We are almost at the end of the Academic Year – and what a year it has been! A year with so much to be proud of. So much to celebrate. And so much to look forward to in the year ahead of us.
Thank you to everyone who joined the All Staff Briefing this week – a slightly different format than usual as we moved out from behind the slides! And thank you Professor Mushtak for your final remarks and for bringing the meeting to a suitably inspiring close. I have often referred to our recent times as being a rollercoaster, a trip that continues to ride, and you managed to put a wider and positive context on this for us all. Please take a look at the recording here. I mentioned in the session that I would also include a link to the Annual Stakeholder Meeting recording from last week. I am sure you will find it interesting, as it features the perspectives of our staff, students and alumni across our campuses on the amazing achievements from the last year, and our ambitions for the future – uplifting to say the least! We have received some kind comments of support and thanks for sharing this insight into our University from those who watched.
One topic that came up at the All Staff Briefing was a request to find out how one can donate to the 1821 Appeal, following the message from our students and representatives, as some colleagues wished to find an avenue to direct the ‘thank-you payment’ announced recently to a student cause. You can learn about this process here. Many thanks for the support received already and I will update everyone with how the Appeal develops over the summer period.
Another celebration I have been fortunate to take part in was our new Chancellor receiving his official gown. I met with the Chair of Court, Chancellor and University Secretary to mark Sir Geoff’s appointment and official photographs were taken that will grace the halls of our University for years to come. The Chancellor’s installation is planned for mid-October, where we will conduct a formal ceremony. This will be one of the many Bicentennial celebrations we have planned for October, including our Global Gathering for alumni and events at St Cecelia’s Hall – where our University began.
And congratulations to our Dubai campus for a great Bicentennial Open Day last week, which was well attended – in a socially-distanced way – by prospective students and their families. This reflects the strength of our reputation as a top-ranking global university. The Open Day not only allowed us to give tours of the new campus, provide interactive activities based on our courses, and a chance to meet faculty staff; it also gave an opportunity to showcase both our history and our future ambition. Well done to everyone involved.
This week we celebrated International Women in Engineering Day which this year focused on Engineering Heroes. We have quite a few of our own within the University, and the work you are doing and the example you are setting for future generations is an inspiration. We celebrate and congratulate you all!
And finally, I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to two senior colleagues who will be leaving in the coming weeks – firstly, Professor Bryn Jones, who will be leaving the University in early July. During his time as Deputy Vice Principal in Dubai, we have celebrated not only our move to the new campus but many other successes such as achieving two consecutive 5-star KHDA Higher Education Classification ratings, changes to the Student Council and a positive research culture for all our Postgraduate Research Students through the University’s Research Degrees Committee, of which Bryn was Chair. We wish you well for the future. Thanks and best wishes too for Professor Robert MacIntosh as he moves to a role of PVC at Northumbria University. His leadership as part of the integration team for the Edinburgh Business School and the School of Social Sciences, along with his leadership role in the development and execution of the Strategy 2025 process, are two of the landmarks of his recent achievements at the University. I will miss his erudite advice on matters of strategy development and wish him continued success when he commences his new role in August.
There is to be a pause in blogs for July, and in the meantime, may I wish everyone an enjoyable break when you have opportunity to take leave in the coming weeks. I look forward to seeing you on the campuses as circumstances allow in the near future.
Professor Richard A. Williams
Principal and Vice-Chancellor