Dear Colleague,
As the new academic year starts, I want to thank all of you who have been involved in Confirmation and Clearing and other student recruitment activities over the summer. It has been a hugely impressive collective effort. While we know that this year has been much more challenging across the sector and here at Sussex, as Sasha said in her email earlier in the week we will be able to share news on final student numbers after the registration period is complete.
Welcome Week (16-20 September) will look a bit different this year, with welcome ceremonies for our new students and a host of other activities organised by our excellent cross-University Welcome, Induction and Transition teams. I am very much looking forward to the week.
The University’s organisational structure also looks different in this new academic year, as we welcome three new Executive Deans and the start of the new Faculty structure. Professor Rosie Cox has joined as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences; Professor Luc Moreau as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine, and Professor Cornel Sandvoss as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Media, Arts and Humanities. I welcome them all to Sussex as they join Professor Debbie Keeling who continues with her excellent work in the same role at the Business School until Professor Ingrid Woolard joins us in January.
Many of you have already been involved in preparations for the move to Faculties, and I thank you all for your contributions so far, and your collaboration, knowledge and anticipation in helping to get us ready. I am confident that the move will strengthen our academic leadership and improve representation in high level decision making, as well as further supporting our aims for teaching and research excellence, agility and resilience across the University.
We will begin to see changes from now on, some of which will take the full academic cycle to complete. Following a decision by Senate in June 2024, our academic governance will change over the coming academic year. While we embed these changes, we will ensure that academic representation is in place while new roles are appointed, in particular, to Associate Dean roles in Education and in Research & Innovation in the Faculty of Social Sciences, and the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
Throughout the autumn term 2024, academic representation on Senate sub-committees will be aligned to the principle of Faculty representation, drawing on a range of experience, skills and disciplines through existing academic leadership roles. All colleagues participating in governance in the autumn term will receive an induction to support their development and effective contribution.
I know that change can sometimes be unsettling and that some of you may be anxious about the impacts of the changes ahead. Be assured that these changes are designed to have minimal impact on our day-to-day activities (which carry on as normal) as we create a structure that will work for our future, while delivering our usual excellence in teaching and research today. I look forward to discussing the changes more with you as I visit Faculty teams over the coming weeks and months.
With best wishes,
Michael Luck
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost