President's Weekly Update

14 July 2016

Many of us are participating in what is a time of celebration in the University as we are holding almost 40 degree ceremonies over two weeks. Thousands of our students and families and friends (a significant number in beautiful national dress) are attending ceremonies in the lovely surroundings of the Whitworth Hall.

I held an open meeting for staff to discuss the implications of the vote in favour of the UK leaving the European Union. It was attended by about 400 staff from all parts of the University. I spoke about what we know at the present time, what is as yet unclear and what actions we are taking. Messages on all these topics are on our EU website, which is updated regularly. This now includes responses to frequently asked questions.

I also described the actions we are taking to reiterate the joint University and Students’ Union ‘We Get it’ campaign of zero tolerance to any forms of abuse and harassment in response to the increase in ‘hate crimes’ across the UK. You find details of this at We Get It.

You may also have seen the postcards describing our position and what actions you should take if you encounter such unacceptable behaviour.

The government made a very important statement this week, which we have been pressing for: "When we do leave the EU, we fully expect that the legal status of EU nationals living in the UK, and that of UK nationals in EU member states, will be properly protected. The government recognises and values the important contribution made by EU and other non-UK citizens who work, study and live in the UK." For the full text, see: Government statement on the status of EU nationals in the UK.

I visited our senior staff in the Directorate of Estates and Facilities, which is led by Diana Hampson. They have been extremely busy with our ambitious Campus Masterplan, as well as many other current estates issues. In addition to this, they deal with the huge challenge of ensuring that all of our everyday activities proceed smoothly, including minor works, heritage assets, maintenance and repair, catering, timetabling, car parks, student residences, safety, audio-visual services, security and major events (not least the four degree ceremonies a day just now!), to name just some.

I chaired the Board meeting of Corridor Manchester, which is the area around Oxford Road. We heard updates from the partners on their activities, priorities for the partnership for spatial planning, and attracting visitors as well as employees and students.

I spoke about the role of Corridor Manchester in a ‘CityVerve’ event at Manchester Town Hall. CityVerve is the UK ‘Smart City’ project that was won by Manchester with £10 million of funding to deliver an array of new facilities to improve transport, energy use, access to facilities, health care and much more gathering and sharing of information.

The next day, I presented to all members of Manchester City Council on Corridor Manchester. Our University received strong praise from several councillors for our work with their communities.

I attended an event at the Chinese Consulate to say farewell to the Chinese Consul, Mr Li Yongsheng and his wife, who will be returning to China shortly. I wasn’t expecting to be asked to make a speech in front of the 100 or more guests but it did give me the opportunity to say how much Mr Li will be missed and how much he has contributed - not least to the visit of the President of China last year.

I took part in the Council meeting of the Royal Society at which, in addition to signing off the annual accounts and audit of the Society and dealing with other normal business, we had a lengthy discussion on actions that could be taken in response to the referendum result and the exit of the UK from the EU.

That evening, I attended the annual Soiree at the Royal Society, with about 1,000 attendees, which includes many scientific exhibits. This year, there were three from The University of Manchester, which were very impressive and attracted many visitors.

While in London, I met with a group of Chinese students from Zheijiang University. These are some of the top Chinese students who are supported by the Morningside charity in Hong Kong funded by Ronnie and Gerald Chan. Gerald has been a regular visitor to the University who I hope will be visiting ESOF.

At a celebration for the Queen’s Anniversary Award for Voluntary Service, which was awarded for our School Governor Initiative, I thanked the many members of our community who have contributed as governors. At the time of the award, the total number of staff and alumni governors was 433 - it is now 518, with an estimated economic impact of over £1 million per annum. Any staff who are interested in volunteering their time in this way can find out more at School governor initiative.

I also attended a visit by senior staff from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), which is a major funder of our research, to discuss key priorities for BBSRC, likely changes as a result of the pending Higher Education Bill and opportunities for ‘researchers in residence’ spending time at BBSRC.

I gave a talk to about 100 student attendees of our International Summer School run by the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures. The students visit many places in Manchester and the surrounding area and have daily lectures – and, of course, we had the group photo!

We are now very close to the launch of EuroScience Open Forum which starts in just over a week. We have some brilliant last minute speakers, including a further Nobel Prize winner (Brian Schmidt from Australia). The Science in the City Festival runs for a week from next Friday with numerous public science events across the city - do join in! The exhibition Wonder materials: Graphene and beyond at the Museum of Science and Industry in Castlefield also starts next Friday.

We have gained special last minute and limited discount for attendees from the University at a cost of only £25. But you would need to register via ESOF 2016 University Registration. Please register only if you can spend substantial time at the event as the number of these places is limited and we want them to go to those who can make most use of them!

For all events, visit the ESOF website or download the mini-programme.

Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor

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