51Âþ»­

I hope you are all looking forward to Easter break and hopefully some more spring weather, which we continue to see glimpses of through the heavy rainfall we’ve had recently.

I’d like to start by thanking everyone that came along to our Campus Collectives launch for sustainability at the start of the month. The initiative brought students and staff together to talk about issues that they’re passionate about. It was great to see so many of you there, eager to discuss topics and find out more about how you can get involved.

As the country’s only university to be named a United Nations Academic Impact Hub for a Sustainable Development Goal, we dedicated the first collective to sustainability.  It was a chance for staff and students to find out how they can contribute to a greener future here at 51Âþ»­. We hope that these go-to hubs will empower students and staff to explore common interests, share ideas and take meaningful action.

In the coming weeks and months, there will be an opportunity to get involved with discussions, attend events and share your ideas. If this sounds like something you’d like to be a part of but couldn’t make it to the launch, you can still join the movement. All you need to do is email campus.collectives@dmu.ac.uk.

Throughout March we are also celebrating Women’s History Month which gives us an opportunity to reflect on the economic, social and political milestones women have achieved over the years. International Women’s Day, which took place on Friday 8 March, forms part of those celebrations and I was privileged to share some of my own personal experiences at the Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress event.

It’s an important month in our annual calendar as it allows us to celebrate all the rights that women before us fought so hard to get. It also allows us to see where the gaps are and what improvements we need to make for future generations.

I hope you’ve been able to go along to some of the in-person and online events that have taken place. There are still a few more events you can find out more about online.

It’s not long until we break up for Easter, and I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a restful and joyful break. For those of you that will still be with us on campus, you can access The Kimberlin Library 24/7 for self-service over the bank holidays. Just Ask LibChat will also be available to answer enquiries about the library facilities and service.

Best wishes,

Katie Normington, Vice-Chancellor, 51Âþ»­