To: all staff at the University of Bath

It is inevitable that, in what may be a prolonged period of uncertainty following the referendum result, you will have many questions about your own personal circumstances and the future of our University and the UK Higher Education sector as a whole.

As the Vice-Chancellor’s message makes clear, this is a time to remind ourselves of our many strengths as an Institution and to remember that any change will not be immediate.

Clear answers to your questions about the implications will take some time to emerge.

My commitment is to communicate with you as soon as we have more to say. If you are hearing rumours, or are uncertain about decisions regarding the emerging picture, please do contact the HR team for a response. We will keep the staff homepage and University Update email updated with new information as it arises.

Questions are inevitable on the future employment and residence status of staff from the remaining 27 countries of the European Union, the future of research projects funded by EU grants and the implications for the future recruitment and retention of staff in parts of the organisation with a high proportion of colleagues who are EU citizens. There are also many as yet unresolved questions about the future direction of UK government policy in relation to employment policy among other issues.

The process to leave the EU is expected to take two years, and hasn’t yet started. Advice from Universities UK is that immigration status, employment terms and conditions, and grant funding from EU bodies is not expected to change during that two year period. Any changes may take some years to have effect. You may find this update on the current Government position from the Minister of State for Universities and Science of interest.

What we can do is support each other over the next few months as the answers become clearer. Tolerance and respect for each other is really important. And where at the University we have a choice, or can influence direction, we will be doing all that we can to reinforce our status as a truly international University which offers great opportunities to a truly international workforce.