Dear colleagues,
Earlier this week, I was delighted to convene a special in-person Principal’s Engagement Session in The Barony Hall with around 250 of our Estates Services colleagues. It was an opportunity to meet with operational staff within the Directorate and to update them on our progress against our Strategic Plan – Vision 2025 – and, of course, to answer their questions.
For the majority of our Estates colleagues, on-campus working has been the norm throughout the past 26 months. I was delighted to be able to recognise this and thank them in person and on behalf of the entire Strathclyde community for the remarkable commitment they have shown to their duties over this period, which are so vital in keeping our University running.
I am also looking forward to seeing many of you in person over the coming weeks as more members of the Strathclyde community return to campus and as we move towards the summer period.
There are a few important travel and transport matters that are important to highlight:
- with the current disruption to ScotRail services, many of you may face challenges in getting to and from work, particularly earlier and later in the day. Anyone facing significant difficulties travelling to the campus should speak to their line manager to discuss their working arrangements
- while commuting by car will be a necessity for some of you, please remember that on-campus parking is limited. Alternative parking at Duke Street in Collegelands is available at a rate of £5 per day. You may also wish to consider car sharing and the SPT JourneyShare website can help you find a match.
- the University has teamed up with First Bus to offer staff a discount on bus travel. Buying a bus ticket through this scheme gives you unlimited travel within your chosen area and you can use it for getting to work and at weekends
The University also encourages active and sustainable travel where possible and I would urge all staff to consider the options available to them.
- recognised as a Cycle Friendly Campus by Cycling Scotland, we have a number of locations around the campus in which to store your bike, including four cycle hubs that provide secure internal cycle parking, lockers and some tools for routine maintenance
- colleagues can also make use of the Cycle to Work Scheme, a salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to hire cycles and cycle safety equipment on a tax free basis, and all Strathclyde staff are eligible for a 50% discount on Next Bike memberships, with several cycle hire stations located on our campus
- active travel supports good health and wellbeing and helps the University to achieve its sustainability goals which sit at the heart of our Strategic Plan
Sustainability was top of the agenda too at the Estates Committee Meeting which I attended this week, and where we heard an update on progress in delivering a Climate Neutral Estate.
We are committed to achieving net zero as a community and our colleagues in Estates are working to identify the most efficient and effective ways to upgrade the fabric of our campus buildings through sustainable design and refurbishment. This is part of a long-term strategy for our estate and I will share more details in future communications.
Our achievements in this area have recently been recognised with our Learning & Teaching Building winning the Higher Education and Campus category of the Architects’ Journal (AJ) Retrofit Awards 2022. Sustainability was central to that project, which achieved a 67% embodied carbon reduction on a new build project, recycled 97% of waste material, and gained a BREEAM ‘very good’ rating.
This commitment to sustainable development and net zero is mirrored in much of the work that is being delivered across the University, including developing new energy and transport technologies, creating sustainable manufacturing processes and leading policy engagement on energy and climate issues.
Finally, good luck to the eight Strathclyde entries that are shortlisted in The Herald Higher Education Awards which will see winners announced at a ceremony on Tuesday 31 May. Strathclyde’s shortlisted entries reflect the wide range of high quality work taking place across the University and our Students’ Union which is making a positive difference to the world.
Please enjoy the rest of your week and have a good weekend when it comes.
Best wishes,
Jim