eNews 31 January
Celebrate Our Staff, Leeds Partnership Awards, LGBT+ History Month and more
Celebrate
Celebrate Our Staff – January 2024
Psychological support for healthcare workers, honours and reforming Brazil’s tax system feature in our regular series celebrating colleagues across the University. With awards, medals and fellowships, read what academic and professional colleagues have achieved during the past month.
Celebrate Our Staff is open to all colleagues and we love to hear what has been achieved by members of our University community. Fill out our nomination form to make a submission for the next roll of honour.
Nominations open | Leeds Partnership Awards 2024
“I look forward to reading about the passion, diversity and ingenuity taking place across our classrooms, research labs and lecture halls.”
Help celebrate the amazing colleagues who collaborate, support and enhance the Leeds community. Nominations are open until 26 February for the annual Leeds Partnership Awards, which celebrate the achievements of staff and students who truly put into practice our shared commitment to work together to support all aspects of our University.
Book | Leeds Teaching Awards briefing session
Applications are open until 15 March for the University of Leeds Teaching Awards 2024. You can book your place for an online briefing event, from 1-2pm on 6 February, to find out more. The awards are open to everyone involved in teaching or supporting the student learning experience, including colleagues from professional services. Winners will receive grants of up to £2,000 each.
Thought pieces
We are our history
“...we, as LGBT+ people, are never alone.”
As we approach LGBT+ History Month, Professor Paul Johnson OBE reflects on the continued importance of history month in 2024, shared histories, milestones achieved and the work still to be done in tackling LGBT+ discrimination.
Fifteen to One | Helping challenge structural barriers to inclusion
“Diversifying and celebrating a wide range of outputs and enablers is vital to creating relevant and impactful research.”
Soo Lincoln, Project Support Officer with the Research Culture team at Leeds, outlines how she’s helping challenge structural barriers to inclusion and address the under representation of colleagues with protected characteristics at senior research levels. Discover what inspires Soo, her proudest achievement… and her famous rock star relative!
Climate and sustainability
Parking | Installation of new EV charger
Parking will be restricted in eight car charging bays and one accessible bay on Level 1 of the multi-storey car park from today (31 January) until 2 February. This is to carry out the installation of a new electric vehicle (EV) charger. Alternative charging points are located around campus, including The Edge car park and Cavendish Road. Please contact Mick Peat on m.d.peat@leeds.ac.uk if you have any questions.
Did you know?
Thanks to the efforts of our University community, considerable carbon and cost savings were achieved during the Christmas shutdown. In total, we saved 1.45 million kWh of energy, 274 tonnes of CO2 and £183,000. This is equivalent to the yearly energy consumption of 102 average UK homes and the carbon emissions of a car driving 685,000 miles or 28 times around the Earth!
Campus life
Staff and Senior Leaders Forums | Talk to our leaders about the issues that matter most to you
Join our Interim Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Hai-Sui Yu, and the University’s leadership team for a new series of all-staff forums. Hear a short update from Hai-Sui, ask your questions and contribute to the discussion.
Staff Festival 2024 | Vote for your favourite charity
“Please take a few seconds to vote – it means so much to the charities involved.”
Voting has opened to select this year’s official Staff Festival charity. We invited you to nominate your favourite good cause to benefit from event proceeds. A record number of you kindly took the time to do this, with a wide range of charities championed. Of these, the 10 with the most compelling reasons for being nominated, and with recognised local impact, have been shortlisted. Now it’s your chance to vote for the winner by 5pm on 9 February.
Chinese New Year celebration
5.30-7pm, 8 February
Colleagues, students and guests are all welcome to join the Business Confucius Institute for an evening of interactive activities to learn about and celebrate Spring Festival.
British Heart Foundation
We’ll be lighting up key University buildings in red tomorrow (1 February) and on 24 February for the British Heart Foundation’s Health Month campaign.
Digital developments
Accessing HR Self-Service (ESS)
Are you using the right hyperlink to access HR Self-Service? Previously, there have been multiple variations of the main weblink, which will no longer work. Please update any saved links in your web browser to the main website address https://selfservice.leeds.ac.uk.
Last chance | Share your feedback on Minerva
We’d like to know what you think about Minerva to ensure we deliver the best experience to you and your students. Please complete our Minerva Staff Survey by 5pm today (31 January) so we can better understand your views.
Survey | Where do you store your files?
Help us understand where you currently store your files and what resources could help you make the most of OneDrive. Complete the short IT survey by tomorrow (1 February). Over the next few weeks, IT will be seeking your views on a number of other areas too, including how you interact with IT, and University laptops. Look out for more information and an invite to our quarterly open meeting soon.
Ongoing cyber security improvements
We’ve all sent an email to the wrong person before. To help prevent external emails being sent in error and subsequent data breach incidents, Outlook will display a prompt when sending an email to an external recipient from tomorrow (1 February). Read further information about this standard Microsoft MailTip feature.
Stream videos are moving
From 5 February, as part of the Stream (Classic) video migration project, videos that are owned by a Team or SharePoint site will be moved from Stream (Classic) into the corresponding Team or SharePoint site. The existing links to videos will continue to work and permissions will remain the same.
Register | Getting Started with Minerva training
10.30am to 12 noon, 7 February
Sign up for an online ‘Getting Started with Minerva’ training session, aimed at staff and postgraduates who are new to Minerva and will use the platform to deliver or support learning and teaching.
SAP now available
We have successfully moved SAP – the system that underpins many of our Finance, HR and Procurement systems – to the cloud so the service it provides is now more secure and reliable. All the online applications impacted by the recent change are now available e.g. SIPR, KRISTAL, Timesheets, E-expenses, Purchasing Card, Student Fees, Student Payments, Estates Web Notification, Science Warehouse, Key Travel, TEM search, SAP Access Management and ESS/MSS.
Students
National Student Survey (NSS) drop-in sessions
Throughout February and March
The NSS is back for 2024 and we want colleagues to help raise awareness of the survey and encourage eligible students to take part. We’ve organised NSS drop-in sessions to give colleagues more information about the NSS and give hints and tips on how to maximise the use of our recently launched NSS staff toolkit.
Sign up | How do we foster a greater sense of belonging for students?
2-3.30pm, tomorrow (1 February)
Join the latest online Access and Success Insight session to discover how we’re ensuring all students feel like they belong and matter at Leeds. Hear insights from Academic Lead for Personal Tutoring (APT), Rachael O’Connor, and read the case study outlining how we’re raising the bar for APT.
Fresh Start Festival
Until 4 February
We’re supporting students to find their place and people at Leeds this week, with lots of activities and opportunities on offer. Be sure to check out our range of Fresh Start Festival information and templates to use in your communications and help students make the most of everything the University has to offer.
Register | Student Success Forum
4-6pm, 29 February
Registrations for the next Student Success Forum are now open. Join Professor Arunangsu Chatterjee, Dean of Digital Transformation, alongside influential guest speakers Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Director General of the International Baccalaureate, and Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge and advisor to the government on sustainability, as they discuss the future of higher education through the lenses of inclusivity, sustainability and the impact of artificial intelligence. You can also read the case study outlining how we’re supporting students through their Leeds journey.
Catch up | Student Education Conference 2024 now on SEC Rewind
Did you miss the Student Education Conference 2024 (SEC2024)? Want to listen again to the inspirational student panel? Couldn’t get to all the parallel sessions you were interested in? Would you like to hear from our keynote speaker Paul Ashwin, discussing whether Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) can transform educational policies and practices? Recordings of all the sessions are now available to colleagues on SEC Rewind.
Research
Register | Research network development programme sessions
11am to 12 noon, 5 February, and 2.30-3.30pm, 7 February
Do you want to turn your idea for an interdisciplinary research network into a reality? You could receive substantial funding to support your work. Register to attend information sessions outlining how to apply to the newly launched Horizons Institute Challenge Theme Networks development programme, designed to create new interdisciplinary opportunities across the University. Applications close on 8 March.
Research Culture Café
10-11am, 7 February
Book your place at the next Research Culture Café. This online event aims to promote a positive and inclusive research culture through café-style conversations. The themes of this event are career development and equity, diversity and inclusion in research. Events running until August are also available to book.
Book | Network for Time seminar series launch
12 noon to 1.30pm, 7 February
Sign up for the launch of the Network for Time monthly seminar series. Explore different perspectives on time and how this impacts on solving urgent global challenges. This hybrid session features presentations from Dr Sherine Conyers, a Lecturer in Journalism, and Tim Heaton, Professor of Applied Statistics.
Have your say | Research Culture pulse survey
Take part in the latest Research Culture pulse survey, which this time focuses on recognising diverse research activity. Closing on 15 February, the survey takes less than five minutes to complete, and your feedback will play a vital role in helping to create a positive and inclusive research culture at Leeds. You can also join the Research Culture conversation on MS Teams.
Consultation on the use of AI in research
Research colleagues are invited to take part in the University’s consultation on the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Results will inform the development of new policies, protocols, training requirements, procedures and guidance for the use of AI in all aspects of research.
It’s important all researchers have the chance to comment. Please fill in the survey even if you don’t use, or don’t intend to use, AI in any aspect of your future research.
Wellbeing and support
Free and confidential financial wellbeing sessions
The University is partnering with money advice charity, Money Buddies, to offer free and confidential financial wellbeing sessions for colleagues. In-person or online advice sessions can be booked in advance on most Wednesday mornings between 9am and 12 noon. Sessions will be available from the beginning of February.
Learning and development
Information session | Fresh Steps Development Programme (Grades 2-5)
11am to 12 noon, 8 February
Take the opportunity to find out more about the Fresh Steps Development Programme, ask any questions you have and hear from previous participants. Fresh Steps is a three-month innovative personal and work development course for colleagues in Grade 2-5 roles. It enables people to view their professional progress, reassess their priorities and direction, and set and achieve new personal and work goals.
Springboard Development Programme for women (Grades 2-5)
Applications close at 5pm on 9 February for the next Springboard Development Programme, running from February to May. Designed specifically for the personal and professional development of women in Grade 2-5 roles, the programme covers topics including improving self-confidence, being more proactive, effective communication and assertiveness.
Build your Scholarship Practice 2024
The Build your Scholarship Practice programme returns in 2024 with tailored scholarship development workshops and community of practice meetings. A new Writing Community Group is now open for bookings until 5pm on 12 February. Starting in March, the group provides protected time and a supportive interdisciplinary small-group context for developing and making progress on a focused piece of written pedagogic research.
Pedagogical Power of PebblePad workshops
11-11.30am, 22 February
Book your place at the next Pedagogical Power of PebblePad workshop. In this series of online sessions, colleagues from across the University share innovative and interesting ways they’ve used PebblePad. The next event will feature presentations from Dr Benjamin Chong and Jenny Brady. Recordings of previous workshops in this series are also available to watch.
Register | Concordat Awareness Month
Sign up for a series of Concordat Awareness Month events throughout February, which will highlight opportunities to support the development of researchers. Events include an open forum with Professor Luke Windsor, Dean of the Doctoral College, and a panel discussion on ‘Career Conversations’ with Professor Cath Noakes, Pro-Dean for Research and Innovation in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Associate Professor Jasjit Singh, Pro-Dean for International in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, and others.
Events
Author Talk
5pm, tomorrow (1 February)
The Centre for Jewish Studies and the School of History invite colleagues to a talk with Jon Silverman and Robert Sherwood, authors of ‘Safe Haven: The United Kingdom’s Investigations into Nazi Collaborators and the Failure of Justice’.
International Concert Series
2 and 3 February
The University of Leeds International Concert Series launches its 2024 season this week. Soprano Julieth Lozano and pianist Ricardo Gosalbo perform a free concert from 1.05-1.55pm on 2 February. This is followed by an open mic night at 7pm on the same day. Musicians Jonathan Leibovitz, Maciej Kulakowski and Ariel Lanyi take to the same Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall stage at 7.30pm on 3 February to perform works by Fauré, Brahms and Beethoven. Tickets for this event are priced at £10 or free for students.
Visiting Artist’s Talk
2-4pm, 5 February
The next Visiting Artist’s Talk welcomes Dr Rommi Smith, a playwright, poet, vocalist and academic based in Leeds.
Celebration | Part of the Furniture: The Library of John Bedford
5.30pm, 6 February
Rare and beautiful books, selected from the library of antiques dealer John Bedford, chart the evolution of furniture design over the centuries in the new Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery exhibition. Book your free ticket for our celebration event.
Tell us your story
We’d like to hear about the great work you’re doing. Contact internalcomms@leeds.ac.uk to share your stories.
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Keeping up to date
You can keep up to date with our latest news on the For Staff website and the staff Twitter account.
With best wishes,
The Internal Communications and Engagement team