'Welcome back to Sheffield – a city that grows with its students'
Professor Liz Mossop, Vice-Chancellor, Sheffield Hallam University welcomes the city’s students
There is something special about September in Sheffield.
After the quieter pace of summer, our streets become busier, our campuses come alive and, almost overnight, thousands of students return to the city or arrive here for the very first time. You can feel the difference. Cafés fill up, shops and restaurants become busier, buses carry familiar faces and new ones, and our communities gain a renewed sense of energy.
As Vice-Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University, I want to say something that perhaps isn’t said often enough: thank you for choosing Sheffield.
You have taken a big step in choosing where to study, whether you have travelled across the country (or further) to come here or grew up just a few miles away.
Whatever brought you to Sheffield, I hope you will quickly discover what generations of students have found before you: this is a city that embraces its students.
Sheffield is a city of makers, innovators and people who are curious about what comes next. It is a place where ideas are turned into action and where people are prepared to have a go, make something new and, occasionally, make a bit of noise while doing it.
That spirit is at the heart of Sheffield Hallam too. We want our students to leave us with the skills, confidence and experience to make a difference wherever life takes them. And through our research, our relationships with local employers and the work our students do in the community, we’re proud to play our part in helping Sheffield and South Yorkshire thrive.
Our students don’t simply study in Sheffield. They contribute to Sheffield.
That contribution can take many forms. It might be volunteering in a local community, supporting a charity, undertaking a placement in a school, hospital or creative organisation or starting their own business. It might be buying your lunch from an independent café, discovering a neighbourhood you have never visited or simply getting to know your neighbours.
And it matters. Universities are deeply woven into the places around them. Our success is connected to the success of the city and region we call home. When our students thrive, businesses benefit, communities gain new energy and the wider economy gains the skills and ideas it needs to grow.
Of course, student life isn’t all placements, research and economic impact. It is also about discovering who you are.
So explore Sheffield. Get to know the seven hills, discover our parks, our independent shops, our theatres, our music and our extraordinary range of food.
Take the bus out towards the Peak District and discover why Sheffield proudly calls itself the Outdoor City.
Find a café where they know your order. Find a pub that becomes your local. Go to a gig, a festival, a play or something you’ve never heard of before. Try Henderson’s Relish on your cheese on toast and decide for yourself whether the locals have been right all along.
And remember that Sheffield’s friendliness is part of its character. People will talk to you. They may ask where you’re from, whether you’re settling in and whether you’ve tried the pub around the corner.
Living alongside thousands of other students is also an opportunity to become part of a wider community. Please look after the places you live. Respect your neighbours and support local businesses. In return, I hope you will find that Sheffield looks after you too.
There will be difficult days as well as exciting ones. University is a time of change, and sometimes you will need support. When you do, ask for it – from your university, your friends, your neighbours and the communities around you. We are here to help.
And perhaps, before you know it, Sheffield will begin to feel like home.
Some of you will leave after graduation and take what you have learned here into communities around the world. Others will stay, joining the many Hallam graduates who choose to build their careers and lives in South Yorkshire.
Either way, you will have left your mark on this city, just as it will leave its mark on you.
So, welcome – or welcome back – to Sheffield. We are delighted you are here. And we cannot wait to see what you do next.