A message from SEED Head of School (Interim), Juup Stelma
29 Nov 2024
Addressing recruitment, promotions, recent inaugural lectures and social responsibility activity in the School
We are now well into the academic year and we are all busy with our teaching, research and scholarship. This month’s eNews is brimming with accounts of exciting events, activities and announcements, showing us that this continues to be a good year for SEED. Yes, the year has not been without difficulties. Notably, there have been areas of unexpected over-recruitment. Whilst this offers welcome optimism – our programmes continue to be in demand - it also comes with challenges such as hiring extra staff on short notice. I want to thank those of our colleagues who are working very hard in these areas.
This year’s promotions round is underway. Promotions constitutes its own unique kind of optimism, but is also unavoidably associated with tension. We will continue to work as hard as we can to make our promotions processes as inclusive as possible. This is a longer-term project, and we will have additional promotions workshops over the next year and help for our departments to support and provide opportunities equally and fairly. This week’s inaugural lectures by Professors Laura Black and Jennifer O’Brien convinces me that we are getting things right. Inaugural lectures represent milestones of achievement and they bring a warmth and collegiality into the school. I was in Leeds for the day, but I have been told that it was a spectacular event and that Laura and Jen were “very very good - both gave amazing lectures”. I look forward to the next set of inaugural lectures by Professors Jonathan Huck and Niki Banks on Wednesday, 11 December – please come along!
As Niki Banks points out in her message, our inaugural lectures showcase the values we fight for in SEED. This year’s inaugurals are particularly focused on social justice, sustainability and interdisciplinarity. These are values that reflect our operational priorities. They also fit under the broader banner of social responsibility, which makes Niki Banks’ inspiring words to us all so valuable. Do read her message detailing exciting initiatives such as the Making a Difference Awards, the SEED Catalyst Fund, the newly launched SEED team of Student Change-makers and the Social Responsibility World Café. Also, the priority we place on sustainability, in teaching, scholarship and research, received a boost this week with the very well attended Sustainability @ SEED meet & greet lunch, expertly organised by Heather Alberro.
We have to be loud and proud about our values. Our Vice-Chancellor, Duncan Ivison, made a visit to our school this month. Duncan is remarkably consistent in his insistence that we have to think ahead. Yes, he is alerting us to headwinds that may come. We are repeatedly invited to feed in ideas through the Manchester 2035 website, workshops and through a dedicated email (manchester2035@manchester.ac.uk). I do encourage everyone in SEED to contribute. Duncan is listening and his willingness to engage is evident. A group of MIE academics serendipitously met Duncan in a campus coffee shop and they have now agreed a meeting with Duncan in January, to discuss internationalisation and international students. The more we engage, proudly, the more our values will be part of the Manchester 2035 strategy.
Finally, we are not yet at the end of the semester but time moves fast when you are busy. I am curious indeed about the SEED Research Storytelling event coming up on Wednesday, 18 December - and I hope that we all keep space in our diaries for the SEED Winter Warmer on Thursday, 12 December.