Dear colleagues, 

A huge thank you 

As I settle into my first few weeks as Vice President for Teaching, Learning and Students, I want to begin by saying thank you. Over the summer, so many of you worked tirelessly to support admissions and recruitment. Spending time on the clearing hotline, I saw first-hand the professionalism, calmness, and humanity with which colleagues guided students through such an important milestone in their lives. It was inspiring, and it set the tone for how we welcome our newest Manchester students. A huge thank you to everyone involved. 

Looking ahead to Start of Year 

We are now on the cusp of another academic year, and I hope you share my sense of excitement about what lies ahead. The Start of Year open meeting on 10 September will be a great opportunity to hear directly from colleagues leading key areas including Welcome, registration, communications, and our transition from Blackboard to Canvas. I’d really encourage you to sign up if you can, and to explore the Start of Year Hub on StaffNet. 

Listening and connecting 

One of the best parts of my first weeks has been meeting so many of you – hearing your insights, your priorities, and your hopes for the future of TLSE. Your feedback has already given me a lot to think about (and yes, I’ve also consumed an alarming number of iced caramel lattes since the Getting to know Jenn video was released, thank you for those too… and the many offers for Britney karaoke!!).  

I’m keen to keep these conversations going, so over the coming weeksI’ll be visiting Schools and central services to meet as many of you as possible and hear more about your work and your ideas. If you can’t make it to one of the visits, please do reach out to me directly via email, Teams or saying hello when you see me around campus. I want to make sure everyone has a chance to connect, in whatever way you’re most comfortable with. 

Thank you again for the warm welcome you’ve shown me. I’m excited about the year ahead and really looking forward to all we will achieve together. 

Best wishes 

Jenn