On Monday 27 June, Interim Vice-Chancellor David Maguire wrote to all staff. You can view the message below:
Dear colleague,
It is a great feeling to praise and reward others for their hard work, and for them to receive that public acknowledgement. This is why I was delighted last week to co-host our annual Education Awards with our Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Teaching, Kelly Coate.
This is the first time since 2019 that we have been able to hold the event in person. It was a was a splendid celebration in the Jubilee Lecture Theatre, especially for the 350 staff who were nominated in one of the five categories (Better World, Transformative Technology, Learning Together, Teaching to Disrupt and Sussex Spirit) that reflect the kindness and dedication of professional services and academic staff across our university. I was pleased to see so many individuals and teams being recognised for the inspiring work they do in supporting and educating our student community. Well done to all of you. My congratulations must also go to Kelly and her team in pulling together such a professional event, despite some necessary last-minute changes to the schedule.
Our Global Partnerships Conference was another highlight of last week for me. Although an online event, more than 200 people across our university and from partner institutions and organisations had registered for the discussions themed around higher education and sustainable development. Among those giving presentations was Adrian Ely, Co-Director of Training in SPRU, who talked about transformative pathways to reach the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Other presenters included our amazing alumna Fumani Mthembi, who gave valuable insights about how forging partnerships and focussing on research enabled her renewable energy company, Pele Knowledge in South Africa, to be successful and sustainable. It is worth reminding ourselves that our international outlook at Sussex is a great strength and will continue to be so, even if it feels at times as though the UK itself is becoming more isolated.
As I hope you are now aware, your July pay packet will include an ex-gratia payment. This was as a result of our recent agreement with UCU. I am pleased to say that your colleagues in Sussex Estates and Facilities, and our catering partners, Chartwells, will also be receiving these one-off non-pensionable payments from the University budget in recognition of the key role they play in our campus life. Our updated People and EDI strategies are well on the way to being fully approved, and are addressing aspects of inequality across our community. Ensuring everyone feels valued for the work they do here is essential to maintaining harmony in our community.
Rewards come in all shapes and sizes, but I should imagine that most of us would feel honoured to have a ‘blue plaque’ dedicated to us. One of our most remarkable Nobel Laureates, Professor Sir Harry Kroto, received that honour on 17 June on campus. A Royal Society of Chemistry plaque was unveiled on the side of Chichester building, where the late Professor Kroto carried out experiments that led to discovery of the buckminsterfullerene, a previously unknown form of carbon that has been hailed as a one of the greatest scientific discoveries of the 20th Century. The following day, a plaque dedicated to Helena Normanton, a trailblazing lawyer and the first person make a bequest to help establish the University of Sussex, was unveiled in Brighton. Both Kroto and Normanton were highly dedicated and inspirational people, and I would hope that the greatest reward for them would be to see how their spirit lives on here at Sussex.
Warm regards,
David Maguire
Interim Vice-Chancellor