‘People come to Warwick not because they didn’t get into another University, but because they want to be part of Warwick’. This was the vision of the ethos and values of the University of Warwick, presented to a delegation of young people from across the community by commissioner and alumna Emily Walsh. It was a personal commitment to the view that the way in which Warwick engages with the local community, and the values that underpin this engagement, are uniquely Warwick, and are fundamental to the institution.

The vistas over London from Warwick Business School's facilities at 'The Shard' provided an appropriate backdrop for the Commission's 4th November National Policy Symposium. Attended by national and local stakeholders, this event, on the cusp of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR2015), considered how national policies and programmes might support University (UoW) contributions to Coventry, Warwickshire and the Midlands over 2015-20 and beyond.

It was a pleasure to present the ongoing work of the Chancellor's Commission at the 20th October event convened by Universities UK. However, possibly of greater relevance, is how the attendance of 40-50 delegates from around 30 HEIs evidences this topic's increasing importance in University policy agendas.

The WMG Academy based in one of the University’s closest neighbourhoods, Canley, was an ideal venue for our third Commission Hearing – focusing on the challenges and opportunities in communities and neighbourhoods where the University of Warwick (UoW) has a major physical, student or employee footprint.

It is under ten miles from Coventry Old Council House to Leamington Town Hall, but the second Chancellor's Commission hearing - focusing on Warwickshire challenges and opportunities - provided important juxtapositions to, and some distance from, the city themes of the Coventry event.

Over the next fifty years Coventry expects further University of Warwick (UoW) success, and an even more profound university footprint in and on the city. Coventry will relentlessly leverage UoW assets, capabilities and resources - as a key component of the city's determined, dynamic ambitions.