President's weekly update

18 March 2021

As we mark a year since we had to move much of our activity online, we still don’t know when more extensive in-person teaching can restart. This will very much depend on the advice from government, though we note that in Wales university students can all return from 12 April. Things seem to be moving in the right direction, but COVID infections are still above 50/100,000 and we are likely to see an increase now that schools have returned and there is much more testing. Reported infections in staff and students remain very low, but we need to increase rates of testing too, so we have the right checks and support in place when we can return to campus. We have been arguing with government to be able to provide home tests kits for students and staff which would make it much easier and cheaper to increase testing. At present it costs the University about £7/test that we deliver.

Since students have been able to return to practical and practice-based teaching on campus, some of our international students are worried that they may not be able to travel to Manchester and if they do, they may be forced to pay to quarantine in a hotel. They can apply for support from our Living Cost Support Fund (LCSF) and we are arguing with government for them to be quarantined with us, as has been permitted for private boarding schools.

We want to ensure that testing and quarantine measures are in place now, and for when we welcome our new students next academic year. We continue to attract students, with applications to study with us for the next academic year up by 13% vs an increase of 9% across the sector, and in universities that we often compare ourselves to. 

The last week included our regular Senate meeting where we had two separate briefings, one from Professor Chris Pressler, John Rylands University Librarian and Director of The University of Manchester Library, on our Library and its future. The second was given by Professor Danielle George, Associate Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students, on the future of teaching and the role of blended learning, including the lessons we have learnt during COVID. Danielle, supported by Professor Steve Pettifer, Academic Lead for Digital Learning, argued that blended learning, by definition, brings together the best of online and in-person teaching and the briefing was about embedding flexibility in the way we teach, and understanding how fast and how far we should go in that direction.

April and I had one of our regular meetings with Kwame Kwarteng, General Secretary of the Students’ Union. We discussed the recent elections of Students’ Union officers for next year and the referendum on a vote of no confidence in me and SLT members. The overall turnout was 13% of eligible students. 4,590 students voted in favour of the referendum, representing 11% of students. We also talked about concerns expressed by students in our residences about the behaviour of a small minority of student residents which include some large parties, and about additional costs incurred by international students.

Senior colleagues and I visited the School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED). Students in the School returned amongst the highest unit evaluation scores in the University. They raised concerns about the cost of field trips (which are being reimbursed) and how we increase the number of BAME staff and asked about tackling equality and diversity more widely.

At a meeting of about 70 leaders across the University, I updated on ongoing issues including government research funding, student return and timetabling, USS pension, financial planning and sustainability and our Board accountability conference next week.

I have been in many meetings over the past week about the latest valuation of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). I signed a letter from the Russell Group to the Pension Regulator asking for clarity on their evaluation which is extremely prudent.

I’ve also been heavily involved in arguing for funding to meet the costs of UK Horizon association, and the Grand Challenges Research Fund which has been significantly cut as a result of the reduction in the overseas development aid budget. I have written as chair of the Russell Group to the Prime Minister about research funding.

We have extended the ongoing pulse survey to 19 March. It is really important to hear the views of staff and for any survey to be valid we need at least a 50% return rate.

Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor

Feedback

• president@manchester.ac.uk