President's weekly update
15 July 2021
COVID
Infection rates remain very high in Manchester, though hospital admissions and very seriously ill patients are much lower than at the previous peak. All adults in Manchester are now being offered vaccinations.
We have provided updated information on how we will manage a safe return to the campus after the government lifts restrictions on 19 July. The focus through the next few weeks will be on some priority areas and preparation of the campus for an anticipated wider return of staff on 1 September.
We continue to strongly encourage everyone to get vaccinated and to do the self-administered COVID tests twice a week.
We are in regular discussions with government about safe quarantine and vaccination of international students who we hope will be able to join us in September. We have told offer holders that we will cover the
Independent review of governance
In line with good practice and our established framework, our Board of Governors commissioned an independent review of our governance by Halpin. This involved review and attendance at our Board meetings, Senate and other committees, and interviews with members of the Board and Senate,
The report was discussed at the Board Nomination Committee which has oversight of the review, and then at an additional meeting of Senate where members were invited to make comments. It will next be considered by the full Board on 21 July, following this it will be made public as we start to develop and implement an action plan based on the recommendations and suggestions.
We are in the process of recruiting new lay external members of our Board. This is also overseen by our Nomination Committee. We are seeking to enhance the diversity of our Board, as well as looking for members with digital experience and at least one with wider experience of leadership. I met several candidates on Zoom, who will now be interviewed by members of the Nomination Committee.
Innovation
It was a pleasure to chat to Eli Harari, one of our alumni who generously supports our Eli and Britt Harari
We have announced the Chair and Chief Executive of Northern
We hosted a visit from Lord Gerry Grimstone and his colleagues from the Department of International Trade to the Royce Building and the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC). Lord Grimstone chairs the UK Investment Council and we held a private discussion at the end to talk about inward investment into the north and tell him about Northern Gritstone.
External activities
We held a meeting of our Global Leadership Board which supports our philanthropic activities. I gave a general update on the University, John Holden, Associate Vice-President for Major Special Projects, talked about the various opportunities we are considering and they had an update on philanthropy, including key messages from interviews with major donors about a potential fundraising campaign. In spite of the external challenges, our fundraising is slightly ahead of target this year.
I chaired a meeting of the Oxford Road Corridor Board, where we heard about the amazing events that will be part of the ‘Corridor of Light’ exhibitions on and around Oxford Road in October. I also joined an online meeting to welcome the new Chinese Ambassador to the UK, HE Zheng Zeguang, along with almost 600 others.
I am a member of two current review groups. One is to conduct the five-yearly review of the Francis Crick Institute in London and we held the initial meeting to consider the process of that review. I am also a member of a group considering the process for electing the next President of the Royal Society, though this will not take place for several years.
Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor