Winner of the Unsung Heroes Award is Becky Verlin, Housekeeping Manager for Kent Hospitality.

Becky was nominated for her pivotal role in setting up and running a Covid-19 testing site on campus for our staff and students.

On receiving her award, Becky said: ‘It’s a team effort – there were lots of other people involved, including Colin Smith (from HR), the space management team and others. I am happy to take the award but what I am really proud about is that the ATS team stayed right the way through – they’re the real heroes.’

Becky’s nomination

Becky’s nomination notes that during 2020, universities were asked by the Department for Education to set up asymptomatic testing centres on their campuses for students and staff. In the face of this ‘challenging ask’ and without a clear roadmap, the University was able to set up and run a full testing site service for our staff and students, which has continued into the 2021/22 academic year.

Becky’s nomination notes that she was instrumental in the setting up of the site, training and support of staff and ongoing delivery of the testing facility. She is praised for delivering ‘a great service with skill, professionalism and good humour’ and it is noted that ‘the University owes her a debt of gratitude for her leadership of this project’.

The award also reflects that, while working on the new testing centre, Becky continued with her ‘day job’ as well as advocating for others as a staff representative on our Joint Staff Negotiating and Consultation Committee (JSNCC).

Read more about Becky, including her ATS site role, in her Kent People profile published earlier this year.

Winners of our Community impact award are the PPE Response Team for their design and manufacture of CE marked PPE free of charge to care homes, hospices and hospitals in Kent.  

Team members include: Kevin Smith, Technical Manager; Colin Cresser, Technical Specialist; Julien Soosaipillai, Technical Specialist (all Division of Arts & Humanities). Daniel Knox, IT & Technical Services Manager; Sarah Carey; Ryan Morrow, Technical Manager; Jon Foley, Technician; Antonio Mendoza, Technician; Keith Greenhow, Technical Specialist (Division of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences ); Andrew Brookman, Technical Manager (Electronics); Mark Wheadon (Computing Fellow); Marcus Wright, Head of Business Development; Paul Sinnock, Deputy Director; Lucy Druesne, GOETEC Partnership Manager (IS). Carole Barron, Director of KEI; and Lauren Keating, Business & Industry Relationship Officer (KEI).  

On receiving the award, Carole Barron said: ‘When someone tells you that the team has actually saved lives, it’s very humbling and reflects all the hard work of the team giving support at such a critical time.’ And Marcus Wright added: ‘It’s the first time that technicians have come together in such a way’ and sets a precedent for future collaboration across different team areas. 

Award nomination  

The award nomination recognises the team’s tireless work to produce PPE during the early part of the Covid-19 pandemic. The team of technicians across academic divisions and colleagues in Knowledge Exchange & Innovation produced almost 5,000 face visors, specialist ophthalmic breath screens and over 20,000 face mask ear protectors to stringent safety standards. Often working evenings and weekends, the team were able to design a prototype, source materials and create the University’s first cross-departmental manufacturing centre in just two weeks.  

As a result, donations came in from alumni and local business, including a single donation of £20,000 from Santander. There was also positive feedback from recipients of the PPE in the community. Sarah Martins, Senior Ward Sister at Pilgrims Hospice, Canterbury said: ‘Thank you to everyone involved in making this happen, it makes a huge difference to the patients and staff here at the Hospice and enables us to continue caring without compromising safety.’ Another recipient of face visors, Redkite, added: ‘Thank you is not enough, this will make sure we can continue our work as safely as possible.’ 

The award nomination notes: ‘This project was the first time that technicians from across multiple departments within the University had independently come together, utilised facilities and resources in a collaborative approach. The University’s Technical Services strategy is now designed to include projects to enhance collaborative technician working, to make technical skills, resources and facilities more available to the wider University and to further highlight the positive impact technical staff have on the University’s activities.  

‘The work of the KEI team alongside technicians was essential in facilitating connections with care homes, hospices and the NHS as well as enabling the fundraising activities, making this a truly collaborative project supporting our local communities.’ 

 Further recognition  

On the same day as our Staff Awards, the Covid-19 PPE Response Team found out that they had won the prestigious Papin Prize, the UK’s only awards dedicated to celebrating technical excellence and innovation in higher education and research. You can find out more on our News Centre story. 

Main picture shows: Lauren Keating, Carole Barron, Paul Sinnock and Marcus Wright at the Kent Staff Recognition Awards ceremony. 

Winners of our Great Team award are staff who supported our students on campus during Covid. Team members include: Lucy Foley, Director of Student Services; Jacqui Double, Head of Colleges and Community Life (Student Services); Laura Maclean, Head of Accommodation and Customer Services; Louisa Harvey, Senior Events Coordinator; Caroline Hames, Event Services Coordinator; Rachel Walmesley, Events Coordinator; Jan Williams, Events Coordinator; Alison Polden, Events Coordinator; and Sarah Tooze, Reception Services Coordinator (all from Kent Hospitality). Their nomination notes that staff from Student Services and members of the Isolation Team worked outside of their normal working hours, regularly working evening and weekend shifts on a rota basis, to ensure that students received all the support that they needed throughout the pandemic. On receiving the award, team member Jacqui Double said: ‘It’s recognition that it takes a big team of people to come together to make things happen for students – particularly to keep changing things as regulations change. It also shows that flexibility and kindness, as emphasised by Karen (Cox) in her welcome this evening, has been shown by the whole team.’ Award nomination The award nomination outlines the team’s support for international students, including daily support and guidance on travel restrictions, as well as booking accommodation for quarantining students and co-ordinating the delivery of daily food packages in conjunction with the catering team. For students who needed to self-isolate, the team provided invaluable support, co-ordinating the delivery of care packs, giving vital information, support and advice. They also co-ordinated student helpers – or when unavailable went themselves – to help with deliveries to isolating students such as medication, toothpaste, food deliveries and more. The nomination notes: ‘This outstanding compassion and support for our students has made a huge difference to our isolating students.’  And students were also appreciative: “The self-isolation team was great with the care packages and checking in, I cannot fault them.” During the University Winter and Spring Bank Holiday closure, a high number of students on campus were unable to return home – and the Isolation Team stepped in again working every day (except Christmas Day) to ensure students remaining on campus were supported. ‘This represented a huge sacrifice for both the team and their families who had been expecting to spend uninterrupted time together after what had been an incredibly challenging period.’ As restrictions eased in Spring 2021, the number of students self-isolating increased. Numbers peaked during Kent Summer Fest, with a record number of students needing to self-isolate ahead of their anticipated departure date causing ‘an extraordinary amount of work’. The Isolation Team were also on hand to support our Accommodation Office with administering two rent rebates in the Spring – ‘a colossal effort and, again, far outside the team’s normal remit.’ The nomination ends: ‘All of this was done in addition to the team’s usual work and represents an outstanding and sustained contribution to the University with far reaching impacts for our students and their families.’ Picture shows: Jacqui Double, Rachel Walmesley, Alison Polden, Louisa Harvey, Jan Williams and Caroline Hames.

Congratulations to all of the shortlisted nominees and our fantastic winners in the inaugural Kent Staff Recognition Awards! At last night’s Oscar-style ceremony, the top awards across four categories – Community Impact, Great Team, Supportive Colleague and Unsung Heroes – were presented by members of our Executive Group and Council. Welcoming everyone, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Karen Cox said: ‘I have been overwhelmed by the sheer amount of interest in these awards in such a short space of time. Thank you to everyone involved – it’s a huge mark of how well this university works as a unit and how much we want to say thank you to each other during what have been truly unprecedented times.’ She added that kindness had been a key attribute during the pandemic and was evident in each of the more than 250 nominations. Award-winners were:

Community Impact

Winner: The PPE response team in recognition of their work to design and manufacture CE marked PPE provided free of charge to care homes, hospices and hospitals in Kent. In the early part of the Covid-19 pandemic, the team of technicians across Divisions and colleagues in Knowledge Exchange & Innovation produced almost 5,000 face visors, specialist ophthalmic breath screens and over 20,000 face mask ear protectors to stringent safety standards. Often working evenings and weekends, the team were able to design a prototype, source materials and create the University’s first cross-departmental manufacturing centre in just two weeks. Donations followed from alumni and local businesses, as well as positive feedback – with, for example, the Pilgrims Hospice, Canterbury, hailing the “huge difference” it had made to both patients and staff. Team members include: Kevin Smith, Technical Manager; Colin Cresser, Technical Specialist; Julien Soosaipillai, Technical Specialist (all Arts & Humanities Division); Daniel Knox, IT & Technical Services Manager; Ryan Morrow, Technical Manager; Jon Foley, Technician; Antonio Mendoza, Technician; Keith Greenhow, Technical Specialist (Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences Division); Marcus Wright, Head of Business Development (IS); Paul Sinnock, Deputy Director (IS); Lucy Druesne, GOETEC Partnership Manager (IS); Carole Barron, Director of KEI; and Lauren Keating, Business & Industry Relationship Officer (KEI). Runners-up in the Community Impact category were: (2^nd) Vicky Annis, Sports Physiotherapist (Kent Sport) and (3^rd) Community Gardens: Adam Hancock, Security Officer (Estates); and Emily Mason, Environmental Sustainability Officer (Safety, Health and Environment Unit).

Great Team

Winner: The team of staff supporting our students on campus during Covid – comprising Lucy Foley, Jacqui Double and Laura Maclean and members of the Isolation Team. The award recognises that these staff went well beyond their remit to ensure students received the support they needed. This included guidance on latest travel restrictions and providing quarantine accommodation with daily food packages for international students; co-ordinating support and care for any students required to self-isolate and those unable to travel home over Christmas and the end of term. All of this took place on top of team members’ day jobs, resulting in ‘an outstanding and sustained contribution to the University with far reaching impacts for our students and their families’. Through Lucy and her amazing leadership, they acted as our key contact with the Local Health Protection Team and ensured our students were looked after. Our team’s response was always calm, considered and professional despite the changing and challenging environment in which they were working. Team members include: Lucy Foley, Director of Student Services; Jacqui Double, Head of Colleges (Student Services); Laura Maclean, Head of Accommodation and Customer Services; Louisa Harvey, Senior Events Coordinator; Caroline Hames, Event Services Coordinator; Rachel Walmesley, Events Coordinator; Jan Williams, Events Coordinator; Alison Polden, Events Coordinator; and Sarah Tooze, Reception Services Coordinator (all from Kent Hospitality). Runners-up: (2^nd) Asymptomatic Testing Site Team comprising Charlie Dast, Sports Development Officer (Kent Sport); James Collett, Food & Beverage Assistant (Kent Hospitality); Becky Verlin (Head of Housekeeping); Thomas Tegento, Cleaner (Kent Hospitality Housekeeping); Luis Howell, Student Ambassador (Outreach Ambassadors); Rebecca Sharpe, Bar/Bistro Assistant (Gulbenkian Café); Ryan Tilley, Holly Porton, Orla Dean Odey, Thomas Lennox Robb, and Kemi Abidekun, Test Support Assistants (all Commercial Services). (3^rd) University of Kent eLearning Team comprising Daniel Clark, E-Learning Manager; Phil Anthony, Faculty Learning Technologist; Steve Ganfield, Faculty Learning Technologist; Nick Cornwall-French, Faculty Learning Technologist; Tom Finley, Distance Learning Technologist; Mark O’Connor, Distance Learning Technologist (all e-Learning Team); Dan Bartlett, PHP Developer; and James Keavney, PHP Developer (Learning and Research Development).

Supportive Colleague

Winner: Paul Sales, IT Trainer, Student Operations. Paul has played a key training role in the roll-out of KentVision, our new student data system. He has been praised for his ‘huge support to divisional and PSD colleagues trying to find their way with the new system and way of working. His nomination also notes that his KentVision expertise and university business process knowledge has been invaluable for collating feedback and working with users and the KentVision team together to find ways forward. The nomination concludes: ‘Paul has seemingly endless patience, is incredibly knowledgeable, always ready to help, offer advice or just his ear for a rant’. Runners-up: (joint 2nd) Jan Moriarty, Student Success Project (EDI) Manager (Student Success) and Philippa Moreton-Howell, Student Support Officer, Education & Student Experience (Arts and Humanities Division); (3^rd) Heather Ferguson, Divisional Director of Research & Innovation (Human and Social Sciences Division).

Unsung Heroes

Winner: Becky Verlin, Housekeeping Manager, Kent Hospitality. During 2020, universities were asked by the Department for Education to set up asymptomatic testing centres on their campuses for students and staff. Despite the absence of a clear roadmap, the University was able to respond, set up and run a full testing site service for our staff and students and continue to do so during the 2021/22 academic year. Becky’s nomination notes that she was instrumental in the setting up of the site, the training and support of staff and ongoing delivery of this service. She is praised for delivering ‘a great service with skill, professionalism and good humour’ and it is noted that ‘the University owes her a debt of gratitude for her leadership of this project’. The award also reflects that, while working on the new testing centre, Becky continued with her ‘day job’ as well as advocating for others as a staff representative on our Joint Staff Negotiating and Consultation Committee (JSNCC) Runners-up: (2^nd) Charlotte Ransom, Education ＆ Student Experience Manager (Human and Social Sciences Division) and (3^rd) Iris Prieto, Domestic Assistant (Kent Hospitality).

Other awards

The awards ceremony was attended by over 100 staff and compered by Olly Double, Reader in Drama and Theatre at Kent. As well as the main awards presentations, the audience voted on an award for the Most Humorous Moment which went to a mystery piano player during one of the Covid-19 webchats. A special Services Rendered to the Nation award was presented to the Marsh family singers – including Dr Ben Marsh in the School of History and Danielle Marsh in KBS – who performed a popular rendition of their version of One Day More. A number of long-serving staff were also presented with their 25 Year Service Awards, before the evening ended in style with a student cabaret, featuring Harry Negus-Ross, Daniel Lambert, Hannah Etheridge, Harvey Pinder, Ellie Panoula, Roy Clarke and Ruby Sullivan.

Find out more

See some of the best moments from the awards ceremony in our highlights video on YouTube.

To  access the official photos of the staff awards ceremony visit National Expressions Photography and enter the password: kentawards2021

An eclectic range of academic and industry experts have been confirmed for the University of Kent’s 7th annual HR Conference: Keeping Up with the Change.

The virtual conference will run from 9.30 to 14.00 on Wednesday 24 November and is organised by Knowledge Exchange and Innovation, the business and innovation gateway to the University of Kent. To book tickets, please visit this webpage.

The University’s world-leading academics and guest speakers will share their latest research, examples of best practice and tips and tools which can be applied in the workplace. In line with the theme ‘Keeping Up with the Change’, speakers will be cover topics including flexible working, leadership, cybersecurity and stress management. Delegates can expect to gain advice on adapting to cultural change at work and how to cultivate new, future proof ways of working.

Speakers from the University include:

• Dr Dawn H Nicholson, Senior Lecturer in Business/Organisational Psychology, partnering with Jenny Varley, Founder of Flink, to argue the case for job sharing.
• Dr Jason Nurse, Senior Lecturer in Cybersecurity, focussing on the unique cyber security challenges posed by working from home.
• Coral Warner, counsellor, mental health mentor, supervisor and trainer who will help delegates to identify and offer support to staff members who are suffering with stress.

Industry experts include:

• Antonio Fletcher, Employment Lawyer at Brachers who will provide expert advice on how not to break the law when working from home.
• Chris Preston, Founder and Director of The Culture Builders sharing his tips for managing change in a new world of work.
• Sonya Sikora and Alice Capell talking about their experience of embracing the ‘anytime, anywhere’ philosophy whilst working at Holiday Extras.
• Kelly Wakeman, Founder and Director of Start Inspiring sharing her tips on how to become RADICAL leaders in a post-covid world.

Staff tickets for the University Carol Service are now available.

The service will be taking place in Canterbury Cathedral on Monday 6 December at 20.00.

Please email your request for up to 4 tickets (which are free of charge) to Revd Dr Stephen Laird s.c.e.laird@kent.ac.uk and don’t forget to provide your location/address so that they know where to send the tickets.

This year’s appeal, for homelessness charity Porchlight, is online only via the Justgiving platform.

Covid Safety

This year, some aspects of the Carol Service have been modified in order to maximise safety: there will be no physical collection for the appeal, so please donate online, individual candles will not be involved, processing by singers etc will be minimised and the event will be shorter.

For further details of the event please visit the Carol Service webpage.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered to work at our October Open Days. We had a great turnout and it was so useful having extra helping hands to meet, greet, direct, register and talk to students and their families.

Our next Open Day will be on Saturday 20 November, from 10.00 – 14.00 and we need your support! Staff up to Grade 6 will be able to claim either TOIL (time for time) or the standard overtime rate.

It’s a great chance to work with people across the directorate and see the campus in action with giant LED screens, roving reporters and lots of activities to show visitors what we have to offer. Staff will be needed from 09.30 – 14.30. More details about exact arrangements and your role will be sent out before the day. Any questions, just let us know!

Please email schoolsliaison@kent.ac.uk if you are able to help.

Thanks in advance!

Events & Student Recruitment Team

If you are an Academic Adviser or Senior Tutor, you will now have access to the new Progress Profiles. A Progress Profile is a web-based report which tracks a student’s academic progress. It displays information such as module marks, attendance and enrolment data and is updated daily.

Why are they important?

Students told us that sometimes it is hard to know how well their studies are going. We created Progress Profiles to give our students a clear understanding of their performance across every stage of their degree journey. Every undergraduate will have their own Progress Profile. Academic Advisers can see the reports of all their advisees and Senior Tutors can see all the reports for students in their school.

Staff who can access Progress Profiles will also be able to view cohort data alongside a student’s individual data. Students are already having regular conversations about their studies with their Academic Adviser and Progress Profiles can help focus these conversations as it displays key data from KentVision in a format that is quicker and easier to digest.

Progress Profiles can be accessed directly from the top banner of the Student Guide.

Need Help?

A short video providing a detailed explanation of how Progress Profiles work can be found in the ‘About’ tab on the report page.

For any queries relating to access to, or content of, Progress Profiles, please contact the Information Services Helpdesk: helpdesk@kent.ac.uk

For further information or to provide feedback on Progress Profiles please contact the Student Success Team studentsuccessproject@kent.ac.uk.

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift or reward for your staff ? Let them choose exactly what they’d like, and support the city’s businesses at the same time, with the Canterbury Gift Card!

What is the Canterbury Gift Card ?

Launched in 2020, it’s a Mastercard that can be pre-loaded with however much you wish to gift the recipient.

Where can recipients spend their gift card?

The cards can be spent at around 120 local businesses, big and small. There’s something for everyone on the list, from big multiples such as Boots, M&S, Fenwick, Primark, Cote, McDonalds and New Look, to unique local independent stores. It covers everything from The Cheese Shop to high end jewellers, from The Marlowe Theatre to the local butcher, all the way to hairdressers, nail salons and beauty services, toyshops, clothing, shoes, restaurants, pubs and cafes. You can see the whole list of participating businesses on the Canterbury gift card page.

How do I find out more?

If you would like more information on how to give the gift of Canterbury to your staff or customers, please get in touch – we would love to help. It’s quick and easy, it supports local business and we guarantee it’ll never get regifted!

Email Kathy.Moulton@Canterburybid.co.uk

For orders of total value £2,000 or more, please contact Miconex who can arrange this for you.

Staff from the Department of Audio and Music Technology release new compositions on German Record Label, Gruenrekorder.

Dr. Aki Pasoulas and Dr. Brona Martin were commissioned by the Soundlapse project to create soundscape works using recordings from the project as source materials.  The recordings are from three wetland areas around the city of Valdivia, Chile. The album Soundlapse features works from various artists which explore these field recordings. The purpose of the project is to highlight the acoustical heritage of wetlands in the south of Chile. You can listen and download the album here.