As we approach the end of Term 1, hear from Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor, as he reflects on the challenges and achievements of 2020 so far.

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Looking back over the year

"2020 really has been the most difficult year. Colleagues have lost loved ones to Covid; family members’ health has deteriorated during the lockdowns; so few people have had any break at all, working constantly through the year; so many have worried about their jobs and those of their loved ones. And for very many of you, there was the almost impossible challenge of working while also expected to home school.

Rising to the challenge

And yet it has also been the most uplifting year. When the Covid crisis came we, as a community, rose to the challenge.

Our students worked in the NHS, on Covid wards and elsewhere. Our technicians found and delivered enormous amounts of PPE. Our staff volunteered, making scrubs, manufacturing sanitiser, delivering medicines, working in food banks, phoning the lonely, delivering things that people needed. Staff and students raised money for those suffering. The impact of these individual and collective efforts will never be forgotten.

Reflections

But now, as the days are short, still weeks away from a break, life feels incredibly hard. We are all tired, all worried about our loved ones, all unsure about the future.

Let’s just take a moment to reflect though on where we are as a University community.

We graduated last year’s students with new systems and new methods and saw those students reach new heights. We have recruited a wonderful cohort of new students - British, European and international - despite all the challenges and fears. We have taught them, face to face, as well as online, on campus from day one of the academic year, just as we promised we would.

Our research continues across our community, increasing in reach, depth, and impact despite the challenging conditions. Our commercial teams have refocused, supporting our campus community. Our professional services have worked mainly from home, found flexibility, and delivered what we have needed, and so much more.

Everyone has gone above and beyond. And the brilliant work will continue through the Christmas period as many of you continue to work to support the very many students who will remain on campus.

Our community

You, our community, have graduated and supported our students. You have recruited our new cohort. You have worked so hard to support the community on campus and across Coventry and Warwickshire. And you have helped our university community financially, meaning that we have been able to continue without widespread job losses. Pulling together and making so many financial savings, albeit painful, has meant that we finished the last financial year and started the current year in the shape that we needed to stick to our core principle of protecting jobs. This will keep our university community together; working on campus to deliver to our students, delivering innovative research, supporting our customers and our partners.

Blended learning

Sadly not everyone sees it this way. A particularly disappointing end to the year for me is that UCU are balloting for industrial action to persuade the University to move to dominantly online teaching – and doing so before the conclusion of the dispute resolution process. The Labour Party continues to recognise the real value of universities continuing to deliver significant face to face teaching, and especially so for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. There is not much that our Government and the opposition agree on, but the benefit of retaining a genuinely blended model with significant face to face delivery seems to be one such thing. I share that belief, as do many of my colleagues – a belief that the interests of our students are best served by continuing to offer a blended campus based experience and not simply acceding to UCU’s demands for a dominantly digital model for the rest of this year.

Our students do not want this. Just over a week ago, the Students’ Union organised a vote. The turnout was the highest ever – double the previous record. To the motion ‘Warwick SU Supports UCU’s Call for Online Teaching’, over 72% of the 6032 students voted no.

In conclusion

As we move towards the end of this difficult year, let us remember those uplifting things that our community has achieved. And let us stand with our students, and with our colleagues, with our partners in Coventry and Warwickshire, our friends nationally and internationally, helping all to succeed throughout 2021, and beyond. This time next year, the vaccine should have been rolled out through the population. Next winter will be very different – in a good way! – compared to this one."

Stuart Croft
Vice-Chancellor