Campus News
Call for volunteers to help at Graduation — December 2019
October 29th, 2019
Student Services are looking for volunteers to help with winter graduation in December.
Volunteers would help in the process of setting up graduation and help run events on the day.
Graduation is a celebration of the student journey and is an enjoyable event to be involved with. There are 9 ceremonies this December and these will need in excess of 500 volunteer hours to make it a success. The support of colleagues is invaluable and without this the event could not go ahead.
This opportunity is not limited to those who have volunteered before, but first time volunteers are also welcomed. Support and briefing sessions will be provided in preparation for the day.
If you would like to volunteer, please check with your line manager and complete the volunteer form by Thursday 21 November.
Further information on the dates and times of the ceremony and detailed information about the roles. If you have any questions at all, please contact us graduation@nottingham.ac.uk.
Tags: graduation, student services, volunteer
Posted in News | 1 Comment »
100 years of Rugby Union at the University
October 28th, 2019
This season marks 100 years of Rugby Union at the University of Nottingham. In celebration, the Campaign and Alumni Relations Office are reflecting on the history of the club with alumni and fundraising to support its future.
An image from the Manuscripts and Special Collections’ archive of the First XV from our very first season 100 years ago.
From the stewardship of the first ever captain D.L. Nicholas, to today’s President Lawrence Davies, the club’s tradition is rich – contributing to the development of world-class rugby players; from the iconic Brian Moore, to England caps Ron Jacobs and Nick Preston, and more recently Tim Streather and Chris Wyles. The season’s activities will culminate in a special fundraising dinner on campus, with Brian Moore attending as our guest speaker.
Paul Westgate, Head of Performance Rugby, said: “We are excited to celebrate 100 years of rugby at the University of Nottingham. Our history is a rich, varied and prestigious one, and today the University of Nottingham Rugby Union Club (UNRUC) is one of the biggest and most successful sports clubs.
“This is a special year for UNRUC: an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the amazing history of rugby at the University. But it is also an opportunity for us to look forward with pride and excitement knowing that UNRUC is moving in the right direction and going from strength to strength.”
If you have a connection to the club, know of someone who does, or want to find out more about the centenary, please visit the webpage.
Tags: Centenary, rugby, University of Nottingham Rugby Union Club, UNRUC
Posted in News | Comments Off on 100 years of Rugby Union at the University
Dr Mark Jabbal nominated finalist for WISE Man Award
October 28th, 2019
Dr Mark Jabbal, Assistant Professor in Aerospace Engineering, has joined the ranks of individuals recognised for making a difference to women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as a finalist for the 2019 WISE Man Award.
The WISE Man Award is for men who are agents of change; those that are improving gender balance in their organisation and beyond. Judges will be looking for evidence of their actions in education or industry that go beyond their day job and which have delivered results. The award winner will be a key influencer that inspires others to improve gender balance in STEM, from the classroom to the boardroom.
After attending an aerodynamics conference in which there were very few women presenters, Mark felt he needed to do more to change this and bring a greater awareness of women’s contributions and achievements in this field. Mark took the initiative to lead a set of questions and answers with more than 50 women across a range of levels in industry (graduate engineers to directors) and academia (PhD researchers to professors) working in aviation, automotive and energy aerodynamics. These have been published on Twitter @AeroWomen, and are helping to make women in aerodynamics more visible to an international audience.
Through @AeroWomen, Mark built a successful case to nominate a woman for the prestigious RAeS Aerodynamics Award, which only had one woman recipient in 1999 out of 57 recipients in its 60-year history. He has also arranged for a woman keynote speaker at the next RAeS Aerodynamics Conference and has introduced women speakers in his teaching and research activity to help achieve gender parity.
Speaking about being chosen as a finalist, Mark said: “It was a real surprise but a great honour to find out that I was selected as a finalist for the WISE Man Award. I hope that the initiatives I have led will help to increase awareness of women in engineering and, in doing so, attract more women into the field, especially at a time when the UK is facing a shortage of engineers.”
Helen Wollaston, Chief Executive of WISE said: “The WISE Awards are an incredible opportunity to find role models who are blazing a trail and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. From the classroom to the boardroom – there are some truly fantastic examples to show what can be done to get more girls and women into STEM as well as truly inspiration stories from women making a difference through science, technology and engineering. Congratulations to all our finalists. We look forward to celebrating with you in November and working with you to grow the reach and impact of the campaign.
The awards will be presented at a gala dinner on 7th November in London with 450 leading women from STEM.
Tags: Aerospace Engineering, Dr Mark Jabbal, WISE Man Award
Posted in News | Comments Off on Dr Mark Jabbal nominated finalist for WISE Man Award
Nottingham receives £15 million investment in bioscience
October 25th, 2019
The next generation of Nottingham bioscientists have received a £15 million investment from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of a UK-wide £170 million investment.
The investment was announced on Thursday 24 October and will secure 47 four-year PhD studentships over five cohorts in the biological sciences under the third phase of BBSRC’s Doctoral training Partnerships (DTP).
The programme, which starts in October 2020, will run across nine Schools in three Faculties (Science, Engineering and Medicine) at the University of Nottingham and two Schools at Nottingham Trent University.
UKRI-BBSRC DTPs provide PhD training in areas of bioscience relevant to the remit and strategic research priority areas of BBSRC. They also provide a breadth of professional development training opportunities to enhance the capabilities of doctoral candidates and develop a world-class, highly skilled workforce the UK needs for its future.
During the DTP each student will also undertake a three-month Professional Internship for PhD Students (PIPS) placement to develop their skills further and to explore possible future career directions.
Professor Zoe Wilson, Director of the BBSRC Nottingham-Rothamsted DTP, said: “We are delighted by the UKRI-BBSRC funding of our Nottingham DTP3, which will enable us to continue to deliver high-quality, student-centric training and research excellence, to generate the highly-skilled, innovative leaders of the future that will benefit the UK Bioeconomy.”
Professor Nigel Wright, Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Research and Innovation at Nottingham Trent University said: “We are thrilled to have received confirmation of funding for the third phase of the DTP programme, and are excited to be able to able to continue the research and training in partnership with the University of Nottingham. NTU brings a wealth of unique skills and insights to the programme and we look forward to the opportunities this collaboration will bring.”
The UKRI-BBSRC DTP scheme is just one element of UKRI’s commitment to support future talent in research and innovation. UKRI as a whole supports around 15,000 doctoral students in UK universities, research institutes and businesses. As part of the National Productivity Investment Fund, a further 1300 students were supported in industrially-relevant research topics, and in projects utilising artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data.
Announcing the award, Professor Melanie Welham, UKRI-BBSRC’s Executive Chair said: “The success of the UK’s science sector and the consequent benefits to society and the economy relies on great researchers doing great work. Our Doctoral Training Partnerships have already supported the training of hundreds of early career scientists working at the cutting edge of biology and biotechnology. By continuing to fund, through this significant £170 million investment, vital training of the next generation of researchers we will help ensure that the UK consolidates its position as world-leader in this crucial sector.”
The Nottingham DTP3 programme brings together a partnership of the University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University, National Biofilm Innovation Centre, Rothamsted Research, Research Complex at Harwell, Diamond Light Source, ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, NIAB-EMR, Centre for Process Innovation Limited and SME BioIndustry Partners, to deliver interdisciplinary training opportunities across the remit of biosciences and biotechnology research.
Professor Zoe Wilson, Associate Faculty Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research & Knowledge Exchange with Professor Melanie Welham, UKRI-BBSRC’s Executive Chair and Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research & Knowledge Exchange.
Tags: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Doctoral training Partnerships, Professional Internship for PhD Students, UKRI
Posted in News | 1 Comment »
2019/20 Pay Award Implementation
October 25th, 2019
Following the announcement of the annual pay increases for all staff in 2019/20, the University has confirmed details of pay awards for all staff groups. All pay awards match those set out within HR Update 19/017 and detailed on the Human Resources webpage.
Annual pay awards will now be implemented for each staff group as follows:
Unison & Unite represented staff groups
Following consultation, Unite and Unison members have now voted to accept the local pay award offer. The timing of the trades unions’ consultation process with members means that the pay award, with arrears from 1 August 2019, will now be paid in salaries at the end of November, not end October as anticipated.
All members of the Operations and Facilities Job Family will receive a letter during November to explain how the pay award will affect them personally.
UCU represented staff groups
The pay award, with arrears from 1 August 2019, will be paid in salaries at the end of October.
Clinical Academic Pay Award
Salary arrangements for Clinical Academic staff will apply from 1 April 2019, and will be paid, with arrears from 1 April 2019, in salaries at the end of October.
Tags: payroll, UNISON, UNITE
Posted in News | Comments Off on 2019/20 Pay Award Implementation
Honorary Degrees
October 24th, 2019
Nominations for Honorary Degrees are welcome from all members of the University community.
The University is looking to recognise the achievements of people from a diverse range of backgrounds so if you have a suggestion please put it forward.
Further information (including criteria) and nominations forms are available on the Registrar’s Department webpages.
The deadline for nominations is Thursday 7 November 2019.
Tags: graduation, Honorary Degrees, Registrar's Department
Posted in News | Comments Off on Honorary Degrees
Campus Solutions — resolving start of term issues
October 24th, 2019
Following the numerous issues reported with Campus Solutions by our University community during the start of term period, colleagues in faculties, Information Services, Student Services and Finance have been working hard to review the causes, develop solutions and improve communications to support colleagues and students in their use of the system.
New resources, improved communications and a dedicated Campus Solutions status webpage published today will help staff and students in using Campus Solutions and overcoming any further difficulties.
Professor Andy Long, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chair of the Campus Solutions Senior Business User Group said:
“On behalf of UEB, I fully acknowledge the problems experienced by a considerable number of staff and students using or administering the system, and I am very sorry for the significant anxiety, concern and confusion this will have caused.
“I am grateful to our colleagues in Information Services and Student Services for your hard work in supporting staff and students where difficulties arose and in developing interim and long-term solutions to address the problems that are being experienced. Thank you also to colleagues across Schools and professional services areas for your patient and professional approach in raising concerns and supporting staff and students where they experienced problems.
“Numerous and severe problems were logged for action ranging from incomplete or inconsistent registration data, difficulties in accessing the system, duplicate records, difficulties for mobility students and in accessing MyCal timetabling information.
“Information and Student Services staff have undertaken detailed analysis of their causes and are developing solutions to each problem which were triggered by different combinations of technical, process and data quality issues.
“While I am pleased that some of the most significant problems have now been resolved, for example restoring access to MyCal timetabling, intensive work continues to address outstanding issues and improve the quality of data that has been transferred into Campus Solutions from a multitude of legacy systems.”
Additional support will be put in place to help staff and students in using Campus Solutions and overcoming any further difficulties. Information Services will secure further business analysts to identify and tackle emerging problems and designate more staff to provide rapid desk-side assistance to colleagues to fix running issues. Student Services will ensure they have more resource devoted to providing personalised support to students facing particular difficulties, in addition to the focus already provided by service centres.
Communications for staff and students will also be improved, alongside the publication today of a Campus Solutions status webpage detailing the cause, current status and solutions to any reported issues with Campus Solutions so that staff can see how faults are being addressed and any work-arounds in the meantime.
Analysis and early-warning systems will also be improved across Information and Student Services so that colleagues can be provided with real-time information on emerging issues, and the system will be tested ahead of major pressure points such as term starts and examination periods to provide further reassurance.
Staff should check the Campus Solutions status webpage for the latest information on resolving known issues and share this information with colleagues. Staff should also continue to report any new issues experienced with the system for investigation and resolution to the IT Service Desk, raising them with faculty Support Coordinators as well as members of faculty user groups.
Tags: Andy Long, campus solutions
Posted in Main News Story, News | Comments Off on Campus Solutions — resolving start of term issues
New model to improve Information Technology
October 23rd, 2019
The University is at the early stages of detailing a new IT operating model that will have a mix of in-house IT expertise alongside that of industry partners, to ensure that our teaching, learning and research is supported effectively by the latest technologies.
The model will also ensure that the University can meet the growing demand for digital services, platforms and skills that will be required across the institution for the next decade and beyond.
Chief Digital Officer David Hill said:
“No one can be in any doubt that the University needs to improve its digital capabilities to support staff, students, teaching and research. We aim to meet these needs by providing access to cutting-edge digital skills and the latest industry capabilities to ensure teaching, learning and research can truly embrace the most appropriate technologies.
“Our new operating model will enable the University to respond in a far more agile way to meet our colleagues’ digital requirements as they evolve. It will also address, at scale, the significant challenges that we all recognise with our IT foundations and digital security.
“However, in any future model, the University will want to retain in-house expertise to provide strategy, leadership, governance, domain knowledge and data safeguards for IT services.
“We are at least a year away from making any changes, so it is too early to speculate on their detail, however, colleagues at all levels will continue to be involved in the final design of the model and we will do everything to minimise the impact to our existing teams.”
The approach towards a new IT operating model has been developed with staff in Information Services since July 2017 through an extensive series of staff meetings, workshops, surveys and briefing sessions. A series of consultation events will be held in the coming weeks with staff and trades unions to inform the detailed design and discuss its requirements.
The provision of IT services across the public sector has changed dramatically over the past decade, with many organisations opting for a mixed ecosystem of services provided by ‘in-house’ teams and external partners. The higher education sector is now embracing this approach, with the Universities of Manchester, Exeter and King’s College London all changing their IT operating models in order to improve their service to staff and students.
The benefits of external partners can be evidenced by their cutting-edge technical skills and experience, their advanced platforms and tooling, their pace and agility to adopt and adapt the latest technologies, and their scale which enables more effective purchasing.
However, in any future model, the University will ensure that the right balance is applied to the services and activities that should be retained in-house, and those managed or provided by an external partner. A key criterion for selecting any external partners would be not only to assure expert knowledge and delivery, but also to ensure they fully align to the University’s values, culture and ways of working.
Tags: digital, Information Technology, IS, IT Services
Posted in News, Side news story | 1 Comment »
Equality & Human Rights Commission – Racial Harassment in Higher Education
October 23rd, 2019
The Equality & Human Rights Commission has today (Wednesday 23 October) published its inquiry into racial harassment in the higher education sector, ’Tackling racial harassment: universities challenged.’
Professor Sarah Sharples, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Equality Diversity & Inclusion holds UEB-level responsibility to support staff and students of all protected characteristics and recently published a new EDI Strategic Delivery Plan to ensure diversity is at the heart of all our activity and operations.
Commenting on the EHRC inquiry, she said:
“This is an important inquiry that has examined in depth the issues that many universities, their staff and students face ranging from outright prejudice and hate crime to micro-aggressions. The University has made considerable progress in building a more equal, diverse and inclusive campus community and, with more than 20% of our student community drawn from BME backgrounds, we will study this report to learn what more we can do to support our staff and students.
“We have upgraded our systems and support to report and investigate harassment, developed specific campaigns to stress the inclusive values of the University of Nottingham as a community, and increased numbers of specialist Dignity Advisers to advise and support staff. However, we recognise that we must continue to work and focus on further initiatives to ensure that all measures that we take are effective in addressing inequalities, and that when reports of harassment are made, whether formal reports, or informal, we are proactive in our response.
“The University has also introduced decisive measures to promote and support diversity across our staff and student community including: recruitment diversity guidelines and trialling use of anonymised applications; training to address unconscious bias in the classroom; inclusive teaching practices; reverse-mentoring schemes; and work to decolonise the curriculum. We are investigating assessment practices to minimise unconscious bias on students and piloting initiatives to reduce the attainment gap in STEM subjects.
“The University is determined and committed to work with our partners across the higher education sector and has pledged support for the UUK/NUS ‘closing the gap’ action plan on tackling attainment gaps. We are also challenging ourselves as an institution to continue our progress over the long-term through work with our BME students and staff in applying for Race Equality Charter (Bronze) status by 2020/21 that commits universities to improving the representation, progression and success of BME staff and students.”
Posted in Main News Story, News | Comments Off on Equality & Human Rights Commission – Racial Harassment in Higher Education