Dear colleagues,
As this is my final message of 2021, I have a very simple sentiment to convey – thanks to each and every one of you for all you’ve done as a valued member of the Strathclyde family.
This has been a successful and rewarding year for the entire University community, but one which has not been without its challenges, the latest of which we are facing as we prepare to break for Christmas.
We can look back on 2021 as a year when we navigated the threat of COVID but with a firm and confident focus on delivery of our objectives. We have reinforced the effectiveness of our shared purpose in delivering excellent student experience, high quality education, impactful research and we made significant strides in our journey to fulfil the objectives of our Vision 2025 strategy.
This has been done against a backdrop of an external environment where COVID has loomed large again, making our achievements all the more remarkable. There really are too many highlights to name them all of here and each of you will have your own successes to look back on as the year draws to a close. Time and time again we have shown what it means to go the extra mile, to care deeply for our students and our colleagues and to demonstrate the authenticity of our Values.
I am very proud to be part of this community, you make us who we are, you define the distinctive character of Strathclyde and it is an on-going privilege to lead our great institution.
Over the coming weeks and given the increasing COVID cases in the community, I urge you to follow all of the national guidance to help keep yourself, your loved ones and those around you safe. I sincerely hope that further restrictions are avoided but please be assured that should any updates in the rules impact on how we work at Strathclyde, I will write to you as soon as they become clear.
Finally, I hope you have a restful, safe and enjoyable extended Christmas & New Year break and that you can ‘recharge’ in advance of a more promising 2022 as we take Strathclyde forward into the next phase of our journey.
Once again, many thanks for all you do.
Best wishes,
Jim