President's weekly update
7 September 2023
End of the marking and assessment boycott (MAB)
UCU has reported on the ballot of its members on whether to continue the marking and assessment boycott which closed last Friday. This is extremely welcome news. UCU has indicated that the MAB will end immediately, Wednesday, 6 September. It is now critical that all staff complete any outstanding marking for all students at every level as an absolute priority. Thank you to all those staff who have worked hard to complete marking.
It is disappointing that UCU has also announced national strikes in September and that we are facing nine days of action at Manchester. The current mandate for industrial action runs to 30 September. We have not yet heard of a date for a ballot to extend this mandate.
UK to rejoin Horizon research scheme
This is brilliant news, particularly after a long wait and is effective immediately! This is great, not just for our research and researchers but also for the UK’s research reputation, economy, health and much more.
Student recruitment
As I mentioned in my summer update a couple of weeks ago, undergraduate student recruitment has gone well with almost all areas close to, or at target, for home and international students. This was despite the significant drop in grades awarded. Thank you to the many staff who worked so hard to get us to this position. All first-year students and those covered by our wider guarantee have been offered accommodation in Manchester thanks to the forward thinking of our residences colleagues in securing additional rooms while we replace and refurbish some of our existing stock. It is still too early to say where we are on postgraduate taught students and postgraduate researchers.
Our new students will be arriving soon and returning students not long after. Please do all you can to welcome and support them as they take a big step - particularly those travelling a long way from home.
Repatriation of Aboriginal artefacts
Our Museum has this week returned 174 items that are greatly valued by the Aboriginal Anindilyakwa community of Australia’s Northern Territory. I spoke at the event to mark this repatriation of artefacts hosted by the Museum’s Director, Esme Ward, a delegation of Anindilyakwa women, representatives of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, the Australian High Commissioner and the UNESCO Director. The return is motivated by our commitment to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, our mission to promote understanding between cultures and our understanding of the power of returns to spark cultural revitalisation and strengthening. It was an emotional occasion. Some of the dolls that we are repatriating are shortlisted for a 2023 Telstra People's Choice Award in Australia - please vote for them!
Students’ Union
We had our induction meeting for the newly-appointed officers of our Students’ Union. I talked about the longstanding strength of the partnership between University leaders and the Students’ Union and heard about their priorities for the coming year.
Leading at Manchester
Patrick Hackett, Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, and I heard excellent presentations from two groups of staff who have just completed this programme, focused on leading and managing a high-performance culture. The presentations included lots of excellent ideas.
Universities UK (UUK)
UUK is the body which represents all university vice-chancellors in the UK. We hosted its annual conference in Manchester. I welcomed the delegation of several hundred vice-chancellors or their representatives at a dinner in the Whitworth Hall and introduced Andy Burnham, the elected Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Chinese Consul General
I met the new Consul General, Mr Tang Rui, and two of his colleagues who are, as always, keen to work with us and particularly to support our Chinese students.
I mentioned to him that I will be travelling to Beijing and Shanghai next week, my first visit for about four years. I will visit partner universities, the embassy and meet many alumni. So, there will be no message next week, but I will report back the following week.
Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor