Dear colleagues,
I hope you were able to enjoy the May Bank Holiday weekend with family and friends.
Yesterday, the Executive Team met to review the University’s existing COVID arrangements.
Following discussion, we have made the decision that from Monday, 9 May we will no longer ask our staff, students and visitors to use a face covering on campus.
Instead, and in line with Scottish Government guidance, we will now strongly encourage the use of face coverings as a precaution to help protect each other, particularly where significant numbers of people are present.
This means that it is down to individuals to choose when and where to wear a face covering while on campus.
Requirements to wear face coverings for specific activities, where there is a higher risk of transmission, will continue to be covered through our risk assessment processes.
The Executive Team also looked at our guidance around physical distancing and it was agreed that we will continue to encourage our staff, students and visitors to keep a reasonable distance from others wherever possible. We recommend keeping approximately 1 metre distance, especially when indoors and in enclosed spaces. Colleagues are also reminded that hand washing, regular cleaning and maintaining good ventilation should continue.
Please remember that we support the Distance Aware Scheme which has been designed to help those worried about mixing with others.
I hope that you will agree that these developments are positive as we put the University community on the same footing as the rest of Scotland and they reflect the strides that wider society is taking in adapting to living with COVID.
Please be assured that the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff and students remain central to everything we do, and we will continue to monitor and review our COVID guidance and advice.
Earlier this week, University Court met for a strategic session as we look to the future, beyond Vision 2025.
Held in person in TIC, the session acted as a reflection on progress against our current strategic plan. Importantly, it also established early discussions that will frame ‘Strathclyde 2030’ in the context of our key institutional priorities and opportunities.
The themes that the discussions focused on were:
- Outstanding Education and Student Experience
- World-Leading Research
- Transformative Innovation and Impact
- Global Engagement
- Operational Excellence
- Digital Vision and Transformation
There were presentations from Emma Congreve of the Fraser of Allander Institute and Professor John Bachtler, Director of the European Policies Research Centre, setting out the challenges of the external environment. Court members also heard about our digital learning and teaching capability from colleagues in Education Enhancement and the academic community.
Our Court members also engaged in a set of breakout sessions, each addressing one of the priority areas, which gave new and fresh perspectives on the next stage of Strathclyde's progress, and I would like to thank them for their continued support. I look forward to sharing more on the development of the next phase of our strategic journey in the coming months.
Next week sees the launch of the Alumni and Development annual day of online giving.
On 11 May, members of the Strathclyde global community will be invited to support our campaign, 1796 Minutes to Give.
The aim of the campaign is to inspire as many of our friends in the alumni community to rally around and to give a donation in support of Strathclyde students.
Money raised from Giving Day will enable more of our students to thrive by funding scholarships, student-led projects and essential study resources. Many Strathclyders have the ability and ambition to pursue higher education, but not always the means. 1796 Minutes to Give is one way to help improve the lives of a new generation of our students.
The campaign in 2020 raised an incredible £178,000 and this year looks set to be even more of a success. I would encourage you to get involved by donating online on 11 May 2022. It is another opportunity for our alumni, staff, students and partners of the University to make a significant impact.
Please enjoy the weekend when it comes.
Best wishes,
Jim