Message from the Vice-President and Dean
07 Sep 2026
As we return to campus, Fiona looks forward to the new academic year. She reflects on admissions and developments across the University and Faculty, and celebrates new Academy of Social Sciences Fellows and research success.
Dear All
It is lovely to see the campus gradually coming back to life after the quieter summer months. I hope you have had an enjoyable break and found some time to switch off, recharge and spend time with family and friends.
I always enjoy this time, when we can pause briefly before semester one begins and look ahead to everything the new academic year will bring. I am returning with fresh energy and enthusiam, and I am especially looking forward to seeing colleagues again, welcoming our new students and working together over the coming months. And there is already some good news to share as we prepare for their arrival.
Confirmation, clearing and admissions
We saw a positive performance across Humanities during confirmation and clearing, thanks to an enormous collective effort. On A-level results day alone, the central hotline answered around 8,000 calls, while our Faculty Admissions team made more than 800 verbal offers. That work continued in the days that followed, with colleagues recruiting across a range of programmes and keeping a close eye on acceptances and confirmed qualifications.
Undergraduate recruitment remains robust, with an increase of around 400 students currently predicted this year, although final intake figures will not be known until registration. The postgraduate taught market is much more challenging and we are forecasting a shortfall of approximately 500 students against target, with our undergraduate numbers going some way to mitigating this.
My sincere thanks go to colleagues across the Faculty and University who supported applicants, managed a very high volume of enquiries and made sure everyone felt welcomed and well-informed throughout, and to everyone involved throughout the recruitment and admissions process.
Supporting language learning
Alongside our admissions work, we continue to nurture subject interest long before students apply to university. I recently wrote for the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) with Professor Jo Fox, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Newcastle University, about the urgent need to strengthen the languages pipeline from schools into higher education.
Our blog, on behalf of the N8 Research Partnership subgroup on Modern Languages, discusses the educational, cultural and economic value of language learning, while calling for sustained collaboration between schools, universities and policymakers to widen participation and rebuild confidence in the subject.
We highlight just some of the work N8 partner universities are doing to support language learning, including SALC’s annual LEAF Discover Day in June, when we welcomed almost 150 Year 10 and 11 students for modern foreign languages taster sessions, workshops and student-led classes.
Future Foundations
Work continues on Future Foundations as we approach the first release of Oracle Fusion in November. This will bring a number of People and Finance processes into one connected system. The impact will vary across roles – some of us will see little difference in our day-to-day work, while others will need to become familiar with new ways of doing things.
Over the coming weeks, colleagues will receive more detail about what is changing in their area, alongside guidance and training to help everyone prepare.
In Humanities, we have also agreed interim arrangements to support academic line managers who currently have more direct reports than recommended. This will give us time to consider the changes carefully and make the most of the move to Fusion, while continuing our progress towards an academic line management structure with smaller numbers of direct reports.
Performing at Manchester
This month marks the start of quarter one for Performing at Manchester, our new approach to performance and development conversations. It is designed to support regular, purposeful discussions about priorities, development and wellbeing throughout the year
I will soon be discussing objectives with my first reports who are fellow academic colleagues on the Faculty Executive. Setting objectives for the academic year ensures we are all clear about what we want to achieve in line with the University's strategic plan to 2035.
I am looking forward to working with Alvin Birdi who has now joined us as Vice-Dean for Teaching, Learning and Students, Maggie Gale who is now Head of the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures and James Evans who has become the Vice-Dean for Research and Innovation.
Our new Students’ Union Executive Officers
In August, I met the new Students’ Union Executive Officers, many of whom are current or former Humanities students. The relationship between the Students’ Union, its Executive and Faculty leaders is vital. It enables us to hear students’ perspectives, test our thinking and work together to improve their experience.
I am very pleased that Alec Severs is continuing for a second year as the Humanities Executive Officer, and my Faculty Executive colleagues and I look forward to building an open and constructive partnership with the new team.
International Directors’ Conference
It was very good to meet Randa Bessiso, Director of the University’s Middle East Centre; Olivia Chan, Director of the East Asia Centre; Sherry Fu, Director of the China Centre; and Bee Ing Lim, Director of the South East Asia Centre, during our annual International Directors’ Conference at the beginning of September. The conference brings our international centre leaders together with colleagues in Manchester to review activity, share insight and align plans across recruitment, education, operations and engagement. These conversations are essential to maintaining strong connections across our global network and identifying new opportunities to work together.
Manchester International Arbitration Training Programme
I also attended the gala dinner for the Manchester International Arbitration Training Programme, hosted by the Manchester China Institute (MCI) from 1 to 7 September. The intensive programme brings students and legal professionals together with leading judges, arbitrators, barristers and academics for lectures, workshops and practical exercises on international commercial and investment treaty arbitration.
It is an excellent example of a Humanities institute convening expertise, education and international exchange. Thank you to Lei Chen, the new Director of MCI (and Professor in Commercial Law) and his excellent team for this new initiative.
Celebrating Fellowships and research funding success
I am thrilled that four Faculty colleagues have been elected as Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences. Professor Richard Kingston (SEED) has been recognised for his work using digital technologies, data and geographic information to support planning and decision-making. Professor Yaojun Li’s (SoSS) influential research has advanced understanding of social mobility, inequality and ethnic integration, while Professor Kostas Stathopoulos (AMBS) has made a major contribution to corporate governance and the effects of decision-making on stakeholders.
Professor Andreja Zevnik (SoSS) has been elected for her interdisciplinary scholarship on political resistance, protest, identity and marginalisation. Well done to Richard, Yaojun, Kostas and Andreja! Their expertise enriches their fields, our Faculty and the wider contribution social science makes to tackling pressing societal challenges.
Congratulations also to Dr Sophie Everest (SALC) and Dr Qinqing Xu (SoSS), who have secured £124,389 from the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC’s) R&D MAP Creative Content Exchange pilot: Early Adopters Fund. The Creative Content Exchange is being developed as a trusted marketplace through which digitised cultural and creative assets can be accessed, licensed, bought and sold.
The next few weeks will bring the hustle and bustle of activity across campus and the arrival of our new undergraduate students. I am excited about the year ahead and the chance to meet and work with colleagues again as we support our students in their studies.
See you soon.
Regards Fiona