eNews 21 September

Key appointments, awards, industrial action, travel guidance, Climate Plan, ways of working, Leeds Digital Festival and more

We're hosting at Leeds Digital Festival 2022

Appointments

Key appointment will help drive digital transformation

A new senior appointment has been made to establish Leeds as a globally leading, digitally enabled university. Professor Jo-Anne Murray joins us at the start of October as Pro Vice-Chancellor: Digital Transformation and will lead on the implementation of our new Digital Transformation Strategy. Professor Murray will help ensure digital innovation at Leeds secures an excellent education for our students, underpins the development of our research and innovation activities, and supports the achievement of the University’s international strategy.

Associate Dean Community Engaged Learning

A new appointment has been made to drive impactful community engagement across teaching and learning. Professor Sonia Kumar has joined Leeds to focus her efforts within the Faculty of Medicine and Health, while also joining the Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s Student Education team to develop new University-wide possibilities for community engaged education.

Celebrate

Values-led research recognised

Teams behind two projects promoting positive change have been honoured for their outstanding efforts, as part of our new Research Culture and Engaged for Impact Awards scheme. Read about the winners of the ‘Making a Positive Difference to Society’ and ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Research’ accolades.

Industrial action

UNISON announces industrial action  

Strike action relating to the issue of pay is to take place at several universities, including Leeds. Six days of strike action is currently planned by UNISON, one of the recognised unions at the University.

Climate change

Sustainable Business Travel Guidance

Booking travel for work? Have a look at the newly published interim travel guidance for advice on limiting carbon emissions. In 2018/19, business travel was the University’s second highest source of measured greenhouse gas emissions. This interim guidance will be in place while we establish a ‘citizen’s jury’ of staff and students, who will recommend how the University’s business travel policy should support our goal of achieving net zero emissions. All bookings should be made through Key Travel. Please contact travel@leeds.ac.uk for further information.

Apply | Review the University Climate Plan

The Priestley Centre is looking for colleagues with expertise in relevant fields to join the Climate Plan Research Partnership Committee, which will provide ad hoc expert advice to the Climate Plan delivery team and support its annual review. The deadline for applications is 12 noon on Monday 26 September. You can also read the latest University Climate Plan update to find out about our progress to date and future initiatives.

Feedback

Our ways of working 

A big thank you to colleagues for the flexibility shown as we begin to settle into our new ways of working. These changes will be subject to review during the course of the academic year. If you have any concerns or suggestions as we embark on this journey, please get in touch via the feedback form on our Ways of Working website, where you can also find further information and resources.

Take part | HE-BCI survey

Record your public engagement data on Symplectic by Friday 28 October to contribute to the 2021-22 Higher Education Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) survey. The survey collects information about the impact the University has on the wider community. You can record lectures, performances, exhibitions and other public events that happened between Sunday 1 August 2021 and Sunday 31 July 2022.

Digital developments

Create Microsoft Class Teams in Minerva

You can now create Microsoft Class Teams directly within Minerva Ultra Course View modules and organisations. This will replace the current method of requesting Class Teams for modules through IT.

Research

Register | Research Journeys workshop

Apply now for Research Journeys – a personal development workshop giving researchers the training, tools and confidence they need to speak publicly about their personal journey and field of study. Open to colleagues at any level in their research career, including postgraduate researchers, project managers and technicians, discover how to engage audiences in your passion. Applications close at 5pm on Wednesday 5 October, with the first workshop – presented by Storycatchers – being held on Friday 14 October. 

Learning and development

Drop-in sessions | Personal and professional development

Attend OD&PL drop-in sessions at the LOGIK Centre to find out more about personal and professional development for colleagues working in roles graded two to five. The new series begins with a launch event from 10am to 2pm on Tuesday 27 September. Regular drop-in sessions will then run every fourth Tuesday of the month, from 10am until 12 noon, starting on Tuesday 25 October.

Book | Welcome events for new staff    

If you’ve recently joined the University, book your place at one of the upcoming virtual welcome events for new staff in October or December. Find out more about Leeds, meet new colleagues and explore the range of benefits, support and advice available.  

Apply | University-wide mentoring scheme 

Apply to be a mentor or mentee as part of the University-wide mentoring scheme. Available to all colleagues, you can apply throughout the year, with new mentoring partnerships established in May and November. Apply before 5pm on Monday 24 October to be included in the November matching process. OD&PL provides workshops for mentors and mentees to support you in getting the most from your mentorship. 

Sign up | Introduction to academic personal tutoring 

Sign up for an introduction to academic personal tutoring, running from 10-11.15am on Thursday 6 October. Designed for those new to the role at Leeds, this online session will consider key aspects of academic personal tutoring, such as the boundaries of the role, referrals, facilitating a sense of belonging and a range of resources and support. The event runs again in January 2023. You can also access academic personal tutoring guides and resources on the Digital Education Systems Help webpage.

Register | UKCGE Research Supervision Recognition Programme

Register your interest in the UKCGE Research Supervision Recognition Programme, which provides professional recognition for research supervisors. Funding is available for up to 100 research supervisors at Leeds this academic year to gain recognition for their supervision practice. You can also join the OD&PL Research Supervision Development Community on MS Teams to keep updated about professional development resources, accreditation opportunities, news and policy developments.

Events

Register | Leeds Digital Festival 2022

Register to attend the packed programme of events for Leeds Digital Festival 2022, running until Friday 30 September. We’ve renewed our sponsorship of the UK’s largest tech showcase, which aligns with our vision to solve global challenges through digital means. Colleagues across the University are also showcasing their digital expertise in a series of free online and in-person events.

Sign up | Child of the North webinar series

Register for the inaugural Child of the North webinar, part of a new series focusing on children growing up in the North of England. Hosted by the N8 Research Partnership, the webinars will showcase the variety of research into this theme across the universities in the partnership. The first webinar takes place via Zoom from 10.30am to 12 noon on Thursday 29 September.

Register | Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) Celebration Event

Sign up for the SOTL Celebration Event, taking place in Chemical and Process Engineering Lecture Theatre B from 1-5pm tomorrow (Thursday 22 September). Organised by the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence and OD&PL, attendees will hear from more than 20 speakers giving short talks about their work. This is a fun, informal opportunity to meet colleagues who share a passion for teaching and learning.

Book | Be Curious LATES: Fabric Futures

Sign up to the latest event in the Be Curious LATES series. ‘Fabric Futures’, which explores the future for cotton and fashion, takes place online from 8-9pm on Wednesday 28 September.

In case you missed it

Two new Deans for Global Development

New Head of School of History

Leeds hosts THE Digital Universities UK 2023

Training and resources | Minerva Ultra Course View

Digital Education Service annual report

Watch | Publishing module reading lists video

Apply | Research funding call

Join | LUCAS Annual Lecture 2022

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