Latest news: Universities Week 2012

Today sees the start of Universities Week, an annual campaign designed to increase public awareness of the wide roles of UK universities. 30/04/2012

It’s the third year of the campaign and this time around London’s Olympic and Paralympic Games are the theme.

The week starts with a media launch and closes with the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Outdoor Athletics Championships, which will be held at the Olympic Stadium as part of the London Prepares series.

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, said, ‘Universities play a fundamental role in our society in so many different ways, as demonstrated so clearly by their extensive contribution to London 2012’

Chief executive officer of BUCS, Karen Rothery said, ‘Sport and our universities are inextricably linked. In individuals this relationship develops skills such as leadership and teamwork that are applicable not only to the sports industry but to big business. For graduates, this is a great asset in terms of employability.’

A series of ‘Talking Heads’ films has also been released exclusively for the week, with Olympians and sporting stars talking about the importance university played in their success.

The films are available to watch at Universities Week 2012, the Universities Week Youtube channel and the BUCS official site.

Ambassadors for the campaign include Dame Kelly Holmes, Steve Cram and notable faces such as Tony Blair and Boris Johnson.

BBC Sports Correspondent John Inverdale explains why he is proud to be supporting Universities Week: