eNews 4 May
New awards, USS pension sessions, Horizons Institute events, Bayfields, digital developments, Travel Survey, Mental Health Awareness Week, Be Curious and more.
Celebrate
Inside Track | Celebrating our research culture, community and impact
In this Inside Track feature, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, Professor Nick Plant, opens the call for two exciting new award schemes and shares progress on research culture and impact, as part of the University strategy.
Celebrate Our Staff
Read the April edition of our regular feature celebrating the achievements of colleagues across the University – showcasing new fellowships, awards and even a charity bike ride across America! Contact Internal Comms and Engagement to make submissions for the next roll of honour. This is open to all colleagues.
USS pension
Final call | USS pension information sessions
It’s your last chance to book on to our online pension sessions. Hosted by pensions experts, Mercer, these events will provide you with:
- an overview of benefits in the USS pension scheme
- details of the valuation discussions to date
- details of what changes are being made
- an understanding of the investment builder and the role of the pensions regulator; and
- advice on where to find further information and help.
The final two sessions are being held on Monday 9 May.
You can also watch the latest session on demand
Research
Register | Leeds Conversations: Introducing the Horizons Institute
Book your place at our virtual Leeds Conversations events, joining colleagues from across our research community to discover more about the new Horizons Institute. Hear from Institute Director, Professor Stuart Taberner, and guest speakers about how you can get involved in helping drive forward this dynamic cross-campus research incubator, which aims to address global challenges through novel interdisciplinary collaborations. Events take place from 2-3pm today (Wednesday 4 May) and from 10-11am on Tuesday 10 May.
Reporting Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 results
Details of how we’ll report REF 2021 results – the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions, including Leeds – have been published on the dedicated In depth page of the For Staff website. Our results, which are due to be announced on Thursday 12 May, will stress any REF success has been achieved through talented staff, partnerships and collaborations.
Apply | Research Development Fund
Applications for the next round of the Research Development Fund are open until 5pm on Monday 6 June. Awards of up to £600 are available to support patient, public or stakeholder involvement or engagement in the research design stage.
Spotlight | Wild Ingleborough – one year on
Read our new Spotlight article on Wild Ingleborough – a multi-partner conservation project, including the University, which aims to restore wildlife habitats in the Ingleborough area of the Yorkshire Dales. Discover more about the project’s achievements, celebrate its volunteers, hear from expert researchers, see what the future holds for Wild Ingleborough and find out how you can get involved. This Spotlight was developed as part of the Universities UK (UUK) MadeAtUni Climate Action campaign, which features Wild Ingleborough as one of its case studies.
Campus
Closure | Bayfields Opticians branch
Bayfields Opticians is closing its LUU practice on Friday 6 May. All current and past customers will be contacted by Bayfields with full details, including how clinic records will be safely stored. Colleagues are able to switch to any other branch of Bayfields, with the nearest to campus located in Headingley. Visit the Bayfields website for a full list. Our eye care contract with Bayfields will be replaced in August, with more details to follow nearer the time. Visit the Wellbeing, Safety and Health website in the meantime for details about free eye tests available to colleagues.
Digital developments
Safe Attachments
To improve cyber security, we’ve introduced ‘Safe Attachments’. Files attached to emails, or in SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams, will now be scanned before you receive them and blocked if they’re malicious.
Changes to how we validate your IT account
We’re changing the way University accounts are validated to make them more secure. We’re rolling out these changes over several months. When this happens, you might be asked to login again on Office 365 applications, particularly Teams and Outlook, and the login page may look different. You will still be prompted for Duo authentication.
FAQs | Minerva Ultra Course View
Frequently asked questions regarding the forthcoming move to Minerva Ultra Course View can now be accessed via the Digital Education Systems Help website, together with information on how you can keep up to date on project developments.
Students
Read | Access and Student Success Annual Report
Read our new Access and Student Success Annual Report to find out how we made progress against our targets in 2020/21. Student Success at Leeds aims to ensure all students can access, and benefit from, an enriching and successful experience.
Undergraduate Programme Survey
The Undergraduate Programme Survey 2022 closes on Friday 6 May. All non-finalist undergraduate students have been invited to have their say. Your help to encourage and enable students to participate would be greatly appreciated, as their feedback helps us improve their academic experience.
Careers Service website
CareerWeb – our Careers Service website – is moving home. Employer careers content will now be housed on the main University website, with student careers information moving to the For Students website. Please signpost to the new pages, updating any existing links. Contact Sophie Hurst for further information.
Feedback
Travel Survey 2022
The deadline to take part in our annual Travel Survey has been extended until Friday 6 May to ensure as many people as possible can have their say. Survey feedback from staff and students will help us better plan how to improve the University’s travel policies, benefits and infrastructure, both on campus and in the wider city region, as well as delivering against our commitments to reduce emissions to net zero by 2030. Those taking part will also have the chance to enter a prize draw to win a £150 Leeds Trinity gift card or £50 to spend at John Lewis.
Learning and development
Apply | Leading Transformational Change programme
Apply before Friday 24 June to join OD&PL’s Leading Transformational Change programme, which runs from Tuesday 5 July to Tuesday 2 August. Workshops are designed for colleagues responsible for leading change initiatives, and will focus on planning, accelerating and embedding change effectively.
Wellbeing and support
Mental Health Awareness Week 2022
Running from Monday 9 to Sunday 15 May, find out how you can get involved with Mental Health Awareness Week this year, including events taking place across the University and a summary of the support available for staff and students.
Sign Up | Mindfulness at Work for Leaders and Managers programme
The Mindfulness at Work for Leaders and Managers programme addresses mental balance, personal effectiveness and responding to stressful situations. It consists of two online workshops – on Tuesday 10 and Tuesday 24 May – being delivered by Marcus Hill (Learning and Development Advisor, OD&PL) and Sally Rose (Psychotherapist and Mindfulness Teacher, Staff Counselling and Psychological Support Service).
Undergraduate open days | Free childcare
Our undergraduate open days are returning to campus on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 June, Saturday 10 September and Saturday 8 October. We offer free childcare via Bright Beginnings for colleagues working the Saturday events. Complete and return the childcare booking form via email to Bright Beginnings at least two weeks before the event you’re attending. Contact the Open Day events team for further information.
Events
Visit | Be Curious 2022
Colleagues, family and friends are invited to visit Be Curious 2022 – a day of free, fun activities suited to all age groups. Taking place on campus from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 7 May, this year’s event features more than 35 interactive stalls and activities, a hands-on tinker space, maker kits, performances, workshops, tours and more. There’s no need to book and everyone is welcome, with the full Be Curious 2022 programme now ready to view.
Register | Annual Edith Pechey Lecture 2022
Book a free ticket for the Annual Edith Pechey Lecture 2022, which takes place from 5.30-6.30pm on Tuesday 10 May. Organised by our School of Medicine and the Leeds Medico-Chirurgical Society, ‘30 years in General Practice: from cottage industry to digital revolution’ features guest speaker Professor Dame Clare Gerada, President of the Royal College of General Practitioners. Attend in person at the Medical Lecture Theatre, Worsley Building, or watch online. The series is named after Edith Pechey (1845-1908), the first woman in Leeds who qualified to practice medicine.
Book | Pint of Science 2022
Book your tickets for Pint of Science 2022, with the University hosting a range of in-person events across Leeds from Monday 9 to Wednesday 11 May. The science festival provides researchers and the public with the opportunity to come together and chat about different aspects of science – from Astrochemistry to Artificial Intelligence, the planet and more. Tickets cost £5, with the option to make a further donation to help keep Pint of Science going.
Register | Global Citizenship Conversation
Sign up for the inaugural Global Citizenship Conversation, taking place from 10-11am tomorrow (Thursday 5 May). This is an opportunity for staff to discuss what’s meant by global citizenship in the context of higher education, led by Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE) fellows. Future discussions will focus on how we might embed this approach into the new Leeds curriculum.
Sign up | British Academy Lecture 2022
Register to attend the British Academy Lecture 2022. Hosted by the Leeds Arts and Humanities Research Institute, ‘Thinking Through Terror’ takes place from 5-7.30pm tomorrow (Thursday 5 May) in the Esther Simpson Building. Guest speaker, Professor Preti Taneja, refers to her new book to explore education, writing, justice and the politics of narrative construction around terrorist acts.
Register | International Medieval Congress 2022
Registration to attend the International Medieval Congress (IMC) 2022 closes on Friday 6 May. Run by the Institute for Medieval Studies, this year’s event will see more than 2,000 scholars from around the world presenting their research on campus from Monday 4 to Thursday 7 July, alongside festivities, stalls and exhibitions that will be open to all. Visit the IMC website for further information, including the full programme.
In case you missed it
Read | Vice-Chancellor’s THE interview
Inside Track | Achieving balance in our new ways of working
Register | Introduction to the Aurora leadership programme
Book | Sustainability: The Role of the Manager
Leeds Partnership Awards 2022 shortlist announced
Have your say | Security Services survey
Register | LITE workshop: Academic Listening – A Hidden Curriculum?
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Keeping up to date
This eNews is brought to you by the Communications and Engagement team. You can:
- keep up to date with our latest news on the For Staff website and by following the staff Twitter account
- view our previous staff email communications on our dedicated In depth webpage; and
- access key University systems and information, such as HR self-service, IT, the Office365 web app, year planner, Minerva and purchasing, via the staff systems and quick links sections towards the top of the For Staff homepage. Even more handy links have been added, including OD&PL, the 2020-2030 Strategy, Wellbeing and Safety, Sustainability hub, Research and Innovation Service (RIS), USS pension, ResearchFish and MyGrants.