S TA F F O R D S H I R E U N I V E R S I T Y
It’s incredible to see people who were told they couldn’t do it go on to great things
LIZ BARNES, VICE CHANCELLOR OF STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSIT Y, TALKS TO RT HON JUSTINE GREENING ABOUT COVID, SOCIAL MOBILITY AND THE WORK OF THE INSTITUTION IN HELPING PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE BEEN WRITTEN OFF IN LIFE TO FINALLY UNLOCK THEIR POTENTIAL.
SPOTLIGHT ON LIZ BARNES AND STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY
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JG// Tells us about how the last few months have been for the university.
// They have been difficult as they have been for everybody, but I’m just so proud of how our staff and students have responded and and kept everything going and way beyond that. We had to shift to remote learning. That presents challenges for everybody, particularly for staff and students who are juggling homeschooling, and all that brings with it. But they did that very quickly. Also our support staff put a lot in place. Our digital services team were running out to deliver computers and making sure that students and staff had the technology they needed to engage. Our learning, teaching and support team were working and giving seminars to staff and supporting them in getting up and running for those that were a little less confident in delivering online learning. All of our students support moved to online. So our careers team [were] still providing the same level of support to students in their homes. Mental health support for students, which has been so crucial through this period, has all been delivered remotely. So the whole university operation shifted to operating from home whilst actually we also had a
