eNews 16 June

eNews: Government roadmap, EU Settlement Scheme deadline, feedback, Queen's Birthday Honours, Windrush Day, Be Curious, taking a break and more

A picture of St George's Field.

Coronavirus 

Government roadmap Step 4 and our transitional ways of working 

The Government announced on Monday 14 June that Step 4 on its roadmap for lifting restrictions is now expected to take effect on Monday 19 July. We will soon share an update on our coronavirus response and transitional ways of working for our colleague community, including the approach to returning further activity back to campus.  

Thought pieces 

Vice-Chancellor’s blog | Collective inspiration, not adversarial interaction  

“We can best deal with our stresses and fears if we do so collectively, and if we all treat each other with empathy, dignity and respect.” Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simone Buitendijk, shares her latest blog in which she sets out why we should use the individual and collective hardships experienced during the pandemic to inspire a sense of shared purpose. 

Brexit 

EU Settlement Scheme – deadline approaches 

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, who was living in the UK before 31 December 2020, you and your family must apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) by Wednesday 30 June. Even if you’ve been in the UK for many years and/or have a permanent residence document or EEA Biometric Residence Card (BRC), you still need to apply by this date to secure your existing rights in the UK.  

Feedback 

USS consultation response 

The University has today published the Council’s response to a Universities UK (UUK) consultation with employers about possible solutions to challenges faced by the USS pension scheme. Read the Leeds response and a summary of staff survey responses that informed it. 

Take part | Race at Work Survey 

For the first time, we’re taking part in Business in the Community’s (BITC) Race at Work Survey. Please share feedback as part of a national campaign to better understand experiences in workplaces across the UK. It should only take about 15 minutes to complete and all responses are confidential.    

Healthy Week 2021 feedback 

Thank you to everyone who got involved in Healthy Week this year. We hope you enjoyed the activities on offer. The Healthy Week team would love to hear about your experience of this year’s events via its short feedback form, which will help improve future instalments. 

Academic research survey 

OD&PL invites colleagues involved in academic research to complete the Culture, Employment and Development in Academic Research Survey (CEDARS). Tell them about your experiences of the current research environment and provide valuable insight to help create a healthy and supportive culture that ensures our researchers can thrive. The deadline is midnight on Wednesday 30 June. 

Digital developments   

Updating your laptop 

Last summer, we sent out laptops to many colleagues to ensure they could work from home. We now need to update these devices to ensure they remain secure.  

You will receive an email from IT in July if you have a laptop that needs updating. If you’re contacted, you must follow the instructions to update your laptop or you may lose access to some networked services. If IT doesn’t contact you, you don’t need to do anything.   

Please contact Doug Frame if you have any questions, or if you received a laptop last summer and would be prepared to take part in a pilot exercise. 

Additional live streaming in teaching spaces 

There will be an additional 35 teaching spaces with live streaming capability across campus from September, bringing the total to 95 rooms. This will allow one-way teaching delivery to in-room and remote students simultaneously. Live streaming differs from multi-mode teaching – see the multi-mode FAQs for further information. Please contact the person responsible for your school timetable to request a teaching space with live streaming functionality. Guidance and training will be provided during August and September. Contact Liz Brittain for further information. 

Mediasite Desktop Recorder retirement 

Mediasite Desktop Recorder will be retired on Friday 27 August and replaced by Mediasite Mosaic. This new application provides access to multiple recording options, and can also be used to bulk upload videos created in other applications to Mediasite. Colleagues are encouraged to start using Mosaic before Mediasite Desktop Recorder is retired – full instructions on downloading and using it are available for Windows 10 and MacOS (Catalina onwards)

Minerva is changing 

Minerva will be upgraded to the latest version of Blackboard from 5pm on Friday 6 August until Wednesday 11 August. This will be completed as soon as possible, but Minerva will be unavailable during these dates. Following successful implementation of this upgrade, there will be no requirement for annual maintenance downtime and the risk of unplanned downtime will also be reduced. 

Celebrate 

Queen’s Birthday Honours 

Roger Marsh – a Leeds alumnus, member of the University Council, and Chair of the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) – has been knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to business, the economy and the community in northern England, marking many years of distinguished service and contribution to economic growth across the region.  

He’s joined by three other members of the University community, who were all honoured for services during the covid-19 pandemic. Divya Chadha Manek, the National Institute for Health Research’s Clinical Research Network Business Development and Marketing Director, was awarded an OBE, while CBEs go to her colleagues, former CEO Dr Jonathan Sheffield and Professor William Hope, joint National Specialty Lead for Infection.  

New Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences 

Professor Richard Callaghan has been appointed Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences. He joins us on Wednesday 1 September from the Research School of Biology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. 

Award winners honoured for incredible efforts 

The latest in a series of profiles on the winners of this year’s Partnership Awards highlights the outstanding accomplishments of recipients of the Innovation and Positive Impact accolades. 

Staff benefits 

MCard extension/cancellation 

Following the national lockdown in March 2020, Metro launched an extension/cancellation scheme for annual MCard holders unable to travel on public transport due to Government restrictions. The amended deadline for requests was Monday 21 June, but following the Government’s announcement this week delaying its roadmap for lifting restrictions, this has been extended to Monday 19 July. 

Bus ticket discounts 

Claim your 10% discount on 28-day mobile tickets and access new 12-journey bundles with our Transdev bus deal. Simply download the Transdev Go app and look for ‘Commuter Club’ in the tickets section, using a photo of your staff ID as proof of employment. 

Campus life 

Book now | Sir William Henry Bragg Building meetings 

Colleagues are invited to attend one of three online town hall-style meetings taking place in June and July. Sessions are aimed at all colleagues moving into the Sir William Henry Bragg Building, but are open to anyone with an interest in what is one of the newest buildings on campus. The meetings will provide colleagues with an update on the development, information about moving in and the opportunity to ask questions. 

Roadworks disruption 

Roadworks adjacent to the Esther Simpson Building in Cloberry Street are planned from Monday 21 June to Saturday 31 July. Nursery parking and access will revert to Back-Westbourne Terrace, directly outside the Facilities Directorate building. Cloberry Street will remain partially closed, with the main route for vehicles being Back-Westbourne Terrace, along Clarendon Place and up to Lifton Place. Pedestrian routes will also be signposted. 

Research 

Apply now | Innovation fellowship programme 

Are you an early or mid-career researcher at Leeds? Do you want up to £7,500 to create economic and societal value from your research? Then hurry as applications for the Michael Beverley Innovation Fellowship Programme close at noon on Wednesday 30 June. Please contact the programme team for further information. 

Students 

Register | UCAS confirmation and clearing call-handling  

Colleagues not already involved with admissions are invited to volunteer for confirmation and clearing call-handling when this year’s A-Level results are published on Tuesday 10 August. No prior knowledge of admissions is needed as full training and support will be provided. 

Wellbeing and support 

Eye test information 

Colleagues based in Leeds who require an eye test should, where possible, use their local Bayfields optician, following the Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Eye Test Procedure. Those not based in Leeds, or who are working off campus, should follow the Interim Eye Test Procedure. Details for arranging eye tests are available on the Wellbeing, Safety and Health website. 

Taking a break 

Just a reminder that we all need to book and take breaks from work throughout the year, sometimes at exactly the point it feels hardest to do. Read the update from Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simone Buitendijk, from earlier this year, ‘It’s important to take a break’

Rest, Reset and Resume sessions 

Feeling unsettled, distracted or disorientated? Try one of the live, guided, virtual Rest, Reset and Resume sessions delivered on Zoom by University staff counsellors from 2-2.15pm every Thursday until 29 July. Catch up, settle and re-orientate yourself to improve your own mental health and wellbeing. You don’t need to book – just stop, show up and tune in. 

Learning and development 

New fellowships 

After its most recent call for fellowships, Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE) is delighted to announce a group of eight projects will begin in the first semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. Details of another call for fellowships will follow later in the summer. 

Building Impact Momentum programme 

Register your interest in the next Building Impact Momentum programme, to help develop ideas for impact that can be applied to research projects or in grant applications. The programme, which runs from September to December, is open to research, academic and professional support staff and consists of webinars, additional reading, partner work and impact practice. Closing date for applications is 5pm on Friday 9 July.  

Apply | Aurora leadership development programme 

Applications are open for the 2021/22 Aurora programme – a women-only online leadership development programme, designed and facilitated by Advance HE for colleagues at or above senior lecturer level, or grade seven for technicians or those in professional services. Delegates will explore several leadership themes and skills through a mix of sessions involving guest speakers, mentoring, self-directed study and more. Applications close on Monday 2 August, and colleagues can either apply themselves or be nominated by their faculty or service.

Events 

Windrush Day 2021 

Visit the Equality and Inclusion Unit website for information and insight about Windrush Day 2021. Taking place on Tuesday 22 June, the event aims to celebrate and raise awareness of the vast contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants to British culture, economy and society. 

Be Curious 2021 | Programme launch 

Be Curious will be going online for 2021 with the biggest programme of live events yet. Running from Monday 5 to Thursday 15 July, the sixth annual instalment of the hugely popular Be Curious showcase aims to highlight how research at Leeds is making a real difference to people’s lives.  

Book now | Alice Bacon Lecture 2021 

Book your tickets to hear anti-racism campaigner, Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE, deliver this year’s Alice Bacon Lecture –  the latest in a series of annual talks honouring Yorkshire’s first female MP. Choosing women in the public eye and her personal journey as her theme, Baroness Lawrence will give her lecture online at 7pm on Thursday 24 June. 

Clean Air Day 2021 

Find out how you can get involved with Clean Air Day 2021 – the UK’s largest air pollution campaign, being held tomorrow (Thursday 17 June). Read the blog by Nicole Walker, our new Sustainability Project Officer, featuring top tips about active travel and how you can get out in your local neighbourhood.  

Think you know it all when it comes to air quality? Check out the Sustainability Instagram page on the day and take part in a quiz.

Cheltenham Science Festival | online player discount 

Colleagues can receive 50% off registration for Cheltenham Science Festival’s online player. Use code ULSci21 to add your discount and access online live streams of the events, as well as on-demand viewing until Tuesday 14 September. Leeds is a proud partner of the festival, and you can also get involved in an ongoing experiment featuring some of our colleagues from the School of Physics and Astronomy. 

Free HESPA 2021 conference registration  

Sign up to attend this year’s Higher Education Strategic Planners Association (HESPA) annual conference for free. Simply use the code LeedsHESPA21 when you register to attend the online event, running from Monday 21 to Friday 25 June. See the full programme for details of the events, including workshops and networking sessions.    

Book now | Summer kids camps 

Sport and Physical Activity has launched its brand new Gryphons Go Summer Kids Camps. Children can swim, climb and explore the outdoors, as well as develop their physical skills and make use of our superb educational facilities. Camps will be hosted at The Edge and will run between Monday 16 and Friday 27 August. 

In case you missed it 

VC’s blog | If we get it right, digital and online learning will change the world 

Free asymptomatic covid-19 home test collection 

New Director of Knowledge Exchange and Impact 

New Deans for Research Culture and Research Quality 

University’s main website upgrade 

Register | Free social media unconference 

Sign up | PebblePad training

Celebrate Our Staff 

Women of Achievement pushing the boundaries 

Brotherton Library infrastructure and improvement works 

Careers Summer for Researchers 2021 

Join | Single Parent Network meetings 

Friday Lunchtime Concerts 

Fickle Spaces | BA Fine Art Degree Show 2021 

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