Dean's Update

19 May 2017

Ian Greer shares his thoughts on the M2020 briefings

The news this week and last has of course been dominated by the Manchester 2020 announcements; and I’d like to highlight some of the key points raised at the six staff meetings that we’ve held so far, as well as share my thoughts on how we can all contribute to the process going forward to ensure the best possible outcome for both our staff and our students.

Firstly I’d like to thank everyone who attended the briefing sessions at such short notice and posed some interesting and challenging questions to the Faculty Leadership Team. We will be publishing answers to key questions raised in an updated FAQ document, which will be posted on the Faculty M2020 Intranet page early next week.

There was discussion at the meetings about the proposed selection criteria, the key point to remember here is that the selection criteria we are proposing are subject to consultation with the Trade Unions and therefore may change as consultation progresses. In addition we are listening to staff feedback and therefore I would welcome your thoughts on how the criteria or indeed any aspect of the FBMH proposals could be added to or improved. Please email your ideas and suggestions to: bmhcommunications@manchester.ac.uk.

Needless to say, we all need to offer reassurance to our key stakeholder groups that Manchester 2020 will not have a negative impact on teaching, learning or the student experience. There will be no reductions in student intake, courses offered, or projects available.

Also this week I attended a wonderful event at the Christie Bistro to say thank you to FBMH staff, students and community partners for their contribution to our successes in the University’s Making a Difference Awards. There were seven winners from our Faculty, including both staff and alumni ‘Volunteer of the Year’ awards, and eight ‘highly commended’ nominations.

As you know, along with research and teaching and the student experience, Social Responsibility is one of the three key goals of the University’s strategic vision, and therefore it was particularly pleasing to see our Faculty being recognised for delivering a wide range of high quality SR initiatives – from advancing research on autism, asthma and arthritis, to breaking down educational barriers and providing psychological first aid in war-affected areas. I felt very humbled to learn about the positive impacts these initiatives are having within the Greater Manchester community. Please read more about the Making a Difference Awards and our winners HERE.

Ian Greer

Vice-President and Dean

Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health