VC Bulletin June 2024

Vice-Chancellor’s introduction

As we approach the end of the academic year, I do understand and acknowledge the extent that our financial situation has created a very turbulent, upsetting and uncertain period for many colleagues as Reset proposals are consulted, amended and implemented following staff feedback.

It is certainly not a situation that any of us wants for our University or for the individuals affected. At the same time I want to thank colleagues who have, despite these challenges, continued to provide the very best for our students, delivering quality teaching and research, and supporting important activities to improve our financial position through improved student recruitment and retention. Achieving financial sustainability is not an end in itself and we must remember that this is just the necessary enabler for us to continue as a high achieving institution.

We must not in these difficult times forget the successes that have been achieved through your efforts, for example as recently highlighted in The Times Higher Education Young University Rankings which judged us as the fifth highest ranked young UK university and in the top 15% internationally. You should be proud of what you are achieving.

In this month’s Bulletin I try to make sense of recent Government announcements which on the one hand positively confirms the continuation of the Graduate Route visa for international students, but on the other hand talks of scrapping ‘rip-off degrees’. It seems the government believes that 1 in 8 degrees currently offered by our sector are ‘rip-off’ or ‘mickey-mouse’ degrees with ministers it seems unable on camera to identify a single clear example!

I also have news of a new Interim Executive Dean of CCI, updates on the Awarding Gap, London Campus and medical degree plus positive news of research collaborations and some inspiring stories from the Student Sports Awards. 

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, you’re reading this Bulletin on a new online home for staff communications from me, UEB, and other senior leaders across the University. While it contains much the same content as the old Google Site, this new microsite has a new look and feel to match our main websites. Importantly it has a new search function to make it easier for colleagues to find what they’re looking for, including pages on our strategies and major projects. Just remember you need to be on VPN to access it if you’re not on campus. If you have any technical questions please email staffnews@port.ac.uk. Thank you. 

Graduate Route - international students

Two weeks ago the University sector eagerly awaited the findings of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) report into the graduate visa route. Commissioned by the government to explore whether there was widespread abuse of the graduate visa route, this threatened to be hugely damaging to international recruitment markets and could have made the UK a much less desirable place for international students. Many in the sector, including the University of Portsmouth, lobbied strongly to ensure that policymakers were aware of the significant damage this could do. 
 
I was therefore delighted when the MAC reported ‘no evidence of any significant abuse of the Graduate route’ and recommended that the graduate visa route should remain in its current form. I was more thrilled when the government then announced that they would uphold the findings of the report. Unfortunately, this positive announcement was overshadowed by the calling of the General Election. 

However, we are not completely safe yet. The impact of the last effort to curb international student numbers (banning dependent visas for PGT students) is starting to hit home. Across the sector, international student applications are down over 25%. We will be doing all we can to reassure our international applicants that Portsmouth is still a desirable destination to study, with this confirmation on the graduate route a significant help for recruitment in September and in January 2025. However the competition is fierce and the market is definitely showing signs of weakening since last year.

Interim Executive Dean of CCI

I am pleased to share that Simon Brookes has been appointed as Interim Executive Dean for the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) and will join us as a member of UEB. Simon will succeed Trevor Keeble who left to start a new role as Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research, Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise at the University of the Arts, London (UAL). Congratulations Simon. 

Simon brings a wealth of experience from a range of roles at the University. Many of you will know Simon from his most recent role as Associate Dean for Students in CCI, but since 2009 he has also worked as a Course Leader, Senior Lecturer, Faculty Employability and Enterprise Coordinator and Faculty Learning and Teaching Coordinator - as well as a prior period as Interim Dean in 2015. 

As well as the day-to-day responsibilities of leading a busy Faculty, Simon will be focusing on supporting the merger of four schools in CCI into two from 1 August as part of our Reset, with:

• Portsmouth School of Architecture and the School of Art and Design merging into the new School of Architecture, Art and Design
• School of Film, Media & Communication and School of Creative Technologies merging into the School of Film, Media, and Creative Technologies 

He will also be working closely with Sherria Hoskins, Provost, and Stephen Corbett, Interim Executive Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), on preparing for the merger of CCI and HSS into a new Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences from September 2025/2026. Further details are available in the final business case. 

Welcoming our first students at UoP London

We welcomed our first students to our London Campus in Waltham Forest. Our first cohort of postgraduate international students enjoyed academic skills workshops, scavenger hunts, quizzes and an AI event as a part of their induction at the newly-built Juniper House. Attendance and engagement has been very positive with students participating in a meaningful way with the active learning approaches being offered. Four-legged friends were also welcomed in the shape of two fire dogs - Sherlock and Smokey - who were on campus to support one of our research students from the London Fire Brigade. First impressions count, and I’m grateful to our London colleagues for helping students settle into their new home from home, and start to form relationships with staff and fellow students. 

We chose Waltham Forest to attract new students into the capital in a culturally eclectic area with good transport links. While our primary motivation was to move into an area of growing demand and population growth to help us recruit overseas students, the London Campus also supports our civic ambitions by working with the London Borough of Waltham Forest (LBWF) and local companies to widen participation and raise aspirations whilst addressing skills shortages. For example, we have welcomed HAVEN Coffee to be our cafe provider on campus where they will be serving up ‘Coffee with a Conscience’ to raise awareness for refugee communities locally and across the UK in the form of promoting refugee artists, employment opportunities, as well as barista training for those looking to gain employment and build a new professional life for themselves.

Two more taught postgraduate courses and four undergraduate courses will launch in September 2024 as part of our phased approach to growth, leading to a portfolio of around 20 undergraduate and 20 postgraduate courses covering subjects from across our faculties for 4,000 to 5,000 students by 2028/29.

Medical degree offer holder experience day

Our ambition to provide a medical degree offer has felt some time in the making so I was delighted that we were able to welcome 30 prospective students on campus as part of a medical degree Open Day. The prospective students came from as close as Fareham and as far as Edinburgh.

It was an opportunity for us to showcase our newly refurbished Rosalind Franklin West facilities and the St Andrew’s simulation suite as well as all that the campus, and city, have to offer. Attendees benefited from talks on a career in medicine and the challenges and joys found in studying it were given by Professor Nicki Cohen, Dean of medical education at King’s College London, and by Dr Russell Hearn, the new MBBS Programme Director for Portsmouth. Details of what the students could expect on campus and on placements were given by GP Lead for the course Dr Donna Glyde, Deputy Director of Clinical Education Tom Brown, a respiratory consultant at Queen Alexandra Hospital, and Deputy Director of Education Sarah Fouch.

The would-be medical students have been offered one of 54 places on the four-year King’s College London graduate entry medical degree course being run in partnership with the University of Portsmouth starting in August. 

Working with King's College London has been a really positive experience and I’m so pleased that all the hard work of so many across the University is very soon to be realised.

Mary Rose partnership and research collaborations

While some people from the outside can look at universities and see them as self-contained communities, we are very much part of the city’s fabric and have worked closely with civic partners for many years. This was further strengthened recently in a new strategic partnership with one of the most historic symbols of Portsmouth - the Mary Rose - Henry VIII’s favourite ship which sank in the Solent in 1545 but was famously raised to the surface once more in 1982. I was delighted to sign our partnership with the Mary Rose Trust which will offer a wide range of opportunities for joint research, innovation, teaching, student placements and community projects.
 
As well as the Mary Rose partnership, a number of other eye-catching research collaborations and innovative projects have made headlines in the past few weeks which have raised our profile locally and internationally including: 

• A £250,000 project to make incredibly detailed three-dimensional images of plants and animal tissues, using the only lab-based X-ray machine of its kind in the world at our Future Technology Centre, led by Dr Charles Wood.
• A mobile laboratory built by environmental experts and water companies to develop alternative approaches to phosphorus removal on rural wastewater treatment works, led by Professor John Williams from the School of Civil Engineering and Surveying.
• The Time for Dementia programme which will partner students with families living with dementia in an effort to improve future care, led by Ken Street and the School of Health & Care Professions with funding from NHS England Workforce, Training and Education.
• And research fellow Dr Devran Gülel presented on gender equality at the House of Lords as part of a EU funded project, sharing insights on the persistent gender gaps in leadership positions and strategies to 're-wire' institutions to improve women's representation in leadership roles.

I would also like to congratulate Dr Christina Philippou, Associate Professor in Accounting and Sport Finance, who attended a Royal Garden Party given by His Majesty the King at Buckingham Palace in recognition of her work in relation to the introduction of an independent regulator for football. Well done all!

Student Sports Awards

I feel tremendously proud of our students and it’s always a pleasure to meet them in person and hear first hand about their achievements as I did at the recent Student Sports Awards. 

They’ve enjoyed a very successful year on and off the field with the Men's Gymnastics Elite Team claiming Team of the Year after winning the University Gymnastics Cup South and finishing second nationally, and the Women's 1st Basketball Team for Varsity Team of Year who achieved a remarkable victory against Southampton, a team ranked two leagues above them in the BUCS premier league. The sport clubs have been ably supported by a number of people including Veli Bulbul who has provided indispensable support to individual athletes and clubs by sharing expertise and resources in injury prevention, rehabilitation, and nutrition. 

Our students have also been having an impact volunteering in our local community, including Robert Guest who has participated in beach clean-ups, and supported fundraising events for St. John’s Ambulance and guide dogs, and Emily Love, who has enabled our students to deliver coaching in local schools and establish a relationship with Southsea Food Bank which has seen 15 of our sports clubs volunteer over 34 hours. 

Our students are truly inspiring, and I’m grateful to colleagues in Sport and Recreation for their continuing support in helping them achieve success.

Upcoming staff events

There are two upcoming staff events over the next few weeks where you can ask questions of me and senior colleagues: 

• Cafe Conversations - Tuesday 11 June 2024 from 1.00pm to 2.00pm with me, Sherria Hoskins and Jeremy Howells in The Hub Café, Dennis Sciama Building
• All-Staff Q&A - Tuesday 2 July 2024 at 11.00am on Zoom