KMTV, the county’s first dedicated television channel is now available on Freeview 7 and Virgin 159 or online at www.kmtv.co.uk
A unique partnership between the KM Media Group and the University, KMTV broadcasts from a purpose-built studio at the Medway campus.
Watch county-focused news, sport and entertainment around the clock. Programming also includes a live one-hour news roundup, ‘Kent Tonight’, every weekday evening at 17.30.
Applications are now open for Aurora 2017/18, a leadership development programme for females in higher education.
The University is proud to announce its continuing participation in the Aurora programme, a Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (LFHE) sector-wide development programme for women in higher education.
The Aurora programme aims to enable a wider range of women to think of themselves as future leaders, to develop the skills they will need, and to help their institutions to maximise the use of the skills they acquire. Aurora is for female staff in academic (up to Senior Lecturer level), and professional services (grades 7+) roles who would like to develop and explore issues relating to leadership roles and responsibilities.
This initiative is a response to the LFHE research which shows there are fewer women in the most senior positions in higher education than ten years ago and identifies features that could be addressed to change this. Many influential stakeholders including vice-chancellors, Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) have agreed the situation calls for action and the feedback from the sector has supported encouraging more women to plan and prepare better for leadership roles at an early point in their careers.
Female staff are invited to apply by emailing the Learning and Development Team ldev@kent.ac.uk
The closing date for applications is Wednesday 2nd August 2017.
If you have any further queries at this stage please contact Jena Dady, Learning and Organisational Development Adviser J.Dady@Kent.ac.uk
The Vice-Chancellor very much hopes you can join her for a lunchtime BBQ she will be hosting in July.
Deadline for RSVP extended until end of Tuesday 27 June 2017.
The BBQs will take place outside No. 1 Bistro in Medway on Tuesday 4 July 2017 (12.00-14.00) and on the Registry Lawn in Canterbury on Wednesday 5 July 2017 (12.00 -14.00)
Please register for your chosen location via the link below and bring your ticket with you on the day.
For Canterbury: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/university-of-kent-staff-bbq-canterbury-campus-tickets-34104728160
For Medway: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/university-of-kent-staff-bbq-medway-campus-tickets-34104774298
Vegetarian and vegan food will also be provided, but please do email events@kent.ac.uk if you have any other dietary requirements.
The BBQ is a free event for all University of Kent staff and is an ideal opportunity to come together and enjoy a shared lunch break.
We hope to see you there!
Three colleagues in Estates will be taking to their bikes for a 24-hour cycling challenge to raise money for Bloodwise, the UK’s blood cancer charity, in support of a colleague who is currently fighting leukaemia.
The ride will take place from 18.00 on Friday 14 July to 18.00 on Saturday 15 July, with the team cycling laps of Parkwood. They are hoping to raise £1,500. If you would like to sponsor them, you can do so via the JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/crankies24hcycle
If you feel up to the challenge, why not join them for the ride? Entry is £10 to be paid via the JustGiving page or direct on the day.
Money raised will help fund the charity’s life-changing research and support those fighting blood cancers.
Find out more about Bloodwise (formerly Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research): https://bloodwise.org.uk/
For more information about the event please call Alan on extn 3388
Paul – 3216
Gary – 3297
The University welcomed over 70 people to a Family Networking Event held in the Gulbenkian on Saturday 20 May. The day was organised as part of the ongoing programme of support for staff affected by Brexit and offered those attending an opportunity to gather advice and information and to share experiences.
Kesar & Co Solicitors were on hand throughout the event, leading discussions on topics such as citizenship, political developments, family and extended family members, and permanent residency. Over 40 staff/family members benefited from one-to-one legal advice sessions conducted on the day, while accompanying children were entertained with films, drama and craft activities.
Immediate feedback following the event indicated it had been well received and much appreciated by those that came; one attendee wrote ‘I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all those involved on Saturday. It was extremely useful and the kids had fun too.’
We remain committed to supporting our staff who may be affected by the UK’s decision to leave the EU and we will continue to update and provide information as and when we are able to. In the meantime, anyone with questions or concerns, especially in the post-election period, can email the HR team at: staffeuqueries@kent.ac.uk
Kent Staff can apply for funding to undertake two-five days training/teaching opportunities at our Erasmus partner universities or other relevant organisations within Europe. Learn new skills, share best practices, develop international networks and explore potential for further cooperation (eg research).
Activities can include:
• Training courses
• Job Shadowing/Observation
• Staff Training events
• Teaching at a partner university
Come to our information session on Wednesday 14 June, 12:30–13:30
Keynes Seminar Room 4, Canterbury campus
For further information phone 01227 82419, email erasmus@kent.ac.uk or visit www.kent.ac.uk/global/partnerships/kent-staff/staff-exchange.html
In July, we’re changing to a new system for LibrarySearch.
If you’re here in the summer or returning in the autumn, follow these steps to get ready for the change:
1. Tidy up your library account: return any books you don’t need, and pay off any fines you may have. Our vacation borrowing checklist has more details.
2. Export your Favourites from LibrarySearch: email them to yourself or import them into your preferred reference management software.
3. Keep an eye on your email: we’ll keep you posted about key dates and developments.
Why is LibrarySearch changing? The new system allows us to make big improvements to the way you borrow books in future. How LibrarySearch looks and works will stay quite similar, but with greater potential for future improvements.
If you’re on campus over the summer and would be interested in testing the new LibrarySearch, please email is-publishing@kent.ac.uk to register your interest.
Between 8 and 17 June Medway Council and partners commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Dutch raid of 1667 with a 10-day spectacular of naval and ship visits, street festivals, exhibitions, arts and cultural activities and family entertainment.
Kent is proud to be a co-sponsor and we encourage staff and students to visit the festival website for the full events listing.
Festival highlights include:
8 June: Launch event – tickets for the parade and joint performance by the Royal Marines and Dutch Marine Band at the Dockyard are available.
8 June – arrival of up to 50 yachts
9 June onwards: Breaking the Chain Exhibition – a rare opportunity to see some of the most important paintings and documents associated with the Battle of Medway, with exhibits from international collections.
10 June: Marine band concert – travel through time from 17th Century with the Great Dutchman, to Robbie Williams and Sting
10-11 June: An exclusive opportunity to see life on board British and Dutch naval vessels
10-11 June: The Dutch are coming – step back in time to 1667 with family friendly re-enactments and a new exhibition at Upnor Castle
14 June: A further 100 offshore sailing yachts will arrive on the river
17 June: Medway In Flames – a fantastic light and sound show involving film, water screens, pyrotechnics and a spectacular firework display on the river.
Find out more at www.medway.gov.uk/bom
Public lecture
A leading expert on the Anglo-Dutch maritime wars of the 17th century will give a public lecture on 30 June. This forms part of a three-day conference organised by the University of Kent and the Historic Dockyard Chatham.
The University is undertaking the first phase of what will become annual staff surveys, to understand your perception of Kent as a place to work. This is a chance for you to give feedback about what your working environment is like now and what needs to be done so that it develops in a positive way that enables you to do your best.
The surveys are being rolled out in four phases to enable efficient administration and to ensure we have the capacity to provide follow-up support to respond to any issues highlighted. The first phase begins 5 June, with the remaining phases planned for September, November/December and March 2018.
Responses will be entirely anonymous and we have made the survey deliberately short so you will find it quick to complete (5-10 minutes). When the time comes for your department/school, you will be sent an email from staffsurvey@kent.ac.uk with a link to the online survey. Your opinion matters, so please respond to the survey and encourage others to do the same. We want to get as high a response rate as possible so that we can gain credible insight into what we do well and what we need to develop.
The information we collect will also be used to support our Athena SWAN work and to help us make changes to enhance your working life.
Data from the survey will be held confidentially by HR and results for each school or department will be shared and reviewed with staff within those areas. The information collected will be used to highlight what we do well and to identify areas where we want to take action, to monitor trends and for Athena SWAN submissions. University-level results will be published on the website.
Find out more, including the survey schedule, as well as guides for staff, managers and Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Teams
Entries are now open for this year’s Times Higher Education Awards. Further information on the 2017 Awards, categories and criteria is available on the awards website
Posie Bogan, Director of Corporate Communications, will be working with colleagues across the University to agree our entries over the next fortnight. If you have any suggestions, please email communications@kent.ac.uk as soon as possible and by Friday, 9 June.