As we come to the end of the academic year, I want to take the opportunity to congratulate and thank you for your achievements this year. This is a tough term, with exams to sit and dissertations to submit, but I hope you have found the whole year to be enriching and enjoyable. And if this is your final year, I would also like to wish you the very best of luck for the future, and to thank you for your contribution to Warwick. I hope that your time here has been enriching, enjoyable, and filled with opportunity. And I hope that it has given you lifelong friends, enhanced your talents, and fostered an eagerness to pursue your future with confidence as befits your hard work over the past few years.
 
If you are returning to campus next year, you will notice several changes to campus. In particular, the new academic year will welcome the extension of 24/7 hour library opening times beyond term three, and the opening of the new teaching and learning building. Having recently seen inside the latter, I can already see that it will provide a tremendous environment in which to learn, flooded with light, and with two brand new lecture theatres. I’m excited start seeing it in use.
 
To those of you graduating, I look forward to the chance to see many of you at graduation where you, your families and friends can celebrate the result of all your hard work. But I hope that doesn’t mark the end of our relationship, and that you continue to make use of the support we can offer you. You can continue to access our careers service once you graduate, with access to vacancies listings, CV advice and more. And you can take advantage of the range of support we offer through our Alumni services. Our e-mentoring service, for example, gives you access to our huge network of alumni, helping you land your dream job or get your foot in the door by accessing Warwick graduates working in almost every profession and country in the world.
 
You can follow our development and keep us aware of your own through Facebook, Twitter Instagram and Linkedin. Through your emails, comments on my blog, engaging me at question time events, or talking to me one to one, you have given me huge insights and prompted reflection on parts of the University I knew less well. When I started my new job as Vice-Chancellor in February, I wrote to you about some of my hopes for Warwick, the challenges we face, and the distinctive ethos we have to succeed. I said in that message that I hoped this would be a useful way of beginning a conversation about our future, and I am very grateful for your response. I hope you will continue to help me shape our future, including by nominating for our next Chancellor, or by joining our Prevent Reference Group to help shape the implementation of our Prevent Duty inclusively.
 
Following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, the changes we will see over the coming years are unprecedented, and detail will take a long, long, time to come. Ongoing and genuine conversation with our community, and with government and partners, will be essential to enable us to navigate these changes together, and to play our part positively in shaping the future.
 
I made no secret that, in my view, the future of UK universities would have been more certain with a remain vote. But as I wrote in my blog soon after the results, we can and will still be secure with the vote to leave. I doubt any of us would deny that our global community is a tremendous gift to the UK. We will continue to emphasise how the culture, knowledge and skills, quality research, creativity, innovativeness and civic-mindedness of all of our community greatly enriches the region and the country. And I hope that you will join with us in celebrating that community too, by joining us for today’s ‘Warwick One World’ celebrations.
 
Though there’s much uncertainty about the future, this is grounds for optimism. This university’s future, like yours, is filled with opportunities. And I’m confident that each of us can and will make the most of those in no small part thanks to the strengths and support that we each have and can continue to offer one another.

I wish you a very pleasant summer, whether you are travelling, working, or enjoying time with friends and family. If you are back after the summer, I look forward to your return, hopefully refreshed and with an eagerness to pursue the next academic year with confidence. And if this is your final year, thank you once again for all that you have done for Warwick. You have achieved a tremendous amount during your time here, and given us much, and you should be rightly proud.
 
Very best wishes,