President's weekly update
25 May 2023
A focus on sustainability – our annual Board Strategy Conference
Once a year the Senior Leadership Team and our Board of Governors meet for focused discussion on our future strategic plans, challenges and opportunities.
This year’s conference was opened by a presentation from Andy Haldane, former Chief Economist at the Bank of England. He focused on key issues of pay, which he said was driven by productivity and place, in which he said we are in a strong position. The major theme across the conference was on achieving our zero carbon environmental sustainability targets and what it means for our teaching, research, ways of working and our estate. A major question raised was how we afford the huge costs of achieving zero carbon when even our reasonable financial situation doesn’t meet the need to invest in maintaining our infrastructure. But we agreed that this was a real priority that we have to address. We also discussed broader key questions, challenges and dilemmas we are facing beyond environmental sustainability.
After the main sessions we had an excellent event with some of our most successful student entrepreneurs, then a presentation by Andy Spinoza, former Board member and author of the current bestseller, ‘Manchester unspun - pop, property and power in the original modern city’, published by Manchester University Press. Andy stirred much nostalgia for some of us and offered a real insight into Manchester’s success.
Discussions with staff and students
At our regular meeting between senior staff and officers of our Union we discussed the impact of the marking and assessment boycott on students, employment of our students as partners and ambassadors, the Greater Manchester Student Assembly and the conference that our SU is leading on the cost of living.
In a meeting with Division and Departmental heads in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health we discussed the complexities of budgeting, especially for research income which is often quite ‘lumpy’, where we need to be ambitious, the marking and assessment boycott, space and estates, challenges around NHS capacity and strikes which impact on our staff and students, and the many opportunities in health research.
London, alumni and Legal & General
On a trip to London this week, it was a pleasure to meet several of our alumni and have the chance to them on recent developments in the University, plans for our bicentenary and our fundraising campaign. I also caught up with Sir John Kingman, Chair of & General Group. I have known John for a long time since he was in a senior role in HM Treasury and led the case for the national Royce Institute which we now host. Legal & General are also key partners in Innovation District Manchester, which will transform the North Campus site.
GMCA and regional engagement
I updated Eamonn Boylan, Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority on our current activities including UCU’s and assessment boycott, progress with Innovation District Manchester, very robust student applications, plans for environmental sustainability, our collaborations with Further Education Colleges in the Region. I also highlighted a recent report demonstrating the economic value of international students; for Greater Manchester the estimated value is £1.3bn per annum.
Very proud of our ‘Purple Wave’
Congratulations to the 600 of our staff, students and alumni, who took part in the Great Manchester 10k Run, all in purple t-shirts and raising significant amounts of money for charity.
The city of football
I’m not a great football fan and am steadfastly neutral on the two Manchester Premier League teams. If I’m invited to attend, I wear a purple hat. But I do follow the scores and progress of our local teams and like to see them winning. Congratulations to Manchester City for winning the Premier League, and at least a Manchester team will win the FA Cup, in the first ever all Manchester final. I also wish the fans of Stockport County the best of luck for their League Two play-off final at Wembley.
Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor