Being ‘on holiday at home’ for the last two weeks has given me the chance to reflect as we count down to the start of the new academic year. It is good to be back and to be busy catching up as there has been a great deal happening across the University. There is always an excitement to the new academic year and for all of us this year, it is a very different sort of excitement. My sense is that many new and returning students are eager to come to campus to meet people again, while others are cautious – and this probably mirrors our own feelings. My priority remains to make our campuses safe places guided by the respective government authorities in our different locations. And we take encouragement from the steps our Malaysia campus has taken, being ahead of us in terms of the academic year, to help staff and students get back to campus safely.

I hope you may have had opportunity to watch the interview between Professor Heather McGregor and our new Vice-Principal and Provost, Professor Mark Biggs. Mark’s move from Nottingham Trent University to join us at Heriot-Watt is a welcome addition to our senior team, and he explains more in the video about his reasons for making the move.

We had a successful Scottish clearing campaign last week but, as colleagues resident in Scotland will be aware, there are to be further changes with the Scottish grades that will now be enhanced and so the admissions process for many will need to be revisited. The rest of UK A-level results are due today and will kick-start another wave of clearing. It has been a difficult time for those with exams this year, not only did they not sit actual exams, but there is now the issue around grades. This is an added layer of complication and a situation that will likely spark ongoing discussion. We will keep a close eye on the Government response, both in Scotland and England, and as such, I’m going to revisit this topic next week, once the A-level results are out and more is known about the implementation of the revised Scottish student grades.

As we anticipate our new academic year, schools in Scotland are just starting theirs. This brings a welcome return to some sort of normality for children. While this step must be viewed positively, I am very aware that for many of you, this will likely mark another significant change to your daily routine and your caring responsibilities. During lockdown, the flexibility and resilience everyone has shown, and continues to show, has been impressive and I am keen that we can all continue to provide each other with the support needed in the coming weeks. Please do speak to your line manager if you have any concerns or need to discuss the need for any additional flexibility as the school term resumes.

Our interim campus in Dubai is officially open alongside the new building in Knowledge Park that is due to open next January. Work continues at pace to settle colleagues in – within the Government guidelines on social distancing of course – and I am grateful for all the hard work, from across our global teams, for making this happen.

With so much happening, it is always good to hear how you are feeling and this week sees the start of the Back to Campus Pulse Survey for all colleagues across the University’s campuses. The last few months have thrown up immense challenges, but also opportunities to work in new ways. And there will likely be more challenges and opportunities ahead for us all. So please share your thoughts and we will continue to keep you updated on the progress towards addressing key issues and making improvements.

Finally, earlier this week I sent an update on our planning and financial situation, to provide you with information on our progress and the impact on colleagues. I am very aware this is a worrying time for everyone, and I want to be as open as possible about the process we will be going through and the timings we are working to. An important aspect of the process is the union and initial consultation meetings and we have started those this week. We will share responses to the proposals when available. As always, if you have any comments or suggestions please send them to the suggestion4principal@hw.ac.uk mailbox.

As a reminder, the next Executive Briefing for all staff with be on Thursday 27th August, 9:00am (BST). The Teams Live link to join this event will be sent out in an All Staff Email closer to the time, added in next week’s newsletter and be available in the calendar on Our Financial Challenge SharePoint site.

Professor Richard A. Williams
Principal and Vice-Chancellor