eNews 28 September
New KPIs, VC's reflections, Welcome Week, Black History Month, industrial action, vaccinations, research funding, events and more.
Thought pieces
Inside Track | Improving the way we measure success
In a new Inside Track feature, Professors Hai-Sui Yu, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and Simone Buitendijk, Vice-Chancellor, outline how new institutional Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will significantly improve the way we measure success toward our strategic goals.
The Vice-Chancellor’s reflections
In a personal blog by our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simone Buitendijk reflects on the past few weeks, including Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, honorary graduates, the FUAM Art Prize and more.
Listen | World Changers podcast
Catch up on the latest episode of the World Changers podcast series with Research Fellow, Dr Jade French, and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simone Buitendijk. Discussing Dr French’s World Changers essay, their conversation covers a new University project seeking to boost the recognition and celebration of learning disabled artists. The podcast is based on the World Changers: Celebrating Impactful Research essay collection, which highlights the transformative research taking place at Leeds.
Celebrate
Welcome 2022 | Celebrating our community
As campus comes alive again with students old and new enjoying Welcome Week, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate our incredible University community. From school events to roving student ambassadors, campus tours and city chases to coordinated communications, our new year-round approach to welcome wouldn’t be possible without the commitment, creativity and collaboration of colleagues across the organisation. So please share your welcome success stories with us.
Visit the new Student Communications and Engagement SharePoint site to find everything you need to know and do for Welcome 2022, including helpful links and resources. The site also features a week-by-week guide to University communications planned for October. Check back regularly to stay informed about upcoming campaigns.
Black History Month 2022
Visit the Equality and Inclusion Unit Black History Month (BHM) 2022 webpage to access resources and information to help mark this year’s programme, including a history of the initiative, guidance on how to support the anti-racism movement, and details of local and online events. Running throughout October, BHM provides an opportunity to promote and celebrate contributions of Black people to British society and foster a deeper understanding of Black history. University buildings will be lit up in yellow, red and green on Saturday 1 and Monday 31 October to mark BHM.
Watch | Research Culture Awards video
You can now watch the Research Culture Awards video, featuring highlights from the inaugural Research Culture and Engaged for Impact Awards ceremony held on campus during the summer, together with interviews filmed with the winners, runners-up, hosts and organisers. The awards were launched as part of the Further Together initiative to showcase the broad spectrum of world-changing research at Leeds, together with the amazing work being undertaken by a wide range of colleagues to support this vibrant community.
Industrial action
UNISON industrial action
Six days of strike action by UNISON relating to the nationally negotiated pay award is taking place at several universities, including Leeds.
Digital developments
Zoom | Duo two-factor authentication
To improve security, you will now be prompted for Duo two-factor authentication when setting up a Zoom meeting. This means you must use an individual University account rather than a project or shared account. Use the ‘co-host’ feature in Zoom if you need multiple people to act as organisers.
Update | Changing your identity at the University
Read the latest update on the progress we’re making to implement a new identity management system in semester two. This will make the process of changing your identity faster and easier, while also streamlining updates across the hundreds of systems in use within the University.
Reminder | Updating modules in Minerva Ultra Course View
Read the Minerva Ultra Course View: Information for Staff to access a host of resources, including FAQs and on-demand training, to ensure you can update your module areas before teaching starts next week.
Wellbeing and support
Flu and COVID vaccinations
We’re supporting you to protect yourself by offering paid time off for seasonal flu vaccination and COVID booster appointments. If you’re not eligible for a free NHS flu jab, you can still book a private vaccination. Please keep your receipt and you can claim the cost through e-expenses, up to £17.
Smokefree campus | Quit smoking support
As we start the new academic year, we’d like to remind everyone that the University is a Smokefree campus. The national Stoptober campaign offers a range of free support and tools to anyone wanting to quit smoking or cut down. Download the free NHS Stoptober app and join thousands of people quitting this October.
Students
Wellbeing support and advice
We understand that students can face a number of challenges and difficulties while at university, and this can sometimes lead to concerns about their wellbeing. At Leeds, we’re committed to the wellbeing of all our students. Find out more about where and how students can access wellbeing support and advice.
Support for disabled students
Disability Services recommends reasonable adjustments for disabled students’ learning and exams. ‘Disability’ is a broad term and includes any long-term condition affecting a student’s studies, including physical disabilities, mental health conditions, autism and ADHD. Students should register with Disability Services by Friday 28 October to request support for their January 2023 assessments.
Campus life
Campus Live
Campus Live kicks off on Friday 7 October with a host of events for staff and students to surprise, delight and celebrate our University community. Activities will be popping up in unexpected places across campus throughout the autumn. Look out for the latest updates on the Campus Live website.
The Edge refurbishment
Try out the equipment at the newly refurbished Edge gym. Following feedback from members, the fitness suite and spin room have been completely upgraded with the latest technology, a new layout and an improved environment, including new flooring, lighting and a sound system.
Research
Register | For the Public Good
Academic colleagues are invited to apply to take part in For the Public Good by Wednesday 9 November. Part of Leeds 2023, and supported by the Horizons Institute and the Cultural Institute, this is an opportunity to collaborate with internationally based artists to create technological solutions for climate justice.
Apply | Build a research network
The Horizons Institute is welcoming applications to create four new interdisciplinary networks. If you have an idea for a research network, Horizons can offer support, mentorship opportunities and funding for 12 months. Applications close on Friday 11 November.
Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme
Academic colleagues can now submit project proposals for the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme 2023. The scheme invests in talented and motivated undergraduate students, giving them the knowledge, skills and experience to become active global citizens and future leaders. Online forms need to be submitted by Friday 11 November.
Apply | Research funding call
Applications to the Policy Support Fund (PSF) and Participatory Research Fund (PRF) can be submitted until 5pm on Tuesday 4 October. The PSF is seeking proposals for research activity that supports evidence-informed policymaking, with a budget of £900,000 available. The PRF has an allocation of £150,000 to cover the costs of co-produced research and to run capacity building activities.
Final call | White Rose Collaboration Fund applications
Applications to the White Rose Collaboration Fund, which encourages emerging research partnerships across the universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York, close at 12 noon on Friday 30 September. Grants of up to £20,000 are available.
Apply | Research Development Fund
Applications for the next round of the Research Development Fund are open until 5pm on Wednesday 5 October. Awards of up to £600 are available to support patient, public or stakeholder involvement or engagement in the research design stage.
Learning and development
Information Governance training
Have you completed your Information Governance training on Learning Pool? All colleagues must complete the new training every year. Reminders are sent via email, but if you think you might have missed these, you can check when you last completed the training on the Learning Pool website, under ‘My Learning’.
Sign up | Access and Success Insight Sessions
Find out more about access and success initiatives across the University in a new series of monthly, online sessions. Access and Success Insight Sessions will provide a space for information-sharing and discussion of our performance against the Access and Student Success Strategy. The first session, entitled ‘Continuation at Leeds: Preparing undergraduates for higher education’, takes place at 11.30am tomorrow (Thursday 29 September). Contact Jess Burgess to sign up.
Student education development opportunities
Browse a round-up of OD&PL’s student education development opportunities for colleagues in 2022/23. It includes support for developing your practice, professional recognition, leadership development in student education and the opportunity to join several communities of practice for ongoing support. Further opportunities will continue to be added to the student education development website throughout 2022/23.
Register | Policy Engagement Kickstart Programme
Sign up for the Policy Engagement Kickstart Programme starting in October. Aimed at researchers and research support staff who are relatively new to policy engagement, the course will explain the structure of government, provide a realistic view of how policy is made and help you to increase the impact of your work. Register by Thursday 29 September to secure your place.
Events
Tickets | 2022 Alice Bacon Lecture
Book your free tickets to hear renowned scholar, author and TV presenter, Professor Mary Beard, deliver this year’s Alice Bacon Lecture – the latest in a series of annual talks honouring Yorkshire’s first female MP. Choosing ‘Women and Power’ as her subject, the University of Cambridge Professor of Classics will give her lecture in the Great Hall from 6.30-7.30pm on Thursday 27 October.
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.
Digital Twin Consortium
Nexus, the University’s innovation community, is jointly hosting the next Digital Twin Consortium member meeting. Opened by Professor Jeff Grabill, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Education, this is the first conference of its kind to be held outside the US in its 30-year history, and brings together international experts from global tech corporations to try to address real-world challenges. One of the events taking place tomorrow (Thursday 29 September) – The Leeds Urban Community Involved (LUCI) Digital Twin Project – features contributions from Professor Nick Plant, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, and Thom Cooper, Sustainability Manager at Leeds.
Join | LUCAS Annual Lecture 2022
Colleagues are invited to attend the Leeds University Centre for African Studies’ (LUCAS) Annual Lecture 2022. Delivered by Professor Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni, from the University of Bayreuth, the lecture will cover the topic ‘Politics of Decolonising Knowledge and Trajectories of African Studies in Africa’. The event, which takes place from 4-6pm tomorrow (Thursday 29 September), will be hosted in-person at the Civil Engineering Building and online via Teams.
Register | Student Success Conference 2022
The deadline to register to attend the Student Success Conference (SSC) 2022 is Sunday 2 October. The free event, taking place on Tuesday 8 November, provides an opportunity to explore and reflect on the meaning of student success in higher education. Themes include what we mean by student success, curriculum change, student voice and more.
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 tomorrow (Thursday 29 September).
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 today (Wednesday 28 September).
IMC 2023 | Final call for session proposals
Time is running out to submit session proposals for the 2023 International Medieval Congress (IMC) – one of the biggest hybrid academic conferences in the world. The deadline is Friday 30 September. Alongside the special thematic focus of ‘Networks and Entanglements’, the IMC welcomes proposals looking at all aspects of medieval studies.
Houseplant sale
This year’s houseplant sale takes place outside LUU from 10am to 4pm today (Wednesday 28 September) to Friday 30 September. There will be more than 150 types of plants on offer, along with colourful pots and accessories.
In case you missed it
Appointment | Pro Vice-Chancellor: Digital Transformation
Appointment | Associate Dean Community Engaged Learning
Awards | Values-led research recognised
Sustainable Business Travel Guidance
Feedback | Our Ways of Working
Create Microsoft Class Teams in Minerva
Register | Research Journeys workshop
Book | Welcome events for new staff
Apply | University-wide mentoring scheme
Sign up | Introduction to academic personal tutoring
Register | UKCGE Research Supervision Recognition Programme
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