As part of the wider programme of work across the University to ensure our future financial sustainability, a task force reporting to the Cash & Capital Approvals Committee has been looking into ways to reduce the cost of our day-to-day activities. The group is led by our Procurement Team, with members from JSNCC and both central and Divisional finance staff, with their work key to identifying non-pay savings required this year.  

A number of changes to how the University procures its goods and services have already been put in place as a result of this, helping ensure that expenditure is limited to essential activity only. With immediate effect: 

External Providers can now only be used when there is no viable internal alternative, meaning that (for example) all refreshments must be ordered through Kent Hospitality and all printing requirements through the Design and Print Centre. If cheaper alternatives are found externally, this should be shared with the relevant internal department in case they can review and improve their offering.  

Purchasing Cards will now have a transaction limit of £500, with Procurement working to reduce the total number currently in use across the University. 

Travel should currently only be booked if it directly relates to the successful recruitment of students and meets wider government Covid-19 restrictions. Travel budgets will also be reduced as a result of latest government advice, with restrictions lifted when appropriate. 

Unneeded suppliers whose services are no longer required as a result of Covid-19 restrictions have been written to by Procurement to suspend their services for the duration of major changes such as the closure of campus. If any supplier insists on being paid while not providing services, refer all correspondence to the Procurement Team. 

More widely, the Cash & Capital Approvals Committee is working closely with budget holders to ensure that all departments contribute to University-wide efforts to identify savings. This includes limiting any end-of-year spend to essential activity only, ensuring as much resource as possible can be put towards core University work.  

Read more on the recent changes to procuring goods and services at Kent 

Find out more about the Cash & Capital Approvals Committee. 

While film and TV production is in lockdown, the University of Kent has original research documentaries for you to discover.

Starting the week commencing 18 May, Researchers and field experts will host interactive talks featuring topical discussions as the University launches the “Think Kent Discovers series”, a series of nine cutting edge research documentaries produced by the University of Kent in association with KMTV.

Each event will start with the screening of a research documentary followed by a live panel discussion on the topic.

The series will be live streamed via Research Services ‘YouTube channel and the university’s facebook page.

All events are FREE to watch and to book your place,  please visit EventBrite. 

Series schedule to include:

Tuesday 19 May at 19.00: “Restoring the Palace of Westminster”
Dr Henrik Schoenefeldt from the Kent School of Architecture and Planning analyses the Houses of Parliament’s historic ventilation system and how it shaped the overall design of the building.

Panel members:
– Dr Henrik Schoenefeldt, Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Architecture at the University of Kent
– Professor Dean Hawkes, Emeritus Professor of Architectural Design at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University and an Emeritus Fellow of Darwin College, University of Cambridge
– Richard Ware, Former Director of the Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal Programme

Thursday 28 May at 19.00: “Mary Rose – A Chemical Conundrum”
The documentary explores how a team from the School of Physical Sciences helped to preserve, and put on display, the pride of the Tudor fleet.

Panel members:
– Professor Alan Chadwick, Emeritus Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Kent
– Professor Eleanor Schofield, Head of Conservation & Collections Care at the Mary Rose Trust
– Fred Mosselmans, Principal Beamline Scientist responsible for I20 at Diamond Light Source

Week commencing 1 June: “Peru – A Living Memory” (details to be confirmed)
Researcher Natalia Sobrevilla Perea, from School of European Culture and Languages, wants to teach citizens about all aspects of  Peru’s history in order to create a fully realised national identity for future generations of Peruvians.

For more details on each event, visit the Research Services webpage.

Following the popularity of the Additional Leave Purchase scheme in 2019, this will become an annual scheme from 2020.

The University is committed to providing policies that support work-life balance for staff, and recognises that there may be instances where staff wish to increase their annual leave for personal reasons.

This scheme has been devised to provide staff with additional flexibility in respect of planned time off work whether that be for a special occasion, an extended holiday (once travel restrictions are lifted), to help with caring responsibilities, or simply to support your wellbeing.

Applications for this year can be made from now until the end of June 2020 and the leave can be taken between July 2020 and June 2021. Full details of the scheme, including eligibility and how to apply can be found on the HR webpages.

The University recognises the impact COVID-19 is having on the usual patterns of annual leave. For some, operational pressures are affecting their leave plans, many will have had holiday plans for the coming months cancelled and, for large numbers, an increase in caring responsibilities means annual leave is not being used in the normal way.

Although social distancing is expected to continue for at least the next few months, it is still important that you take annual leave when you can. Even though most people are currently unable to leave their homes, spending time away from work is really important. We all hope that normal circumstances will resume in the coming months, which is why this annual scheme is being launched now as previously planned.

Did you know that National Vegetarian Week has arrived? During this annual event (11 May – 17 May 2020), we’re encouraged to try and go meat-free for a week, with vibrant and exciting dishes.

So, whether you’re a fully-fledged vegetarian, or just want to introduce one or two meat-free options to your diet, these 10 tasty vegetarian recipes are sure to be loved by all!

1. Roasted vegetable lasagne

Putting a spin on this Italian-style dish, BBC Good Food serves us up with a delicious alternative.

2. Mixed bean falafel and sweet potato hummus

Perfect for your evening meal or a lunchtime treat, this Good Housekeeping recipe is a great mix of delicious ingredients!

3. Black bean burgers

Packed with protein, Jamie Oliver’s veggie burger recipe can be whipped up in under an hour!

4. Tomato tarte tatin

From Olive magazine, this show-stopping savoury recipe is a great take on the classic French tart.

5. Acorn squash with wild rice stuffing

With squash and wild rice providing the perfect combination, this recipe from Cooking Light is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!

6. Sweet potato, chickpea and feta salad

Bursting with colour and flavour, this scrumptious salad from Delicious magazine is perfect for a warm summer evening…

7. Garden-fresh grilled veggie pizza

Providing us with a pizza loaded with fresh, flavoursome toppings, this recipe from Taste of Home is a slice of  deliciousness!

8. Broccoli and cheddar crêpes

Shake up your normal cooking routine with this hearty recipe from Good Housekeeping.

9. Summer squash and basil pasta

If you’ve not tried it already, why not add sautéed squash to your favourite pasta, and create this colourful dish from Bon appetit?

10. Roasted aubergine and tomato curry

Simple yet tasty, this vibrant dish from BBC Good Food is the ideal recipe for a quick mid-week dinner.

If you have any more vegetarian dishes you’d like to share, please send them to stories@kent.ac.uk

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.