Campus News
Teaching and Learning Building to be named for first female professor
May 5th, 2020
The Teaching and Learning Building is to be renamed the Monica Partridge Building following a University-wide vote.
As part of International Women’s Day celebrations we invited the University community to help decide the new name for the newest building on University Park based on a list of suggestions.
More than 2,500 votes were cast throughout March with the winner declared Monica Partridge in light of her role as the University’s first woman professor.
Meena Alexander and Helena Dowson – the two other names shortlisted for the vote- will have the Performing Arts Studio and the Lecture Theatre in the building bear their names respectively.
Professor Sarah Sharples, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and People, explained: “I’m delighted with the response to the voting and the renaming project. Our buildings may not be as important as the people and work that takes place inside but their names act as physical reminders of our university heritage. It makes me feel very proud to see these influential and pioneering women like Monica Partridge remembered in this way.”
Professor Partridge read French at University College, Nottingham, before becoming interested in Russia during World War II. She joined Nottingham University College’s Department of Slavonic Languages as a tutorial assistant in 1947 and became Chair and Head of Department in 1967. She established close links with universities in Slovenia and Croatia, paving the way for Nottingham students to study in Ljubljana and Zagreb.
She retired in 1980 and was made an Emeritus Professor of The University of Nottingham. In the same year her achievements were recognised internationally, with the Order of the Yugoslav Flag with a Gold Star for her promotion of Yugoslav studies in Britain.
Once the University returns to campus new signage and an opening ceremony will celebrate the Monica Partridge Building.
The building will also be home to the Trailblazing Women exhibition along with the portraits from the Press for Progress portrait exhibition launched at 2018 celebrations for International Women’s Day.
Tags: Monica Partridge, Teaching and Learning Building
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Free webinars to support universities during pandemic
May 5th, 2020
Universities UK (UUK) have launched a series of free online webinars to help the sector gather and share best practice amidst the global pandemic, as well as find practical solutions to immediate problems.
The dates and subjects of the webinars are:
Thursday 21 May, 11am-12pm – Mental health and COVID-19
Tuesday 2 June, 11am – 12pm – Delivering virtual careers services and online support during COVID-19
Thursday 4 June, 11am – 12pm – Addressing the impact of COVID-19 on student progression and retention
Registering for the webinars is completely free.
If you have any questions about the webinars, please email the events team at UUK.
Tags: Free webinars, support, training, Universities UK, UUK, Webinar
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The Big Alumni Quiz: Thursday 7 May
May 4th, 2020
The Campaign and Alumni Relations Office have been working on a range of content and activities to keep our alumni audiences engaged during lockdown – including a Big Alumni Quiz!
Even though it’s called the Big Alumni Quiz, anyone can take take part, with the questions focusing on the University or Nottinghamshire in general.
The watch party kicks off on Thursday 7 May at 6.55pm with a 5 minute countdown to the quiz – officially starting at 7pm.
All you’ll need to join in is a pen and piece of paper – but there’ll also be an optional quiz sheet template that you can print off at home.
Find out more on the Facebook events page.
Tags: alumni, alumni community, alumni network, alumnus, quiz
Posted in Announcements, News | 3 Comments »
Healthcare enrolment window open – one month to register
May 1st, 2020
The enrolment window for private healthcare is open – with one month to register.
Private Healthcare cover offers quick access to eligible health treatment; from speaking to a specialist for diagnosis to receiving the appropriate care for yourself. More details are available on the Employee Hub (University login required) including:
- HealthCover4life brochure – a summary of benefits including prices
- HealthCover4life member handbook – detailed information on what is and isn’t covered
- Doctor@Hand – New for January 2020, access to a GP through your phone 24 hours a day
- FAQs
- Enrolment form
You can register yourself and your family members up until 5pm on Friday 29th May 2020.
Private healthcare is just one of the ways the University supports colleagues in taking care of their health. Click on the links below to find out about other healthy employee benefits available:
- Free eye care testsfor DSE users
- Medical Cash back plan
- Wellbeing toolkit
- Employee Assistance Programme
- University of Nottingham Health Service
- Cripps Dental Centre
Health Insurance and COVID-19 information
The private healthcare sector is currently supporting the NHS in their response to COVID-19 and also adhering to social distancing. It is expected that there will be delays in non-essential, elected surgery due to this. Please click here for full details.
The prices have remained the same and PHC AXA have provided this summary and FAQ’s on the scheme in light of the pandemic.
Tags: healthcare, private healthcare, Private medical insurance
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New Health and Safety home working pages
April 30th, 2020
The Health and Safety team have put together a handy guide on home working, including a Working Comfortably at Home presentation to help people with their remote setup.
The pages also include a home working checklist for individuals to go through when setting up a workstation at home as well as guidance on display screen equipment.
Visit the Home Working Health and Safety pages [Workspace login required].
For any support needs, please email the Health and Safety Team.
Tags: DSE, health and safety, occupational health, remote working, safety at home
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Chaplaincy support services
April 30th, 2020
The University’s Chaplain support service is here to support all staff of any faith, or none.
They help people practice their faith and engage with faith communities, but also much more widely they offer general pastoral support to anyone who need someone to listen or to talk things through with.
The current situation may well raise some big questions about purpose and meaning in life, as well as responding to grief and bereavement, and the chaplains are a good place to turn to for this. They’re happy to listen and chat by phone or online.
The Chaplains inbox is being monitored every working day, so do use it to contact them and a member of the team will get back to you: chaplains@nottingham.ac.uk
The service would like know what support staff would find most beneficial – so they are encouraging everyone to complete the quick Chaplaincy Support for Staff Survey, which shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes and will inform future service provision over the next months.
Tags: Chaplaincy, Chaplaincy team, University of Nottingham Chaplaincy
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After the virus: building a more resilient, fairer society
April 30th, 2020
As the world looks forward to recovering from COVID-19, our researchers are reflecting on the challenges we face as well as opportunities to build a more resilient, fairer society.
There is little that is untouched by the virus, and our experts will examine issues ranging from international politics to individual mental health, from delivering economic recovery to consuming culture in new ways.
In a series curated by the University’s Institute for Policy and Engagement, we hope to provoke debate about how we build a stronger society after the virus.
Tags: COVID-19, culture, economics, international politics, mental health, recovery, research, society
Posted in Announcements, News, People, Research | 1 Comment »
Highfield Lake improvement works to begin
April 28th, 2020
Essential ground works around Highfield Lake is due to start today (Tuesday 28 April).
Barriers and fencing have been erected to ensure the area is cordoned off from public use and all safety practices and precautions are being applied during the COVID-19 pandemic. Round timber posts with wire fencing have also been installed to help protect local wildlife and prevent them from entering the area.
The re-seeding work needs to be done as soon as possible to ensure grass seed germination is successful and the work will both improve and enhance the area along the footpath on the University side of the lake.
The work is expected to take up to 3 days to complete.
Tags: Highfield Lake, pathworks, roadworks
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Rainbow Wall of Hope set up by Faculty of Engineering
April 27th, 2020
It’s important to keep a smile on our faces, now more than ever. To help, the Faculty of Engineering have set up an online Rainbow Wall of Hope to keep us cheery!
The Rainbow Wall celebrates the wonderful artwork being created by children and adults from in and around Nottingham. Being a symbol of hope, sharing rainbows on a virtual wall not only celebrates the strength and unity of our University community, but also shares a positive with those who may be self-isolating.
Students, staff, friends and families are all encouraged to upload their Rainbow photos or email Laura Walker who will upload them for you.
Tags: coronavirus, Faculty of Engineering, NHS, Wall of hope
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Managing arrangements for taking annual leave
April 27th, 2020
The COVID-19 response has had wide ranging impacts on the plans that many University staff had for taking annual leave in the 19/20 year.
Colleagues should take the following approaches to taking annual leave as appropriate:
All Staff (except Key Workers)
Employees should continue to take annual leave for the purposes of rest, recuperation and to support their wellbeing.
For the 19/20 leave year staff will be able to carry over up to:
- five days annual leave (pro-rata for part-time employees) without the usual requirement for exceptional consent
- AND may request to carry over up to a further five days (pro-rata for part-time employees) on an exceptional basis in agreement with their line manager who will need to get agreement from the PVC or Director of Service or nominee. This should only be applicable in rare and exceptional situations where an employee has been unable to take their leave because they have been providing essential support for the emergency situation over an extended period (but are not Key Workers as defined by the government).
Where annual leave is carried over staff need to agree with their line manager when they are able to take their annual leave in the leave year 2020-2021 to ensure operational requirements can be met.
When the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, and there is a return to normal work, there would be significant operational difficulties if employees had banked all of their leave to take later in the leave year.
We therefore ask staff who are able to (i.e. with consideration for operational requirements), to take annual leave as they normally would – with the aim of spreading this throughout the remainder of the leave year.
The University reserves the right to request staff take leave at certain points (with notice given) if a trend in the ongoing accrual of leave is identified without prior management agreement.
Key Workers
Some University employees are Key Workers as defined by the government, directly supporting the Government’s emergency response to COVID-19 eg Clinical Academics.
Key Workers are encouraged to take their leave in the 19/20 leave year where possible but where it is not the University will apply and extend the provisions allowed for in the Government’s Working Time (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020.
Staff identified as being in this group may carry over any untaken statutory and contractual annual leave accrued but not taken in 19/20 to be taken over the next two leave years.
Leave which is carried over must be taken by the end of September 2022/December 2022 (depending on which normal leave year applies in their contract of employment).
Tags: annual leave, key workers
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