Dear colleagues,
With midsummer upon us, most schools finishing up in the coming days, and our summer graduations well under way, many of you will now be looking forward to some well-earned rest, recuperation and holiday time after another successful and rewarding year.
Graduations mark a significant milestone in the academic calendar – an opportunity for our students to celebrate their achievements and success with their families, friends and supporters, as well as with the Strathclyde community at large.
These latest ceremonies are also the first since the pandemic where we have been able to recognise and reward the contributions of individuals through the award of honorary degrees.
I was particularly pleased, yesterday, to present Leslie Stretch, Chief Executive Officer of Medallia, with an honorary degree. An Economics and Social History graduate from Strathclyde, Leslie has enjoyed a very successful career over the last 40 years in various business roles, including at Oracle, Sun Microsystems and Callidus Software. In his graduation address, he made it clear that his success was made possible only by the opportunity to attend Strathclyde.
Throughout his career, Leslie has also supported the students, staff and alumni of Strathclyde. He has created more than 130 student scholarships and it was a delight to see him finally meet some of those he supports when on campus yesterday.
Leslie’s commitment and generosity towards supporting the students who have followed in his footsteps are truly inspiring and reflective of our values at Strathclyde. Following the success of graduates such as Leslie is rewarding and it is wonderful to see so many of our alumni continuing to value and support what we do.
Similarly, seeing our graduates, their families, friends and supporters as they celebrate their achievements reminds us of the role we all play in the education of a new generation of talent who will go on to tackle the challenges of our age.
All of us across Strathclyde can be proud of the part we play and contribution we make to the success of our alumni and our University.
The last 27 months have seen the Strathclyde community face some of the most challenging circumstances in the University’s long history, but through your hard work, resilience and adaptability we have continued to deliver excellent teaching, research and service.
Now, with all of our staff across all Faculties, Professional Services and Operational Services having a significant presence on campus again, we can reconnect with colleagues, collaborate face-to-face, and build on what we have learned while fully realising the benefits of agile and hybrid working in the new academic year that lies ahead.
To that end, I would encourage you to complete the Digital Experience Insights Survey being run by colleagues in our Information Services Directorate.
The survey will help us to understand how staff are using the technology currently available to them, what is making a difference to their working experiences, and where improvements can be made. Your responses will inform the development of our Digital Transformation Strategy, aligned to our strategic plan, Vision 2025, which is being led by Chief Digital & Information Officer Beth Lawton. You can also contribute your ideas through the Strathclyde Innovation Forum webpages.
Thank you as always for your contributions this week and please enjoy the weekend when it comes.
Best wishes,
Jim