This week (20 December) the Vice-Chancellor David Maguire wrote to all staff. You can read the email in full below:
Dear colleague,
This will be my last update of the year and a chance to reflect on a largely successful semester, although I must acknowledge the current challenges around the rapid spread of the Omicron Covid variant, and the ongoing industrial action.
When we get to the twelve days of Christmas here’s a list of twelve significant achievements to get excited about:
- Times and Sunday Times University of the Year for Student Retention
- Global Student Satisfaction award for student diversity
- Supported Sussex Afghan students in the crisis situation
- Returned to high quality in person research, teaching and support
- New ESRC research centre for inclusive trade policy, £12m
- Universal Quantum consortium grant from Innovate UK, £7.5m
- EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership award, £800k
- Nine Sussex academics in 2021 highly cited researchers list
- Moved Size and Shape forward without redundancies
- Progressed EDI agenda including appointment of PVC (Culture, Equality and Inclusion)
- Signed-off plans for major physical and digital campus developments
- Started the Sussex 60th Anniversary celebrations
Since taking over as Vice-Chancellor a couple of months ago, I have been really impressed with the energy and dedication of our staff. I have been fortunate to meet many more of you in person now, as I have tried to get around as many Schools and Divisions as I could in the past few weeks.
My overwhelming experience has been of speaking with good people, who are working hard and optimistic about the future.
This is hugely encouraging to me and will be crucial to our success in 2022 and beyond.
We’ve had some really important – and, at times, challenging – discussions this past year but now I believe we have laid the groundwork to move forward with confidence. I look forward to playing my part in this and I’m sure you do too.
Whatever your plans are until we return in January, I wish you all the very best. I encourage you to take a clean break from University work for as long as you can. I thank you most warmly for everything you have done this past year for the University we all love.
See you in 2022!
Warm regards,
David Maguire
Interim Vice-Chancellor