President's weekly update
9 May 2024
Volunteer of the Year Awards
We held our annual event to celebrate the fantastic volunteering activities of our students in the Whitworth Hall. I spoke about the value of these activities to our many stakeholders and particularly our local communities where many activities take place, to the University’s commitment to social responsibility and to the student volunteers themselves. Volunteering can help them achieve our Stellify award, will help on their CV and future employment and there is much evidence that volunteering aids the wellbeing and mental health of those who volunteer.
Digital Futures Board and plans for the Pankhurst Institute
Aside from general updates, most of the meeting was devoted to a presentation on the plans for our Pankhurst Institute by Professor Alex Frangi on how the Institute aims to transform health care and the many partnerships they are developing. We were joined by Philippa Hird, Chair of our Board of Governors who had been due to meet Alex that day, so we invited her to attend the meeting. We spent time considering how Pankhurst can build industry partnerships, support education and work with other parts of the university. For example, they had a great event on Createch jointly with Creative Manchester.
Celebrating Strength in Places (SiPF) funding in AMBS
I attended part of an event in our Alliance Manchester Business School to celebrate the major award with some funders including Dame Kate Barker, chair of the SiPF and staff from UKRI. The event was very well attended despite the train strike.
Catch up with Chair of the Board of Governors and more
I had a general catch up with Philippa Hird, where the main concern was the outcome of the Migration Advisory Committee on graduate visas which is due next week. This could have a major impact on international student recruitment. We also discussed the encampments across many US and UK universities, including ours, though we have emphasised to those protesting the importance of being peaceful, tolerant and respectful to all members of the University and our neighbours, many of whom walk through Brunswick Park.
At the Board Nominations Committee, we considered recruitment of new members for the Board and for General Assembly based on the skills needed for the Board and representation of key partners and stakeholders for General Assembly.
At our Strategic Planning meeting this week we finalised plans for our annual Board Strategy Day which will take place in a couple of weeks. We also looked at measures of performance, operational priorities and the budget for next year and the next five years. We are in a much stronger financial position than many universities but still have major shortfalls in meeting the essential maintenance of our estate and the many priorities for our core activities. We also recognized that we are in a much riskier environment than in many previous years.
Congratulations…
…to Andy Burnham who has been re-elected as Mayor of Greater Manchester for his third term. We have strong relations and regular dialogue with him.
Next week
There will be no message next week as I will be in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Mumbai, mainly for bicentenary celebrations and also meeting business partners, supporters and our Centre in Dubai. These are all activities which cannot be undertaken remotely, and a lot of planning has gone into a packed programme to make the most of the trip - I think all my waking hours have been filled. It will be extremely hot!
Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor