Today, 1 November. the interim Vice-Chancellor David Maguire wrote to all staff. You can read the email in full below:
Dear colleague,
Today is officially my first day as interim Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex, taking over the reins from Adam Tickell. I’ll be leading the University until a permanent new Vice-Chancellor is appointed. I’m very pleased to be here and looking forward to working with everyone
In reality, I have been working behind the scenes for a number of weeks now, to ensure a smooth transition and seamless handover of responsibilities. Thank you to Adam and members of the executive team for getting me up to speed. I have been sitting in on committee meetings and am fully briefed on the major programmes of work under way at the University. I still have much to learn and please forgive me as I grasp the nuance of some issues (and please don’t be afraid to offer help and advice).
There is some really important and inspiring work taking place to get Sussex into the best possible shape and to advance the agendas that matter to our community. My role is to ensure that we stay on track to achieve our Sussex 2025 ambitions and that the next permanent Vice-Chancellor inherits a University in a really good place. The University Council has insisted that the University does not loose any momentum and that we continue at pace during my tenure.
I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the professionalism and dedication of the colleagues I have encountered so far. I’m looking forward to meeting many more of you in the weeks and months ahead.
To that end, I’d like to hold a session, open to all staff, early next week, where I can say hello and talk about some of the key things I will be focusing on during my time at Sussex. This will be held online on Friday 12 November at 1-1.30pm and you can book your place now.
I know from previous leadership roles that the culture at every organisation is different and I will be spending my first few weeks immersing myself in Sussex life. I want to stay in touch with you regularly, and I know that many have appreciated having weekly updates from the Vice-Chancellor. I plan to continue these and will be looking at other ways for us to communicate with one another.
I’ll be in touch again shortly and hope to meet some of you (virtually) next week.
Warm regards,
David
David Maguire