End of Term message from Vice-Chancellor Sir David Bell
Friday, 09 June 2017
Another busy academic year closes as we reach the end of the summer term. While staff continue to work all the way through the months ahead, today is of great significance to our students. That is particularly true for those who will be graduating this year. To each of them, I offer my warmest best wishes for the future. I hope too that our soon-to-be new graduates will keep in touch with us as they make their way in the wider world.
I would like to thank all of our staff for their commitment as we strive to make the University of Reading an even better place to live, study and work. In one sense, we are a large community with over 19,000 students and 4000 staff. On the other hand, we pride ourselves on the friendly and intimate atmosphere that pervades all of our campuses.
Maintaining and enhancing a sense of togetherness is vital if we are to thrive and succeed in the future. Our recently published staff survey results provide an excellent platform on which to build as we consolidate the things we do well and address a number of areas where we can do better.
In the aftermath of yesterday’s unexpected election result, we await to see what unfolds over the next few days. Whatever happens, we will seek to influence Ministers in a constructive way as the country faces up to all the consequences of life outside the European Union. Other matters such as the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) – with first results published next week – and the Research Excellence Framework in 2021 will also have a major impact on what we do.
Yet despite all that might happen in the world around us, we still have the freedom and opportunity to shape our own destiny. We don’t always get everything right but not acting on possibilities can lead to one of the biggest risks of all – getting left behind. So we must continue to be bold and ambitious and face the future with confidence.
So as summer begins, thank you once again for all that you do for the University of Reading.
Sir David Bell KCB
Vice-Chancellor