Statement Regarding EU Referendum Result

St Mary's from its foundation in 1850 has had strong European and international roots and that identity and openness continues today and will always be a feature of our University.  As you know our foundation was started by six young French brothers and for nearly one hundred years generations of Irish Vincentians taught and led St Mary's, building it up to what we have today. St Mary's staff and students come from across the world and we are proud of our international community and the welcoming environment it creates for staff, students and visitors. Following last week’s vote there will be lots of questions and uncertainty about the UKs’ future relationship with the EU and the rest of the world. Despite this, and because of our Catholic ethos, which is universal, St Mary’s remains committed to teaching excellence and research for all in our global society. Above all St Mary’s remains an open and international institution, welcoming students from around the globe to study at our campus, delivering on our core purpose to provide a world class academic teaching and learning environment to all our staff and students - today and in the future. I also want to reassure all EU students and staff that there has as yet been no change to your immigration status, your freedom to travel to the UK, and your ability to study and teach at St Mary’s. There will also be no change at this stage to current fee levels and access to Student Loans. The process to leave the EU will not begin until we have a new Prime Minister to oversee the UK’s withdrawal, and we should then expect at least two years of negotiations with all EU member states to agree the terms of our new relationship. Staff and students from the European Union and beyond enrich our community and will continue to do so. We will continue to develop even stronger ties with Universities in other parts of the EU so that our staff and students can continue to build on St Mary's strong European foundations. We echo strongly the sentiments by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan when he praised the contribution of the nearly one million European citizens living in London. He assured them of a warm and continued welcome and valued their enormous contribution made to the life of our city and that that would not change as a result of the referendum. Francis Campbell Vice-Chancellor

Please also read the words of Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, sent to all London universities on the 6th July 2016. regarding the EU Referendum result.

Dear Colleague, I received a number of letters from London’s universities and from London Higher and Universities UK at the start of my Mayoralty. I greatly appreciated this and look forward to working with you over the coming years. I know the referendum result will be of real concern to you. I want you to know that the interests of London’s higher education sector – its staff, students, quality of teaching, research and knowledge transfer – will be a priority for me over the coming months. Our universities are a core part of what makes London the greatest city in the world. Together, we will ensure London continues to be the best place to study, do business and innovate and a city where all Londoners can take advantage of these opportunities. I am particularly aware that many of you will have staff and students from other European Union countries. I want them to know that London is their home – on that front, nothing has changed. Please tell them directly: We value the enormous contribution you make to our city, and that will not change as a result of this referendum. Also, I hope you can join us in reassuring students that London remains a welcoming city. I and London & Partners, the official promotional company for London, are active on social media using the #LondonIsOpen, which has trended globally and reached over 85 million people. I want to thank you for your leadership and commitment to this great city. I am confident that London will continue to go from strength to strength. Our universities will be at the heart of this. Yours sincerely, Sadiq Khan Mayor of London