Harper Life Magazine 2020

For the third year in a row, the 2020QSWorld University Subject Rankings named Harper Adams as a top university for employability. Comparing the performance of 13,138 individual university programmes taken by students at 1,368 universities, our employer reputation continues to excel in the Agriculture and Forestry table. Harper Adams rose to prominence in the employer reputation indicator in the 2018 rankings and continues to hold its place in the rankings, demonstrating the value of our strong and extensive links with industry with a top rating in the UK and a world class performance in themeasure for agriculture and forestry employer reputation. REVIEWOF THE YEAR at Harper Adams Careers within the food sector continue to evolve to support the demands of an ever-growing population. Recognising the expertise taught in the BSc (Hons) Food Technology and Product Development and the BSc (Hons) Food Technology with Nutrition degree courses in light of the challenges presented, the pathways have been accredited by the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST). The accreditation highlights that we offer programmes that are of a nationally recognised standard and which prepare students for their future in the industry. April also saw the appointment of Lydia Arnold, Harper Adams’ first female professor. As Professor of Learning and Teaching, her focus is within eLearning provision and leadership of academic development while alsoworking as a course leader for PgC in Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education. Having worked at the university for eleven years, she hopes her appointment will inspire other talented women to become professors. There is no doubt that 2020 has brought challenges of an unprecedented nature and scale. But that doesn’t mean have haven’t also had cause for pride and celebration within the Harper community. Here are just a few highlights from the past 12 months— March 2020 April 2020 The Hands Free Farm (HFF) teamsuccessfully drilled a cover crop as the first major operation for the project in the late Spring. Beginning the second year of a three-year long project, HFF follows the award-winning Hands Free Hectare (HFHa) feasibility study which was the first in the world to plant, tend and harvest a crop without a driver in the seat or agronomists on the ground. The drilling provided a useful learning process; it highlighted systemsuccesses and will offer data to analyse the drilling performance when the crop emerges aiding futuremapping. The teamcontinues to be ambitious for their next trial. May 2020 8 www.harper-adams.ac.uk —Harper Life Nov 2020 June 2020 Harper Adams remained the UK’s highest-rankingmodern university in the Complete University Guide, showcasing excellence in teaching and importance of the subjects on offer. Graduates play a vital role in supplying the nation’s food and developing technologies in support of that effort, along withmanaging our land and natural resources tomaintain high standards of animal welfare. By teaching the next generation of talent, with a wealth of innovative and future focused alumni alongside them, we hope to continue supporting students with excellent teaching and facilities that highlight degrees that matter to the world.