In Michael Frayn's 1991 novel A Landing on the Sun, civil servants wrestle with the paradox that happiness is a crucial national good but also very hard to measure compared to GDP, waiting lists, and other standard indicators.

So too Universities are places of learning and research, of ambition and achievement, of strategy and business; but they are also places where happy people who feel part of a community are much more likely to do their best work and enjoy themselves while they do it. It was therefore uplifting to end Semester 1 with our largest ever School Christmas party, with 200 guests in the glorious wood paneling and fairy lights of the Glasgow University Union, an unashamed opportunity for students and staff to have fun and meet new and familiar people over food and drink. Having been warmed up by staff band the Hetheringtons, the evening culminated in bouncing karaoke delivered with gusto by different groups of students and staff. Fearless singing of karaoke in different languages is only a good sign for speaking exams.

Thank you to all the GGU staff and to our own Teresa Newman for all the work to prepare the event. We can't measure it, but it made us happy to see our students happy.

All best wishes as we move into Semester 2, and thank you for taking the time to read through our latest collection of news in the School.

The SMLC newsletter will return before the end of the 2024-2025 session.

Professor Stephen Forcer, Head of School

First published: 29 January 2025

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