IN the last 10 years the face of Worcester has been dramatically changed.

A new golden clad library sits on a once run-down council depot yard, the derelict former Worcester Royal Infirmary buildings in Castle Street have been brought back to life, and across the river a magnificent indoor sports arena rises from the long abandoned site of the old fruit and veg market, with the adjacent redundant car showroom transformed into a centre of sports and learning.

And all of this owes much to one man and his vision for an inclusive university in the city of Worcester.

Professor David Green is celebrating 10 years at the helm of the University of Worcester at the same time as a new Strategic Plan is launched for the university for the next five years.

It is the third strategic plan under his leadership, and possibly the most ambitious yet – being a university of choice is good but not enough anymore.

The new plan sets out four key objectives; to be an outstanding university at which to be a student; to be an outstanding university at which to be a member of staff; to be an outstanding university at which to study any particular subject; and to make an outstanding contribution to the community.

Given Professor Green’s success at achieving the goals set out in the previous two Strategic Plans, one can’t help thinking that he might just be on to a winner.

Professor Green, who in 2006 was awarded the Pride of Worcestershire Award, joined the university in 2003, when it was then University College Worcester.

Within just two years under his leadership the institution gained full university status and to celebrate the fifth anniversary of this momentous occasion,a train was even named after the university.

The physical growth of the university across the city is easy to see, but Professor Green says the single biggest change has been the increased quality of education on offer. The university is now among the best in the country in a number of areas; it came top in the country in the recent National Student Survey for Nursing, with a 100 per cent satisfaction rating and a 100 per cent employment rate; the same survey also saw biology at Worcester ranked seventh in the country; teacher training at the university has been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted; and the university has received praise from government ministers for its disability sport provision.

The university is also considered among the best in Britain in areas of children’s literature and illustration, dementia studies and Early Years education amongst others.

“Students coming here now have better achievements pre-university and it’s now highly competitive to become a student at the University of Worcester in very many fields,” says Prof Green.

“Student retention at the university is much improved and the majority of our graduates go on to do well despite the difficult economic climate. We have genuinely become a university of choice. That’s the single biggest change, but we are not finished yet.”

Prof Green puts much of this success down to the core values and ethos of the university, in providing really high quality education in a way that is inclusive and accessible.

“At the moment, universities often focus on one or the other but it’s a combination of the two that is essential for educational and social success,” he said.

The values and ethos are shared by the many staff at the university, which in 2010 featured in the Sunday Times 75 Best Places to Work in the Public Sector.

“I consider myself very fortunate to work with such marvellous, highly professional colleagues, who have achieved, and continue to achieve, so much at Worcester,” Professor Green said.

“Without them and their innovative, fresh thinking, friendly attitude and professional approach our success would not have been possible.”

As well as leading the transformation of the University of Worcester, Professor Green has been at the forefront of a number of national campaigns to improve education, health and care services across the country.

He was one of the first to take notice of the baby boom in 2005 and begin campaigning, for more primary school teachers and school places to deal with the influx of young children to schools.

He has also been at the centre of campaigns for more nursing and midwifery places and has raised the issue of nurses being trained to deal with the changing population, particularly in terms of the rising numbers of people being diagnosed with dementia, an area in which the university carries out key research and professional training.

Professor Green’s decade at Worcester has been transformational in many ways and for many people, but he believes that there is still much to do.

“I think the university can play a very positive role nationally in terms of educational quality, values and modern thinking,” he said.

“We are starting to see the potential of this through The Hive, which in the first nine months has had over three quarters of a million visitors and has been responsible for public book borrowing doubling. The University of Worcester Arena has equally great potential. With our partners we have created two great engines of opportunity, inclusion and inspiration “The university exists to help people make the most of their potential. The years ahead will see us extend our curriculum reach. In particular, I think the university has a much bigger contribution to make in the fields of human health, business, science and engineering.”