David Maguire, Interim Vice-Chancellor

“In my role as Vice-Chancellor at Sussex, I want to state that we abhor the Russian Government’s decision to invade Ukraine and its impact on people in higher education and across the country. We unequivocally condemn the invasion and express our support for Ukrainian universities, staff and students.

“We have formed a group, chaired by Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor (International), Professor Richard Follett, to consider how we can support those affected by this military action, and to coordinate the University’s response. Following the lead of Universities UK, we will be seeking to maintain links with Ukrainian and Russian universities, scholars and students, although clearly this will be difficult as the war unfolds.

“As an official University of Sanctuary, with a long tradition of supporting forced migrants in our community, we will look at how we can best offer our support to those who need physical and intellectual refuge.

“In my last message I spoke about the need to come together as a community. All discrimination is abhorrent and will not be tolerated within our group. I would like to remind you about our Dignity and Respect policy, including our Report and Support tool, and our additional support services for students.

“I’m sure many of you would also like to offer your support to those fleeing the conflict by way of making donations. You can do this through British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Ukraine emergency appeal or the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

“As I mentioned in my last message, the hand of friendship and support continues to be open to all. If you are affected by the events in Ukraine please do reach out to our support services details of which you can find on the Student Hub.