York to become member of the Russell Group

York will be joining 20 other elite British universities in the prestigious Russell Group in the near future, it has been announced today.

Formed in 1994, the group represents institutions which pledge to provide the best teaching experience and research advancements, whilst forging strong links with the commerce, business and public sectors in this country.

Chairman of the Russell Group Professor Michael Arthur said: “We are delighted to announce that the Russell Group board has invited four more members to join the group, all of whom have accepted. Durham, Exeter, Queen Mary and York have demonstrated that – like all other Russell Group members – they excel in research, innovation and education and have a critical mass of research excellence across a wide range of disciplines.”

Vice-Chancellor Brian Cantor said in a statement: “It is an honour and a privilege to accept this invitation from the Russell Group. We have been invited to become a member of a group of highly prestigious universities as a consequence of the great progress we have made since our founding in the 1960s.”

“We are not yet 50 years old but our research has a worldwide reputation for excellence and the quality of our teaching and student experience is acknowledged throughout the UK and beyond. York is a truly international university but we are also deeply committed to the great city of which we are a part.”

Second-year mathematics student William Hanby highlighted the importance the Russell Group is to schools up and down the country. He told Vision: “My sixth-form college didn’t promote York because they were so set on sending their students to Russell Group universities. Our inclusion is great as it will be able to raise York’s profile as one of the country’s top institutions.”

York’s move to the Russell Group means that it will resign from the ‘1994 Group’ which represents smaller research-intensive universities, such as Loughborough, St. Andrews and Roses rival Lancaster . The Vice-Chancellor added: “We are disappointed to be leaving the 1994 Group of which we were a founder member.

“We are grateful for the unstinting support we have received from our 1994 Group colleagues and wish them well in the future.”