Unlimited email space, better integration with Lync, and a new Outlook Web App are some of the changes you’ll see as part of the staff email upgrade planned for the Autumn term. We’re going to be upgrading the ‘Exchange’ system that underpins the staff email service.

Business as usual during the upgrade

Most of us won’t notice any interruptions to service. If a service interruption is needed, it should be very short.

After the upgrade, what will be different?

Apart from the unlimited storage, which is fantastic news, there will be some new features for Outlook Web App (OWA) users. OWA will look a bit different and have better SharePoint and Lync integration.

If you use Kent email on your phone, and don’t have a PIN set on the handset, you’ll need to set one.

If you have an older phone/tablet, your access might stop working if it’s insecure (using it on our network is a breach of University IT regulations). You’ll need to update it if you want to carry on accessing the Kent network.

When will we find out more?

We’ll email you nearer the time to let you know exactly when it will happen, with full details about anything that’s new or changing.

Natalie Salunke, Chair of the Kent Law Campaign Young Alumni Group and Peter Wilkinson, supporter of the Kent Law Campaign, will be joining over 4000 participants to take on the Thames Path Challenge.

On 12-13 September, Natalie and Peter will walk the 100km Thames route challenge starting from Putney Bridge and ending at Henley-on-Thames in aid of the Kent Law Campaign.

The Thames Path is unique; it’s the only long distance path to follow a river for most of its length.

The full route begins at Bishop’s Park, next to Putney Bridge, and on through leafy Kew and Richmond past the last non-tidal lock at Teddington. It passes the Royal palace of Hampton Court, beneath Windsor Castle and on through beautiful countryside to Henley.

For Natalie this is the latest fundraising challenge she has set herself, although it is not jumping out of planes or throwing herself off 160ft cranes, this challenge requires stamina and commitment in order to complete the 100km route which could take up to 30 hours!

Please show your support by sponsoring Natalie and Peter through their JustGiving page. All money raised from their challenge will go directly to the Kent Law Campaign.

From 17 – 21 August 2015, as part of the ongoing works to the exterior of the Ingram building, the entrances to the Ingram and Stacey building which are beneath the link bridge between these two buildings will be temporarily closed.

Please be aware that you will not be able to access the buildings at these locations during this period, but if you are in either building, these routes can still be used as a point of evacuation in the event of an emergency.

An alternative temporary means of access to the NMR building will be maintained at all times throughout this period.

Wherever possible directional signage, will be strategically placed on approaches to the site, giving alternative routes that can be taken during the course of this work.

I thank you in advance for your anticipated co-operation, whilst this essential work is undertaken.

Should you have any queries then please contact the Estates Helpdesk on 01227 823209.

Dr Lubomira Radoilska from the Department of Philosophy has been awarded a British Academy Research Grant of £10,000 for a two-year project on ‘Reassessing Responsibility: Why Knowing What One is Doing Matters’ starting on 1 September 2015.

A central assumption in the literature on responsibility is that an action can only be responsible to the extent that its agent knows what she/he is doing. The underlying knowledge condition of responsibility is closely related to another one, the control condition, stating that a person can be held responsible only for things that are up to her/him. Both conditions seem compelling, if we focus on discrete intentional actions as primary objects of responsibility. Yet, as recent work on the practice of holding one another responsible shows, habitual behaviours and attitudes, some of which are unconsciously held, should be acknowledged as important in assessing responsibility as intentional actions. Such behaviours and attitudes do not typically satisfy the knowledge condition and, as a result, often fail to satisfy the control condition too. The proposed research will aim to address the apparent paradox that arises from widening the scope of legitimate objects of responsibility while maintaining the two standard conditions, with particular emphasis on the knowledge condition.

The British Academy provides a range of grants and fellowships to support research across the humanities and social sciences. In this case the research activities will include the organisation of a workshop and a conference, the preparation of three research papers and an edited volume on Reassessing Responsibility.

Full details of the British Academy/Leverhulme Small research grants.

Professor Averil Macdonald OBE will share her ‘10 Top Tips for Success’ at the Athena SWAN Awareness Event on Friday 18 September.

Since our last Canterbury event, six of the Science Schools at Kent have been awarded Athena SWAN Bronze Awards, and the initiative itself has expanded to include all disciplines, professional service staff in Schools, and wider gender issues including trans students and staff. This year’s annual Athena SWAN Awareness Day is a celebration of our achievements to date and an invitation to wider staff to think about becoming involved. The theme is: Sharing and Building Success. The Athena SWAN initiative facilitates organisational and personal success, and participants can gain insight into how these can be achieved.

The Athena SWAN initiative is also about recognising advancement of gender equality: representation, progression and success for all. This is something we are committed to, and by pursuing this agenda, we create the best working environment for all staff. This year’s event will cover themes relevant to staff across the Faculties and Professional Service departments.

Professor Averil Macdonald OBE (leading influencer on engaging under-represented groups with science) will speak, Professor Diane Houston (Dean of the Graduate School) will open the event, a panel discussion will spark debate, and the workshops are designed to inform or provide practical help.

A draft programme is already available and we invite you to join us in the Keynes Foyer at 12:00. The event will run until 15:30 and includes lunch.

We welcome all staff – men and women; Academic Schools and Professional Services; Medway and Canterbury based – to attend the event.

To find out more, and register for the event, go to the Awareness Day webpages.