VC's Introduction
We find ourselves in another difficult situation with us all now having to manage the issues created by the cyber incident. Hopefully you will have had the chance to watch my recent video message on this and understand why we will continue to be careful in our communications about this event.
I know that this incident has impacted colleagues right across the University as we continue to put in place mitigating actions to enable us to keep the University running, supporting our students, and continuing our research as much as we can. I don’t underestimate how hard this is after a very challenging year because of the pandemic. The situation is, however, beginning to improve as we continue the process of reintroducing some of our key systems. Please remain patient with our colleagues in IS. I am so grateful to all of them as they work tirelessly and beyond capacity to get the University back to normal operation. They are systematically addressing the issues in a priority order and have to ensure that when each IT service is reintroduced, it is done so safely and securely.
I want to express again my gratitude and thanks for your resilience and persistence. All that has happened highlights again what an incredible team we have here at the University of Portsmouth. Thank you.
As well as the immediate here and now of dealing with what, at times, can feel like a never ending crisis situation, we are looking ahead to the future. I’m delighted that we have now appointed an Interim Director of Race and Equality, Yvonne Howard. This appointment will enable us to accelerate our work to meet our commitments in this area and there is more about this later in the bulletin. You can also read an update on the implementation planning for our 2025 Strategy, something we mustn't lose sight of as we emerge from the pandemic and return to normality.
Finally, later this month we will be hosting our first virtual graduation ceremonies for a number of our 2020 graduates. After what has been quite frankly a horrible year, it is good to take part in such a positive event. Hopefully this is a sign that as we complete the last weeks of teaching and enter the final assessment period of this academic year, better times will truly be ahead of us.
Race Equality
We will not accept or tolerate racism of any sort at this University. Our values of equality, diversity and inclusion are paramount. Yet it’s clearly evident that there are problems we must address, including the low numbers of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff, particularly in professional and support roles, as well as the degree awarding gap, particularly between Black and White students. We also recognise we had a gap in our senior leadership at the University, which is why I’m delighted to welcome Yvonne Howard in the new role as Interim Director of Race and Equality. Yvonne will be responsible for coordinating all staff and student equality and diversity activities across the University and ensuring that we meet our moral and legal obligations in line with our Vision, Strategy and Values.
She will be working with colleagues to develop a clear roadmap for the implementation of our Race Equality Charter Action Plan, and the outcomes of our policies and processes review which will be led by University Governor Roger Burke-Hamilton and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Global Engagement and Education Partnerships) Chris Chang. Dr Jason Arday, of the University of Durham and Runnymede Trust, has also been appointed to support the work and provide an independent expert perspective.
However, it’s also important to recognise that the change in culture which we want to achieve should not fall upon the shoulders of a few colleagues. I’m pleased that the Multicultural Staff Network have been so proactive in organising the recent BAME Staff Conference with speakers of such calibre as our Chancellor and WPP UK Country Manager Karen Blackett OBE, Adidas Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion Asif Sadiq, and Nira Chamberlain, alumnus and President of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. Their ideas and experiences are very useful and insightful and can be viewed by video if you were unable to attend.
We clearly have a lot of work ahead of us. But removing racism is a significant opportunity for us and is a top University priority in our commitment to demonstrably live our values.
Yvonne Howard
Dr Jason Arday
Roger Burke-Hamilton
Strategic Implementation Planning
We were starting to plan the implementation of our University Strategy 2025 when the UK went into the first lockdown last year. The magnitude of work required across the whole University to plan and deliver our response to the COVID-19 pandemic was such that we agreed to pause many aspects of our strategic implementation planning.
As the UK hopefully now moves past the worst aspects of the pandemic, it is essential that we kick start our planning for successful implementation of our new Strategy. UEB has recently agreed the timescale and leadership arrangements for this work and the leads are keen to get this work underway.
Each strategy delivery group will develop a set of measurable objectives and targets by the end of June, followed by more detailed activity planning and prioritisation by the end of September. There will be opportunities for staff and student input to this planning work, including some face-to-face workshops later in the summer.
Lead responsibilities for different elements of each strategy goal are being determined by the sponsors. These will include Executive Deans and other senior staff.
Staff Survey Postponement
We have decided to postpone the staff ‘pulse’ survey which was due to launch on 10 May due to the ongoing IT issues. The survey will now launch on 14 June. Staff views are very important to help shape our future. But we don’t feel it is the right time to launch a survey with the resulting action planning when many staff are dealing with the impact of our IT systems issues. We are as disappointed as you are about this delay, but on balance we feel it’s the right thing to do. I very much hope that by June things will be greatly improved.
It’s also worth remembering that colleagues who want to share their views on what we do well and where we can make improvements can do so through their PDR, which gives staff an opportunity to reflect, feedback and set clear objectives for the future while discussing their personal development. The PDR cycle is open until 31 October, so reviewers and reviewees can decide whether to have those conversations now or over the coming months. Please take that opportunity when you can.
Virtual Graduation
I am very pleased that we’ll be hosting our first ever virtual graduation on 28 May. Coronavirus has changed many things, and it’s fair to say we may not have been hosting any virtual ceremonies this year were it not for the pandemic. However, I’m glad we are able to offer students a choice between an in-person ceremony later in July subject to Government Covid guidance, or virtual graduation later this month. We’ve made a significant investment in a bespoke graduation platform - portsmouth.graduations.live - to offer as special an experience as possible online. The 45-minute ceremonies will be hosted by our final year BSc Television and Broadcasting students, with Executive Deans presenting the students live on screen.
What is really important is that lecturers, tutors and colleagues across the University can join in through a number of listed features, including live chat on the day, creating their own groups and inviting others to a celebration video. I’m sure the students would welcome the support of colleagues, so please can I encourage you to complete this form by 20 May if you’d like to offer your congratulations to your students on their special day.
It will be really interesting to understand how well this novel approach works and if successful it may become something we do regularly in the future for those students who are unable to attend graduation in person.