With the end of term, exam board activity, work underway to bring the campuses back to life through the re-opening of buildings and laboratories and continued work on the Organising for Success project, I am conscious there is a lot going on. I am glad to say however, that following the closure of the UCAS deadline for home undergraduate applications, our applications, offers and firm acceptances are looking positive. While we still have a long way to go, this is very good news. Work is still underway to increase the number of home and international postgraduate taught applications and preparations continue for confirmation and clearing activity in August. Thank you to all those colleagues who are working tirelessly in this area, particularly under such difficult circumstances.

Following a visit in June the General Medical Council has confirmed that the Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) has met all necessary requirements to be able to welcome its first students in September. This is excellent news. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all those who have worked tirelessly, both within KMMS and across the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University, to get us to this point.

Meanwhile, as a result of the University’s partnership with Santander Universities UK, we have now established 100 scholarships of £500 each to support students who find themselves unable to find work during the summer months because of the pandemic. We have also received an extra £25,000 of funding to support students suffering financial hardship. This will be added to the University’s own hardship fund. I am immensely grateful for this support.

The partnership has also led to a package of targeted grant support for Kent businesses under a scheme managed by Kent Business School (KBS). Grants have already been issued to a Kent-grown fresh produce home delivery service, a Thanet-based social enterprise working with the elderly, and a meal service for homeless people in Thanet and Canterbury. In addition, the partnership has also led to a financial boost for the work we have been doing in support of NHS and frontline care workers.

Finally, over the weekend, the Government made an announcement of a package of support for university research and innovation. This is most welcome and acknowledges the key contribution that university research will make to the economic and social recovery of the country from the effect of Covid-19. We are now working through the details to determine our eligibility for this support and I will update you once further details of the support packages are released.

Our situation continues to be fast-moving, and I realise this is a difficult time for all staff. As you will already know, we have granted two additional rest days to all staff on 9 and 10 July and, if you haven’t already, please talk with your line manager about taking this time to step away from work, the screen, Teams and Zoom.

With my thanks for all that you are doing.

Karen

Professor Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President

The Centre for the Study of Higher Education congratulates the following colleagues who applied for Senior Fellowship and Fellowship of Advance HE (formerly the Higher Education Academy) through the Route to Recognition for Experienced Staff (RRES), and successfully gained national recognition for their leadership, excellence, expertise and commitment to professionalism in teaching and learning.

Senior Fellowship

• Johanna Woodcock Ross – Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
• Krystin Zigan – Kent Business School

Fellowship

• Chris Henry – Centre for English and World Languages
• Marcus Sorensen – School of Psychology

Congratulations!

From discussing mental wellbeing for home workers, to advice on talking to children about Covid-19, Care First continue to provide free webinars for staff to sign up to.

Here’s the webinar schedule for the week commencing 29 June 2020.

Monday 29 June 2020 – ‘How to talk to Children about Covid-19’

Time: 14.00 – 14.30 – To register click on this Go to webinar link.

Tuesday 30 June 2020  – ‘Physical & Mental Wellbeing for Home Workers’

Time:  11.00 – 11.30 – To register click on this Go to webinar link.

Wednesday 1 July 2020 – ‘Covid-19: Returning to Work after Furlough’

Time: 14.00 – 14.30 – To register click on this Go to webinar link.

Thursday 2 July 2020 – ‘Loneliness during the Covid-19 Pandemic’

Time: 15.00 – 15.30 – To register click on this Go to webinar link.

Friday 3 July 2020 – ‘Teenage Mental Health’

Time: 11.00 -11.30 – To register click on this Go to webinar link.

As LGBT Pride month draws to a close, we talk to members of the University’s LGBT+ Staff Network about the network’s role at the University, the importance of Pride, and why inclusion is so important in the workplace.

Contributors include: Jules Andreae, Operations Officer for the Information Services Operations Team; Anne-Marie Baker, the University’s Athena SWAN Project Manager; Bob McKay, Student Success Project Manager, Kent Business School; and Jan Moriarty, Student Success Project Manager at Kent.

What are the aims of the Kent LGBT+ Staff Network?

Bob: I think we have a number of roles – there’s the social/community element, such as organising network lunches and events for people to get together, but there’s also the role of being a ‘critical friend’ to the institution, ensuring that issues with LGBT+ equality are challenged and making sure that queer staff have a voice which is heard.

Jan: We also act as a first point of contact on issues around employment for LGBT+ staff and the impact of new policies and legislation on the LGBT+ community at Kent.

Jules: And we’re a visible point of contact for colleagues who need support or a friendly face to relate to.

What is the Network currently working on?

Jan: Stonewall’s new Workplace Equality Index has just been released, so we’ll be taking a look at that over the summer.

Jules: Members continuously engage with different departments and EDI (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) teams in their departments.

Bob: We speak to central University leadership teams as well – we’ve recently been speaking to the VC about the University’s response to the government’s reported roll-back on reforms to the Gender Recognition Act 2004, which is a big step backwards for the rights of trans and non-binary people in the UK. We’re also looking forward to the end of lockdown and some events that we might be able to organise for the LGBT+ staff community once we’re able to see one another in person again!

Who can join the Network?

Bob: Anyone! Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans or other… and even straight colleagues! If you identify as LGBT+ or you’re an ally, the Network is ready to welcome you!

Why might someone want to join the Network?

Jan: For me, it’s about representation. We all (staff and students) need to know there’s someone out there whose experiences may be similar to our own. Some of us have to be visible to make that possible. However, I totally understand that some prefer not to be. Even if someone doesn’t want to take an active role, being a member is a good way to keep in touch.

Anne-Marie: One of the reasons I joined the network was because I believe it is important to have visible LGBT colleagues – this was certainly a big help for me when I first started work.

Jules: Growing up as LGBT+, people can be made to feel “less than” or shameful about who they are. The LGBT+ Staff Network gives a community for people to feel pride in who they are, as well as a place to press for changes to make sure the University keeps improving so that it becomes a place all staff can feel pride at work, equally.

How can people join the LGBT+ Staff Network?

Bob: Just drop us an email at lgbtstaffnetwork@kent.ac.uk.

Jules: If you log in to lists.kent.ac.uk, and search for ‘lgbt’ you’ll be able to see the staff network mailing list and subscribe to update emails. You can also join our new Team on MS Teams, by clicking here or by clicking Join or Create a Team from within Teams and then using the code skd6691.

What’s it like working at Kent as an LGBT+ person?

Jan: The various communities represented by the LGBT+ acronym will experience Kent in different ways. We are a diverse community and we have very different challenges. There’s still a lot of educating to do.

Anne-Marie: I decided to be out at work many years before I joined Kent and perhaps it had become a bit of a “so what” for me. The LGBT+ community does have a voice at Kent and it’s been good to be part of that to progress LGBT inclusivity so that others feel supported to be themselves.

Jules: I believe the University is a good place to work. I believe improvements are needed and we should always strive to improve in our areas of the university and push the University to be a leader for inclusivity and equality.

Bob: Honestly, it’s the first place I’ve ever been able to bring my whole self to work. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect by any means… but I love being able to be myself at Kent.

Having trouble with Teams? Want to dive into Delve?

Come to a drop-in session (via Teams) on Wednesday 1 July 10.00-11.00, or any Wednesday thereafter.

James Cordery, IT Trainer, Tim Jenkins who’s an avid user, and a member of our IT Service Desk will be on hand to answer any queries you may have. Ask them about any of the Microsoft 365 tools, and they’ll do their best to share what they know.

If you don’t want to wait for a drop-in session:

• Use our Microsoft 365 guides and Microsoft 365 FAQs
• Contact us via online chat, call 01227 82 4888 or email helpdesk@kent.ac.uk

The University appreciates that this is a difficult time for all staff as we respond to the significant challenges presented by Covid-19. In recognition of this, and to provide some much needed time for recuperation, our Executive Group may, from time to time, grant additional rest days. The latest of these were announced this week and, for most of us, will be taken on Thursday 9 and Friday 10 July.

These rest days are fully paid and are in addition to annual leave. We want you to spend some time away from work with your families and to look after your own wellbeing. Please talk to your manager who will facilitate and coordinate requests for taking these days off.

Wherever possible, the rest day should be taken on the designated day, or in the designated week. However, to retain flexibility and accommodate as many staff as possible, especially those providing essential services on campus, individuals can agree with their line manager to take the rest day on another day within two weeks of the original date.

If you work part-time, you will receive a day’s leave regardless of the number of hours you work. If the designated day is on a day you don’t normally work, you can agree a suitable day with your line manager within two weeks of the original date.

It is important that academic staff take a break from work too so, if you are not taking annual leave during the vacation and working normally, you should take the rest day.

Rest days will not apply for staff employed on timesheet contracts who generally work a limited number of hours each week. However, if you are working full-time on a timesheet contract, please enter a rest day on your timesheet and you will be paid for this. You will also need to agree the day off with your manager.

The rest days are an ad-hoc thank you from the University to let you know how much your efforts are appreciated and there are no plans to make them a regular feature.

Find out more

For further information, including who’s eligible for the rest days, see the FAQs on the HR webpages.

Office 365 has been renamed Microsoft 365, and some new tools and features are available.

Video sharing, Forms and new features in Teams

Stream, available from Wed 24 June, offers video recording, Teams meetings recording, online video storage and sharing. Any recordings you make in Teams will automatically save into Stream with a link from your Teams channel.

Forms now available: use it to quickly build simple forms and short online polls.

Teams improvements:

• See up to 9 people at once on the screen (49 people view is coming later this year)
• You can upload your own background image: see the branding web pages for a choice of Kent images you could use
• If you record a Teams meeting, all participants are emailed a link to the video

Skype for Business will go in July

Skype for Business will be retired from use at the University in July 2020. Microsoft plan to withdraw the service, as Microsoft Teams offers the same chat and screen sharing functionality with much more. We’ll send a reminder in July.

Directory (Delve) tips

To find someone’s Kent username, look in the Outlook Address Book when creating a new email. The username is under a field called Alias. You can search for people in Delve by username.

To easily view directory information within Teams, add the Who app in Teams.

Check email accessibility in Outlook online

When composing an email from outlook.office365.com, in the top menu (to the right of the Send/Attach links) click the ellipses … , then click Check for accessibility issues.

Help and support

If you have any questions about any of the Microsoft 365 tools:

• Join a drop-in session. Save this link in your calendar: Wed 1 July 10.00-11.00: weekly drop-in
• Use our Microsoft 365 guides and Microsoft 365 FAQs
• Contact us via online chat, call 01227 82 4888 or email helpdesk@kent.ac.uk

The E-Learning Team are delighted to announce the launch of the Digitally Enhanced Education – A Guide to Teaching Online course. The course has been put together by the E-Learning Team, with contributions from academic colleagues, students, Information Services, the Library and Student Support and Wellbeing.

This course has been designed to help academic colleagues from around the institution to transition part or all of their teaching online. We would encourage all academic colleagues to engage with this course and to make use of the materials we have provided.

The course is divided into themes and topics and, whilst there is a natural pathway through the course, the individual sections can be viewed and undertaken in isolation, in any sequence and at a time of your choosing.  All staff have been automatically enrolled, so you can access it straight away. Live webinars will be provided to supplement this course and will be advertised in the coming weeks.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please do feel free to get in touch via elearning@kent.ac.uk