Provost's update: Mental Health Awareness Week and UCL's Generation Covid

Dear colleagues,

The upcoming Mental Health Awareness Week has given me cause to reflect on the lingering effects on us all of the Covid pandemic. It seems bizarre to look back on what we all went through during those years and while societies have, in most part, returned to normal on a superficial level, dig a little deeper and I think many people are still experiencing a level of ongoing stress and reduced resilience that can be traced back to that time, and is exacerbated by an ongoing climate of political, social and financial upheaval.

This has affected all of us in the UCL community. But I do, in particular, worry about the longer-term impacts on young people. With more than three years now since the imposition of the first lockdown in the UK, a large part of UCL’s Covid cohort – those who were in their first year at university – are getting ready to graduate. They have been through incredible disruption at a crucially formative age; at precisely the time they should have been spreading their wings, forming new social groups and learning to navigate the adult world, they were propelled in exactly the opposite direction.

For our global community, the complexities of countries moving in and out of restrictions at different times and for long periods, and the impossibility of international travel, left many students making incredibly difficult decisions about whether to go or remain. Some of the core benefits of overseas education – understanding a different culture, improving language skills in a colloquial setting, living in one of the world’s great cities – have been missed for a substantial chunk of time.

The effects for all students, both mental and material, are likely to be multiple, long-lasting and unpredictable. It is therefore not surprising that a number of the questions asked at last week’s Student Town Hall focused on how the university is supporting our students’ welfare. The event, which was led by the Students' Union, was the first in a new series of Q and A sessions where our student community are invited to ask the SU and UCL leadership, in this instance Professor Kathy Armour, Our Vice-Provost (Education & Student Experience) and I, anything that is on their mind.

The questions ranged from the philosophical – what is the role of a university in building communities, to the practical – is continual assessment throughout the year better than one annual exam? Cost of living was a key theme throughout, with students expressing their concerns about having to, for example, juggle part-time work with their studies to cover accommodation costs. To that, we were able to point to a number of schemes UCL is running to support our students so they don’t have to face the cost-of-living crisis alone. You can read more about these in this article written by one of the members of our Student Journalist Scheme, a year-long paid journalism training programme which gives UCL students a chance to build a portfolio by writing articles for UCL Student News and other channels.

Kathy and I very much welcomed the chance for debate and discussion with our students on the issues that matter most to them. They are a phenomenal group but they are a group, like so many others, that continues to feel the negative impact of the pandemic and the on-going economic challenges very deeply indeed. There is a sense that this generation needs more support than preceding ones in so many ways, and this is highlighted also by the huge rise in calls to our Student Support and Wellbeing (SSW) services which is continuing to expand significantly to deal with that demand. SSW has also simplified access to mental health and wellbeing support, and we are extending partnerships with NHS and community services. Organisations like NHS Changing Unwanted Behaviour Clinic (CUBE) in the UCL University Clinic and Camden Beam help students get the right support, in the right place, when they need it most.

We know there’s more work to do to improve the student experience and sense of community at UCL, and that is a core priority in both the Strategic Plan and also the Student Life Strategy that has been developed by the Students' Union. The strong emphasis on growing UCL's clubs and societies will help to build the social capital that is so important to people’s positive experience of coming to university.

There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that an increasing amount of staff time in departments is focused on pastoral as well as academic support for students. SSW has created a network of Student Advisers, new grassroots roles created during the pandemic to work alongside staff in departments to help first year undergraduates settle into UCL and access the support they need at the earliest opportunity. They also have an important preventative role, promoting health and wellbeing initiatives. Ensuring UCL continues to provide the very best wellbeing support to our students is vital given the post-pandemic world we find ourselves in. In December last year UCL was one of the first five universities to qualify for the University Mental Health Charter Award based on our commitment to continuous improvement in mental health and wellbeing. Awards like this recognise the enduring work of staff across UCL who regularly go above and beyond to stretch, challenge, develop and support students through their time at UCL and so that they can get their post-graduation lives off to the best possible start.

At the end of this week, I will be travelling to China for the first time in my role as UCL President & Provost. During the trip I will be extolling the value of UCL with parents of current and prospective students. People who are not only hugely focused on the value and quality of the educational experience and outcomes at UCL, but many of whom will be entrusting us to prioritise the welfare and wellbeing of their loved ones. As we move into Mental Health Awareness Week, and with thanks to everyone who is continuing to support students educationally and pastorally through these times of unexpected disruption, I will feel confident to talk about the work happening across our university to support our young people, and help this generation to find ways to thrive in a post-pandemic world.

As always, I am grateful for your thoughts and feedback: president.provost@ucl.ac.uk.

University Management Committee discussions

UMC, the university’s senior management team, meets weekly to focus on key decisions, planning and issues and I will share the top decisions and discussions coming out of those meetings in my emails to you. Recent meetings have covered:

• UMC reviewed proposals for changes to the contribution model that determines Faculty and Professional Services budgets. These will be subject to further review at a forthcoming UMC awayday.
• There was also a discussion about the prioritisation of the projects received through the ‘targeted academic investment’ process which was part of the Strategic Plan consultation discussions. The criteria have identified 70 projects which will now be subject to further business case development and prioritisation through the four Estates Portfolios. 30 of these proposals were noted as aligning particularly with the Strategic Plan. It is not expected that approval will be given to all projects and these business cases will be reviewed by the appropriate committees before recommendations are considered by UMC collectively in due course.
• UMC received an update on discussions with UCU in relation to the marking and assessment boycott.
• UMC discussed options for London Allowance, which will be subject to discussions with the joint unions.

Best wishes,
Michael

Dr Michael Spence
UCL President & Provost