2010 News
- News Archive
St Mary's Principal Steps Down
The Principal of St Mary’s University College, Dr Arthur Naylor, is to leave his post in the summer after eighteen years at the helm of one of England’s best known Catholic education establishments.
Appointed as the first lay Principal of the Twickenham-based University College after the withdrawal of the Vincentian priests in 1991, he has led the University College through a period of expansion in student numbers in new programmes and campus development.
He said: “I think that, overall, what I like most about where we are is that we have tried to keep true to what we are about. Education is central to what we do and Theology is important as a Church University College. Around that I think we have a good balance of academic programmes and research activity – whether it is the Humanities and the Human Sciences, which we have been involved in for a long time – or in Management or Media, which are relatively new programmes. And the importance of sports on the campus is well recognised nationally and internationally.”
Dr Naylor said that level and quality of recruitment were a source of great encouragement for his successor: “The numbers coming to Open Days, and the numbers of applications are very encouraging. I think that tells us that we have something quite distinctive to offer. In the last couple of years we have done well in the National Student Survey – and also in the independent staff survey that we did. These showed that this is a good place for both students and staff to be.”
Asked what he hoped people would say of his time as Principal, Dr Naylor added: “I would like people to say that, over that time, through a time of growth, expansion and change, St Mary’s maintained its ethos and character, its commitment to high academic standards and, as has been the case since its foundation in 1850, to wider access to education at all levels. I would like to think that whoever becomes Principal has a strong platform to work from in what will be challenging years ahead”.
Bishop George Stack, Chair of Governors, said today: "Generations of graduates of St Mary's University College have good reason to be grateful to Dr Arthur Naylor for his inspirational leadership, dedicated commitment and passionate concern for their social, spiritual and academic formation during their time at the University College. I am joined by my fellow Governors in recording the debt owed by the University College for his tenure as an outstanding Principal during a time of enormous change in the field of Higher Education."
