27 May from the Vice-Chancellor to all staff and students

Dear Students and Colleagues,

As we emerge from another May bank holiday weekend and enter half term we are all acutely conscious that the usual markers do not apply in this time of lockdown. We have gradually realized that this is no short sharp crisis; rather, more than 9 weeks after we closed our buildings, it is clear that emerging from this crisis will be a slow and protracted process requiring patience and planning.

Tutors are nevertheless teaching and students studying as they have always done. I would, again, like to express my appreciation and admiration for the way we have adapted our teaching and assessment to this unprecedented situation. (I’m told that we held 40,000 Teams meetings alone in April.)

In times of uncertainty, the natural instinct is to hold on to the familiar. Many of us are craving a return to normalcy, to seeing our family and friends, to spontaneous interactions with colleagues, to picking up coffee or going out for a drink. I hope that when we return it will be to something even better than what we have left. We will have a new appreciation for the familiar, but I hope all of us will think of ways to improve our personal and professional lives and adapt to what we have learned so that we can build an even better future together.

Just as the pandemic has exposed the deep inequalities in our society, the impact of the pandemic has been felt differentially across our community. Some have been delighted to have more time with immediate families while others have struggled with the financial impact of partners losing their jobs. Long-anticipated degree ceremonies will not be happening this summer and our graduating students will be entering a very difficult labour market. I would like to remind you of the hardship funds that have been established to help the worst-affected students and staff and I would encourage everyone who can to contribute.

As the Prime Minister indicates that the constraints under which we have been living may be loosening I thought I would update you on the activities of senior teams as we try, with your help, to steward the University through this crisis.

We have organized a large number of committees at University, college, division and department level to draw as many people into the planning as possible and to ensure our integration with the usual governance structures. Our lodestar throughout is the advancement of the University’s mission of research, teaching and contributing to the world around us.

At the moment we are focused on three areas. First, we are still attempting to understand the financial implications of COVID-19 for the University. It will be several months before we understand the full financial impact but we know now that we will respond by a combination of protecting our income, containing our costs, and drawing on our reserves to see us through the crisis.

The second major piece of work is the return to onsite working. Our community, like the country generally, appears to be divided between those very anxious to get back to their labs and offices immediately, and those quite frightened of returning to their workplaces. There are not many certitudes in the current environment but we do know that it will be a long time before our buildings are fully occupied, and it is our intention that by the time they are, everyone will be reassured that risks have been effectively managed. Our COVID-19 researchers have remained in their labs throughout the crisis and we have been piloting the return of a number of departments. It turns out that it is a great deal easier to close a building than reopen it and plan its operation in accordance with government safety guidance. This process, which is being devolved to departments and assisted by Estates, will continue in the coming weeks as more colleagues are able to return to their labs. I would ask those of you who are eager to return to have patience and remind everyone that, in keeping with government guidance, we are asking all those who can work from home to continue to do so.

The third major piece of work is planning for Michaelmas term. We have every intention of resuming the life of the University next term with as large a student cohort as possible and with the optimal combination of face-to-face and online teaching alongside our globally recognized research, all while adhering to Government safety guidelines. I would like to thank the many colleagues – both academic and operational – from all across the collegiate University who are engaged in the very detailed planning involved. The Michaelmas Co-ordination Group is being co-chaired by Baroness Jan Royall, Principal of Somerville College and Professor Karen O’Brien, Head of the Humanities Division, and is drawing in widespread representation and expertise from colleges and departments which will enable maximum communication and consultation.

In many ways universities, and especially this one, have come into their own during this crisis. While we have not yet managed to persuade the Government to underwrite our lost income, there is nevertheless a growing realization that our universities will be critical to the regeneration of the nation’s economy.

There is also a growing appreciation of the critical importance of our research. It turns out that people cannot get enough of experts, after all. Our academics are regularly referenced at Government press briefings, they are constantly interviewed and cited in the media, and their crucial contribution to the national effort to respond to the pandemic is well recognized. People across the world are wishing success to our medics who are trying to find an effective vaccine as well as those who are testing medicines to mitigate the severity of the disease. I would like to thank our colleagues in the Public Affairs Department who have been working flat out to manage the global interest in our research.

Our research profile has never been higher than it is at present. This means that in the aftermath of the crisis we will be able to recruit the best academics and the best students, all attracted by the prospect of working with others of their calibre in an institution committed to creating an environment in which they can do their best work. That has been the secret of our success in the past and will be the key to our success in the future.

Yours sincerely,
Louise Richardson
Vice-Chancellor