From Rex Knight, Vice-Provost (Operations)

From the Vice-Provost (Operations): EU Referendum

Dear colleagues

I am writing because I want to reinforce some of the key messages that UCL has been communicating to staff and students in recent days.

First of all, we are all very conscious that we are entering on a period of uncertainty and the potential for major change. We will do our best to keep you informed as and when we know more about what the implications for UCL will be. We will be using The Week and our website for communication so please do look at them. If you haven’t seen the Provost’s video, which you can access from the home page, I would encourage you to do so.

Change is clearly on the way, but it is not coming quickly. Once a new Prime Minister is appointed and has appointed their Government, time will be  needed to decide a negotiating position, and the exit process from that date will take two years to negotiate and then several years (ten years has been suggested) to implement. So, nothing will change for the next two and a half years at least, and changes will not be immediate thereafter.

There are some obvious implications for UCL in terms of staff recruitment, student recruitment and access to research funding. As I have already said, we will have time to plan for change. I don’t believe that any Government will want to harm the UK’s world-class universities, so I am sure that in the negotiations steps will be taken to protect the interests of universities, and through UUK and the Russell Group we have effective mechanisms for lobbying. Given the strength of UCL, our reputation and world-leading performance, I am confident that we will be able to anticipate, plan for, and deal with the challenges ahead, so I am confident that we will be able to deal with any challenges we face without a major impact on us.

As with the rest of the UCL community, the fact that Professional Services at UCL attracts staff from around the world is a source of our strength, and something that we celebrate. It has been saddening to see recent reports from around the UK of an increase in reporting of racist incidents and comments. I have no reason to expect that this will be an issue at UCL, but I would like to send a clear message to all staff that any such behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. If any colleague is subject to such unacceptable behaviour I would encourage them to report it, and it will be taken seriously. Whatever happens with our relationship with the EU, we are all committed to tolerance, respect, and fairness for all.

Best wishes

Rex Knight

Vice-Provost (Operations)