This week (24 January) the Vice-Chancellor David Maguire wrote to all staff. You can read the email in full below:

Dear colleague,

Campus looked beautiful in the winter sunshine last week and I look forward to seeing more of you back on site from today. The government are recommending an end to working from home and a return to fully in-person activities which for us means a return to pre-Plan B arrangements (those introduced in December). We continue to advise observing good etiquette which means being courteous and respectful of others’ space and wearing masks in enclosed spaces including classes.

As the new semester gets under way, the results of our student vaccination survey hopefully provide some welcome confidence to colleagues now returning to campus. The survey shows that 93 per cent of our students who took part have had two Covid-19 vaccinations, with almost two-thirds reporting that they have had two jabs and a booster. This is considerably higher than Brighton & Hove as a whole and shows the impact of our vaccination drive in the autumn term. To make it as easy as possible, we will continue to bring mobile vaccination units onto our campus and will be encouraging everyone who can to get boosted if they haven’t already done so.

93 per cent of our students who took part in the
survey have had two Covid-19 vaccinations.

While discussions in Westminster are currently on other matters, the legislative and policy agenda relating to higher education is set to be busy in 2022. The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) bill has now passed Parliamentary scrutiny and is expected to gain royal assent, which will have implications for how research is funded and the distribution of that funding. Meanwhile, our former Vice-Chancellor, Adam Tickell, has published an interim report on the review he is leading into research bureaucracy in this country. The final report is due in the summer but you can read the interim report on the BEIS website.

Like every other University, we will be keeping a close watch on any announcements relating to HE funding and the Augar review, which, as you will be aware, could have significant consequences for us. We will also be interested in the detail of the Government’s Levelling Up white paper and will be highlighting the considerable – and excellent – activity we are already engaged in to address inequalities in society. Last week OfS released details of three consultations concerned with regulating student outcomes and the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework which could mean greater emphasis on student progression, completion and graduate outcomes. As a high-quality university we should feel confident in our overall aggregate performance, but we may need to ensure that all courses and subgroups of students meet the expectations.

For those of you interacting with final-year students, please encourage them to complete the National Student Survey and help future students make informed choices about university. The results are an important part of our planning every year and we are aiming for as high a response rate as possible.

Last week I continued the meetings with local MPs spending productive time with Caroline Lucas MP. I also spent time online with the VCs and Council Chairs of southern universities similar to Sussex to share recent experiences and plans. Many of them face the same issues as Sussex and by and large have developed similar responses. I have to reflect, however, that we are in as good a position as anyone and considerably better than some.

I wish you well as the new Semester gets underway.

Warm regards,
David Maguire

Interim Vice-Chancellor