President's weekly update
19 September 2019
I spent a very busy few days in Hong Kong. I didn’t see any protests but there had been some clashes around the hotel the evening before I arrived and an alumni dinner was moved because of a planned protest near the venue. The protests were a major topic of conversation (along with Brexit) with everyone I met and are clearly of great concern to people in Hong Kong. Opinions I heard about the protests were very divided.
Most of the visit involved meetings with alumni and major supporters of the University, several of whom introduced us to alumni that we had not been in contact with since their graduation, and with some we discussed further potential gifts.
I hosted a large alumni event at the Hong Kong Jockey Club which was as lively as usual with hundreds of photos taken! I had private meetings with some of our most generous donors and some senior alumni who give their time as well as their money to the University.
All in all I felt this visit was very important, to learn first-hand how people who are connected to our University and come from many different backgrounds feel about the concerning situation in their country.
Before leaving Manchester, I welcomed some of the 2,500 students who are arriving from outside the UK and will join over 10,000 international students from 170 countries currently studying with us. A major focus of my talk, given a number of international tensions, was the fact that universities such as ours welcome different views and opinions, healthy and robust debate but have mutual respect for those with a different point of view. As all students are arriving now for Welcome Week please wear your ‘Ask Me’ badges and help those who are looking lost.
I met three of our alumni who were in Manchester to mark 50 years since they arrived at our University. They had tours of the National Graphene Institute, the John Rylands Library, The Whitworth and Alliance Manchester Business School and were very impressed by all the developments in Manchester.
I co-chaired a meeting of the Council for Science and Technology in London where achieving zero carbon emissions, international research collaborations, managing large data sets and use of AI in government were discussed.
While in London, I attended a meeting with Charlie Mayfield, Chair of John Lewis, to discuss next steps for the Industrial Strategy Council that we are both members of.
On Thursday, 10 October I’ll be holding the first in a series of monthly ‘drop in’ session at various locations across campus. These will give an opportunity for small groups of colleagues to meet with me in a more informal way than a large open meeting to discuss any topics, ask questions and share ideas. You can book a place on StaffNet. These will complement my regular series of visits to Schools for open meetings with their staff and students and my visits to parts of the Professional Services.
Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor
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Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor