Dear colleagues,
With less than two weeks to go until the United Nations Climate Change Conference begins in Glasgow, we are on the final countdown to one of the most important global policy events in living memory. This Conference is seen as “one of our last best chances” to mobilise the international community to agree coordinated and impactful actions in order to tackle the critical challenge of the 21st Century.
COP26 provides a platform for world leaders, organisations and individuals, to make meaningful change against the backdrop of the climate emergency. At Strathclyde, sustainability is at the heart of our Vision 2025 Strategy, and I’m proud of the efforts colleagues are making to support our journey to Net Zero by 2040 or earlier.
From next week, we will begin to see visible signs of activity ramping up on campus, including the installation of a 3.5m high sculpture in Rottenrow Gardens. The piece is one of three sustainable Hope Sculptures being installed by artist and designer Steuart Padwick across Glasgow to reflect on the scale of the climate emergency and the need to work together to build a better future.
The artist will launch his work officially next Friday at the Conference of Youth (COY16) which we are hosting with Strath Union. COY16 will be the first major event of our programme of COP26-related activities and will bring together 300 delegates and 100 volunteers from Thursday to Sunday to help prepare young people for their participation in COP26.
I am also pleased to tell you that we have now published our COP26 Legacy Strategy which spans the period before, during and after COP. It is imperative that our University continues to actively ‘mainstream’ issues of climate change and sustainable development across all of our activities relating to education, research, innovation, knowledge sharing and operations. You can read more about our Legacy Strategy, plans and activities.
From next week onwards, the campus will feel significantly busier than usual while we host a wide range of events and activity. Across the city, many thousands of delegates, climate activists, business leaders, expert researchers, innovators and journalists will begin to arrive.
While it is an exciting and transformational time for our city, there will inevitably be disruption, particularly in light of planned rail strikes, for the duration of COP until after its conclusion on Friday 12 November. Please do ensure that you are keeping up-to-date with the latest advice on the Get Ready Glasgow website, and plan your activities accordingly.
With greater numbers of people moving around the city, it is also particularly important that we all adhere to the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 guidance to keep our University community safe and well. This means:
- getting vaccinated;
- wearing a face covering where required;
- keeping a safe distance from others;
- washing or sanitising hands;
- self-isolating and getting a PCR test if you have symptoms;
- testing regularly if you don’t have symptoms.
Thank you for your ongoing support in this area.
You may have read in Inside Strathclyde this week that October is World Menopause Month, which is dedicated to raising awareness of the menopause and the support options available for improving health and wellbeing. As a socially progressive university, we have taken the opportunity to relaunch our Menopause Policy, which aims to ensure that all colleagues affected by the menopause are empowered to ask for support or necessary adjustments, are able to manage any symptoms at work and are supported.
It is particularly important that line managers are familiar with the policy and I warmly encourage colleagues to read it. You may also like to consider signing up for one of our online Menopause at Work awareness sessions, which are designed to encourage an open, inclusive and supportive culture in every area of our University.
Finally, there are just 10 days left to complete the University of Strathclyde Values Survey 2021, which will help us understand whether the Values match your experiences at Strathclyde. If you haven’t already done so, please do engage with the survey, which has been sent to you by our independent survey company Medallia.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Best wishes,
Jim
Professor Sir Jim McDonald