Campus News

Survival Mandarin – free language course for UoN staff and students

May 2nd, 2019

Considering studying or working in UNNC or other parts of China but unable to speak any Mandarin? Then this is the course for you.

Visiting a country on the other side of the world without being able to speak the language can be a very daunting experience. Survival Mandarin will enable you to get a taste of Chinese language and culture, helping you to settle in to your new work or study environment.

Not only will you learn useful phrases to meet some of your basic needs, you will also gain practical know-how on living in China.

This free lunch-time course is developed by NCI for learners with little or no prior knowledge of the language.

This course runs 12.30-1.30pm every Tuesday from 28 May for five weeks in Room B1, Life Sciences Building, University Park.

To register, please visit the event page.

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University pledge to address BAME student attainment gap

May 2nd, 2019

University of Nottingham Vice-Chancellor, Professor Shearer West, has joined university Vice-Chancellors and Principals around the country in signing up to a new pledge to address the black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) student attainment gap in UK higher education.

The pledge has been created following a report, published today by Universities UK (UUK) and the National Union of Students (NUS), which sets out that UK universities must demonstrate their commitment to university-wide change as they seek to eliminate the attainment gap.

Led by Baroness Valerie Amos, Director of SOAS, and Amatey Doku, Vice President for Higher Education at the NUS, UUK and the NUS have been working with universities and students since June 2018 to tackle the disparity between the proportion of ‘top degrees’ (first or a 2:1 degree) achieved by white and BAME students.

The report – Black, Asian and minority ethnic student attainment at UK universities: #ClosingtheGap – follows contributions from 99 universities and student unions and six regional roundtable evidence sessions with 160 attendees on how the attainment gap should be tackled.

Read the report

The pledge sets out ways in which Universities can work with students and use the report’s recommendations. It identifies the following steps for universities to follow:

  1. Providing strong leadership
  2. Having conversations about race and changing cultures
  3. Developing racially diverse and inclusive environments
  4. Getting the evidence and analysing the data on the attainment gap
  5. Understanding what works

Progress made by the sector will be evaluated in 2020.

Speaking about the pledge, Professor Sarah Sharples, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Equality Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Nottingham, said: “I am very pleased that we are joining with other institutions in supporting this important pledge.

“The themes within the pledge are closely aligned with our existing priorities that have been identified as part of our work to address the attainment gap, as well as our wider commitment to our new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategic delivery plan and preparation for the Race Equality Charter.

“We are firmly committed to ensuring that the University of Nottingham is diverse and inclusive, and welcome the focus on leadership, conversations and understanding that are particularly highlighted within this pledge.”

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Three major awards for our student nurses

May 1st, 2019

Students from the School of Health Sciences have won three prestigious awards at this year’s Student Nursing Times Awards – the ‘Oscars’ of the nurse-training sector. 

The School’s BME Student Network won the Mary Seacole Award for Outstanding Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion. Meanwhile, 20-year-old Rachel Dakin won the ‘Student Nurse of the Year: Children’ award, and 26-year-old Phoebe Miles won the award for ‘Learner of the Year: Post-registration’. 

The Student Nursing Times Awards are hosted by the Nursing Times and were presented at a gala ceremony in London. This national event celebrates the achievements of the student nursing community. 

Reacting to their win, Kudzai Muganhiri from the School’s BME Student Network, said: “As the co-founder and leader of the BME network, I am very proud be the first to win a Mary Seacole Outstanding Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion. This year has been phenomenal as we aimed and succeeded in merging with our trust partners to not only work together in improving BME student experiences but also to uplift student engagement across the board. Of course, this would not have been possible without our staff sponsors, Julia Carson Little and Stacy Johnson, who have been relentlessly resourceful, supporting every decision, strategy and monthly running of the group. A special thank you goes to the University of Nottingham for harnessing my leadership skills and NUH BAME network for allowing us to work together to improve the lives and experiences of BME students.” 

Commenting on her win as Student Nurse of the Year: Children, Rachel Dakin said: “I am absolutely elated to have won this national award out of so many talented future children’s nurses across the UK. I would like to thank members of staff in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust for their tremendous support, encouragement and dedication to my learning. The opportunities provided have enabled me to strive for excellence and innovate care for children, young people and their families.” 

Winner of the Learner of the Year: Post-registration award, Phoebe Miles, said: “I’m really thrilled to have won this award; it feels incredible to be recognised for academic achievements alongside celebrating the fantastic work of nurses. I hope that my successes along with the other winners in Nottingham can inspire future nurses to undertake post-registration learning so that we can continue to advance patient care. I’m now very much looking forward to continuing my studies through my PhD at the University of Nottingham in Ningbo, China.” 

Head of the University’s School of Health Sciences, Professor Joanne Lymn, added: “We are thrilled that yet again the University of Nottingham has had a bumper year at the prestigious Student Nursing Times Awards. The three awards are so very well deserved for these student nurses and the BME Network team and our other nominees should also be hugely proud of their achievements. Our School of Health Sciences has a reputation for pioneering best practice in nurse training and education. I would also like to thank all the staff in the School who so effectively engage and empower our students to help produce some of the best nurses in the world.” 

The University of Nottingham extends its congratulations to all winners and nominees of The Student Nursing Times Awards. 

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Contribute your views on the draft Staff Wellbeing Strategic Plan

May 1st, 2019

Staff are invited to contribute their views to the draft Staff Wellbeing Strategic Plan which has been developed as an action arising from feedback through the Staff Engagement Survey.

The Wellbeing Strategic Plan recognises that wellbeing is holistic and will mean different things to different people, particularly in the way that we each individually manage our own wellbeing. The plan aims to support a holistic approach to wellbeing, building on existing provisions and identifying a range of further responses through projects, initiatives and services across five broad wellbeing themes.

A cross-functional task and finish group has been involved in developing the draft plan and in identifying the five broad themes under which it is proposed future activity will be focused to better support the wellbeing of staff across the University. We are now inviting feedback from staff to ensure the plan meets staff needs.

Please review the draft Staff Wellbeing Strategic Delivery Plan and let us know your views by answering the questions in the feedback form.

Feedback will be considered and revisions will be made before finalising the plan for University approval.

The closing date for staff feedback is Wednesday 29 May 2019.

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Become a Dignity Adviser to support colleagues and students

April 30th, 2019

Are you a good listener with a passion for supporting your colleagues and students? If so, why not become a Dignity Adviser!

This is a voluntary role for current University staff and all that we ask is for you to spare a few hours a month during work time to listen to and support individuals that may have been subject to or be accused of harassment, bullying or victimisation.

This opportunity is a great way for you make a difference for colleagues and students, boost your interpersonal skills and further enrich your personal development.

New Dignity Advisers will be invited to attend a one-day training course before they can start engaging with colleagues and students, and they will be fully supported by the HR team and a network of other Dignity Advisers. The time commitment involved is four to six hours a month, which will vary depending on the support required.

You should already have some experience of the following:

  • Experience of or an aptitude to support people, listening to their concerns, signposting and helping them to develop plans to address issues
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including awareness and consideration of impacts on others
  • Effective analytical, reasoning and problem solving skills
  • An ability to deal with sensitive issues in a professional and objective manner

Dignity Advisers should be reflective of the diversity of our colleagues and students, from across job families, levels and campuses, so all colleagues are invited to apply for this role.

If you are interested in becoming a Dignity Adviser, please view the information below and discuss this with your manager before completing the online application. The deadline for applications is Friday 31 May 2019.

For further information please email br-dignity@nottingham.ac.uk.

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Events to share best practice and recruiting Dignity Advisers

April 30th, 2019

A blog post by Sarah Sharples, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

“As we return to University after an Easter break, we look forward to a continuing programme of activity to further our work in support of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

There are two events taking place in June that I would particularly like to highlight. The first is a one-day conference being held on Wednesday 5 June to consider the specific challenges associated with addressing EDI for our postgraduate research community. The Graduate School has put together an excellent programme that considers matters including overcoming resistance to EDI initiatives, as well as sharing a wide range of experiences of doctoral training environments.

The second event is being led by Professor Louise Mullany, in collaboration with the EPSRC STEMM Change project and Institute for Policy and Engagement. This one-day event on Friday 14 June marks the launch of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion research hub, which aims to deliver a new initiative to support and engage colleagues who specialize in investigative research on issues of EDI.

If you would like to present your work at this event, please send a short abstract (100 words) of the research that you wish to showcase to Louise.Mullany@nottingham.ac.uk by Monday 13 May.

Alongside these activities to continue to build our community of understanding of EDI, we continue to ensure we have a firm commitment at the University to ensure that both colleagues and students can work in a relaxed environment where they can openly share their views and ideas. After all, it is through this environment that we can really be creative and be encouraged to perform to the best of our abilities.

We therefore have a zero tolerance approach to harassment, bullying or victimisation which can all impact our wellbeing and create a negative working environment. To put this into action, we are recruiting more voluntary Dignity Advisers to support colleagues and students should they have any concerns regarding harassment, bullying or victimisation.

Are you a good listener and have a passion for supporting your colleagues and students? If so, why not become a Dignity Adviser? This is a voluntary and important role and all that we ask is for you to spare a few hours a month during work time to listen to and support individuals that may have been subject to or be accused of harassment, bullying or victimisation.

This opportunity is a great way for you make a difference for colleagues and students, boost your interpersonal skills and further enrich your personal development. New Dignity Advisers will be invited to attend a one-day training course before they can start engaging with colleagues and students, and they will be fully supported by the HR team and a network of other Dignity Advisers. The time commitment involved is four to six hours a month, which will vary depending on the support required.

If you are interested in becoming a Dignity Adviser, please discuss this with your manager first and complete the online application form.”

Sarah Sharples
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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Laboratree scheme helps plant more than 100 trees

April 30th, 2019

One hundred trees have recently been planted in the East Midlands thanks to a partnership with University of Nottingham Medical School and labs equipment supplier Alpha Laboratories.

Alpha Laboratories has been operating a tree planting scheme called Laboratree. For every pack of pipette tips purchased, a token is provided to be affixed to a collector’s card. Every completed card of thirty tokens submitted to Alpha Labs will result in a tree being planted by the Woodland Trust in one of their managed network of woodlands.

The Medical School Stores have been collecting these tokens since autumn 2011, and have recently hit the 100 tree mark, most of which have been planted in the Woodland Trust’s Penguin Wood near Swadlincote (see further details on workspace). With one of the University’s Sustainability Strategy aims being to reduce the impact of our operational activities, this positive contribution to the environment is a notable achievement.

More information about the Laboratree scheme can be seen on the Environment page of the Medical School Stores Workspace, as well as further schemes including plastic packaging return and glass recycling.

For more information on the scheme you can get in touch with Chris Coleman, Medical School Stores Manager.

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Register to vote in the European Parliament elections by Tuesday 7 May

April 30th, 2019

European Parliament elections are scheduled to take place in the UK on Thursday 23 May.

Register to vote on the GOV.UK website (you will need your National Insurance Number or some other ID).

The deadline for registering to vote in these elections is Tuesday 7 May.

EU nationals have the right to vote in these elections, provided you don’t also cast your vote in your home country.

There is two-step registration process for EU nationals to register to vote in this election, both of which need to be completed by Tuesday 7 May.

  1. Register to vote on the GOV.UK website (you will need your National Insurance Number or to send some other form of ID to your local council)
  2. Fill in this form to confirm you won’t vote in your home country and return the form to your local council (find their email address here)

Irish, Maltese and Cypriot nationals only need to complete step one above.

Find out more here.

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Teaching and Learning Conference — update

April 29th, 2019

Preparations are in full swing for the annual Teaching and Learning Conference, scheduled for Friday 3 May 2019.

There will be a wide range of opportunities to engage with colleagues on different aspects of pedagogy through workshops, paper presentations and round table discussions.

In addition, there will be a number of posters detailing some innovative work around teaching and learning at the University.

You can register via the following link, using the password TLC2019.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/annual-teaching-and-learning-conference-2019-tickets-55566319357.

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UPDATED: Workspace has been restored

April 29th, 2019

Following precautionary measures, the Workspace service has now been restored.

Information Services identified some unusual activity on the Workspace server and took the service offline on Friday 26 April. The service has now been restored with the following restrictions in place:

  • Workspace is only available on campus, via the wired or wireless network
  • All external traffic has been closed
  • Some access controls and plug-ins are currently disabled

These restrictions will remain in place until the service has been fully upgraded and Information Services are assured that any security vulnerabilities have been mitigated against.

To access Workspace off campus, please use remote desktop or VPN (Virtual Private Network) services to access the internal network. More information can be found via the IT Services website. Additional guidance for off-campus users can be found here (Office 365 login required).

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