Commercial Services & Estates are thrilled to announce that the catering team have won the coveted Marketing Award at the 2022 Public Sector Catering Awards.

The awards, held at the Hilton London Metropole on Thursday 7 April, celebrate the culinary achievements of individuals, teams, and organisations operating in a public sector environment. There are 18 award categories that represent all areas of the sector.

The Marketing Award is an accolade which celebrates marketing campaigns that have proved to be successful and exceeded expectations. The University’s catering team were presented with the award for the development, implementation, and marketing of Order Up! – Kent’s debut food and drink ordering app. Find out more about Order Up! in our Staff News story.

The catering team worked incredibly hard to ensure Order Up! was user-friendly for customers and ready for the new academic year. Many hours were spent building the app, creating a brand identity, and designing promotional content. A tremendous amount of effort also went into testing the app and training staff on the back of house software.

Keith Williams, Head of Trading, said: “I am immensely proud of our remarkable team, it’s brilliant to see their hard work and collaboration recognised across the sector. The app they created was simply first class, a result of a tremendous amount of work and collective responsibility. Our customers have fully embraced Order Up! and benefitted from its introduction, making all the effort worthwhile.”

The three other shortlisted contenders for the Marketing Award included Zoe Gill from Brakes, Emily Reeves from Cypad, and Super Wellness from OCS.

Thursday 14th April 2022
10:00 – 16:30

Would you like an Easter treat? Hunt for eggs that have been hidden around campus and bring them to the College & Community Life office, above the Co-Op in the Locke Building to get your chocolate treat! 4 eggs will be swapped for an ‘egg’stra special prize.

Happy hunting!

With the deadline for the 2022 National Student Survey (NSS) fast approaching (30 April), here are some ways you can help encourage students to fill out the NSS.

1. Talk to your students about the NSS and why they should complete it

If you have any revision sessions planned over the break with final year UG students, please remind them that the NSS is open, and they need to complete it by 30 April. You can also add the NSS lecture slide to any sessions you might be running.

2. Download the promotional materials

As well as the lecture slide, you can also download a range of NSS promotional materials from the Staff Guide. Including the QR code that takes students straight to the survey and an email signature.

3. Tell students about the changes that have been in made in response to previous NSS feedback

When promoting the NSS tell students about the changes they benefit from today because a previous student took the time to complete the NSS. You can download editable designs to add examples of changes.

4. Use Moodle and other channels to tell students about the NSS

You can use the Moodle messaging tool or the channels you typically use to communicate with your students to let them know the NSS closes on 30 April.

5. Make use of your targeted NSS mailing lists

The Student Data Team has created targeted mailing lists of students who are eligible to complete the NSS and haven’t completed it yet. Please make use of these lists to avoid spamming students who have already completed. To find out who in your Division has access to those lists, please email Christophe Collard.

Don’t try to influence how students respond to the NSS. Read the help card on what counts as inappropriate influence.

You can find out more on the NSS staff guidance webpages, including what the NSS is, why you should help promote and when Ipsos MORI will contact students.

Thanks for your help promoting the survey this year.

From Professor Jeremy Carrette | Dean for Europe

The University of Kent has a long history of delivering postgraduate courses in continental Europe, beginning with the Brussels School of International Studies in 1998. While the University has many partnerships throughout Europe, the Brussels School and the Paris School of Arts and Culture, which opened in 2010, are key parts of our new Kent in Europe strategy to offer specialist postgraduate teaching in Europe.

The University of Kent European schools provide unique opportunities for students to gain international educational experience in locations relevant to the subject. They are recognized as examples of excellence in transnational education and are a key part of our new Global Engagement Strategy; being led by the new EG lead for global engagement, Professor Richard Reece.

In order to strengthen the Brussels and Paris Schools for the future, the University has agreed that the schools will be most effectively managed from September 2023 inside our new Divisional structures. This will enable a closer alignment of academic activities and an integration of the professional service teams to allow better support for staff and students. It will also mean that students in Brussels and Paris will have a deeper link to the University and its resources and provide Divisions with a stronger international outreach and recruitment opportunity. It will also enable the University to provide a clearer and more efficient central service support for the Divisions in their management of the Brussels and Paris Schools.

While the academic subjects are already integrated into Divisions, from September 2023 the Divisional links will be enhanced by linking professional service teams into the Divisions. HSS will manage – with the appropriate links to LSSJ and any other subject areas – the Brussels School of International Studies, and A&H will managed the Paris School of Arts and Culture. There will be a period of transition in the next academic year 2022-2023 to allow the most effective integration.

This integration will enable the Divisions to establish a stronger sense of ownership and have a clarity of operation in Europe for both teaching and research links in the cities of Brussels and Paris. It is hoped that this new structure will make the European schools more agile in responding to the new demands of global education. It will allow more effective management and provide an operational framework for other subjects in the University to benefit from European links and subject delivery through the new structures should they wish to explore these options.

In the increasing challenging world of global education, this new organizational structure of our European Schools signals how they remain a vital part of our vision for the future.

From The Congregations Team

Thank you to all of those who volunteered to help at the celebration ceremonies in Rochester and Canterbury.

It was such an important moment for our students who had graduated in absentia in 2020 and we know how much they appreciated that Kent made sure they could have their special day. The graduates are of course the stars of the day, but it takes a team to make sure the show can happen for them – and you were a big part of that.

We know our call for volunteers came at an already busy time and we are very grateful you joined us to make the occasion a success. We hope that you enjoyed taking part and the opportunity to make the Cathedrals your office for the day! Please do let us know if you have any feedback from the events that you would like to share with us.

This May we will be hosting our graduates from 2021. We begin in Rochester on 11 May, and then Canterbury from 16 – 20 May. We hope you will join us again, and that you will also encourage colleagues to take part.  Please sign up online here.

We have made this video to thank the staff involved, and we hope it will also show others that it may be hard work, but it’s a lot of fun too!

From Martin Atkinson | Director of HR & Organisational Development

I am pleased to be able to let you know that the local branch of the UCU has accepted the proposal we made on 23 March and that the local ASOS, including the marking and assessment boycott, has now been brought to an end. You can read our joint statement with UCU for more background on this.

This means that marking and assessment is now resumed as normal, although the national Action Short of a Strike (not including a marking and assessment boycott) remains in place.

Any work that was not assessed during the boycott will now be assessed alongside other work, with Divisions working with their staff to agree on areas to prioritise. We anticipate that all outstanding marking will be completed by Friday 6 May 2022.

We would like to thank our local UCU for their part in the negotiations which have brought the dispute to a close. We would also like to thank those of you who have been providing extra support to students throughout the periods of industrial action.

This year has been particularly difficult for our students, and I want to recognise their patience in the face of the uncertainty and stress caused to them by the ongoing disputes. I sincerely hope that they can now look forward to some stability and certainty as they enter the examination period.

Ongoing negotiations  

I am also conscious of how challenging recent weeks have been for colleagues in Divisions which have been reviewing their activities and which face continued challenges due to national changes in where prospective students’ interests lie.

Whilst no compulsory redundancies have been proposed as part of these reviews and would only ever be considered as a very last resort, we understand that reviews can be unsettling for staff and I hope this agreement will take some of the pressure off while this work continues. I’d also like to thank colleagues for their continued involvement in working collectively on what a positive and sustainable way forward might look like. For the avoidance of any doubt, the commitment made in the joint statement to UCU members also applies to all other staff across the University.

We are also continuing our talks with UCU on the national issues in the hope that we can build on progress in the areas that we can influence at Kent – bearing in mind that many of the issues on the national ballot are out of our control. I will continue to keep you updated on progress with all these issues and hope we can now all concentrate on preparations for the summer term.

With all good wishes,

Martin

Martin Atkinson | Director of HR & Organisational Development

From Richard Reece| Deputy Vice-Chancellor | Education and Student Experience

At Kent, it is important we continually reflect on our provision and the experience we offer our students. Back in 2016/17, the University began a consultation with staff and students concerning the shape of our academic year. This was delayed by other organisational priorities and, of course, the covid pandemic. However, we are now in a position to continue this important work.

Kent is unusual in the HE sector in not holding a Winter assessment period after Autumn modules. This means our students can have a long period of time between teaching and being assessed on what they have learnt. We have received feedback from both students and Kent Union that this causing significant levels of anxiety. Many staff have also highlighted the challenge of the six-week turnaround of exams in the Summer, which is becoming increasingly difficult to manage with the complexity of our portfolio.

During the last consultation, we received significant feedback from staff and students. This insight has been used to shape the proposals presented to you. We are now asking for staff input in shaping these proposals, to ensure the one we choose provides the best structure for our whole University community.

Please get involved and share your views. Information about the proposed changes can be found on this dedicated SharePoint site. Here you will find further context to the changes as well as the three potential academic year structures. You will find a feedback form online, so you may leave comments and ask questions.

I will be holding a series of webinars, one for each division, during early April. These will be an opportunity for you to find out more about the proposed changes and ask questions relevant to your division and role.

Each Division has already been invited separately to their own dedicated webinar. To attend the Professional Services webinar on Thursday 7 April 13.00 – 14.00, please use this Teams link.

Here’s a schedule of each Divisional webinar:

5 April – 10.00 – 11.00 – Law, Society & Social Justice

5 April – 12.30 – 13.30 – Natural Science

5 April – 16.00 – 17.00 – KBS

6 April – 15.30 – 16.30 – Arts & Humanities

7 April – 9.00 – 10.00 – Computer, Engineering & Mathematical Sciences

7 April – 11.30 – 12.30 – Human & Social Sciences

7 April – 13.00 – 14.00 – Professional Services

It is important we also understand the views of our students and these help shape our decisions. Information on the potential changes will be provided to students through our Your Uni Your Say campaign, allowing them to find out more and ask questions.

Whether to change the structure of our academic year is an important decision that we must take together. I hope you will participate in this consultation and help shape our future at Kent.

From Hilary Edridge | Head of Campaigns and Philanthropy

Fundraising brings people together. By giving us a vision we can share, a common cause to inspire us and goals that we can aim for together, it can build networks and communities that really can help bring about positive change.

That’s been my experience of fundraising for many years now and why I’ve long wanted to launch a dedicated week of fundraising that the whole University can join in and enjoy.

The University’s plans for a new Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy gives us a perfect opportunity to launch an annual giving week that I hope will help us achieve something truly remarkable. The proposed centre will be the first of its kind in the UK and it promises to transform lives through innovative therapies and interventions for the many thousands of people who are diagnosed with this debilitating disease every year. More than 145,000 people live with Parkinson’s in the UK and it’s more than likely that each one of us knows someone personally who suffers from it.

So today we are launching our fundraising campaign that will build up over the coming days and weeks and culminate in Kent Giving Week, an exciting week of activities between the 9 – 13 May. I hope you’ll all want to take part in some way, big or small.

Each day will feature a theme that corresponds to a Parkinson’s disease symptom and the particular kind of therapy that the new centre will support and promote: Listen (neuro-stimulation); Sing (speech and language therapy, group singing); Move (group exercise and physiotherapy); Learn (nutritional, occupational and mental health advice) and Connect (massage therapy).

Activities will link to the themes so that you can do a 5k route around campus whilst wearing silent disco headphones (Listen); take part in our static bike ride (Move); come to a concert with the fantastic East Kent Rock Choir (Sing); come to some interesting and inspiring ‘TED’ Talks as well as hearing PhD students presenting their research at Bright Minds (Learn) and connect with others from around the globe from the comfort of your home in the Big Finale Livestream (Connect).

Alongside the week of activities we have The Moving Challenge where up until 13 May you can do a sponsored walk, run, swim or cycle to help us reach our collective goal of 5,000km. Whether you attend an event, take part in The Moving Challenge or support us in reaching our £25,000 goal, there really is something for everyone.

Students, local businesses, alumni and the local community are going to be joining in too. Learning about Parkinson’s is going to be a key objective of the campaign so that we both learn from our activities and understand better how the Centre will help those who need it most.

Do think about how you can sign up to support the activities, perhaps with your team and immediate colleagues, or support others in doing so. It’s going to be great fun!

For more information visit our about Kent Giving Week website.

Thank you.

Hilary Edridge

From Georgina Randsley de Moura | Professor of Social & Organisational Psychology
Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Strategy, Planning, and Performance

I am delighted that this report is now available in full and would like to thank, both personally and on behalf of Kent, the authors for their exceptional work on this. This report would not have been possible without significant investment of time and emotional labour by the BAME staff network chairs, and the many survey respondents and I thank all of you who have played a part in this.

Understanding the lived experience of our colleagues and students is key to ensuring the continual change needed to address the structural marginalisation they encounter on a daily basis. I encourage all members of our community to read this report and reflect on the changes that can be made within each of our areas of influence to create a more inclusive culture at Kent.

Alongside the aims and recommendations of this report, our antiracism strategy and Race Equality Charter work, we will work together to challenge accepted thinking and ways of working and to bring change across Kent.

The BAME staff network all staff survey research sought to understand the culture of the University of Kent, in order to advance race equality and improve career progression and staff development. A key priority for the network was to launch an all-staff survey to learn about the experiences and views regarding the university’s EDI practices and policies. The survey was designed and launched by the Co-Chairs in 2020-21 and was entitled ‘BAME Staff Network All Staff Survey 2020’. This report documents the findings from the survey and the report can be found here.

What is Worktribe?

Worktribe, the leading platform for higher education research management, is a Cloud-based platform that enables the effective and efficient management of research and innovation (R&I) grant applications and award data.

Why?

Research and Innovation Services (RIS) and the academic Divisions jointly recognised the urgent need for a more efficient and effective research and innovation grant application management system to support researchers and research managers across the University. Investment in the Worktribe Pre-award and Reporting modules will provide a more transparent, robust, and efficient way of processing grant applications and awards, supporting Divisions to achieve their research and innovation income targets. Worktribe offers depth of functionality with an intuitive, user-friendly interface. Its modular nature means that it can be incrementally expanded to support other R&I activities and workflows in due course.

Benefits

The key message is that Worktribe will provide a unified platform to enable researchers and research administrators to collaborate on the development, costing and approval of research and innovation projects. It will thus help to:

• Increase efficiency and transparency of information.
• Allow more time to be devoted to research and innovation activity.
• Enable Divisions to track and report on research and innovation data more effectively.

Specific benefits for academics will include:

• Greater control and visibility of their projects.
• Easily accessible information on how many applications they have been working on and how many projects have secured funding.

Professor Shane Weller, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, who approved the purchase of Worktribe for Kent on 2 September 2021, says: “I am absolutely delighted that we have been able to secure Worktribe for the University of Kent, since it will enable our researchers and research administrators and managers to benefit from an industry-leading tool to support research and innovation funding applications. Worktribe will play a major role in enabling us to support the world-class research being undertaken by our staff across the institution. The implementation of Worktribe is proceeding very well, and we are now progressing to the early adopter stage.”

Early adopters

We are delighted to be working with the Division of Natural Sciences (NATS) as early adopters of the Worktribe system. Academics and professional services staff within this Division will have the opportunity to benefit from the system from 1^st May 2022.

Timeline