Accessibility statement

Vice-Chancellor response to College Chairs and Presidents letter

Posted on 27 January 2025

The Vice-Chancellor's response to a recent open letter from students about York's collegiate system.

Vice-Chancellor response

Sent: Friday 15 November 2024

Dear College Chairs and Presidents,

Thank you for laying out your concerns so clearly. We appreciate the time you have taken to do this.

Broad financial challenges affecting the entire University have required us to make difficult decisions across all departments, and, regrettably, the collegiate system has not been exempt. These choices were made with consideration to balance financial responsibility with the need to sustain quality support for students. 

The Significance of Colleges

The Collegiate system is of strategic importance to the University. The distinctive character of each college – rooted in the student-led initiatives, contributions, and spirit of each community – remains central to the University’s identity, and we are committed to preserving and celebrating that uniqueness. We understand that consistent support from staff is important in enabling each college to flourish, providing a foundation that allows student communities to thrive. The system itself has changed over the years and will undoubtedly continue to change to meet student expectations subject to evolving resources. However, they remain one of the foundational elements of the University and a part that we are keen to preserve. 

We are currently undertaking a review of Retention and Wellbeing. As part of this, Martin Crosby and Jonny Exon are working on the College Offer project, which will clearly define the value our colleges bring to the University of York. This initiative involves participation from and consultation with student leaders, and I encourage you to share your insights. Your perspectives will help us shape the future of our collegiate system together.

In regard to specific issues:

There will be no mergers but colleges will share support teams
We are not planning to merge any of the 11 Colleges. Each should continue to have its own identity and character, supported by the activities and events that you and other student leaders organise. However, the outcomes of the recent voluntary severance scheme mean that we can no longer have one staff team per College. 

We are exploring having a broader grouping of staff to support the colleges, rather than a specific team for each. This is the model that we are deploying right across the University with internal groups sharing centralised support teams. For example, all professional service staff will be supported by one shared admin team to provide greater financial sustainability and resilience.

Receptions - Heslington West
As is the case with College Managers, this area has also been impacted as a result of the recent voluntary scheme meaning that we can no longer operate one staff member per College Reception on Heslington West. We have therefore opted to mirror the central reception service which has been operating successfully on Heslington East for a number of years.  

Allocating students to Colleges
Allocating students and returners to colleges is undertaken by Accommodation Services and supported by staff in the Colleges in Student Life and Wellbeing (SLAW). Both Colleges and Accommodation have been working closely together to foster a coordinated approach, meeting more frequently to align efforts and proactively address some of the concerns you’ve raised.  

However, there will be a risk and changes to room allocation will occur which at times will be at short notice. The mix of students both undergraduate and postgraduate who choose to live in our accommodation changes each year.  Once “A level” results are known and student accommodation applications are received, room allocation is likely to change again during what is a very limited timescale. As far as possible changes are kept to a minimum, however where decisions are taken at short notice there is ongoing dialogue between Accommodation Services and the Head of Colleges. 

Commitment to better communication
The joint informal twice yearly meeting will be reinstated (having previously fallen into abeyance during staffing and organisational changes). This will involve College Chairs and Presidents meeting with the Vice Chancellor, Deputy Director of Student Life and Wellbeing, and Head of College Life. In addition, it is suggested that College Chairs and Presidents meet with the professional service leads twice a year to ensure information is exchanged and any concerns are addressed. This would involve the Director of Library, Learning, Archives and Wellbeing; Director of Accommodation, Campus and Commercial Services; Assistant Director Accommodation Services; Deputy Director of Student Life and Wellbeing; and Head of College Life.  
  
Consultation with Colleges on future changes
The regular communication meetings will include ongoing conversations with the student leaders about potential changes. However, we cannot guarantee formal consultation on specific changes as much depends on the nature and process. In particular, staff resignation is outside anybody's control, and voluntary severance is subject to confidentiality rules. Both instances might find us unable to recruit replacements, leaving us to change the way services are delivered. Hopefully, the regular meetings will make it easier for the University to support student leaders and also enable student leaders to support the University so that we can face challenges together.

Finally, I want to express my appreciation for the leadership and dedication that you and your committees bring to your roles as volunteers. Your efforts are an important part of what makes York unique, supporting the vibrant and welcoming communities that define student life at our University.  Thank you for everything you have given over the last year.

Thank you once again for voicing your concerns. I look forward to meeting with you in person in December.

Warm regards,

Professor Charlie Jeffery

College Chairs and Presidents letter

Monday, 11th November 2024
FAO: Professor Charlie Jeffery and Professor Ken Badcock

Dear Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor,

We, the University of York’s College Chairs and Presidents for 2024, are writing to express our concerns about the current management of York’s collegiate system. We have been trying to navigate and mitigate these behind the scenes for some time, both alongside and through York Students’ Union, and through other forums. However, the nature of the recent cuts to many College services (owing to the University’s financial difficulties), combined with ever-decreasing support and comms from key University decision makers over the last few months, have forced us to take this action.

This letter will first provide the background to the key issues we are facing and our primary concerns, before outlining the actions and assurances we are asking from the University in response.

Background: Our Concerns

The University of York is proud of its collegiate system, and rightly so. It is one of the biggest factors in why students apply to study at York in the first place, and receives overwhelmingly positive feedback from both current students and graduates (as evidenced by annual National Student Survey results). Colleges are a vital cog in York’s student life, providing a “community within a community”, and an immense variety of student initiatives, ranging from leadership positions to sport and music opportunities. They also offer direct, targeted student support, including wellbeing and accommodation services, and weekly food events to support the current cost-of-living crisis. Their value is not just felt by Home students, but also International students, who face other barriers, such as language and cultural differences; Colleges are central in helping these students to settle in and find a community. All this just skims the surface of what the Colleges do, and their value to the University and its mission.

As Chairs and Presidents, we too are demonstrably proud of York’s collegiate system, and have appreciated and embraced the opportunity this year to “give something back” to our community. We, with the support of our College Committees, have put in significant voluntary hours and efforts this year to make our Colleges the best versions of themselves. The range is massive, covering small craft activities, nights out, and music and sports initiatives. Most prominently, however, was Welcome (Freshers) Week; a massive labour of love, planned and run almost entirely by students, who worked incredible hours during the week (paired with significant time given in our Summer holidays to arrange the events in the first place).  Such student-led initiatives testament to the esteem in which we hold our Colleges. They, and many other University initiatives, simply could not run without us.

However, in the midst of the recent cost-cutting measures (which we recognise have adversely affected everyone concerned), we feel that York’s Colleges have been hit particularly hard, and their strategic importance to the University is being devalued. Consequently, the impact of these cuts has made our workload greater and harder.

Most noticeable in the recent changes has been the loss of three College Managers – Alcuin, James and Langwith Colleges’ – to Voluntary Severance, with no immediate plans to replace them. Instead, their roles have been subsumed to the Derwent, Vanbrugh and Goodricke’s College Managers respectively. This, alongside the closure of independent College receptions (the result of the University’s decision to move to an “agile” model), has caused significant workload increases and wellbeing concerns, for both remaining staff members and students alike. Quite aside from the direct effects of these cuts, we are worried about what these losses imply about the University’s valuation of Colleges and their management. We are especially concerned that these changes could form the first step towards full mergers of Colleges.  As College Committees, and on behalf of our fantastic, hardworking, dedicated College staffing teams, this is something we formally oppose in the strongest possible terms. However, whilst we are keen and determined to preserve each College’s own unique and distinctive identity, we fear the current model will make sustaining this increasingly difficult unless something is done.

In addition to these cuts, we have become increasingly concerned with, and frustrated by, the lack of engagement from the University when making decisions or discussing changes that directly affect our work, and which we are then expected to comply with. To compound this, communications we receive informing us of these outcomes are frequently late and unhelpful, causing us unnecessary stress and feelings of alienation as we try and work around significant changes with little notice or support from the University. There have been countless incidents this year which have had significant impact, ranging from College funding, College staffing changes, moving of Freshers move-in days, and late notice given of Colleges’ student allocations. Goodricke College, for example, have found over 50% of their College given over to returning students this year. Despite the massive implications on their Freshers Week planning and, subsequently, their College community and finances, they feel they have been offered inadequate support from the University in helping to offset the knock-on effects of this decision. Alcuin College raised similar concerns last year, when 50% was allocated to Postgraduate students; meanwhile, other Colleges, like David Kato, have been overwhelmed with their allocations of Freshers, leading to oversubscribed events and insufficient provision for other amenities (including sports and music facilities). This imbalance is unfair for us and the students in our College communities, and suggests that student committee voices are not being consulted by or listened to by senior leadership.

In short, we feel that York’s collegiate system, and the people (both staff and students) who work so hard within it are becoming increasingly devalued. The University simply would not function in its present form without Colleges, nor without the substantial time and dedication given by College Student Committees – all of whom, let us reiterate, are volunteers; students who give of their time freely and willingly to contribute towards and improve their communities. As the student leaders for our Colleges, we demand better for our community, and strongly believe that the University can and must do better to support us in our work.

What We Are Seeking From The University

In response to our concerns above, we are seeking the following responses from the University:

A Statement From The University
We are seeking a statement demonstrating that the University still considers its Colleges to be a priority. As well as providing assurances on their strategic place in the University community, the statement should also lay out how the University will continue to support the existing College infrastructure, staffing and student volunteers (both over the next few months, following the recent unprecedented changes, and in the longer term). We would particularly value the University’s recognition of both the Colleges’ strategic importance, and the student volunteers that make the events, activities and initiatives within Colleges possible in the first place.

A Commitment to Better Communication
The root cause of many of our frustrations has been the consistently poor, late, and insensitive communications from the University’s decision makers to us as members of our College Committees. In the past, College Chairs and Presidents met regularly with the Vice Chancellor; however, these meetings have not happened this year, resulting in increasingly disjointed communication between us and the University’s decision makers. This has had nothing but negative consequences, increasing our workloads and causing frustration and a sense of being undervalued. We are therefore seeking strong commitment from the University towards better communication between key decision-makers and College Committees, including the reinstatement of a regular meeting (at least once per semester) between College Chairs and Presidents and members of the University’s leadership team.

Consultation With Colleges on Future Changes
Finally, we are seeking better and fairer representation in decision making processes. Any proposed changes that will have a significant impact on a College will be subject to consultation between the University and that College’s student committee prior to any decision being reached and implemented. In the event that a proposed change is unavoidable, we expect much greater support from the University, including communication as soon as the outcome is known (as outlined above).

In Conclusion

We hope that the University will actively listen to our concerns and work with us to address these in a timely and efficient manner.  York’s collegiate system is one of the University of York’s biggest strengths, and something we wish to see retain its strategic importance. We value our role as student leaders, and are privileged to have had the opportunity to serve our College communities this year; however, our roles have been more difficult than anticipated, and much of the challenge has been unnecessary and unwarranted. This is not sustainable in attracting or retaining the next generation of student volunteers, without whom the University would not be able to function in any manner close to how it currently operates.

We thank you for taking the time to read this letter. We look forward to receiving a full response addressing our concerns in due course, and ideally before a recently-scheduled meeting with Professor Charlie Jeffery on 2nd December.