President's weekly update
12 January 2023
Happy New Year
I hope you all managed to have a great break over Christmas and New Year and a very well-earned rest.
Staff recognition
It was wonderful to see a number of our staff recognised in the New Year’s Honours list. You can read more details on StaffNet. A reminder that you can nominate outstanding individuals for national honours or our University's highest awards through my office by contacting Deborah Black, Secretary to the Awards and Honours Group.
Working with our Students’ Union
Senior colleagues and I met our Students’ Union Officers just before Christmas. We discussed the recent cost of living payments to students and further support that is being developed. Any savings made from salary deductions of staff who take strike action will, as always, be directed entirely to student support, with the Students’ Union determining how this is best spent. A survey of students by the Union showed that many are struggling with rising costs. We also find that many are still not aware of the Living Cost Support Fund and other support that is available to all students. Wherever possible, please bring this to students' attention.
In a separate meeting with Professor April McMahon, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students and Sam Bronheim, Students’ Union Affairs Officer, we discussed student mental health and wellbeing, particularly as we approach January exams, student concerns about potential industrial action, the next steps in student support and plans for new student residences. Sam was very pleased that we had already delivered on extra support for sports activities as this had been raised just before Christmas in the wider Students’ Union meeting. Costs are particularly high for participants in sports activities, and sport is something that we want to promote for health and wellbeing.
International students
We hosted a meeting for ‘Morningside Scholars’. These are students rom China supported by the Morningside Foundation in Hong Kong, who are studying in the UK and mainland Europe, including one studying with us. They had a tour of some of our new facilities (they were very impressed by MECD), then I spent time with them discussing many topics including research careers, equality and diversity, UK-China partnerships and social responsibility. They wanted to know what it was like to lead a large organisation such as our University and what my ‘normal day’ was like - I said there isn’t such a thing! They were also keen to discuss what attending university should bring beyond academic achievements and how they, as Chinese students studying abroad, could help to bridge understanding and collaboration between China and Western countries.
Future Dean of Humanities
I met Professor Fiona Devine who will take up the position of Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities in the summer to succeed Professor Keith Brown. We discussed the opportunities and challenges for Humanities (which I continually promote as invaluable to our government and more widely) and the university sector and the responsibilities of a Vice-President and Dean.
Planning for the future
At our Strategic Planning Group we considered our measures of success, some of which may need to alter due to changes such as the way the National Student Survey operates, budget assumptions and longer term financial challenges. We also discussed student number planning and registration, student number data, and assumptions for the next round of budgeting.
Several of us also met the Chair of our Board of Governors, Philippa Hird, to consider the content for our next Board Strategy Day in May.
Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor