Adam Tickell
Today, 29 October. the Vice-Chancellor Adam Tickell wrote to all staff. You can read the email in full below:
Dear colleague,
Because David Maguire will take over as interim Vice Chancellor on Monday, this will be my last ‘View from the VC’ and I wanted to reflect on my time at Sussex.
In honesty, the circumstances of the last five years aren’t ones that any of us would have wished for. Whilst we are living through challenging times, there are so many in our community at Sussex who are shining a light on how to achieve progress.
This was perfectly encapsulated at last week’s Better World event. It was an amazing evening and, like almost everyone I spoke to afterwards, I was energized after listening to three of our academics and one alumna describe the work they have been doing as part of the global drive towards sustainability. It was, as I said at the end of the evening, a bittersweet moment for me. It was my last public event before I step down as Vice-Chancellor at the end of this month. But I will continue to take an interest in Sussex’s progress in these vital areas of work in the months and years to come.
Melissa Lazenby, Mika Peck, Peter Newell and our prize-winning product design graduate Lucy Hughes delivered such inspiring stories about how they are tackling environmental issues - from restoring Sussex coastal kelp forests, to seeking global buy-in to a treaty on the non-proliferation of fossil fuel industries - that I came away with renewed confidence that we really are delivering on our promise of “a better university for a better world”. The strong commitment of the whole community to becoming a beacon of sustainability is a source of real strength. There are academic staff in every academic school whose academic work on sustainability is matched by a commitment to make a real difference to our world. The University’s Sustainability Strategy will put real actions in place to ensure that the University lives up to our academic prowess here. All the best to the Sussex staff and students attending COP26 next week.
Over the past nearly two years, the University’s response to Covid 19 was – genuinely – exceptional. With only a week to prepare, our academics changed their mode of teaching and provided as strong an education as was possible; our professional staff continued to provide a high level of support; and our pandemic response was commended by a Cabinet Office report and won industry awards. Now, with well over 95% of our students vaccinated against coronavirus, the return to in-person teaching and the return to campus for professional staff has been seamless.
Research at Sussex remains outstanding. Over the last few years, I’ve drawn attention to many research highlights across the University and am only sorry that these have just scratched the surface. In aggregate, citations to research published by academics at Sussex are far higher than much bigger and better funded universities than ours; we have far more academics who are in the top 1% of scientists in their field than any equivalent sized university in the country; and have won some large and very important research grants in the last few years.
Of course, progress isn’t always linear – it can be slow and it can get messy. My tenure has been bookended by very difficult conversations and soul searching within our community about the University’s culture.
The Westmarland Report, which I commissioned on my first day in 2016, was not easy reading and illuminated a culture which needed to change substantially. However, it did – and continues to – lead to real change: substantial reform of our policies and procedures, our Dignity and Respect policy and champions and, most recently, the appointment of David Ruebain as our first permanent Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Culture, Equalities and Inclusion.
We all know that the last few weeks have been difficult for Sussex and this shows that there remains quite some way to go. Sussex has, for sixty years, been a beacon of liberal values and now is a really important time to look to the future. Conversations will be vital if we want to continue to progress. In David Ruebain, we have an outstanding leader who will be able to work with people throughout the University to get to a far better place.
At its best, Sussex is one of the most challenging, vibrant and curious places to work. I have been privileged to have been here and have made many friends and worked alongside an abundance of talented, dedicated and warm people over the years.
I said at the Better World event that we are a university that fosters ideas and takes action. I think we’re proving it.
I’d like to finish with heartfelt thanks to everyone who has made me feel so welcome.
In honesty, the circumstances of the last five years aren’t ones that any of us would have wished for. Whilst we are living through challenging times, there are so many in our community at Sussex who are shining a light on how to achieve progress.
This was perfectly encapsulated at last week’s Better World event. It was an amazing evening and, like almost everyone I spoke to afterwards, I was energized after listening to three of our academics and one alumna describe the work they have been doing as part of the global drive towards sustainability. It was, as I said at the end of the evening, a bittersweet moment for me. It was my last public event before I step down as Vice-Chancellor at the end of this month. But I will continue to take an interest in Sussex’s progress in these vital areas of work in the months and years to come.
Melissa Lazenby, Mika Peck, Peter Newell and our prize-winning product design graduate Lucy Hughes delivered such inspiring stories about how they are tackling environmental issues - from restoring Sussex coastal kelp forests, to seeking global buy-in to a treaty on the non-proliferation of fossil fuel industries - that I came away with renewed confidence that we really are delivering on our promise of “a better university for a better world”. The strong commitment of the whole community to becoming a beacon of sustainability is a source of real strength. There are academic staff in every academic school whose academic work on sustainability is matched by a commitment to make a real difference to our world. The University’s Sustainability Strategy will put real actions in place to ensure that the University lives up to our academic prowess here. All the best to the Sussex staff and students attending COP26 next week.
Over the past nearly two years, the University’s response to Covid 19 was – genuinely – exceptional. With only a week to prepare, our academics changed their mode of teaching and provided as strong an education as was possible; our professional staff continued to provide a high level of support; and our pandemic response was commended by a Cabinet Office report and won industry awards. Now, with well over 95% of our students vaccinated against coronavirus, the return to in-person teaching and the return to campus for professional staff has been seamless.
Research at Sussex remains outstanding. Over the last few years, I’ve drawn attention to many research highlights across the University and am only sorry that these have just scratched the surface. In aggregate, citations to research published by academics at Sussex are far higher than much bigger and better funded universities than ours; we have far more academics who are in the top 1% of scientists in their field than any equivalent sized university in the country; and have won some large and very important research grants in the last few years.
Of course, progress isn’t always linear – it can be slow and it can get messy. My tenure has been bookended by very difficult conversations and soul searching within our community about the University’s culture.
The Westmarland Report, which I commissioned on my first day in 2016, was not easy reading and illuminated a culture which needed to change substantially. However, it did – and continues to – lead to real change: substantial reform of our policies and procedures, our Dignity and Respect policy and champions and, most recently, the appointment of David Ruebain as our first permanent Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Culture, Equalities and Inclusion.
We all know that the last few weeks have been difficult for Sussex and this shows that there remains quite some way to go. Sussex has, for sixty years, been a beacon of liberal values and now is a really important time to look to the future. Conversations will be vital if we want to continue to progress. In David Ruebain, we have an outstanding leader who will be able to work with people throughout the University to get to a far better place.
At its best, Sussex is one of the most challenging, vibrant and curious places to work. I have been privileged to have been here and have made many friends and worked alongside an abundance of talented, dedicated and warm people over the years.
I said at the Better World event that we are a university that fosters ideas and takes action. I think we’re proving it.
I’d like to finish with heartfelt thanks to everyone who has made me feel so welcome.
With best wishes,
Adam Tickell