Acting in accordance with the Higher Education Code of Governance and the Office for Students Audit requirements, the University Council has established a Register of Interests for members of Council and for all staff.  It is at the discretion of individual members of staff what, if any, interests they declare.  It should be noted, however, that declaration provides a protection for the University and individuals against any possible allegations of impropriety.

For the purposes of the Register, an interest is defined to be any financial or other personal interest an individual may have in any relationship or proposed relationship between the University and an external body.  This would include consultancy, employment, directorship or other activity within a commercial concern, shareholding or membership of statutory and public authorities.  Other education establishments and companies with which the University has an actual or potential business relationship should be included, as should any interest that a family member might have that could give the appearance of a conflict, even where no actual conflict exists.

All staff are invited to submit new or updated declarations for incorporation in the 2020/21 Register. Council Secretariat will be pleased to provide confidential advice to any member of staff on this matter.

Documents, including the Policy and a Declaration Form can be accessed on the Council Secretariat website.

The University’s Policy on Personal Benefit can be found here.

Welcome to Philip Pothen as he starts work this week as the new Director of Engagement. For the last 15 months, Philip has been the Acting Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at De Montfort University, with a wide-ranging portfolio including reputation management and communications, having joined the University in 2015 as Deputy Director, and Associate Director of Communications. 

Prior to working at DMU, Philip worked for the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) where he was Head of Communications and Public Engagement.  While there, he was responsible for the promotion of major initiatives involving public policy, the creative economy and the arts and culture sector and for setting up and developing partnerships with the BBC, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Wikimedia and the Cheltenham Festival, among others. Prior to that, he worked for Jisc, promoting the use of technology in higher education and research during an exciting time of change for the sector as it embraced the use of ICT in learning, teaching and research. 

He has qualifications in PR and teaching, having taught in both higher and further education, has a D Phil in Philosophy from the University of Sussex, and authored a recently republished book entitled Nietzsche and the Fate of Art.

Philip says: ‘I’m delighted to be joining the University of Kent at this time and I’m very much looking forward to working with colleagues to help take forward Kent’s exciting ambitions as a civic university. It’s clear there’s already so much great work going on and I’m excited to be supporting this really important area of the University’s work. Thank you to everyone for the very warm welcome!’

To mark LGBT History Month this February, our LGBT+ Staff Network is running a number of events, including:

Queer Quiz Night – Sunday 31 January from 18.00

To kick off LGBT History month, we will be hosting another quiz night! It’s a little short notice… but we’re banking on you not having too many plans which may clash!

So join us this Sunday, along with partners, friends, housemates, bubbles and anyone else you’d care to invite! As always, dressing up for the occasion is encouraged, and make sure you have something to drink and nibble to hand!

Click here to join the Queer Quiz Night at 18.00 on Sunday, or email us at lgbtstaffnetwork@kent.ac.uk if you’d like to be added to the calendar invite.

LGBT in Lockdown – Wednesday 17 February from 18.00

‘LGBT in Lockdown’ is an event for LGBTQ+ people to share their experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic. We will be joined by former network co-chair Dr Christin Hoene sharing her story of moving abroad mid-lockdown for a new job… and we also want to hear from you!

If you have a story to share, please email at lgbtstaffnetwork@kent.ac.uk to be included in the event. We would love to hear about a diverse range of experiences, so please don’t be shy! Now more than ever it’s important for us all to hear and understand the range of lived experiences within our community, and so we hope to see as many of you there as possible.

Click here to join the LGBT in Lockdown Event or email us at lgbtstaffnetwork@kent.ac.uk if you’d like to be added to the calendar invite.

This Is Not My First Pandemic – Thursday 25 February from 18.00

Russel T Davies’ latest drama It’s A Sin has brought to life the horrors, heartbreak and homophobia of what for many of us remains a vivid memory and lived experience in the HIV/AIDS pandemic of the 1980s and 90s. ‘This Is Not My First Pandemic’ seeks to highlight the impact of both the HIV/AIDS and Coronavirus pandemics, and to draw parallels between how these two periods have affected our community. Some speakers have yet to be confirmed, but we will be hearing from experts in their fields including Jose C Mejia from METRO Charity who will be addressing the legacy and continued impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

To join this event, sign up via Eventbright  before 25 February.

We look forward to seeing you!

LGBT+ Staff Network

Eastern Arc, the regional research consortium comprising UEA, Essex and Kent, has developed considerably over the last year.

Developments have included the:

• launch of cross-institutional mentoring scheme
• appointment of champions in key thematic areas
• development of webinars and podcasts, and
• creation of groups looking at sharing archives, equipment and other resources.

To keep you updated, we’ve launched a termly newsletter and the first was published last week. You can find out what’s going on, but also how you can get involved and what the benefits are for you. The newsletter is online here, or you can download a pdf here.

Kent Hospitality has donated hundreds of packaged food items to Canterbury-based homeless charity, Catching Lives, amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

After another national lockdown was announced and restrictions were tightened, Kent Hospitality made the difficult decision to close all but one of its 13 catering outlets. Instead of letting surplus stock go to waste, they decided to donate it to Catching Lives to ensure the supplies went to those in need.

The team donated items including tea bags, soft drinks and confectionery – all of which were gratefully accepted by staff at the day centre near Canterbury East station.

Catching Lives is an independent charity aimed at supporting the rough sleepers, homeless and vulnerably housed in Canterbury and East Kent. They provide basic services like food, showers, laundry, clothing, and a range of support services to help people tackle their issues and access accommodation.

Don’t forget to join our weekly Covid-19 Staff Webchats, currently taking place every Thursday via Microsoft Teams.

The new webchats are a chance for colleagues to learn more about the latest Covid-19 updates across the University. The webchats focus on key developments from the teams managing our Covid response, while also giving you a regular forum to feedback on the impact of the pandemic and find out more about latest guidance.

You can see recordings of our first two staff webchats, focusing on a general update of Covid-19 and its impact on the University, here: 

• COVID-19 all-staff briefing – 14 January 2021
• COVID-19 all-staff briefing – 21 January

The following webchats are planned for January/February:

• Thursday 28 January (15.30-16.30) – HR, Health & Safety and Working from Home
• Thursday 4 February (10.00-11.00) – Online Teaching, Practice and Advice
• Thursday 11 February (16.00-17.00) – Student Community, Safety and Support
• Thursday 18 February (13.00-14.00) – Financial Response to Covid
• Thursday 25 February (10.30-11.30) – TBC

Find out more

To find out more about the Staff Webchats – including how to sign-up to the next one and recordings of previous sessions – please see our Covid-19 Staff Webchats webpage.

Safety on campus 

The safety of our students and staff on our campuses remains of paramount importance. There are currently around 1,000 students on the Canterbury campus and much fewer numbers at Medway. We are providing essential services for these students, including our libraries and some study spaces which have remained open following updated risk assessments. We are also emailing students to remind those in term-time accommodation of the need for testing before using campus facilities and also to remind all students of the availability of community testing around the country.

The majority of students on campus are adhering to social distancing regulations and following the guidelines set. However, there have been a small number of instances where students have gathered in groups, not following Covid-19 restrictions. The majority of these incidents are dealt with effectively by Campus Security; however, some are escalated to the Police. Kent Police have a dedicated Officer to deal with Covid breaches within the Canterbury district. We are in regular contact with the Police to ensure we are responding appropriately and continue to do all we can to limit transmission.  

The Government guidance is clear that students should remain at their permanent homes and should not return to campus unless absolutely necessary. We appreciate many of our students will wish to return to Kent as soon as they can, and we await further Government guidance as to when this might be permitted.   

Reviewing our teaching provision 

The Office for Students has written to all universities asking that they conduct a review of the 2020-21 academic year. The focus of the review is to determine whether students have been provided with sufficient information to understand what their academic experience would be like this year, whether they have been kept updated on changes and whether they have received what they were promised. The review must also look ahead to teaching and assessment plans for the remainder of the year, to determine whether the plans in place will sufficiently enable students to achieve the learning outcomes they expect from their study programme. This is a large piece of work, which we are currently planning how to deliver and we will provide more information shortly.  

Staff wellbeing 

The national lockdown has undoubtedly put significant pressure on staff, with many working from home whilst balancing childcare, caring responsibilities and other personal demands. As outlined in last week’s staff newsletter, the University is committed to looking after the wellbeing of our staff and takings steps to reduce pressures and workload where possible.  

In the University’s ‘Impact of COVID-19 on staff contribution’ policy, we recognise how the pandemic has changed the way we all work and our commitment to ensuring our staff feel supported during this time. Our updated COPE Framework provides practical advice for staff and managers as well as access to online resources and support for working remotely. Staff are encouraged to discuss their personal circumstances with their line manager to agree any temporary adjustments to their workload which will enable them to be more effective and to reduce pressure at this difficult time.  

More information about working from home is available on our Staff Coronavirus webpages.  

When did you join the University and why?

I joined Kent in 2005 as an IT Technician in the Department of Electronics (now the School of Engineering and Digital Arts). This was an exciting opportunity to support staff and students in a very technically demanding department, which was actively pushing boundaries in its research and teaching. I worked alongside some excellent IT colleagues, as well as subject technicians, who were experts in their fields. I later took up the role of IT Team Manager, before becoming IT and Technical Services Manager and then Director of IT and Technical Services. After a 15-year career providing technical support to students and staff, I am thrilled to be taking up the role of Head of Technical Services leading the profession here at Kent.

What did you do before joining Kent?

I completed my undergraduate degree in 2001 and worked for a large pharmaceutical company supporting their IT systems and staff across the UK. After two years, I made the switch to higher education, becoming an IT user support specialist at Imperial College London. I had always remembered how technical staff had been pivotal in supporting myself and other students during university. They were the unsung heroes who were always on hand when you needed help.

Why has your new role been created and what’s its remit?

My new role has come about following the University’s pledge to support the national Technician Commitment, a sector-wide initiative led by the Science Council to help address key challenges facing technical staff working in higher education. Universities and institutions who sign-up to the commitment agree to improve and safeguard vital technical skills. The commitment ensures greater visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians across all disciplines. My role will lead this work and ensure these principles remain embedded here at Kent. My vision is to build on the already exceptional work undertaken by technical colleagues throughout the University. Our aim is to deliver a truly customer-focused, innovative and professional technical service by highly skilled, diverse technical experts, utilising leading technology, equipment and facilities, to provide the very best experience to our students and staff.

Tell us more about who’s who within your team?

I am fortunate to work with some exceptionally talented colleagues at Kent. Technical service staff operate across almost all our subject areas, from science and laboratories to arts and theatres. I will be working closely with divisional and departmental Technical Managers to deliver that positive change and to support the University’s strategic ambitions. I am also working closely with colleagues in other professional service departments, including IS, Estates and the Safety, Health and Environment Unit. By continuing the collaboration of technical staff and professional service teams, we can create a consistent experience for our students and colleagues.

What are your immediate plans for the new team?

Over the next 12 months, I will be working with colleagues to produce the first technical service strategy. This will include our Technician Commitment action plan and a three-year roadmap that delivers against the principles of technician visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability. I will also be working closely with technical managers and divisional management teams to support the transition to the new divisional structure, and wider collaboration of technical services within and across divisions.

Covid-19 permitting(!), what are your interests away from work?

I love spending time at the beach with my wife and our two children. I also enjoy cycling and keeping active. When the weather’s not great, you’ll find me doing some form of DIY. My latest project is using my Amazon Alexa to automate the lighting in my house – much to my wife’s frustration who, rightfully so, doesn’t see the problem with a traditional light switch! I guess once a technician always a technician…

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

The best advice I have been given was from my Dad (which he borrowed from someone more famous): “The harder you work, the luckier you become.”