As we come to the end of another year where things have been very different from what we might wanted them to be, we should take the time to think about the many positive things that we, the staff and students, of Cardiff Met have achieved. The pillars of people, place and performance underpin our strategic priorities and our shared values and behaviours and the strength of these pillars has been very evident this year.
As an institution, our performance has been outstanding. We are the Welsh University of the year, the most financially stable university in Wales, our recruitment ran ahead of sector and we have protected our students with no detriment policies, self-isolation accommodation and increased hardship funds.
Our places look different – they are greener, with more places for social learning, our sports halls have become innovative teaching places and staff and students have embraced our digital places with enthusiasm. We've kept our place in the community too and continued to work with and to support our local communities with litter picking and our Repair cafes that saved over 100 items from going into landfill. The University moved the 'Mind the Gap' project that has helped adults with mental health conditions to remain active and engaged, online during lockdown.
And as for our People pillar….our one Cardiff Met community has learnt to pivot and flex – two words that have very different meaning than they did in 2019 - as we have continued to work in a context of uncertainty and rapid change. We have embraced the digital – some more wholehearted than others - with our staff and student intranets (InSite and MetCentral) encouraging conversations and sharing information and stories. We have had a peek into people's lives, supported campaigns, such as the recent Men's health week, we said hello to new colleagues and goodbye to others, we raised knowledge of and money for charities close to the hearts of staff members and published an update from the VC that is read by over 1100 members of staff each week. Deans moved their staff meetings and drop ins online and Teams also now means something very different from what it meant at the beginning of the pandemic.
One Cardiff Met community have not given up….or even slowed down and I think we should all take time to acknowledge and celebrate all that we have achieved in this tricky year.