Dear colleagues,
Our summer graduations conclude this week, with the final two ceremonies taking place tomorrow. It has been a great pleasure to share these joyful occasions with our graduates, their families, friends and supporters over the last fortnight.
It is particularly rewarding to see our students progress through their studies, gain their qualifications and join our global community of alumni who are out there making their mark on the world. I am confident the values, knowledge and skills they have gained in their time here – along with their life experiences – will stand them in good stead and I wish them every success with their next endeavours.
I would also like to extend my thanks to all of our colleagues involved in organising and running these complex events – particularly our fellow Strathclyders in Conferencing & Events, in Student Experience, and staff from across our four Faculties and other parts of Professional Services.
These celebrations are a milestone, not only for our graduates – as they close one chapter in their lives and begin writing the next – but for the University too, marking the end of the academic year. For our staff, graduations reflect their commitment towards the success of our graduates over many years and are hugely gratifying.
Colleagues regularly go the extra mile for our students. An example of this is our award-winning Strathclyde Cares programme, which recruits staff members as volunteer mentors for care-experienced students, helping them to navigate their way through University life.
This programme demonstrates our socially-progressive values in action and has an overwhelmingly positive impact on both staff and students alike. If you would like to apply to take part next semester, please email Louise Martin (louise.martin.100@strath.ac.uk) to register your interest, with a few sentences about your role in the University and why you would like to be a mentor.
The University is equally invested in our staff, as outlined in our People Strategy and The Strathclyde Pledge.
I am delighted to share with you that, in the last week, our Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has secured Gold level Athena SWAN status for its work to advance gender equality. The Gold award recognises significant and sustained progression, focused achievements by the Department, and their championing of good practice to the wider community.
Strathclyde now holds 15 departmental Athena SWAN awards, an institutional award and a Faculty level award for the Strathclyde Business School.
The awards recognise and reward policies and cultures which build a positive working environment for staff of all genders and at all levels. Examples include flexible working hours, fair and transparent recruitment and promotion policies and practice, and strong mentoring, training and career development opportunities.
In a similar vein, the support we give to our technical staff, as a signatory to The Technician Commitment, has also been recognised with the award of a plaque to mark our progress in promoting visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians. Strathclyde was one of the first universities in Scotland to be awarded Employer Champion status by the Science Council for the development opportunities available to support our technical staff. You can find out more about these schemes on our webpages.
Recognising and rewarding the contribution of our staff to the University, and planning objectives and priorities for the coming session, are central to our Accountability and Development Review (ADR) process.
This week I completed the ADRs of all of my direct reports among the Senior Officers of the University, setting out their objectives as part of our progress in realising the goals set out in our strategic plan, Vision 2025. Your line manager should be in touch with you soon – if they haven’t been already – to arrange your own ADR over the summer months.
ADRs provide you with the opportunity to reflect on individual progress and contributions to the University over the last 12 months, set out plans, ambitions and priorities for the year ahead, and discuss development needs with line managers. Please take the time to read the supporting guidance available to ensure you get the most out of the process.
Please enjoy the rest of the week and have a great weekend when it comes.
Best wishes,
Jim