New Student Services Centre opens for business
For the first time in the University’s history student support has been united under one roof in the new Student Services Centre.
It’s a nicer environment for staff - it’s modern, it’s light, it’s spacious - and will make things more efficient for students.
Anthony Dangerfield, Head of the International Student Office
Approximately 250 staff have relocated to the space on the New Museums site to provide a more efficient and centralised service to students. The centre unites departments with a responsibility for providing strategic, policy-related and operational support for the University’s educational activities. The Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen J Toope officially opened the centre in May at an event attended by all everyone now based in the new building.
Along with open plan offices for the departments, the centre also accommodates new examination halls, a refurbished 250-seat lecture theatre and 580 basement cycle spaces for the whole New Museums Site.
The building itself is part refurbishment of existing listed buildings and part new-build. The ground floor of the Cavendish Laboratory and the whole of the Grade 2 listed Arts School have been spruced up. An 'intelligent building', the centre is fitted with the latest mod cons to create a comfortable environment for staff and students alike.
Changing student experience
Before the new centre opened its doors in April, the eight departments were scattered across the city. Students requiring their assistance often needed to consult multiple teams, resulting in trips across town to various offices.
As well as having access to the teams in one place, the new centre has a dedicated reception area to provide general information to students.
For the International Students Office, which is part of Student Operations, the relocation will have a positive impact on their interaction with new students in the UK. “When students first arrive, we distribute their visas,” said Anthony Dangerfield, Head of the International Student Office. "We’ve previously done this in the University Centre, but it hasn’t been a dedicated space for that purpose and is a bit random for students to visit as its not where we’re located, nor are there other services there,” said Anthony. “This year we’ll be able to use our new building. It’s a nice space to be in and I think will be a good welcome to new students.”
One major change to students is the loss of the infamous red door, left behind in the move. Petros Chatzimpagolou (Magdalene), a PhD student in the Department of Archaeology, was one of the last students to have his photo taken outside the door on submission day. “Being a PhD student at Cambridge was a lifetime experience and reaching the red door is an overwhelming feeling. I actually feel special to have been one of the last students able to submit their thesis at the red door,” said Petros.
The Student Services Centre has retained the doors to the Old Examinations Hall and it is hoped these will become a suitable alternative to the red doors for PhD students submitting their thesis.
An improved working environment for staff
Many of the departments in the new building were located in cramped, unsuitable buildings with few facilities. Spacious, open plan offices with communal areas and plenty of light make the new centre a pleasant environment to work in.
Anthony’s team relocated to the new building a month ago. “It feels like we’ve been here a lot longer, which is an indication of how well we’ve settled in and how smooth the transition has been,” said Anthony. “It’s modern, it’s light, it’s spacious – where we were located before was old, with few facilities.”
The layout of the new offices encourages collaboration between teams, something Anthony has already noticed. “I think it will make our support to students more efficient,” said Anthony. “It’s just a nicer environment for staff in general. I’ve bumped into people I already know, but I think in time it will also introduce me to more people that I wouldn’t previously have met.”