President's weekly update
11 April 2024
Easter break
I hope you all managed to have some time for a break over the Easter period.
School visits
In the last of my annual visits to Schools, which includes open meetings with staff and students, senior colleagues and I attended the Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) and the School of Social Sciences (SoSS).
Students in AMBS said they valued having an in-person meeting with senior leaders. They raised issues about local printers, communications between different departments within the School, recycling of waste, grading systems and wanted a student ‘business fest’. They also praised some specific staff in AMBS.
Staff asked about the financial sustainability of the sector and we discussed the opportunities AMBS has in flexible learning given their very successful Global MBA. They asked what we felt was distinctive about the university and what had been successful in AMBS. I said the strength of our partnerships regionally but also internationally and our commitment to social responsibility, and for AMBS many advantages and successes based on their strong collaborations across Humanities and the wider university.
In SoSS, only a few students attended. Some really liked their course but others found it very difficult. They again raised a number of local issues about communications, visa checking, international fees, student internships and slow email responses from some staff.
In the meeting with staff, Nalin Thakkar, Vice-President for Social Responsibility, gave a very powerful response to the submitted call for us to withdraw from partnerships with Israel which was well received. Other issues raised were about diversity in our leadership, flexible learning, generic email addresses (hated by some but valued by others), PS staff shortages and workloads and in some areas, the role of Social Sciences and Law in cross-disciplinary activities.
Free Speech
On Monday 8 April, The Students’ Union and University hosted an open meeting on Free Speech. A comment at the end: “I have to say this was the best session on a really challenging area I have ever heard at an institution. Balanced, nuanced, informative. Please continue the great work, it is appreciated.”
Finance and budget setting
At Finance and Capital Planning sub-committee we reviewed our current financial position. This is fine this year but the budget for next year and following years is inevitably challenging as fees for UK undergraduates remain frozen as they have been for over a decade (representing a decline in real terms) and risks to international student numbers, yet costs continue to increase.
Migration Advisory Committee (MAC)
I joined an online meeting with the chair of MAC which is undertaking a rapid review of the graduate visa route. I stressed the critical importance of these visas for attracting international students to the UK. We stressed the talent and value of international students to our universities, without whom we would be limited in our ability to undertake many activities. Many attendees reported a big drop in applications (30-40% for most post-92 universities). Our applications are holding up quite well, but some also reported very late attrition so even if applications and acceptances look strong this is not a guarantee of enrolment. It was felt that some applicants were waiting the outcome of the MAC review, but that other policy changes such as the limits on bringing dependants had already had a very negative impact.
Recognising staff involved in Social Responsibility
We held an event to celebrate our many activities in social responsibility, to thank the staff who contribute to this vitally important area and to consider our next plans. We agreed on our areas of focus, perhaps with some changes in language, discussed how we assess our success and agreed that an area of future focus is embedding social responsibility in our undergraduate curricula.
Meeting with the Chinese Consul General
Richard Cotton, Head of International Development, and I met with the Chinese Consul General, Tang Rui, and his senior colleagues. They provide extensive support for our Chinese students and are very keen to work with us to support our many Chinese students.
Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor