Entries for the Times Higher Education Awards 2020 are now open.

Entries are invited from UK higher education institutions across 19 categories, which will be shortlisted and judged by an expert panel. This year’s categories are listed below and, unless otherwise stated in the specific subject criteria, the judges will be looking for outstanding examples of best practice during the 2018-19 academic year.

• THE Outstanding Achievement Award
• Business School of the Year
• Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative of the Year
• Knowledge Exchange/Transfer Initiative of the Year
• Research Project of the Year: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
• Research Project of the Year: STEM
• Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year
• Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year
• Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community
• Outstanding Support for Students
• Outstanding Entrepreneurial University
• Outstanding Library Team
• Outstanding Estates Strategy
• Outstanding Marketing/Communications Team
• Most Innovative Teacher of the Year
• International Collaboration of the Year
• Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• Outstanding Technician of the Year
• University of the Year

Winners will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London on 26 November.

Corporate Communications will once again be co-ordinating Kent’s award entries this year and is happy to support schools/departments with their submissions. Please email Corporate Communications by Friday 22 May if you know of a potential entry – deadline for all completed entries is Wednesday 10 June.

Further information on the awards is available on the THE Awards 2020 website.

Picture shows: Kent’s Outstanding Library Team at the THE Awards 2019

We only have one more week until ‘Belong and Grow – it’s your BAG’ week 2020 and although our plans for BAG week 2020 have changed in line with the current situation and the need to stay safe, we still have lots on offer. Although we are not able to have face to face sessions during the week, we want to encourage you to take time during w/c 18th of May for your personal development and wellbeing, so we have redesigned ‘BAG’ week to feature remote sessions.

All of this year’s virtual events will be held by Zoom, Teams, or webinar. Please view the details of each event and book the events you would like to attend through Staff Connect. Search ‘BAG’ in Staff Connect. You will then receive a link to the event a couple of days before the scheduled date.

We also have webinars and Blogs that you can view at your leisure throughout the week.

All of the events are featured in our rolling blog, which will be updated regularly.

This event has been organised by Learning & Organisational Development, in conjunction with external providers, members of staff and students.

If you have any questions, please email LDev@kent.ac.uk

Download the Wellbeing Zone Hub. 

Follow the week on Social media and share your thoughts, using #BagWeek

Organising for Success brings together work that will ensure we are equipped to deliver our Kent 2025 strategy, including launching new academic divisions and ensuring our professional services are shaped around the needs of our students. 

Our six new Academic Divisions will be ‘live’ from 1 August 2020, with senior leadership teams appointed and budgets confirmed. New teams will then mainly be in place by September and will be fully operational by the start of November at the latest. 

Academic Divisions 

We will shortly begin recruiting to the core academic leadership roles within each Division, which were recently discussed at Senate. These key roles will be part of each Division’s Senior Management team, helping develop strategy in areas such as education, research and postgraduate study. 

Alongside this, work is ongoing to confirm framework agreements between Divisions and central professional services, with divisional Directors of Operations and Heads of Profession working closely to agree where resource and responsibility will best sit in the new structure. 

Central professional services 

Recruitment is ongoing to outstanding senior leadership positions in central professional services, with appointments regularly updated on the organisation chart on the HR website.

We are also currently working with Learning & Organisational Development on a second series of engagement events for managers following the ‘Town Halls’ earlier in the year, with invites to follow in the coming weeks. These will again be focussed on making sure managers have the information they need to support their teams in the coming months, including project updates and HR information. 

Transition planning 

A dedicated project team is now working to bring together the different aspects of transition activity already underway as we move to the new divisional structures, including plans for key areas such as appeals, systems and support for students at the start of next year. More information on this will follow shortly, including a detailed timeline showing how this will be managed in the interim period before Divisions are fully operational. 

For latest updates, see the Organising for Success staff webpages 

Professor Shujun Li has been working with the Association of British Chinese Professors (ABCP) to raise funds to support the NHS in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The money raised has been used to buy personal protection equipment (PPE) for ten UK hospitals.

As well as being a Professor of Cyber Security at the University of Kent, Shujun is also the Vice President for Internal Communication and Public Relations of ABCP.  With the joint effort of its members and associated members across the UK, the following has been achieved so far:

1000 FFP2 face masks, donated to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London

1000 FFP2 face masks, donated to UCL Hospital London

400 FFP2 face masks, donated to St Mary Hospital, Imperial College London

3500 safety goggles and 7000 full face visors donated to seven hospitals in London, Cambridge, Birmingham and Coventry.

Shujun commented: ‘I have been lucky to be able to play my part in such a great project organised by the ABCP. I have been deeply moved by many British Chinese who have kindly provided their help in many different ways, e.g., donating money, providing information about potential PPE vendors in China, liaising with NHS hospitals and other organisations in need of PPE, liaising with Chinese donors to arrange purchase, validation and transportation of PPE, and helping forwarding information and PPE to NHS staff and other essential workers.’

He added, ‘Together with a number of other Chinese academics working at the University of Kent, we also helped receive hundreds of PPE items from China and re-distributed them to local people in need, some working at NHS hospitals or medical clinics.’

For more information and to find out how to help, please go to the Association of British Chinese Professors website. 

Kent Hospitality were proud to win the ‘HHH Green Award’ at The Triple H Awards 2020 (Hotel Housekeeping Honours) held at the Hilton Metropole NEC Birmingham on 12 March.

Seeing off competition from Royal Holloway University of London, who were Highly Commended in the category, the Kent Hospitality Housekeeping team were thrilled to win the HHH Green Award. The Green Award is presented to the institution best demonstrating ecological and environmental initiatives and innovation.

Gary Sayles, Executive Housekeeping Manager, collected the award on behalf of his team and said ‘I am exceptionally proud of all my team and that our efforts to provide a high quality and environmentally friendly service to our students has been rewarded. We will continue to build on our services and always seek the latest innovations, but this is a sure sign we are moving in the right direction’.

The award recognised the Kent Hospitality Housekeeping team’s significant shift away from their previous methodologies and cleaning products to be more eco-friendly. The department now predominantly utilises Aqueous Ozone, Thermostar steam cleaning, and InnuScience biological products, all of which serve as environmentally friendly alternatives for their staff to use across the University. Additionally, as well as being eco-label certified and cruelty free, one noted advantage of InnuScience’s products is that they are not classified as hazardous, or as an irritant, meaning the cleaning products can be freely included in all campus student accommodation kitchens.

This was not the only success for Kent Hospitality at the 2020 awards as Durga Rai was shortlisted for the ‘Cleaning Technician of the Year Award’ following Hayley Dyer’s Highly Commended acknowledgement in the same category at the 2019 awards.

See the HHH Awards 2020 website for further information.

The Joint Staff Negotiating and Consultation Committee (JSNCC), is the main forum for consultation between the University of Kent and its staff, on all matters of mutual interest.

The next meeting for the JSNCC is due to take place online (via Microsoft Teams) on Tuesday 12 May. The agenda and papers are now available for you to view on the JSNCC webpages.

The JSNCC pages provides details of the full membership of the JSNCC, meeting dates, its terms of reference, documentation for submission to the JSNCC and minutes of previous meetings. You’ll also find details on Staff and Trades Union Representatives on the there too.

Office 365 can help you develop the way you work online

Office 365 can replace Skype for Business, Dropbox, Zoom, Trello and more. It lets you work in an integrated way that is consistent with other teams at Kent.

Office 365 is the new University of Kent collaboration platform. Make it the first place you visit to collaborate with colleagues and students, or contacts at other organisations.

What Office 365 offers

• The full suite of Office applications available online on any device: log in here with your Kent IT Account to see them
• Extensive file storage for you and your team: individual OneDrive cloud storage (1 Terabyte) and collaborative storage within Teams sites (25 Terabytes)
• Live multi-user document editing are possible on files in both Teams and OneDrive
• Collaboration and productivity tools such as Teams, Planner, and To Do
• Teams offers web, video and audio chat which can include presenting or screen sharing
• Teams meetings can be set up from your Outlook calendar

Integration saves time

Unlike third-party applications such as Zoom and Dropbox, Office 365 applications are integrated:

• with each other
• with our Kent IT Accounts and user directories
• and with existing services such as email and shared mailboxes.

When you book a meeting in Teams it goes into your email Calendar. Or you can book a Teams meeting directly from your calendar.

You can see colleagues’ availability and chat instantly or arrange a virtual meeting. You can plan project work and integrate this with your personal online to-do list and your team’s or project group’s work plan.

Read why O365 tools offer much more than other video conferencing, storage, messaging or planning tools.

Secure and supported

Office 365 provides all of the security and account governance that comes with a University IT Account. Office 365 is regularly updated by Microsoft, with new features expected for Teams very soon (including the ability to ‘raise your hand’ in a large video chat, and see 9 participants at once on screen).

Save money on third-party licenses

Departments should use the functionality within Office 365 to avoid incurring costs for third-party software licences. Third-party tools may be less secure, and many of them (such as Zoom or Dropbox) offer similar features as Office 365, without the integration or collaboration benefits.

We aim to develop services to meet your needs: if you believe the functionality you need doesn’t exist in the tools provided, please contact us.

Development of the service

From September 2020 Office ProPlus will be installed on student and staff PCs (managed desktops). Teams will replace Skype for Business as our staff instant messaging service.

Our Office 365 portal will offer more applications over the coming 12 months including Stream, Sway, Forms and Bookings. These will offer you new ways to share video, create online media, create interactive forms, and manage interviews and events.

Support and guidance

• Visit the University Staff Guide to O365
• For further help with O365 tools, contact us

After the events and changes of the last few weeks, and now that we are all working in new and unexpected ways, we would like to invite your views about the University’s response to the current situation, how supported you are feeling and what additional measures we might take to help.

We have therefore prepared a short online survey, which should take between 5 and 10 minutes to complete.  We’ve used the headings (Collaborate, Organise, Prepare, Enable) of our new COPE Framework, which you should now be aware of, as well as  some other more general questions.   Your Staff and Trades Union Representatives have had the chance to see the survey in advance and feed in their thoughts about the issues you should be asked about.

The closing date for completion is 17.00 on Thursday 7 May. Do please take a few minutes to share your views and any suggestions you have to improve how we all work together during these challenging times.

Alison Ross-Green|Director of HR & Organisational Development

During this period, we find ourselves at home with plenty of spare time on our hands. So why not use this opportunity to catch up on TV shows, you’ve previously not had time to watch?

With plenty of bingeworthy boxsets and unmissable dramas featured on Netflix and BBC iPlayer, we’ve selected our Top 10 across a mix of genres – something to suit every taste!

1. Killing Eve – BBC iPlayer

This crime/thriller based on a game of cat and mouse between eccentric assassin Villanelle and MI5 officer Eve, will have you on the edge of your sofa!

2. The Crown – Netflix

With not one but three series to binge on, this historical drama takes you on a journey through the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

3. His Dark Materials – BBC iPlayer

An adaptation of Phillip Pullman’s thrilling and epic novel, Dark Materials is an impressive fantasy for you to enjoy with the whole family.

4. Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness – Netflix

It’s the new show everyone’s talking about, this seven-episode documentary tells the true life of eccentric zoo owner Joe Exotic. Sprinkled with twists and turns, you’ll be amazed it’s fact not fiction!

5. This Country – BBC iPlayer

Something to tickle your funny bones, this Bafta winning comedy portrays life in a sleepy Cotswold village for cousins Kerry and Kurtan. Look out for an A-list secret celebrity in the final series.

6. Stranger Things – Netflix

Set in the 1980s, Stranger Things is a show for sci-fi lovers, featuring worldly monsters, supernatural powers, and heart-warming friendships. We can see why it’s won an award or two!

7. Line of Duty – BBC iPlayer

As series 6 is delayed in filming, there’s plenty of time to get caught up or remind yourself of the thrilling goings on with the team investigating police corruption.

8. Orange is the New Black – Netflix

Featuring seven seasons, Orange is the New Black is the perfect show to keep you occupied. Based in an American female prison, this drama will have you laughing and crying in equal measure!

9. Seven Worlds, One Planet – BBC iPlayer

With yet another jaw-dropping documentary under his belt, David Attenborough once again wows viewers with his latest series, as each episode explores the Earth’s continents and their inhabitants.

10. Friends – Netflix

 The final season may have aired in 2004, but this timeless comedy from across the pond will have you laughing over and over, no matter how many times you watch it!

Share your thoughts and ideas on our top 10 features with stories@kent.ac.uk

Hedgehog Awareness Week is organised by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and takes place every year. It aims to highlight the problems hedgehogs face and how you can help them.

The hedgehog is in trouble, with populations plummeting 50% since 2000. Increasing habitat loss means hedgehogs are moving out of their rural homes and into built areas. But here they face a whole host of challenges, including road traffic, litter, poisoning and lack of access to food and water. In 2019 the RSPCA saw Hedgehog admissions to their wildlife centres break all records with 2770 hedgehogs being admitted.  Reasons for this include variations in weather causing a reduction in food availability meaning hedgehogs struggling to make it through the winter.

We are lucky enough to have hedgehogs on our campus however, the roads that cut through campus are causing particular issues with hedgehogs being hit by vehicles, as well as litter causing issues for hedgehogs and other wildlife on campus.

In July 2019 the University launched its participation in the Hedgehog Friendly Campus project– created at the University of Sheffield to use the unique spaces that university campuses are, to raise awareness of the plight of UK hedgehogs and take action to safeguard their future.

The University has a hedgehog action group made up of student and staff volunteers from across the University working together to address these issues. This group has taken a number of actions to help support hedgehogs on campus including litter picking, awareness raising and providing toolbox talks for the Landscape and Grounds Team so that they know what to do if they find an injured hedgehog, how to check for them before strimming and what are the biggest risks to hedgehogs on campus.

The University was awarded a Bronze certificate for its efforts by the Hedgehog Friendly Campus Project earlier this year and since then the action group have been developing plans for further initiatives we can do, including surveying and signage.

Whilst we are all in lockdown there are number of things we can all do to help support local hedgehogs, especially those of us that have gardens. Simple actions like: creating a log pile, checking areas before strimming, and building a hedgehog home can make a huge difference to your local population of hedgehogs. This year the BHPS are asking people to talk to their neighbours (from a distance) about cutting a CD case sized hole in the bottom of fences to create a hedgehog highway between gardens.

You can find out more information about things you can do on the BHPS website and get involved with the University of Kent Hedgehog action group by emailing sustainability@kent.ac.uk. Throughout the week the Sustainability Team will be posting tips, actions and activities on their Instagram @unikent.sustainability.