President's weekly update
19 January 2023
Staff Survey results
We have published the results of the Staff Survey which was undertaken last year. You can read a summary and more details on StaffNet. The overall response rate was 50% (6,565 staff) which is acceptable in such surveys, but much lower than previously and well below our response target of 75%. A higher proportion of Professional Services staff (62%) responded than academic staff (38%). 75% of staff said they were proud to work at the University and many of the responses were at, just above or just below benchmarks, where these are available, but were disappointingly lower than previous surveys. Areas where scores were more negative include organisational change and improving our operational systems, communicating and managing change, leadership, at all levels, wellbeing and workload, reporting bullying, harassment and discrimination, and communication between different parts of the University. An action plan is in development (and was already in place in some areas) to consider how we can address areas where staff are most concerned.
Meeting with senior staff
After I had given a general update, the Staff Survey was discussed with 70 leaders from across the University, led by Adèle MacKinlay, Director of People and Organisational Development. Professor April McMahon, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students talked about our submission to the TEF (Teaching Excellence Framework), which is due to be submitted on 24 January.
General Assembly
Our Chancellor, Nazir Afzal OBE, presided over a meeting of General Assembly. After normal business, I gave an overview of the past year including ongoing challenges such as inflation and its impact on staff, students and our costs, industrial action, staff vacancies and ever more demands on us for reporting and compliance. I also spoke about the many highlights of the year and causes for celebration and reported on our Board’s assessment of our performance. Carol Prokopyszyn, our Chief Financial Officer, described our financial results for the last academic year which were strong, but in large part because of staff vacancies and delays in delivering projects. Then Adèle MacKinlay, Director of People and Organisational Development, and Banji Adewumi, Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, talked about our plans for developing people and organisational development and equality, diversity and inclusion. There were many questions for all the speakers.
Industrial action announced
UCU has announced that members will take a further 18 days of strike action in February and March, the only date we have so far is 1 February, and may take part in a marking and assessment boycott beginning in April. Consequently, there may be a re-ballot of members to extend their mandate beyond April. Communications to staff and students on this matter are available.
Re-opening of our Museum
Our Museum will reopen after a major refurbishment on 18 February. The Director, Professor Esme Ward, took me on a tour. It is absolutely fantastic. I won’t say more because you need to go and see it for yourselves!
UK-Med
Professor Graham Lord, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health and I met staff from UK-Med. This is the key UK emergency medical response unit that was founded by one of our professors, Tony Redmond, and is based within the University in our Humanitarian Conflict Response Institute. UK-Med provides support around the world in response to serious infections, natural disasters and in conflict zones. They currently have about 100 staff in Ukraine and will be holding an event in a few weeks to mark the anniversary of the Russian invasion. They are very keen to work more widely across the University on education, training and student placements and on research.
Greater Manchester vice-chancellors
At a regular meeting, we congratulated Linda Merrick, Principal of the Royal Northern College of Music, on her CBE, discussed the huge and ever-growing burden imposed by the Office for Students, and our real concerns about student financial hardship given the very small increase in the maintenance grant against high inflation, particularly for food. We are providing support for our students, but we need a more realistic increase in maintenance grants. The Russell Group and I continue to lobby on this given the problems that students are facing in real hardship and the risk of increased drop-outs.
Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor