those students who complain about the attitude of people there, I agree with you. But then if you still have a chance, get out really fast.

don't fool yourself, buddy or buddette, these institutions are not really very bovvered about this nonsense. they rake in the cash of the international students, cash in on the RAE, and have got more illustrious alumni that you've had hot beancakes (xcept luffbro of course which is a bit of an upstart, innit?)

For those who have still yet to obtain GCSE English, the University is called Teesside - that's right, my spelling is not correct, you see the double S in the middle - Teesside University (formerly the University of Teesside - again, a double S in the middle). To 'Gollum' - "a third rate university ( as a poly it was no better) which recruits students who are not academically able and hence have no chance of earning a place in the Old universities-the proper universities." I'm not sure if this is a classist comment, or just simply mis-informed biggotry however, ACADEMICALLY, I'm more than capable of being able to get into your "Old universities-the proper universities" holding 6 A Level results (5A* and 1A) however, I choe to study here because Teesside is the leader in the course I chose - that's right, Teesside University does something better than your "Old..." and outdated establishments, who are at the very least classist. Teesside University is not a university which relies on its name to carry it on and bring student numbers, it is a university which works at increasing its student numbers and developing its curriculum and courses to make it one of the best universities. You may mock, you're simply mis-informed, out of touch and I hasten to add, out of touch with reality and the modern world - it's the very same mindset that stops progression - thank goodness those at Teesside University do not subscribe to such tripe!

Perhaps I'm being pedantic, but Teesside doesn't 'think' it is University of the Year, it actually was awarded University of the Year by the THE. Thiisi scommonly regarded as as'evidence'. Also I don't get the impression that Teesside students or staff suddenly think they are Harvard, rather they are pleased to be judged on merit rather than prejudice? Perhaps you should take up your gripe with the THE Awards Team, rather than a happy employee?
As for your poisonous and wierdly personal comments about Kevin, they are unsettling. Why are you so angry?
I'm curious to know if such bile is always stirred up by this award. I realise that it's very English to be hostile to others' success, as it is considered vulgar to celebrate achievement, but some of the contributors seem to have deep 'issues' about Middlesbrough and the North East, and to whether those who live or work there should count as human! Perhaps this says more about those contributors than the object of their bile?
In fact, some people seem very disturbed and threatened about the whole idea of new Universities. It smacks of an appartheid mentality, where one group assumes a moral / ethnic superiority over another and is threatened by any attempt to elevate the perceived 'inferior' breed as an equal on any terms. It's quite disturbing.
I don't get the sense that Teesside staff or students are doing any thing other than celebrating this high profile recognition. They have already been recognised in many areas for their quality. Their detractors seem to have not bothered to do their research before firing off toxic salvos.
Perhaps less vitriol would have been heaped on Teesside, if had simply known its place and come second to a 'proper' University?

Folks, It is obvious that the poison in the above posts is being delivered by a small number of individuals with multiple names. Can we agree to ignore them and not rise to their venomous bait? I say again. congratulations to Teeside.

@FJS: Whoa Nelly! I was praising Teesside! I hadn't been aware of its strengths in English and History, so I am pleased to hear of those additional strengths and feel it furthers validates THES's choice. I am from the NE (Newcastle), live here and am well aware of the successful efforts to regenerate Teesside - I'm not a pseudo-Con, I have alwaysvoted Labour and I have rarely set foot in London at all - I'm on your side for God's sake! Suggest you read the finer point of contributors' comments before launching in.

Reading through the comments about Teesside's achievement I'm shocked by the reactionary bigotry of some of the negative statements apparently from those at 'older' universities - displaying a deep level of insecurity among such people, their cosy assumptions being challenged and exposing an underlying sense of inadequacy. The world of higher education is changing and such people will simply have to come to terms with it. Academic merit is no longer confined to an elite group of research-focused institutions.

Teesside University and the town of Middlesbrough are seeking to pull themselves by their own bootstraps, they deserve credit and support not bilious negativity from the ignorant and prejudiced.

Well done Teesside!

Please do not forget that Warwick, York, Bath, for example, were all new universities in the 1960s. But In recent national and international league tables these new 1960 universities have beaten many older universities. So, particularly those in this 1960 group, you have no reason to look down on the 1992 group! You were in the same situation in the 1960s!

To the alleged former students of Teesside with comments above 1) no student has ever been forced to fill out the NSS- what purpose would that serve, it would only encourage negativity (and rightly so) and 2) the awful LIbrary is rated 3rd in the country in the NSS and best in the world by the International Student Barometer. If students give us feedback while at the University we do our very best to respond to it- waiting until you have left doesn't do you or any of your fellow students any good.

Sorry to be a bore but Teesside does have a History departmnet rated 100% and top in the country in the NSS, And for the proper Uni fans out there, I left Newcastle to work at Teesside, and while that is also a good University, the attitude towards students at Teesside is far better and the Library opening hours are much longer. I find it very insulting that anyone should think that I or any other member of staff should be ordered to write positive comments- unlike some posters above we have free minds at Teesside, perhaps yet another reason why we won? FYI, no spellchecker but you can read and correct your posts, or are you researchers too used to having your RAs do that for you?

Teesside University has been declared the best university in the UK. Accept it or choke on it.

From CD: "2) the awful LIbrary is rated 3rd in the country in the NSS and best in the world by the International Student Barometer."

Mediocrity rating mediocrity is not a very good guide. Believe me, there are more than 2 universities library in the UK that are better than TU's. Hard to believe, but think about it. What is the international organization that runs this barometer?

"Please do not forget that Warwick, York, Bath, for example, were all new universities in the 1960s."

Indeed. Even Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard ... were once 1 year old. TU will soon join them.

"Teesside does have a History departmnet rated 100% and top in the country in the NSS".

Nice to know TU students think the place is great. Does that make it so? I don't know. What does the rest of the UK and the world think?

BWT, I am a TU grad; so don't go there. (But I am among the few with commonsense.)

Are you really saying that the THE is mediocre for its decision, or the NSS; or indeed I-graduate for revealing Teesside as the most popular among international students 3 times in succession. Would these organisations like to reply to the anonymous Dr?
You really should have those sour grapes of yours looked at!

Following this award, students who might have gone to Durham or Newcastle unis will now be banging on our doors. What will you negetivists be saying at this time next year?

Asking KW. TU library "best in the world"? We all need to try and get out a bit more often, eh? BTW, my children have just voted me Best Father In The World.

you should both read between the lines before commenting. I never once said i believed we were University of the Year, as I haven't studied in them all so could hardly make that comparison, it was the THE people who gave the accolade not me, I was simply pointing out some of the petty comments on here about the area and institution were probably based on hearsay and a ridiculous stigma attached to the town. I will be the first to agree the town could do with extra funding to make it 'more presentable' if you like, but the point of all this, including the award, if how far the University and associates have come in the last 10 years. You wouldn't know as you have probably never set foot in the place, making your comments void in my eyes. The only thing i said which was scathing was towards Peter who said he thought the place deserved ridicule for GIVING HIM a bloody degree which it sounds like he doesn't deserve anyway, he should be praising the place if anything. Believe me, I nor many of my colleagues, have been celebrating by putting posters up saying 'we are the best' etc, it was an award given by what is supposed to be a reputable lead in the Education sector, and why shouldn't it be celebrated? They wouldn't award it if not deserved and that is a fact. I also don't work in the Library and never said I did. Fred, what exactly does "whole life is based around the phony sorry excuse of an institution" mean? do you think when Friday comes i stay back because i love the place that much or something? and you, the nutty prof "displays all the dismal petty-minded blockheaded characteristics of a true resident of the Tees region. The 'accolade' that he so applauds"............where did i 'applaud' it so much? I simply suggested the comments on here were based on rumor and small minded idiots. And for a so called 'professor' would you not agree your comments are a bit xenophobic as you clearly think of us as some kind of foreign existence with 6 arms and 2 heards with little intelligence.........do you support the BNP? admit it, you're not really a professor at all, are you? toodle pip xx

"Academic merit is no longer confined to an elite group of research-focused institutions." I don't think the award was actually for academic merit, at least not according to the judges.

Any one with some experience in working in academia will understand the essential difference beween 1960s universities and 1992 universities decalred as such by Major govt. Here cometh "academic" who given a chance will populate the UK universities with overseas students. Must be worried about keeping his/her job and hence needing the large fee. This award is like the awards some radio presenters particularly in the local independent radio stations get. Teesside University has put this award as a banner and all smiles for a few days. Nineday wonder I suppose. I was in the Teesside U library a few months ago and students gave a thumbs down sign pointing out the attitude of the library staff and the opening hours. Teesside University is popular among international students, so I heard about London Metropolitan universiy. No wonder "academic" is interested!

How come all those who post very positive comments do not give their full names? It is always "KW", "academic", "Hard Truth" etc.. etc..
Teesside senior managers would love when you post your full names, your overseas students waiting in all corner s of the globe would love to come in to the wonderful place of Middlesbrough in large numbers would love it too.

We think that good students, their schools/sixth form colleages and their teachers are idiots. They do not see the large banner in the Teesside web site. These teachers and students know that Teesside, London Metropolitan university and Liverpool John Moores are new universities. They know that their better grades will get them into better universities in the top 30 of the league table. The fact that you need all these positive spins says a lot.

To PK. If you had so many good grades, they did not help you to see my point about my familairity with this area and university having born and brought up in a nearby place. As a poly Teesside Poly was useless. Students preferred NewCastle poly. You must be really a fool to say that Old U- like Imperail college for example is full of classicists. Indeed, Imperial College's old student Kao was awarded Nobel Prize recently for his work in optical fibre communication which is so critical to the Internet UCL which has large classic and social science faculties is known better for its pure and applied sciences and no less than 20 Nobel Prize winners worked here. Similarly the old Cambridge University recently had the honour of having in its molecular biology centre a scientist who was awarded a Nobel prize in Chemistry and his research is already used to developing new antibiotics. U of Manchester is rated very highly for its computer science courses. Teesside may get an award whatever and you can put it in your degree certificate. But then the real world and the good secondary school students and teachers have a different view of this institution.

congratulations teesside university...you deserve this award. I advise many students to go to university...many of my students do. They are happy and have gone onto brilliant careers. Its about time universities like you get more credit...it seems you have to work so much harder to get it. Well done and enjoy the moment staff, students and graduates.

To Tina Wade

Can you name a couple of your students "who have gone to brilliant careers"?
There is an error of grammer when you said " Its about time universities like you get more credit" which should be " Its about time universities like you got
more credit". Tina Wade, you need to do a bit more work on PGCE English if you are a teacher. Well , we can understand about your students who go to Teesside University

congratulations teesside university...you deserve this award. I advise many students to go to university...many of my students do. They are happy and have gone onto brilliant careers. Its about time universities like you get more credit...it seems you have to work so much harder to get it. Well done and enjoy the moment staff, students and graduates.

I even left a spelling error for "grammar" for you to respond properly. So I take it that Tina Wade" or whatever your name is cannot name two students of yours or even one " who have gone to brilliant careers". That is the problem of universities like this Teesside. All hot air and no specifics.
"Gollum" named an old student from Imperial-Kao "who had gone to brilliant careers" l getting a Nobel Prize this year.

I too would be irritated if I were in a so-called Russell Group university, feeling so smug and superior, only to have a late arrival from the NE declared the UK's leading university, to add to best university in the world for international students, and best university for businesses to work with.

To Sour grapes. So U of Teesside the late arrival in NE is the best university in the world for international students who come here as "students" and disappear into the black economy a few months after ariival as illegals? On that count London Metropolitan University and Liverpool John Moores are also at par with the Teesside U? What this " new university" is providing a route for these so called foreign students to get into Britain. Have you looked at how many ex-foreign students of this university overstaying their visas afrer not completing their courses? The NE is full of them, thanks to other "new University" U of Northumbria disgorging its share of drop out foreign students in the NE Why does this country needs these "foreign students" anyway?

I am hearing so much good about this university. I want to apply for it. Some one in my country was saying this university is near Birmingham. Can you give me its address please?

Don't get me wrong completly! I graduated with a 2:2 from Tesside Uni. In my 3rd year I did not submitted any courseworks for 1 module, only 1 courseworks for another module and none for other modules. I said to my project supervisr that I am weak in mathemtics and computing, and he gave me an old project work to look at. I copied half of it and the other half was produced from two other old project works from the library. I had no vivas or presnetation and here I am with a 2:2. Why did I went to this uni, because with no A levels I went to ask for a diploma course . The clearing lecturer put me down to a degree in computing. Tesside Uni is best for me?

I see the protestors are still defending the day nursery a little too much.... When will you all get the message?- It's a joke award which your institution richly deserves because it means nothing whatsoever. Pretending to be great is humiliating when it is patently obvious you are not - that is why I and others have emphasised that to see Teesside folk celebrating this award is ridiculous. You are being chucked a few scraps from the high table to chew on and then mocked as you feverishly consume them.

I am taking my 20 students who are in the A2 level in my school to the Teesside university’s open day on 24 October. The students are interested in degree courses. I said to the administrator at Teesside that my students are weak in their subjects, the best we expect from them is a pass in two subjects at the A2 level. These students are a mixed bunch with science, business studies and psychology background, all a bit weak and for them universities like Newcastle are out of reach. The lady at the Teesside was sympathetic and said they had many students in the past who had just two A level passes and a few with one A level pass for their degree courses. In these cases she said, the university will look for the students' potential. I said that my students are scared of any entrance test, are not mature students and some, not all have worked in places like cafeteria. The lady assured me that she is not particularly looking for work experience with these students. The problem was that our school cannot afford the travelling costs. The lady agreed to meet the travel costs. She said that UCAS forms are preferred but not compulsory. That assured us a lot. Teesside university looks good for my students.

To Laura S. - it looks good indeed for your poor dears, who will be accepted with open arms without any qualifications or even the ability to pull their trousers over their behinds. For goodness sake, when is the country going to face up to the fact that we are subsidising a lumpen mass of fairly useless ingrates to do nothing of any value for three years (or more) just to keep them off the unemployment stats. We need a three year national community service, I say. This lot'd learn a damn sight more of they were cleaning up the central reservation of the A19 (or collecting butterflies there) than wasting their time in that god-forsaken establishment. Or they can look after the old in nursing homes, or do some gardening work. Moreover, the mediocre teaching staff at Teeside can join them.

Hello professor, why should my students not have ambition to go to university.
Agreed that they are a bit weak, hoping to get two A2 level passes, and some one A2 level pass, but Teesside sent us invitations and agreed to meet the travel costs for the 20 students after we gave them all these details. Surely this university, now the best university in the country, knows how to get the best out of our students. Newcastle University expects minimum 320 UCAS points-an A and 2B's which is beyond our students. Also their insistence on UCAS route with personal statement etc..sounds too much for our students. Our Oftsted inspectors mentioned about vocational training and not university degree courses. But our argument is why should our students get the second best?

In less than 20 years, we have gone from a polytechnic to one of the leading universities in this country. That is worth celebrating!

ho hum, this one dimensional swipe at the new universities is just so darn tired. One dimensional analysis is lazy and worse than mediocre. I am betting that there are really just 2-3 folk with 3-4 names a piece who stir up the rows with their predictable drivel. We should all be learning what Teesside did to get this award and then see what aspects of their practice can be spliced into our own systems.

Teesside university sent me admission for the degree course I was interested eventhough I had 1 A2 level pass. That was in 2006 when many discouraged me to applying for degree courses without 3 A2 level B and C degrees. But Teesside was also the university for me. The department where I studied was generous in resits and progression. In Leeds University for example where my cousin went, there was a cap on the number of resits a student should have in 3 years unlike Teesside. Also I had good help when I was doing the project. We are supplied with the previous years project reports. I too had no presenatation or viva for the projects. I also achieve 2.2. Not bad, from this now best university.

@academic. Overseas recruitment and getting a bucketload of so called students from outside the EU for a start for you.

It seems that a significant majority of posters have failed to read the article properly to which their posts refer. Quote: "The university was awarded the top prize for its 'outstanding regional economic strategy and strong financial performance"... If that is the basis for the strength of TU's application to THE University of the Year award, then comments about academic strength etc are missing the point. But then many academics find the whole idea of universities being involved in economic strategies vulgar. What is really vulgar is the complacent form of intellectual snobbery which celebrates success when it comes in a form it agrees with (ie: RAE ratings and subsequent multi-million pound research funding) but downplays success of other kinds, such as effective engagement with local and regional regeneration, which is a major element of TU's mission.

If Prof. Donald McCormark is a real person and these are his actual opinions, then I pity him. And those poor unfortunate folk who have to interact with him on any level.

@Dr Andrew Rawnsley. Any relation to Andrew Rawnsley of the Observer
who writes such drivel about how good Gordo Brown and the Labour Party is? Indeed, why should a university be rated on its research strength, and multimillion pound funding from research councils. Very middle class indeed!
Why do we need Fellows of Royal Societies teach science subjects, like they do in Imperial and UCL? Why can't we have TU's mission of mopping up students with two, one and no A2 level passes? TU's mission of embracing these unfortunate lot is laudable, reading some posters. TU's regeneration of Middlesbrough which would have been left like a shanty town in an underdeveloped country, had it not acquired empty and derilict properties to house hundreds of overseas students arriving each year, thanks to its global agents. The VC's bio reads like who is who in new universities , studies in Lanchester Poly, with experience in Sunderland U and Northumbria U. We in Britain have the enviable reputation of promoting mediocrity.

Any relation to the biblical character who lost his head?

Didn't understand the rest of your post. No coherent line of argument.

Reading some posters it appears that UCAS points of 300+ seem like an overkill. I would agree with the Teesside policy of 2 A2 level passes which should remain the standard entry qualification for the new universities. Let the Oldies be messing up with 3 A grades or 3A+ grades, we in the Teesside believe in giving the underdogs a chance and 2D/2E grades at A2 are quite adequate for us. I agree, we are the university for enterprise. Entrepreneurs like Branson do not have university degrees. I have not stopped smiling since we achieved this greatness!!!

@ Andrew Rawnsley. "Any relation to the biblical character who lost his head? Didn't understand the rest of your post. No coherent line of argument"
Sure, you are related to the Observer's Andrew Rawnsley! Why bother with research mumbo jumbo Andrew when TU get bucket loads of students with 2A2, one A2 and no A2 level passes? Well should we suppose, the good doctor achieved his doctorate in proposing creative admission technique to universities like TU. But then one can get a PhD submitting thesis in poppleton metropolitan university.

I can assure you that I am a real person and all opinions expressed here are mine and absolutely authentic. Furthermore, a large percentage of the educated population of the U.K. agrees with me, so have a good long hard think about that. This award is a complete waste of time. The notion that the involvement of a university in local regeneration is on a par with research excellence and the pursuit of knowledge is a complete travesty. Anyone who thinks such a thing has been brainwashed by the dumbing-down lunatics. O.K. the acountants at the Day Nursery have shown they can use a calculator - they should be given a gold star - not an accolade that is an insult to educationalist everywhere. I will repeat ad infinitum the eternal truth - you cannot dress mutton as lamb and expect the gourmet to be fooled. Teesside squanders public money as what is provides is worthless. What we need in this country is high quality research intensive higher education - that's where the money should go, not to funding student support (or salaries) for those who do not deserve it.

@Dr Andrew Rawnsley. How could you say that this person " John the Baptist" be related to a biblical character, even as a rejoinder? Looks like an argument in a PhD thesis in Teesside! There is a possibility that you may be a related to Mr Rawnsley, not impossible as you and this Observer's journalist live in 2009. Mr Rawnsley is bit of a leftie I should say.

@John the Baptist
Final post -- forum slanging matches are fairly pointless, especially when original post was simply to clarify where the discuss had gone adrift -- ie: not understanding the criteria for which the award was made.

Not related to said Observer journalist namesake. Could respond with many reasons why research is important in primarily teaching institutions, but not worth the bother here. Glad to discuss properly in more appropriate context.

Comments re: doctorate inaccurate and more than a little misplaced.

So proud that Teesside University has won this award. In the three years I spent as a student the development was clear for all to see. Congratulations!

Oh and btw when they recently re-branded the university the name Middlesbrough University was considered but with their ambitious plans to expand the university (such as the new campus in Darlington) and their work throughout the Tees Valley, Teesside University was the obvious choice.

FAO Kev
First of all learn to spell! Your life does resolve around the same bunch you live in the place marry in the place and probably got out with the same bunch. My advice to you is get out a bit more mate. There is definitely more to the country and that matter the world. Wave the flag for the university, but not to put a damper on things you are certainly not the best! i promise you. You know how much work goes in to that place and how much wastage. Why are the staff all ways so miserable, why do you not give any real answers to the questions regard the services provided for the students. Lets put it on in simple terms a world class leading university or for that matter ‘Uni of the year’ does not have a 24 hour library, there are some issues.

Prof. Donald McCormark. You must be aware of the "value add" component added to the results of sink primary schools when most of them did not even register in the radar screen of the primary school/ secondary school league tables. In a " value add"approach pupils are looked before entry and after leaving the school. For example, if a pupil enters the secondary with difficulty in reading a page in a children's book, can add only two numbers and cannot subtract them but on emergence in KS3 with ability to subtract two numbers and read 2 pages in a children's book( which may be way way below the ability expected), that accrues "value add" points, added to the KS3 results! Sounds utter nonsense, but then it is Nu Labour. TU is NU Labour. Why grudge this " valued add" component working at TU? A student with zero A2 levels is managed to fail the first year degree course in 3 subjects, that is "value add"!!! Well done TU!

I think you really need to open your eyes a little and realise how much both foreign students and student who have moved to Teesside Uni actually bring in to the economy of Teesside. one of the main factors that has got the ball rolling towards the 21st century for Teesside is the University. Teesside would not be anything else other than a testing ground for the chemical companies using the population as guinea pigs. So get your racist narrow-minded skinhead out of the pit and see the light. We need these students that majority of the who come from richer nations than us, you ask why come here? The answer is we need THEM the companies involved in sending/sponsoring their students do so all most as political favours. They are doing us a favour by sending them here, it keeps the right people happy and at the same time makes contacts and makes business easier believe me there are many deals that go on behind the scenes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/4211553.stm

Since when spending resources on our own students racist? Well in NU Labour jargon TU it is. The reason these foreign students come is that they are not really students but use these new universities to get entry to Britain or not many would like to go to a dump called Middlesbrough.
As for racism, try applying for a call centre agent's job in India or try to apply to an Indian university and you will have some lessons in racism. Racism is not always white against brown/black but the reverse is practiced in all most all the 3rd world countries. I should hasten to add NU Labour does not accept this and so is TU. Why hide the tension between the local white working class in Middlesbrough and the black/brown students from overseas? Thanks to Bliar and Brown.

Tesside University has finally joined the upper echelons of universities in this country (and the world for that matter). Why bedgrudge us the accolades. As for our VC's background, that only goes to show that one need not be an output of Oxbridge in order to lead a university to greatness. I am PROUD of TU!

FAO wonderful to the foreign student . How come there are no non-white faces in the VC's executive, no non-white senior academic and no non-white face in the governing list? Good to play race card but keep every senior member of the university staff seriously white! Shameless people.

You mean Teesside climbed up to stay in the top 10 universities in The Times league table? The last time it was languishing in the bottom half.

Are all people in academe this tedious and crotchety? Why does anyone need a 24 hour library, anyway, unless you have nowhere else to be at one in the morning, or failed to get up until 7pm. Most worthy texts and research are available online these days.
If you're short of somewhere warm to be in the wee hours, you could try a 24 hour tesco!
Researchers: some are highly worthy. The rest serve to give academics something to do, perpetuate their largely pointless existence and keep them from under their family's feet. The University of Leeds got £10,000 for research into the perfect thickness of toast, for example. Breakfast time has been so much more meaningful since!
However, it's quite fun watching this bitch fest - beats X factor hands down.

you are clearly a narrow-minded nut case sad guy living on his own without a life and waving your BNP flag. Get it and stick it up your rear end. The fact is that you are envious of people’s education and prosperity and still talking about black and white in the 21st century there is no tension between black and white students what are you referring to the blockages in your little mind. You obviously only have one intention and that is to cause divisions between people, using the stupid arguments that are well rehearsed by you daft leaders but just don’t fit the debate. “Racism is not just on white and black and can be the other way round” what are you a genius! You Cleary do not have anything constructive to add to article other than to spread your fascism. For those of you believing his rubbish look at the visa requirements that were changed years ago and each student has to register with the police both for their safety in case they have any issues and also so they can keep tags on them. You are not worth debating with nor responding to so don’t try to get attention cause no one loves you. Get a life.

You can't obviously read and understand with your minimal brain cells. Read what "Since When.." says. By the way, learn to use a different name. But then if not possible because of the minimal rain cells, don't post.

@Since When. The later poster. Did you read what the earlier poster said?
Your comments show that indeed you must be a product of TU. Well done!
There is a slight problem here. You may have to enroll again in another university to read to understand written material!

I find some peculiar comfort in the exhibitions of prejudice, stupidity, elitism and narrow-mindedness evident in some of the contributions on this site. It seens that the award to Teesside has flushed out the views of the backwoods. Teesside is not a perfect place; the award is not for the best University. It is an award for the University of the year - and Teesside won because of its clear sense of purpose; its commitment to, and delivery on its own sense of purpose. The backwoods seem not to evidence any great sense of purpose - other than an unswerving commitment to an elite system and a deep and heart felt prejudice against the NE generally, Middlesbrough in particular, and, latterly, any foreigner. Congratualtions to you all for seizing the opportunity to expose yourselves. But the real congratualtions must go to Teesside

@zt -'Teesside won for its clear sense of purpose; its commitment to, and delivery on its own sense of purpose' - unfortunately, dear sir/madam this sense of purpose is empty, false and valueless. That is why I and others have made the points above. There should be no place in Higher Education for the shoddy low quality teaching and research on display at Teesside. It is absurd to say that a 'clear sense of purpose' is a reason for winning something - should we offer a prize to a prolific serial killer for his 'clear sense of purpose' in dispatching his victims. Wake up and smell the coffee!! Teesside's contribution to the world is simply a load of spin and hot air - it does not improve the minds or life chances of its students - rather it trains them to do not very much badly. The whole 'value-added' argument, as outlined by another above, is absolute hogwash, exposed as vacuous by a number of reputable studies. We should not be celebrating mediocrity. Period. The money spent on this awards ceremony should go the same way as the money that funds Teesside Uni - into good solid primary school education and a national community service programme as I outlined above. Higher Education should return to what it was, and always should be, a system based on quality not on quantity. As Kingsley Amis once said 'More means worse' when it comes to HE. We need 30 (maximum) well funded academically-orientated research universities in this country. Everyone else can study part time through the OU or on employer training at their own or their employers expense.

i study last year in teesside. it good place but people no friendly. lectures reelly dissapointing, lecturers not helpfull. i learn not much. i ho home

all them posts seem to come from the same nut head, and guess what i have got your ip address.

Wonderful to the foreign student! : To Sour grapes. So U of Teesside the late arrival in NE is the best university in the world for international students who come here as "students" and disappear into the black economy a few months after ariival as illegals?

This demonstrates how utterly uniformed you are. If you actually worked in a university you would be aware of the impact of recent Home Office regulations. Universities are required to keep track on non-EU student's attendance. If one "goes missing" a fine of £10,000 can be applied. In any case, most foreign (and UK) students are hard-working and stick to their studies.

@ Prof. Donald McCormark. Good morning Professor. I was just wondering of what you were professor and where. I can't find any recent publications under that name in any field. “No authors were found for Author: McCormark, D in Life or Health Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences or Humanities”. I'd also like to know which studies you draw upon to support your assertion that 30 is the maximum number of universities required, as most of my reading suggests that economies with higher participation rates in HE do much better than those using HE as a selective instrument to retain the privileges of the middle classes. Indeed, one of your earlier posts made me think of circumstances in 18th century Britain when a combination of (i) good quality mass education (admittedly not at that stage mass HE) in Scotland and (ii) limited local opportunity came together to provide the huge pool of well educated emigrant Scots who made the British Empire so effective.
By the way, don’t bother looking for publications by KTG; it’s not my real name.

I am so proud to be part of Teesside...by choice. Worked here for many years and had many opportunities to go and work at other uni's but by choice i stayed.....why....because its the most energetic place where staff are determined to make the university grow, and be excellent. In all depts you will see this and feel this pride...and over the last ten years we have built this institution to what it is today. I get up each morning with a smile on my face, a skip in my stride to go to work...we respect our colleagues and students. If that is sad and misguided then....i would rather be happy and continue to work in a place that recognises its staff for their commitment and achievements. Our VC is the most motivating man I have ever met...and we support his vision and belief that we can achieve great things. We have and will continue to do great things.

@Proud Teeessider: You sound like some one who is ignorant. Not surprising as you are like Middlesbrough FC fans totally unrealistic and if I have to use a term, it would be "deluded"
I used to work as an administrator in a large university which has a reasonably large number of overseas students. Home Office regulations exist on paper only. The immigration authorities do not have manpower to chase these students. There is very little a university can do if a foreign student does not attend the lectures and drops out. The Home Office is notified but they have piles of names from other universities like Teesside. It is estimated that there are at least 200,000 former students of universities like Teesside, Leeds Met etc.. who are overstaying, working in the black economy after they dropped out of courses. They go to large cities looking for work. The recent example of Baroness Scotland's housekeeper should say something about the problem of illegal stay. This is a problem a university like Teesside it appears is reluctant to address. I have heard this from overseas friends. Its agents overseas, recruit students saying that Middlesbrough is indeed a good town,plenty of opportunities for work and leisurely activities and show a glitzy video. A few members of staff have gone to places like India to get students little realising that the students they get are the ones rejected by the local universities and all better students go to USA. The student realises the mistake when he/she lands in Britain and attempts to go to Middlesbrough by train. When he/she attempts o find work locally the problems of a close community emerge one by one. The poor student is confronted with a plethora of problems academic and non-academic. There are plenty of unsatisfied customers around.

The Teesside blokes are hyperventilating. This is an award from a publication and that is it. Let us get a sense of proportion.

For a university which claims to be international, it is located in a place not easy to get to, a name which is difficult to spell ( very easy to spell it as "Teeside", many have done it and you cannot blame them) and have a town name which is again difficult to write- easy to spell as Middlesborough. I know at least a couple of my friends from overseas who had extreme difficulty in convincing their employers back home that Teesside University is really a legitimate university. Here in the SE England too, not many know about this university with its strange name , but tha the NE is a very deprived area and any good news however feeble and shortlived is an excellent news for them.

KTG . You really sound like a Labour party apparatchick. I work in an old university in the top 7 of the The Times league table. My first year class of 40 consists of the following: Students from inner city and rural comprehensives-25, independent schools-5, overseas -5 ad mature students-5. Not a class consisting of wholly mi ddle class students. The staff from new universities do not send their own sons and daughters to their own universities or any other new universities. I have 8 of these students ( out of 25) who are the sons/daughters of these academics. Could you give me an example any Labour Party MP who has his/her son/ daughter in a new university? My own MPs-two of them Labour Party faithfuls, popping up from time to time talking about middle class and the universties, sent their sons and daughter to selective grammar schools 15 mles away from their homes and these sons and daughter are in Cambridge and Oxford. So why can't you direct your anger at these MPs, instead of this professor? I agree with the professor.
The class is not a barrier these days. But these class warriors want tom perpetuate this. The NE MP like Nick Brown does this more often. Milburn another NE did this recently producing a report. But watch when he sends his children to Newcastle university or Oxbridge. But then he is working for a private health conglomerate, this wonderful NHS warrior. While class is not a barrier, the inadequate entry qulaifications are and rightly so. Institutions like Imperial and UCL bend over backwards to recruit students from disadvantaged background. But the entry requirements are not lowered unlike in universities like Teesside.

My question is how many of you, the new university academics, send your own sons/daughters to your universities or any other new universities? If these new universities are not good enough for people like Blair, Harman, Hoon and other Labour Party grandees, they are not good enough for others.

Sorry , some typos e.g.," ad for and" qulaifications for qualifications".

To Pride. "Our VC is the most motivating man I have ever met...and we support his vision and belief that we can achieve great things"

Overtly sychophantic. Very artificial and manufactured to please the senior manager. Sounds like the cabinet ministers talking about the deluded Gordo Brown.

"I get up each morning with a smile on my face, a skip in my stride to go to work.. so says "pride". Looks like the Teesside U is a Shangrila! Guys, temper your "enthusiasm", we got the message and avoid this Shangrilla!
Your utterances are fit for citizens in North Korea or the Cuban followers of El Presidente . Your excesses have destroyed whatever credibility this award has.

Does TU have any supporters here who are not employed by TU? Why is TU senior management wasting money paying for people to sing praises? Note that when THES compiles its list of Top 200 unis, local satisfaction of the paid does not count.

"Entrepreneurs like Branson do not have university degrees."

If that is your argument, then how does Teesside University justify its existence? Oh, I see: Teesside degrees are equivalent to no degree!

To Sanderson: ""Entrepreneurs like Branson do not have university degrees." If that is your argument, then how does Teesside University justify its existence? Oh, I see: Teesside degrees are equivalent to no degree!"

The last sentence is an interesting interpretation! But I take it! Universities like Teesside U ( they call themselves " modern" but I prefer post92 Major Unis) argue like KTG does by throwing in the "class cliche" and say they help the most disadvantaged students of the society to get to degree courses, calling them "widening access". I have no problem with it generally except that all the top "old " universities also serve the socially disadvantaged and institure many kinds of funding support for the poor students. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS GOOD GRADES. Also note that student loans become grants for them.
But coming back to this "widening access" theme, universities like Teesside and other post 92s, elasticate this theme to apply it globally. You will hence see students, outside the EU who could not get into the universities in their own countries because of their poor academic background, get offers from Teesside and others. These students not all rich come with limited funds thinking that they can earn working 20 hours a week while studying. This has many ramifications.
What is the purpose of computing staff at Teesside going to places like India for recruitment, when the Indian IT companies in India prefer American universities? Recently a memorandum of understanding was signed by the president of Ohio State U in India . This university is in the top 20 in USA. Teesside then picks up the remnant, those who cannot not go to USA and cannot go to good universities locally, all because of their poor academic background. This is even made worse these days as Imperial, UCL , U of Manchester etc.. take away better students in the pile. Teesside cannot attract even the average ones against this competition. Besides of its presence in the bottom half of the univesity league table, who would like to go this university and town like Middlesbrough from a large city in Asia?

Teesside exists for students with 2 A2 level passes, one A2 level pass or no A2 level pass ( see Laura Smith post) and apply this to even societies globally. These post92s were doing better obs as polys recruiting locally and awarding degrees and diplomas based on practically-oriented curricula. But the ditched this as the directors of these polys wanted call themselves VCs and get out of the LEA strict oversight.

Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford, MIT, ... and now Teesside University. Well done, TU, my almer mater!

Asking. You are right. Reading posting such as:

"our VC is the most motivating man I have ever met...and we support his vision and belief that we can achieve great things ( pride).
"Teesside won because of its clear sense of purpose" (zt)

One gets the message.

to pull somebody up on spelling, on a forum, is as petty as some of the drivel being banded about this entire thread. If that's how you want to be, your English is atrocious, I couldn't understand a single sentance about meeting my wife here etc, but it sounded deluded - I knew her before working here, if that makes a difference, and for the last time i am not 'waving a flag for the uni' i just said why shouldn't the staff celebrate? oh that's right, because the nutty prof will have you believe it's a 2 bob award...........as someone mentioned, it never done Manchester or Northumbria any harm. I also said i think the Library are planning on 24 hour opening, when they did open for extended hours though, the capacity of the building during that time was about 2% making you think 'what would be the point'

You cannot get the order of the top 4 unis in the list. Then there is question of of using the term"Almer mater". Let us talk when the "high" is gone!

Does TU have any supporters here who are not employed by TU

i have noticed posts from students, and here is another. i'm a graduate, I recieved a first and worked hard for it, but would NOT have recieved it had it not been for the excellent working facilities and tecahing staff at TU

I simply can't thank them enough and in my eyes, i aren't suprised they were given the accolade

Staff and students/former-students, eh? Well, their word is certainly very objective and counts for a lot. Sadly, THES in compiling lists of Top Unis looks at other factors. THES's ignrorance in this matter explains why you must use a microscope when looking for TU in world rankings or even national league tables. By the way, what does a first given by a joke mean?

I agree with 'to KTG' and some of what the professor says (who I believe may be a retired biologist??). People like 'KTG' are full of it, as are our politicians. They sing the praises of places like Teesside but wouldn't dream of their own kids going there.

"i aren't suprised". I'm sure you isn't!

London Craig: "in my eyes, i aren't suprised they were given the accolade"
You got a 1st with this kind of English? Nice try Mr/Ms Administrator, the line manager to be given report, I understand!

I graduated from Teesside 2 years ago. I went to Teesside because it was the only university which would accept me with a single A2 level pass and 2 A2 level retakes to do. I could have waited until I passed the two. But I was left with some money from a will by my uncle, and Teesside University was the only one which would accept me for a degree course. Fortunately I met a student from Newcastle uni and during the weekends we worked together. It was expensive for me to go to Newcastle every weekend but I enjoyed working with him and he made his lecture notes available to me. The lectures at Teesside were targetted to the students they had , most with my background. But I wanted to do better, hence my work with the Newcastle friend. I retook the remaining two A levels , thanks to this friend. I graduated with good grades as this group work with this friend paid off. I appled to do a postgraduate course at Warwick U , but as my first degree was from Teesside, I had to appear for an interview and was successful.

If you have good gades why bother with Teesside. You need a university with the staff with good research experience and who bring it to their lectures. Teesside is not for the able students. There is nothing in the town and as many said the library hours are restricted. The staff do not have the kind of excellence I see at Warwick.

Cambridge, Oxford, MIT, Stanford..... Kings College.... University of Birmingham.... Brunel U.... Oxford Brookes..... U of Hertfordshire..... Demontfort U....... Tesside U. Well done TU!

Good to see a team from Teesside in the Premiership. Good to see the THE looking beyond traditional universities to the ex-polytechnics. Good to see that student satisfaction is part of the accolade. Good to know that Teesside Uni library scores highly on student satisfaction. Well done Teesside - and, in particular, well done to Teesside Uni's library staff!

I see several comments makign remarks about the unattractive nature of Middlesbrough as a location. At what point did it become a University's responsibility to beautify its location?

@Bob. Good to see Teesside at the bottom of premiership and good to see TU at the bottom of the league table. Good to see the spin originating from the neighbour of Bliarr and Mandy constituencies. of Good to see the library staff coming at the bottom of the list desirable people at TU. Good to see nothing is at the top here of substance except hot air and spin.

@John. Universities are located in desirable locations and not out in the NE wilderness in a God-forsaken place. But then for "John" a university can be located in the middle of atacama desert. TU is perched in the midst of a town which is unfriendly to any one from outside the NE, it is a severe unemployment blackspot,hence has a plethora of social problems which rub onto students. That was my experience. If your town is not good, do not locate a university there. Beautify its location? No, you can have boarded up run down places and shanty streets. This shows the utter contempt for students' well being and all you are interested is taking money from them. Middlesbrough alone is enough to deter any sensible student to apply to this university. But then what do you expect from a former poly? Laura Smith's 20 students ( none of them expecting full 3 A2 level passes) are paid travel costs to entice them to come. Well done TU!

My goodness, some people have been getting themselves in a real tizzy havn't they! Well done TU, this is a prestigeous award, everyone bothering to read this knows it, especially those choosing to comment. When the 2006 world cup was awarded to Germany in favour of England, Englands bid was criticised for being too expectant and presumptuous, similarities here i think. The world is changing and for all those still stuck with their head up their unmentionable, its really time to take it out. A decent education is the right of "all" in this country and "all" cannot be housed in a few elitist establishments. To all those who detract from the teesside area, i wonder how many have actually visited the place and can really see past the end of their nose! Finally another very well done to all at TU for their acheivements and all at THE for recognising it.

Our university has objectively been judged to be the best in the UK, beating out the likes of Warwick in the short list. This will annoy the elitists, but we are here to stay. Watch out Oxbridge, here comes Teesside University!

"A decent education is the right of "all" in this country". True, but I believe the prof's point is that a lot of the so-called universities are not providing an education of any kind. Why continue wasting taxpayers' money, especially in times like these? There has to be a cheaper way of keeping people from the streets for 3 or 4 years. That is why some countries have "National Service".

To detractors. Read hat "For Mark " says. TU is not really a university like Warwick, but a place which keeps the home youngsters off the streets. But it brings in truck loads of so called "overseas students" mostly outside the EU who come to work and not to study and use TU to enter the country.

@For Mark, i can see your point of view, and agree in principal. However there are a few things that we should all consider. Without extended knowledge of any institution, to label it as "so-called", "3rd-rate" or any other adjective is nonsense. Academics competing over differing results in national awards and league tables is completely tedious and akin to the Americans recognising total number of medals won in the olympics when the chinese won more gold. Education is about preparing people for the world after university and providing useful graduates to industry. I wish people, especially certain academics would look beyond their little protectionist bubble and see the bigger picture. The final point is to all the people who talk about "providing an education", it may be a poor choice of words and does not reflect their true intentions, but providing an education should not be the ethos of any institution, it suggests a stagnant regime, facilitating learning and challenging students to go further should be the primary function of any academic.

The report in Daily Mirror in 2007 says Middlebrough is the worst place to live in Britain:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2007/10/15/middlesbrough-worst-place-in-uk-115875-19952427/

My experience in living in a digs here and studying at TU last year was that problems like binge drinking and drugs made it difficult for me to stay there. I had to leave to survive first . I did not do research before hand as my entry qualifications were a bit weak and TU readily accepted me. Any way, after year1 like the students who posted here, I moved. A few days later I heard hat my neighbour an old gentleman was badly battered by thugs looking for his pension money to buy drugs. The poor fellow lost a thousand pounds besides staying in the hospital for a few days.
It is not beautification required but students need a low crime area unlike the neighbourhood of TU.

My neighbour's son who is studying in Newcastle University says that Teesside webpages of a few departments are hide the details of their staff.
He says, the school of Computind has only the digital animation staff pages open for general public and all others are hidden. Why hide this if the university wants to say how best they are?

Please do the decent thing. Clear your desks and go and get a proper job rather than just childminding. You are pretend academics/librarians at a pretend university. I have seen TU and sat in some of your lectures - I will never go back and I will tell everyone I know what a joke this award is and what a disgrace your institution is. Pat yourselves on your backs from now until eternity why don't you, while you waste millions every year of the taxes of people doing real jobs.

The chancellor of a university in this is a figure head , but nevertheless reflects the ethos of the university. The Chancellor of Teesside University is Tom Sawyer- not the Mark Twain novel character but the leftie trade unionist who became the general secretary of the Labour, the buddy of Bliar, the Tuscan Tony. Reading a number of postings here where the class warriors are in action, the amount of spin generated by these warriors one could assume that it is a university full of Labour Party supporters, the class warriors.

are you a student if not then your opinion on a 24 hour Library is not important. if its 2% or not the fact is there was an amount of students using the Library and if it was publicised more then maybe just you would have had a decent turn out.

Staff seem to stick their nose in, the fact is that that the students should be in charge, we make you remember that. Who cares less what you want or your thoughts on the issue? if students want it then you should serve your job. Either accept it move on. Meant to be serving the students, thats what a lot of unis need to get right, including Teesside.

This has got very tedious.

I can't believe that the comments posted here reflect the readership of a magazine about higher education. Wild and unfounded generalisations, undisguised predudices that would not be out of place in drunken pub conversations, and sheer cynicism and hatred. Horrible.

If you read the most vitriolic posts you can detect similarities in syntax and repeated spelling errors across several posters names. Most of the poison seems to come from a small number (2-3) of individuals. One imagines them as rather rather bitter and twisted souls living solitary lives. Best thing to do is ignore them. Still it keeps them off the streets i suppose.

KW: "the ... LIbrary is rated ... best in the world by the International Student Barometer".

The fact is, this is a very serious matter that deserves debate on threads like this one. People are out there in the real world working day and night to pay taxes so that institutions like Teesside can stay on their feet. You, in your cloistered 'academic' existence, may not like it - but this is a real issue. Why should the bin man or the international financier pay for Teesside? What is its purpose? What is the justification for its existence? If it's not contributing anything of value it should be cut off from its public funding. In my opinion, and the opinion of many others here and in the wider world, it is not contributing and therefore should be forced into the private sector (where it wouldn't last 2 minutes) or shut down and the estate turned into something worthwhile. You may call that 'vitriolic'. I call it a concern for justice and respect for other people.

Academic is correct, we really should ignore these silly comments. After all, tomorrow Teesside will still be the University of the Year, and they will still be hate-filled pillocks.

"Why should the bin man or the international financier pay for Teesside?" Bin men do a fine job and I'd not criticise them -- but international financiers? Have you been asleep for the last couple of years?

To academic. I agree with " A courteous message to 'academic'" , I have read your postings, except urging to bring in more foreign students, your contributions are one liners most of the time. Your assertion that a small group is sitting somewhere, without work and churning out postings with similar spelling mistakes is stuff and nonsense. If this small group is so determined why would they reveal themselves making similar spelling mistakes? What is the purpose of this? I have read in one of your another one liner where your central message was again bringing in a bucket load of foreign students and accusing another poster who questioned the wisdom of your pontification as a 'racist'. Did it ever occur to you that there is no preview facility in this blog and most of what you call spelling mistakes are typos of some sort. Once you claimed you are a scientist and if it is true, figure out why these typos occur instead of hurling wild accusations. Grow up a bit and if you cannot, you should stop posting these silly accusations. I also agree that your cloistered existence which makes you feel smug and harbour the notion that the tax payers owe you some kind of kudos and you cannot stand any one criticising academics or an institution and debate the value of the award so blatantly blown up and claimed excellence of all sorts by those associated with the institution concerned.

To Teessider. Proud employee of Lord Sawyer, your chancellor who was accusing all his life the Lords and the middle class? Not surprising this Nu Labour institution is so adept in its spin. No one outside the NE who matter, particularly the students, the parents and teachers, give a toss about this award. In The Times league table, where is Teesside U ? That is what good students and their teachers check. But ofcourse, the Teesside is there for those who have such weak academic background that only Teesside will entertain them.

To you must be joking! You do not like international financiers? What about your favourite NE outfit Northern Rock which frittered away the savers and shareholders money acting as one? I guess you want to clobber the poor tax payers to sink the dosh into this mediocre institution. For those uninitiated Lord Sleaze Mandy, the ex-MP of Hartlepool, in this Labour Belt is rubbing his shoulders with Russian Oligarchs who are international financiers.

I would like to see all these universities privatised if only to teach the smug idiots like "academic" that they have to survive without taxpayers writing them the pay cheques, and that they have to survive based on their delivery.

If you were to read this forum and beleive everything you read, you would not be blamed for forming the following opinion. Teesside is a complete dive in the armpit of nowhere (possible fair comment). Within teesside exists an insignificant university who is solely responsible for the collapse of northern rock, the existance of new labour, mandy and all, the complete destruction of the higher education system in Britain. They have also had the nerve to declare themselves the finest educational institution in the world! It is therefore fortunate that some rational people exist who are able to decide for themselves! Some of comments on here range from purile to laughable, little teesside gave the establishment a bloody nose and now some of them have thrown their toys from the pram, academic indeed!

I would like to see a system of one username per IP address introduced here on THE - at present it appears that the spiteful can just post a blizzard of comments under an infinite range of pseudonyms, thus creating the impression of a wide groundswell of discontent that is in reality the work of or 2 people.

To John. I would like to see the foul language used by a few people, like the one posted this afternoon to be not only deleted and the person's IP address should be blocked so that he cannot post again. I still remember who that is.

A strange outlook : "Teesside is a complete dive in the armpit of nowhere (possible fair comment). Within teesside exists an insignificant university who is solely responsible for the collapse of northern rock, the existance of new labour, mandy and all, the complete destruction of the higher education system in Britain".

Well said! How true!

Congratulations all at Teesside University, staff and students alike.

I have studied here twice previous and I have decided to complete a different degree once again.

The support for both the younger and mature students is amazing and being so close to home it makes everything easier.

Keep up the good work and I look forward to attending another awards ceremony in completion of my new degree.

Congratulations Teesside! Of course opinions on this story will differ, but there is no call for some of the snobbish, uninformed and frankly downright rude comments posted here. It does the posters no credit at all and has rendered teasing out any worthwhile debate from this thread nigh on impossible. The awarding of the title University Of The Year to Teesside (which some seem to be mistakenly conflating with "Best") does of course raise topics of interest regarding the changing landscape in higher education, but the level of pettiness and disrespect displayed here is deplorable, and an utter turn-off to anyone wishing to engage in reasonable discussion rather than simply aggrandize their own entrenched views. To label fellow professionals “pretend” is inexcusable and nothing more than boorish name-calling. There is an overwhelming stench of sour grapes from some quarters.

Tom Sawyer is UoT's second Chancellor. The first was that well-known socialist Leon Britten. Pick the bones out of that one.

"I would like to see all these universities privatised if only to teach the smug idiots like "academic" that they have to survive without taxpayers writing them the pay cheque." -- The modern universities are already, in sense, privatised in that they are independent corporate entities (polytechnics were run usually by councils). They, and the old universities, already work within a free market of students. Of course, if you had anything to do with HE you would already know that. Another clue that you don't work in HE is your pitiful poverty of spirit. I know many HE lecturers from across the country, and taking pleasure in the achievement of others is one of their characteristics. That is why we teach.

@Bob is your uncle: you deserved it and I stand by it. You got the level of response your puerile judgmental nonsense deserved.

I think that what is upsetting here is the downright poverty of spirit and rudeness that is directed at Teesside. Whenever someone gets a prize it is just the decent thing to congratulate them. There is one individual with multiple names who frequently posts badly written messages that are rude and abusive. Said person rarely engages in debate but instead fires off strident and hectoring claims laced with insult. Are there not rules against this sort of thing and could not repeat offenders be identified by their IP address and blocked?

''The university was awarded the top prize for its “outstanding regional economic strategy and strong financial performance”

This mentions nothing about the university's academic performance, which may not be great, but cannot be attacked in respect to this award.

Obviously it performed well in the above mentioned areas which is something to celebrate for sure, but I'm sure no-one at Teesside, staff or pupil, truely believe it is a top academic university and one sought after by the general employer.

This award and its academic performance have no correlation, so don't have a go at it!

Well done Teesside University! I am proud to live in Middlesbrough and work for Teesside University. We are not the backward yokels some of you imagine. In fact, we have a rich history of hard work and determination, fitting for an 'infant Hercules'. Might I suggest to those of you unfamiliar with the region to Google the history of Teesside? You may learn something.

Yes, we have had our hard times and problems, who hasn’t? We don’t live in a perfect world and instead of being mean spirited, why not join with us in our happiness? Try it, you might like it!

There are some very sad, bitter and jealous people in this world. I find it slightly depressing that people cant be happy for Teesside University. If another University had won this award the last thing I would do would be to criticise any aspect of the award, the area or the University. Anyone who has this attitude much lead a very very sad life and I only feel sympathy for them and their families.

@academic. I have also read your various postings. Nice try to say only one person is commenting on your postings. We know who you are, and it is suffice to say you attract criticism from more than one person. A few of them from your own university and one or two from your own department-which includes me.

To academic : @John accepts that he posted rude comments about "Bob is your uncle ", who is from Teeesside and who does not tow the line of the senior management ,whose minions one can see here as rebutters. His comments were removed by THE Editor, and still he justifies making it.

Perhpas the Editor should block his IP address for not expressing any apologies.

Professor Donald McCormack Please could you send me a link to some of your publications as I find you extremely deluded and would like further verification of this. Thank you.

I suggest to THE Editor to close this thread as there is orchestrated response from the Teesside which is well directed from the top.

The reality is Teesside has won something, they want to magnify it and let them do it. As for as many of my friends who are staff at Teesside, they are happy sending their sons/daughters to better old universities in other parts of the country. This is also a fact and I can give names , but the THES policy prevents me from doing so.

I have been reading with interest the comments in this thread.
@K. Could you please do something decent and put your name, before you accuse the professor of delusion? Those who comment like the professor does are not deluded unlike the small group at this university who are using their Internet cycles to rubbish him. I happen to hold the same view as the professor, that is universities like Teesside are there to mop up those students who are academically weak and should not be in any university. What universities like Teeesside does by doing this is to dumb down the degrees and the HE.
Before you accuse me of an o"old goat" in an old university, I work freelance and have no formal connection with old or new universities. The continental countries like France and Germany have handled these "underperformed students" well by not shoving them into so called universities. In fact, they love the word we hate, which is "elitism"

Simon refers to "an orchestrated response from Teesside which is well directed from the top". As someone who works for someone near the "top" I can assure Simon that no member of Teesside management has orchestrated anything whatsoever, or even mentioned this thread. To be honest we're just proud of our University - a university that makes a major contribution in a diverse secor. It's so very sad that many here don't recognise or embrace that diversity.

@another academic and his name clones. How on Earth could you know who I am? Your message is an attempt at intimidation. If you do know who I am, can I suggest that you e-mail me at my work e-mail? No you won't because you do not, in fact, know who I am. Silly people.

This is indeed a grade A "bitch fest" as someone called it earlier on. I'm intrigued (purely from a technical point of view) to know how (as has been claimed) IP addresses can be recovered from messages sent to this site. Is this true?

To academic. Are you a troll? If you are really an academic then you should mind your work and not waste time here. If you are really an academic then it is not correct to use your university computing resource to indulge in response to blog threads.

To MTH: I wrote what I have heard from a reliable source at Teesside. Actually, I do not care either way. I By the way, if you who work at Teesside
feel so proud and strong why can't you put your names in your responses. Why use letters?

It becomes so only when you take it seriously. Blogs all over the world are discussion forums and the Editor removes any objectionable content. Blogs helped to ungag the gagging order on a parliament question which is against the freedom of speech. We could censor and threaten. Blogs will die.

err ... what makes you think I'm taking it seriously? I think it is richly entertaining.

How dare Simon suggest that 'there is orchestrated response from the Teesside which is well directed from the top'. Apart from anythingelse, it's not Professor Henderson's style. Your reliable source is having a joke and you are the butt of it

Exactly!

Comments about the efforts of the staff are quite right, comments about the VC are appropriate too - but the bit between VC and the chalkface...there's another matter altogether. The award is probably deserved if only to acknowledge the success of the overworked front-line staff in the face of clueless, demotivating, middle mangement.

The very fact "C" and "MTH" and other "P...............Z" all these individulas hiding beihind these letters cannot even assume a first name, says it all! My source at Teesside is very reliable. Anyway, who cares about this university, it satnds at 81 in The Times League of 2010 ( Oxford Brookes at 52 for comparison, gongs do not help here)

Your source isn't relable Simon. They really aren't.

I am a former masters graduate of the University and a native of Middlesbrough (see, to all those have a go at the town - at least learn to spell its name properly if you are going to be insulting about it). As such, I am quite pleased that the university has come out on top in the awards this year. It has certainly lashed out the cash on new development and build. We should, however, be aware that most awards of this nature are fairly arbitrary at the best of times (my current institution was nominated 2 years ago, for example, and very few of us outside our marketing department could understand why).

I have friends who are both current and former members staff and, while they do talk favourably about the generally very friendly atmosphere and the people at the top of the instittion (the VC in particular), they're also critical about the quality of management further down the chain and the frankly unrealistic workloads being demanded of them. I applied for a job there myself a couple of years back and reckon, in spite of being on the sharp end of some spectacularly and demonstrably clueless management (long story, too boring to recount here), that I had a lucky escape when I didn't get it.

Like most HEI's in its (and miy own) part of the sector, the drive is towards recruitment and the issue of retention and quality is rather less concentrated upon. There are able students and good teaching, but as all but those at the rarefified heights are seeing, the tail is getting longer each year. Welcome to the era of the comprehensive university. Teesside is just one example.

@Simon. I work in Teesside U and I agree partly with DS about middle management, but then if the university's senior management is so good , why should they allow the layers below them -"the VC and the chalkface" to go from bad to worse? In my opinion, the lot care only for themselves, while the front-line staff work harder and harder with minimal returns.
If in the light of the award if the management does differently, learn to value the front life staff, the award has achieved something. I doubt it.
There is talk among the staff in my department that we should be doing much much better nationally, in terms of moving up the university league table. The Scottish modern university Robert Gordons for example,was in our league roughly a few years ago and they have moved up and are roughly at par with u of Swansea. The league table is just an indicator and but a very good indicator and helps to bring good A level students to universities when they fill UCAS forms. Robert Gordons has to perform well sitting next U of Aberdeen, a reputed old university. We should emulate university like this.

I hardly think that knowing my name is of any relevance to this thread. As to the back and forth regarding your 'reliable source' we could be here all day and I really do not see the point of playing verbal ping pong with you, so here is my last line. Teesside won the award, if you have such difficulty accepting it then I suggest you contact the judges yourself and state your case. If you can convince them we should be stripped of the award for our outstanding regional economic strategy and strong financial performance, then I am sure Professor Henderson would gladly hand it back. Personally i can't see you winning the arguement. Have a nice life and goodbye.

Thanks for being honest. I am a school teacher and a parent living in Middlesbrough. This blog came to my attention. My daughter is not going to Teesside and she is determined to secure a place at Edinburgh U. Good luck to her. As for our pupils, except those who fail to complete 3 A2 subjects, the others attention is focused on universities like Imperial and St Andrews.

To "C" for Charlie. I posted this and you coveniently omitted:
"Anyway, who cares about this university, it satnds at 81 in The Times League of 2010 ( Oxford Brookes at 52 for comparison, gongs do not help here)"

I think people are finding it hard to cope with the fact that this award is not a ranking. It is a subjective judgement by a group of experts in the sector on which university has performed beyond expected measures. Here are the criteria: This will be awarded to an institution that has demonstrated exceptional performance in the past academic year. It is open to all higher education institutions in the UK. Although research, teaching, access and business performance will be taken into account, the main criterion will be evidence of particular bold, imaginative and innovative initiatives that have advanced the institution's reputation.