From Martin Atkinson, Director of HR and Organisational Development

This year continues to present unprecedented challenges across the University as we adapt to the largescale disruption brought about by the pandemic and our continued period of change at Kent, coupled now with the difficulties many staff are experiencing following the launch of KentVision. The impact this is having on many people’s wellbeing has been a major concern in recent Executive Group meetings – we hear what you are saying and are fully committed to putting the right things in place to address the issues as quickly as we can. 

In recent weeks a sub-group of JSNCC has been meeting to explore the issues impacting staff wellbeing in depth, leading to a report that lists out key recommendations (link requires VPN access) to help us move forward. These recommendations were endorsed by the full JSNCC yesterday and also have the full support of both Karen and the Executive Group. I’d like to personally thank the members of the Working Group for coming together at such a busy time to find ways forward with this – I’ve no doubt their input will help us identify tangible improvements that are of real benefit across our community. 

Four key recommendations 

At the heart of the report are four key recommendations the group felt would best address current concerns around Wellbeing: 

• Wellbeing and Workload Focus Groups: Bringing staff together to talk about workload, to help us quickly identify and surface issues impacting staff as they arise and work together on solutions 
• Toolkits: Alongside the Mental Health Support intranet site, a toolkit will be prepared for early next year that brings together our Wellbeing resource and ensures everyone knows more about support available at Kent 
• Spreading the word: Encouraging more conversations about staff wellbeing and mental health by encouraging everyone to read this report and ensuring everyone has a chance to contribute towards putting improvements in place 
• EG engagement: Finding new ways to bring staff and the Executive Group together – including continued staff engagement via the popular Staff Webchats series which we will develop further throughout the year 

Workload 

The Working Group were clear that workload issues are the number one driver for the impact on wellbeing many staff are feeling at present. This includes the continued challenges we face following the launch of KentVision, for which as an Executive Group we apologise unreservedly. 

There are no quick fixes to workload issues or to the problems with KentVision. However, this is a key priority for EG and we are determined to improve our current situation as quickly as we can. This includes introducing short-term resource where it can make a difference and continuing to prioritise process improvement through the How We Work project. The new KentVision project manager has written directly to key stakeholders using the system with details of the changes now being put in place to improve delivery and to help alleviate some of the problems being experienced by users across the University. 

Looking ahead 

Kent is a great place to work in so many ways, but I realise that the current workload and wellbeing issues mean that it may not feel like that for some staff at present. There is much to do to improve staff wellbeing and we will provide regular updates as the recommendations get taken forward.  

Alongside that, we also want to recognise just how busy things have been. While it may still be a little way off, I’m pleased to confirm in advance that the last normal working day before Christmas (Wednesday 22 December) will now be a full rest day in recognition of how hard the last few months have been.  And, given we know how hard it is to take leave at the moment, staff will be allowed to carry over up to 10 days leave this year rather than the usual five.  Full details of both will be confirmed nearer the time. 

I fully recommend reading the Report in detail to find out more about our commitment to improving wellbeing at Kent. My thanks again to those involved for their hard work and genuine commitment to finding better ways to support our community at Kent. 

With all good wishes, 

Martin 

Martin Atkinson | Director of HR and Organisational Development

Article by Catherine Morris, Environmental Adviser

Sign-up now for our webchat to launch the Sustainability Strategy, taking place online on Tuesday 26 October, from 12.00 – 13.00.

As the world prepares for COP26, next month’s UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, the University is publishing its ambitious strategy for climate and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), setting out our role in addressing these global challenges.

Focused around our key strategic objectives of climate, campus and the curriculum, the strategy provides a framework for us to embed sustainability across all that we do from our operations to our partnerships and our research & innovation.

To find out more and learn how we will be implementing this strategy over the coming years, staff are invited to join this webchat on Tuesday 26 October, 12.00 – 13.00. Introduced by Professor Richard Reece, EG lead for Sustainability, the webchat will begin with an introduction to the new strategy by Dr Catherine Morris, Environmental Adviser. She will present the strategic objectives and how they will be implemented through four major delivery streams.

There will then be a panel discussion and Q&A, chaired by Dr Anthony Manning, Dean for Internationalisation, on the future of Sustainability at Kent and how the strategy will be implemented across the University. The panel will feature staff and student representation from across Kent including; Eske Eilts, a final-year Environmental Social Science student; Dr Sideeq Mohammed, Associate Dean of Education & UG Student Experience for KBS; and Trevor Pereira, Director of Commercial and Facilities Management. Panelists will be asked to describe how the strategy aligns with their area of work and opportunities for the University.

We will finish the event by announcing a range of exciting follow-up activities and events to celebrate the progress divisions and departments are making to implementing the strategy, including a poster series, showcase event and KMTV film.

The session will take place on teams. Please sign-up to this event by filling out this form.

The Coffin Tales Roadshow is coming to Kent, Medway and Essex this month with a series of free events that offer creative ways to look at the subject of death and dying.

Dr Julie Hedayioglu, Research Associate at Kent’s Centre for Health Services Studies (and a BPS Chartered Psychologist and Health Psychologist, HCPC Registered) is leading the evaluation of these community events. The aim is to look at the experiences and how people engage with using creative ways of sparking conversations around death, which are known to be beneficial in supporting better choices for end-of-life care.

The Coffin Tales Roadshow, a new series of events funded by Creative Estuary Ideas Lab, gives people the chance to come and look at customs, reflect, and experience traditions around life and death. Each event will have three different workshops led by creative practitioner Natasha Steer, Poet Dan Simpson, and Heritage Scientist/Conservator Dana Goodburn-Brown. There will be investigations into burial artefacts, live cooking workshops relating to funeral food, after dinner games, and creating writing.

Dana Goodburn-Brown said: ‘Some of my favourite and most memorable work is related to the conservation of objects from graves; investigating and sharing stories from our discoveries about the life of the person they belonged to. Finds from graves represent incredible and poignant time capsules revealing the details of ancient lives. It has been my privilege to work with such objects. I rarely get a chance to discuss what these findings mean to people in communities today. It is wonderful to be part of the Coffin Tales Roadshow Team, coming together to focus on what life and death means to us all.’

Dan Simpson said: ‘Poetry is often deployed at significant life events – and, of course, at the end of it: when we come together to celebrate someone who has passed. It is words that outlast us: through stories we tell and lines engraved on gravestones to commemorate the dead. I’m excited to encourage people to write their own words on this topic, and reflect on how to live a meaningful life in the here and now through poetry.’

All are welcome to drop-in events taking place in:

• Chatham: 18.00 – 21.00, Wednesday 20 October, at Dragon Coworking, St George Hotel, 7-8 New Road Avenue, ME4 6BB
• Sittingbourne: 14.00 – 17.00, Tuesday 26 October, at The Forum Shopping Centre
• Southend-on-Sea: 13.00 – 16.00, Thursday 28 October, at Prittlewell Priory, Priory Lodge, Victoria Avenue, SS2 6NB
• and Gravesend: 10.00 – 13.00, Sunday 31 October, at St Andrew’s Art Centre, 19 Royal Pier Road, DA12 2BD

For further information, please contact: coffintalesroadshow@gmail.com

The Division of Natural Sciences has been collecting books to send to Books2Africa (a Canterbury based registered charity 1152599). This drive led by Dr Andrew Wickens from Sports and Exercise Sciences collected 18 decent sized boxes of books which the charity were extremely pleased with.

This October in celebration of Black History Month, they are organising the Kent Computer Drive to collect donations of laptops and desktops to be refurbished and shipped to students and teachers in Africa. Their goal is to raise 500 laptops and 200 desktops and are offering free collections and drop-offs within Kent only. Anyone who wishes to donate their old laptop or desktop in Kent or to find out more, can head to the website to arrange a free collection or drop-off.

A shout out to the Division of Natural Sciences, and to Andrew in particular for collecting so many books for such a worthy cause.

To find out more please take a look at the Kent Computer Drive Poster

Update by KentVision Project Manager, Martin Carvey 

As the new Project Manager for KentVision, I wanted to give everyone an update on where we are with the project and what our next steps will be. As many will be aware, there are a number of issues with KentVision currently which are having a major impact across the University. While there won’t be any quick fixes to this, we know that solutions are needed urgently and are working as fast as we can to identify and deliver them. 

Project management 

Working with Project Sponsor Richard Reece, we have established a new Project Board with more regular reporting to Executive Group. This includes a more robust approach to risk management and revised timelines that reflect our current status. While also making improvements on an ongoing basis, we are working towards having the key aspects of KentVision fully operational by mid-2022. 

Additional support 

While the KentVision project team has worked tirelessly to get us to this stage, greater resources are essential to the future success of the project. We are currently bringing in additional business analysis, development and user support with this in mind. 

Priorities will include setting up a specifically designed Service Desk by the end of November to better manage emerging issues, while also building in additional time into the planning, testing and delivery cycle so more issues are addressed before they impact students and staff, 

Ongoing communications 

KentVision impacts across a number of areas of the University and both Richard Reece and myself want to make sure everyone is kept fully informed of progress in the coming weeks. Along with dedicated workshops for frontline teams, all staff can join a Staff Webchat in November (date tbc) where we will give a full update on the project and answer any questions you may have. 

In the meantime, you can find out more on the KentVision webpages.

Martin Carvey | KentVision Project Manager

All staff are invited to submit new or updated declarations for incorporation in the 2021/2022 Register.

The University Council holds a Register of Interests for members of Council and all staff, in line with the Higher Education Code of Governance and the Office for Students Audit requirements. It is up to individual members of staff what, if any, interests they declare – however, making a declaration provides protection for both you and the University against any possible allegations of impropriety.

For the purposes of the Register, an interest is defined to be any financial or other personal interest an individual may have in any relationship or proposed relationship between the University and an external body. This would include consultancy, employment, directorship or other activity within a commercial concern, shareholding or membership of statutory and public authorities. Other education establishments and companies with which the University has an actual or potential business relationship should be included, as should any interest that a family member might have that could give the appearance of a conflict, even where no actual conflict exists.

Documents, including the Policy and a Declaration Form can be accessed on the Council Secretariat website and on SharePoint. You can also find the University’s Policy on Personal Benefit can be found on our Governance pages.

Colleagues are welcome to contact Council Secretariat for confidential advice if needed.

The Music department’s curated Lunchtime Concert series returns this month, as we welcome sitarist and composer, Jonathan Mayer, to launch the new series.

The concert series, which is open to all and free to attend, brings some of the best performers to Colyer-Fergusson Hall, and this term sees some exciting links with the University’s musical community.

In a change to the normal procedure, entry is by free ticket only, which needs to be booked in advance – please see the website for details

The Music department is grateful to Furley Page Solicitors for sponsoring the Lunchtime Concerts.

Celebrate the festive season in style with us at Kent this year.

We’re excited to announce that Christmas Parties on the Canterbury campus are now open and taking bookings.

We have packages to suit all tastes, from organised Christmas Party Nights on Thursday 9 or Thursday 16 December in Darwin Suite with an indulgent 3-course meal and entertainment, or exclusive use of Darwin Suite for your own private festive event with seasonal menus, drinks and entertainment packages.

Or for something truly different, why not bring some festive wonder to your Christmas party and hold your event outdoors in our large marquee overlooking Canterbury Cathedral? Bespoke packages are available from festive BBQs and hog roasts, to canapés and Champagne topped off with a snow machine for a Winter Wonderland experience.

Plus, our Conference and Events Team are on hand to take the stress out of the organisation for you during this busy time.

So, whatever your plans, support Kent this season by keeping your spend on campus and count on us for fun-filled celebrations and a night to remember.

Find out more on the Christmas Parties webpages or send an enquiry via this form.

The E-Learning Team are pleased to announce that the next event in our series of ‘Digitally Enhanced Education webinars’ will take place on Wednesday 27 October at the slightly later time of 14:00 – 16:30 (BST), with the theme ‘Pedagogy and Practice when Teaching Online’.

Please find the agenda for the event below:

14:00 – 14:05 – Phil Anthony: Introduction

14:05 – 14:20 – Associate Professor Rachel Bolton-King (Staffordshire University): 5 Steps to Rethink your Remote Pedagogy

14:20 – 14:35 – Mary Jacob (Aberystwyth University): Dialogic feedback in online group tutorials

14:35 – 14:50 – Professor Phil Race: Assessment: Do we measure what we’ve taught, or something else?

14:50 – 15:05 – Michael Natzler (Hepi): Thinking about the student voice

15:05 – 15:20 – Chris Douce (Open University): Getting published in a peer reviewed journal

15:20 – 15:30 – Break

15:30 – 15:45 – Vikki Anderson, Susan Onens & Karl Nightingale (University of Birmingham): Audio feedback. A step towards a more inclusive curriculum

15:45 – 16:00 – Zoë Allman (Associate Dean, De Montfort University): Mental wellbeing for all

16:00 – 16:15 – Flower Darby (Northern Arizona University): Practical tips for engaging students via online forums

16:15 – 16:30 – Dr Peter Horneffer (All American Institute of Medical Sciences): Applying Evidence-based Strategies For Effective Teaching in Digital Classrooms

If you would like to join the webinar series, please express your interest here if you haven’t already. We will add you the Microsoft Team linked to the series.  Colleagues from outside the University are very welcome to join and so feel free to circulate.

If you would like to present at a future event, please complete this form and Phil Anthony will be in touch.

We hope to see you there.