24 June eNews

Staff survey, working arrangements and virtual open day

The 24 June enews banner, with Parkinson Building lit up at night. June 2020.

First ever virtual open day goes live

Thousands of prospective students can still see all Leeds has to offer thanks to the initiative and ingenuity of our incredible colleagues. Our Virtual Open Days experience showcases our campus, courses and community to applicants, parents and teachers… all from the comfort of their own homes.

No immediate change to working arrangements following Government update

Yesterday (23 June) the Government announced further easing of current lockdown arrangements. In an email sent to all colleagues, University Secretary, Roger Gair, reiterated there will be no immediate change and current working arrangements should remain in place until further notice. We will work hard to ensure any key national announcements and adjustments to lockdown measures are carefully reviewed and that any resultant changes at the University are shared with you before coming into effect. 

Reminder – complete the professional behaviours training

Please remember to complete the professional behaviour and relationships training by Monday 31 August. Our plans to introduce an offline training solution have been delayed due to the impact of coronavirus, so if you do not have online access or are unable to complete the training for any reason, please speak to your line manager.

One-to-one immigration solicitor appointments

International staff can book a free and confidential 30-minute appointment with an immigration specialist from Freeths Solicitors. Sessions take place on Microsoft Teams or over the phone and provide an opportunity to discuss anything relating to visas, Indefinite Leave to Remain and British Citizenship issues. Please note appointment availability may be limited. 

MCards update

Please visit the ticket extensions page on the MCard website for details of the new extension/cancellation scheme for your corporate card.

Reopening campus…

Inside Track – Professor Lisa Roberts: Re-powering our research

In her latest Inside Track feature, Professor Lisa Roberts, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, discusses research activity and how we are working to bring all research back up to speed on campus. The article provides an update on external engagement and funding, support for early career researchers and postgraduate researchers, the Research Excellence Framework, the interdisciplinary online seminar series and our approach to enabling our research activities to safely return to campus. 

Share your comments and questions

We are using Microsoft Forms to capture and consider feedback on the re-opening process outlined in the email to all colleagues on 4 June. Please use this form, rather than email, to share any comments and questions you have relating to re-opening. Whilst we will not be able to respond to individual questions using this mechanism, your feedback will help shape the process and future communications. 

Health and safety measures

An update on some of the additional health and safety measures you can expect to see if you are returning to campus, and on procedures that will come into effect as footfall increases from September, was shared in an email from University Secretary, Roger Gair, on 16 June

Surveys…

Staff survey: How are you? 

There’s still time to take part in our second short survey to check how you are managing and how we can support you further. Open until 5pm on Friday 26 June, the survey is anonymous and should take no more than five minutes to complete. The findings will help us provide further guidance and support on the issues most important to you during these exceptional times.

Research action plan

Have your say about the research environment you work in by completing the Culture, Employment and Development in Academic Research Survey (CEDARS). We’re running CEDARS until Wednesday 1 July as part of our actions to implement the Principles of the revised Researcher Development Concordat. Your anonymous responses will help develop our action plan to ensure our researchers can achieve their full potential. We want to hear from all colleagues involved in research, including teaching fellows, technicians and managers. Contact Dr Emma Spary or academicdev@leeds.ac.uk for institutional questions.

Leeds Alumni experiences

Leeds alum working at the University are invited to take part in the Alumni and Development Team’s short survey and share your experiences of being part of a global community of more than 250,000 former students. Feedback on how you interact with the team and our communications with you, and share ideas for how the team can better support you as both a member of staff and a Leeds alum.

School of Psychology research

Take part in a School of Psychology survey aiming to discover how people would prefer doctors in Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments to deal with them when the doctor is unsure what’s wrong. Open to over-18s until Tuesday 30 June, survey participants can enter a prize draw for the chance to win one of three Amazon gift vouchers (£25, £50 and £100).

Get involved…

UK Black Pride 2020

Join online events to help mark UK Black Pride 2020 – Europe’s largest celebration for LGBTQ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent. Amnesty International, UK Black Pride, Stonewall, Gendered Intelligence and ParaPride have joined forces to present Pride Inside – a series of events between Sunday 28 June and Friday 10 July. We are proud to mark this on Sunday 28 June by flying the LGBT+ flag on the Parkinson Building, which together with the Laidlaw Library and multi-story car park will be lit pink that evening to show support and solidarity.

Learning analytics systems demonstrations – register now

You can register for virtual demonstrations of learning analytics systems by three potential suppliers, as part of plans to further develop our Digital Education tools. Learning analytics systems aggregate student data already collected by other University systems (e.g. VLE usage, lecture capture, library use, attendance etc.) and present it in the form of a dashboard view. This will allow students to monitor their own learning progress, and appropriate staff to review engagement and hold more informed conversations with them about their progress. Demonstrations will be held on Monday 29 June (11am to 12.30pm), Tuesday 30 June (2-3.30pm) and Friday 3 July (10-11.30am). Contact Debbie Gibbs to register.

REF2021 open meetings

Register via email to attend REF2021 open meetings on Teams. The meetings will provide an update from the University’s REF Steering Group about our preparations for the submission and how we are responding to changes to the national timetable. Meetings are on Wednesday 8 July (10am to 12 noon) and Tuesday 14 July (2-6pm). Quote ‘open meeting’ in the email subject line and include your name, school and preferred date.

Apply for research funding 

You have until Tuesday 30 June to apply to the White Rose Collaboration Fund, which encourages emerging research partnerships across the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York. Maximum awards have been increased to £15,000.

Celebrate…

Nexus first anniversary

New and impactful collaborations are celebrated in a report highlighting the incredible shared successes of Nexus – our innovation hub – since it officially opened a year ago. We Are One: Building the Nexus Community reveals £10.8m has been secured in research funding during the past 12 months, with more than 125 highly-skilled jobs created.

Partnership Awards 2020

Read the latest in our series of profiles on the winners of this year’s Partnership Awards, which recognise the amazing achievements of staff and students working together to support all aspects of our University community. This time we focus on recipients of both the Wellbeing and the Equality and Inclusion accolades.

Events…

Virtual International Medieval Congress 2020 – register now

You can register now for the virtual International Medieval Congress 2020. This year’s event is entirely online via the new University of Leeds events app, complete with performances, exhibitions and an in-app book fair. Registrations are free and close on Friday 26 June, with the event itself taking place from Monday 6 to Friday 10 July.

Healthy Week 2020

Thank you to everyone who took part in the online Healthy Week events. There were 260 people participating throughout the week and we travelled a total of 1,120 miles in the virtual walk/run/cycle challenge – the same distance from campus to Venice, Barcelona or Vienna! The Healthy Week website is still live, so you can access the pre-recorded videos and blog articles to support your mental and physical wellbeing. 

Sport and Physical Activity is continuing to offer some of the virtual classes from Healthy Week via Zoom for a limited period. The programme includes mindfulness, HIIT and more. Contact Beth Fadden, Physical Activity and Wellbeing Manager, for further information.

And please fill in our short feedback form by 5pm on Tuesday 30 June to have your say about this year’s events.

Latest updates…

Coronavirus website

We are continually reviewing and updating the information and advice on the coronavirus website, and you can find related staff email communications and student email communications on there too. You can also access an archive of our coronavirus-related news articles via the main University website.

In case you missed it…

QS World University Rankings success

Complete University Guide 2021

Inside Track – Tim Peakman: Beyond 2020

Vernon Road closure

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