Kent colleagues came together recently for an AUA @ Kent Think-in event in the Sibson Building on Wednesday 6 February.

Taking the theme of ‘Thinking and Learning Together’, presentations included:

• Finding your True North – Gill Ledgerton, Head of Operations, External Relations, Marketing & Communications, University of Liverpool
• Using Mindfulness in Changing Times – Esther Van Hout, Business Development Manager at our Tonbridge centre.

The Think-In was organised by the AUA@Kent leadership team: Melissa Mulhall, AUA Advocate; Natalia Crisanti, Student Services; Mita Modal, Engineering and Digital Arts; Amy Green, Politics and International Relations; James Redmond, SSPSSR; and Alison Webster, Faculties Support Office.

The event was well received and is a good example of how the AUA@Kent network gives Kent colleagues the chance to get together and reflect on their work journeys from a different perspective, without the time and cost of travelling to off-campus training and conferences.

AUA/follow-up events
Why not join us for the next Kent events? The next talk in the AUA CPD chats series, on the topic of ‘Developing Self and Others’ is scheduled for 22 March.

This will be followed by the 4th Southern Regional Symposium at Canterbury Christ Church University on 24 April. Professor April McMahon will be one of the keynote speakers and will be talking about her experiences as a subject TEF panel chair for the Humanities panel. A spring walk and summer picnic are also planned for lunchtime (12.30) on 29 March and 13 May.

There is no need to be an AUA member already, just come along to see if it is of interest and of benefit in your current role/future roles. Contact one of the AUA leadership team above for further details.

If you decide to join the AUA, you can claim tax relief on your membership. AUA subscriptions can be claimed back via the HMRC Tax Relief for Employees website – there’s no need to complete a self-assessment tax form.

Visit the AUA website to find out more about membership.

The University recently hosted the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) at the Medway campus.

NaCTSO visited the campus on 8 February to deliver ‘ACT Strategic’, a brand new product to replace Project Argus.

The event, in the Rochester Boardroom, was organised by Mark Arnold, Head of Security at the University who also welcomed everyone. The training was formally opened by Shamima Begum, Head of Professional Development & Training Delivery at NaCTSO.

Taking part in the training were 32 representatives of Medway campus stakeholders – including the universities of Kent, Canterbury Christ Church and Greenwich, Student Union, Kent Union, NHS Medway CCG, Kent Police, Medway Council, Chatham Maritime Trust, Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, Medway Dockside Outlet and six NaCTSO observers.

The training comprised updates on the current threats to the UK and commercial/public organisations, risk management cycle, measures to reduce risk, as well as legal and training advice. Group discussions followed on key issues impacting the Medway Campus. Feedback was provided by the attendees to NaCTSO on the ACT Strategic product.

The training was used by NaCTSO as a proof of concept before rolling out the product nationally. Locally, it will be used to develop an overarching Serious Incident Response plan for the Medway campus.

If you’re planning to travel on University business, don’t forget that we now have a new travel provider and a new policy.

All business travel – whether by plane, train or car – should now be booked with Key Travel. If you need help, contact your school/department finance administrator or email the Procurement team in Finance – procurement@kent.ac.uk

The University also has a new Travel Policy, which includes guidance on booking travel, assessing and managing travel risk, the use of rail, taxis and flights, and Uber, AirBnB and Booking.com.

Thanks to all those of you who have emailed our feedback mailbox (feedback@kent.ac.uk) following the Vice-Chancellor’s email of 6 February 2019.

As you know, the email covered a number of challenges facing the University and proposals that Executive Group are bringing forward in order to make sure we are able to meet these challenges and build for a successful future.

We are currently working on more information and frequently asked questions for both staff and students and hope to have more for you later this week. Your feedback so far has already helped us to prepare that information.

In the meantime, please do continue to send us your questions, suggestions and ideas and we will do our best to ensure your comment/query is answered as soon as possible.

Corporate Communications on behalf of Executive Group

For LGBT History Month, the ‘Out & Proud’ LGBT+ Role Models Exhibition, previously at the Templeman Library, will be at the Drill Hall Library.

The exhibition will be opened by University of Kent Vice Chancellor Karen Cox, Champion for the LGBT+ Staff Network, at the Drill Hall Library (Medway campus) on Thursday 14 February at 16.00.

Please register for your FREE ticket on Eventbrite.

‘Out and Proud’, curated by the University of Kent LGBT+ Staff Network, aims to highlight the diverse experiences of staff on our campuses who share their stories to show the realities of being a queer person. From coming out stories to awkward conversations and incidences of discrimination and harassment, the exhibition is an honest representation of real people, from the harsh realities to the wonderful acts of solidarity and humanity.

Fancy getting your bike checked over for free? Visit Dr Bike on Thursday 21 February outside the Student Hub from 11.30-14.30.

Dr Bike are trained bicycle mechanics who regularly come onto campus to check and adjust your bike for free. The service is available to University of Kent and University of Greenwich students and staff.

Additional work will be quoted individually but will always be at a special reduced rate.

For more information visit our Dr Bike webpage

If you do not own a bike, check out the Rent & Ride cycle hire scheme.

This workshop aims to provide an understanding of the appraisal (RPD) process, including how to plan for the discussion and how managers may wish to flex their approach to this.

It will also provide insights into some of the skills required to make the most of an appraisal (RPD) discussion and understanding of objective setting.

The workshop is aimed at all staff members who are interested in preparing for their appraisal (RPD) discussion and is taking place on Friday 22 February. Book your place by logging onto Staff Connect.

Calling all staff, students and alumni! Please support us in our fundraising drive to enable the National Children’s Football Alliance (NCFA) and Slum Soccer to send a team of children from India to the 2019 Global Peace Games, a week-long peace education and football programme in Messines, Belgium.

How to get involved – Football Shirt Friday, 15 February
All staff, students and visitors are encouraged to support ‘Football Shirt Friday’ and contribute whatever they can via collection buckets in the Sports Centre reception and via the crowdfunding page – suggested minimal donation £2.

If you love your team, wear your shirt with pride on this Friday and support this great cause. If football doesn’t float your boat then you can wear a rugby or other team jersey accordingly.

We are also looking for cyclists to take part in the sponsored bike ride on Saturday 23 March. To enable as many cyclists as possible to take part, Football Shirt Friday will raise money to help the cyclists reach the baseline donation figure.

If every Kent student and member of staff contributed just a couple of pounds to the fund, it would make a huge difference towards making this opportunity a reality for as many young people as possible!

For further information about the cycle ride, please contact Oli Prior at o.prior@kent.ac.uk

For further information about the fundraising campaign, please contact Ernie Brennan at erniebrennan@thecfa.co.uk

This is a reminder that large Applicant Days are starting at Canterbury campus from Wednesday 13 February.

For large Applicant Days, parking will be reserved in Rutherford and Tyler Courts car parks, whereas for smaller Applicant Days parking will continue to be reserved in Giles Lane car park (the area behind Woolf).

While we do not expect parking on campus to be completely full, it may be helpful to consider car sharing or using alternative modes of transport where reasonably possible on the large Applicant Days. If you are able to work from home and wish to do so, please arrange this with your manager.

Large Applicant Days

Applicant Days are essential for recruiting new students to the University. The larger Applicant Days starting from next week tend to be held on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the Spring Term.

A significant number of bays (100-225 based on requests for parking from bookings) will be reserved in Rutherford and Tyler Court car parks to assist with parking on the following Applicant Days, as requested by Enrolment Management Services:

• Wednesday 13 February – 137 bays reserved (confirmed)
• Wednesday 20 February
• Wednesday 27 February
• Wednesday 6 March
• Wednesday 13 March
• Wednesday 20 March
• Wednesday 27 March
• Wednesday 3 April

Please note that the locations are subject to change. Keep up to date with the Transport Team newsletter and events calendar which we will update as details are confirmed.

Refer to our interactive parking map for parking areas.

Smaller Applicant Days

Up to 40 bays (based on requests for parking from bookings) will normally be reserved in Giles Lane car park (area behind Woolf) on the smaller Applicant Days to assist with parking as requested by Enrolment Management Services. These events are held on weekdays and Saturdays in the Spring term. The weekday dates are below:

• Thursday 14 February
• Thursday 21 February
• Friday 22 February
• Thursday 28 February
• Thursday 7 March
• Friday 8 March
• Thursday 14 March
• Thursday 4 April
• Friday 5 April

When numbers are confirmed they will be updated on the events calendar.

Need help with managing project delivery?

The BIPU Team has simplified the Kent Project Management Framework (KPMF) Toolkit for staff managing projects at Kent.

The KPMF is now available to all staff and provides a suite of useful documentation to help you identify, initiate, set-up, run and manage projects and changes.

The revamped KPMF Toolkit can be accessed via SharePoint.

Further enhancements are planned and will include a selection of online tutorials on key project topics and relevant LinkedIn Learning resources.

So far we have introduced the following LinkedIn Learning Pathways:-

• Stakeholders & Communication
• Risk Management
• Benefits Management  (including a link to the recently launched Kent Benefit Management Toolkit)

For further information about projects, contact the BIPU team: BIPU@kent.ac.uk