A welcome back from the Easter break from the Vice-Chancellor

Dear students,

I wanted to send you a short message to welcome you back after the Easter break. I hope you were able to take some time to do what you enjoy, and to connect with family and friends. After what feels like a long winter, the weather is at last beginning to turn, and it has been lovely to see campus bathed – for a couple of days at least! – in bright sunlight again.

As we approach the end of teaching for semester two, I know many of you will be thinking about the upcoming assessment period. Examinations come in a variety of formats – from essays and tests to presentations and performances – but, whatever the nature of your assessments, they require lots of preparation and are often nerve-wracking occasions. The UoBe Ready page provides lots of resources designed to support you through this period – including helpful guides on how to manage your time, plan an assignment, and engage in critical analysis – and I encourage you to make the most of these resources. It’s worth keeping in mind that assessments provide an opportunity to showcase your knowledge and skills but also to receive feedback and reflect on your progress. 

I noted, in my last message, that the University had taken a number of actions to help the student community tackle the rising cost of living. Inflation remains stubbornly high and so the situation, unfortunately, continues largely unchanged – but we, and your Guild of Students, are committed to providing assistance, support, and guidance to help you manage your finances. There’s a helpful summary of support available here – which includes details of the funds you can apply to if you’re struggling financially, and we have committed an additional £500,000 to our Student Support Fund. We are also working to help you save money. We recently launched our Community Store – a shop in University Centre that is stocked with cost-price groceries and ‘pay-what-you-can’ ingredients – and we have increased the number of study spaces where you will find a microwave, access to boiling water, and other facilities that enable you to heat your lunch and make a hot drink on campus.

One of my favourite parts of my job is meeting with as many of you as I can. I hold ‘open office’ sessions every couple of months: these provide an opportunity for you to talk to me, individually, about anything you like. It might be that you would like to discuss something you are passionate about, or something you would like us to start, stop, change, or happen more. The next sessions will be held on Tuesday 9 May, and you can book a time on EventBrite – but don’t worry if these slots have been filled as we will schedule further sessions soon.

Your feedback is really important to me and everyone who is involved in your programme of study. We believe strongly in providing you with a stimulating and fulfilling education, and your ideas, suggestions, and comments enable us to improve your experience. A number of surveys are open at the moment and, if you haven’t had chance to complete a survey that’s open to you, we’d love to hear your views.

I hope you enjoy the rest of semester two.

With best wishes
Adam