Greetings from the University of Leeds

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the University of Leeds and to Digital Universities UK 2023.

This event could not be timelier – we have arrived at a historic moment to lead and shape the transformation in global higher education.

It will be an invaluable platform for education leaders, policymakers and industry partners to gather to discuss how best to overcome the hurdles and obstacles the sector faces in the future. The theme of the event, “The innovation challenge: Accelerating digital higher education”, reflects the task ahead.

All of us must grapple with developing student-centric approaches to digital technologies and data that are agile, creative, innovative and, above all, research-based.

I know we share common goals: to enhance student learning and experience, to strengthen research activity, to provide and enrich learning opportunities for citizens globally and to tackle the most pressing challenges facing our planet today.

The University of Leeds is committed to an ambitious digital transformation strategy that will harness the power of new technologies and innovative approaches to teaching that will forever alter education, research and innovation.

I know we share common goals: to enhance student learning and experience, to strengthen research activity, to provide and enrich learning opportunities for citizens globally and to tackle the most pressing challenges facing our planet today.

The University of Leeds is committed to an ambitious digital transformation strategy that will harness the power of new technologies and innovative approaches to teaching that will forever alter education, research and innovation.

The revolution in digitally enhanced and online higher education will be as consequential as the invention of the printing press and, while it has only just started, its impact will be felt for generations to come. Digital transformation will strengthen the core mission of universities, enabling global sharing of knowledge and learning without boundaries.

Ultimately, we at Leeds believe the core mission of universities will be massively enhanced through digital transformation.  This transformation will open the path to bringing our teaching and research to an increasingly large proportion of the world’s population. Our goal is to remove boundaries to learning, allowing greater access to knowledge and education.

Our approach is based on openness, collaboration, partnership and accessibility. Events such as THE Digital Universities UK are vital to creating and sustaining ever-closer networks and cooperation.

On behalf of the University of Leeds and our partners at Times Higher Education, I hope that you enjoy your participation and look forward to welcoming you to Leeds.

Professor Simone Buitendijk

Vice-chancellor and president

University of Leeds

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