Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.
As Chancellor, I am very proud to welcome Your Majesty to the University of Buckingham. I am sensible of the great honour you do us today. [end p1]
I am delighted too that you are accompanied by His Royal Highness. This Sir, is your second visit to Buckingham. You first came in 1977, soon after we had opened as a University College, and your presence then was an enormous encouragement to us at that critical time.
Your Majesty's visit today serves a double purpose. First to open the new building for [end p2] the Business School and second to mark the twentieth anniversary of the opening of this University. Over those twenty years we have seen great change. Lord Beloff, our first Principal, who is here today, arrived in January 1976 with about 60 students and 10 staff to set up the new University College. He did so in an atmosphere of considerable controversy and, indeed, hostility. But as a stranger to neither, he thrived. [end p3]
He was supported by a group of distinguished academics and politicians who felt it was important to provide a contrast to the state supported university system by establishing an independent university.
At Buckingham we have been successful in pioneering the two year degree, compressing the work which normally requires three years of three terms each into two years of [end p4] four terms.
We ensure the standing of our degrees through a unique Academic Advisory Council, composed of distinguished academics from other universities.
Our small size is a strength. We now have around 1000 students and over 80 nationalities. Perhaps the most important [end p5] part of University education is the dialogue between tutors and students. We specialise in providing personal attention through small seminar and tutorial teaching. The results are highly motivated students who possess many of the qualities employers are looking for.
Much of our recent success is due to the sterling leadership of our Vice Chancellor, [end p6] Sir Richard Luce.
Today, we have four Schools of Study: these are Law, Business, Humanities and Science. As student numbers have increased, so has our need for more space. The Business School, in particular has expanded steadily over the last decade, and urgently needs a new building. [end p7]
We are most grateful to Sir Evelyn de Rothschild and the Trustees of the Eranda Foundation for their enthusiastic support and willingness to provide the major contribution to this new building which is named after Sir Evelyn 's father, Anthony de Rothschild. We are also deeply grateful to the other donors, notably Lord Wolfson and Mr. Garry Weston, for their generosity. And may I add our thanks to the TSB and to [end p8] Mrs Steve Shirley for helping to provide access for the disabled.
Naturally, we are proud of this new Business School and of the excellent facilities that it will provide for our staff and students. Credit must go to the architect, Mr. Holister, to the builders, Llewellyn Construction and to the University's Estates Bursar, Mr. Merrick. [end p9]
That this University has developed successfully in the last twenty years is due to the vision and continuing commitment of a few benefactors and we are particularly glad that a number of them are represented today.
We have also been fortunate to be sited in this historic town of Buckingham where the local community have given constant [end p10] support.
Your Majesty, to celebrate our twentieth anniversary, it is with great pleasure that I invite you to open the Anthony de Rothschild Building, the new home for our Business School.