Campus News
Bring your kids for free this Easter with UoN Sport!
March 27th, 2018
University of Nottingham Sport is inviting all its members to bring their children (aged 16 and under) free-of-charge during the upcoming holidays.
This offer runs from Friday 23 March 2018 – Sunday 22 April 2018 and is open to all UoN sport and fitness members including students, staff, associates, alumni and public members.
Members may take their children to any UoN sports centres that are accessible via their membership. For full details of this offer, including areas and facilities that can be accessed by visiting children, please head to the Department of Sport website.
(Not a member? Just pay £6.50 per adult and your children can use the facilities at no cost. Unfortunately this offer is not open to non-members from the general public.)
Visit the Department of Sport website to find out more.
Tags: David Ross Sports Village, department of sport, fitness, health, Jubilee sports centre, sport, sports and fitness membership, sutton bonington sports centre, UoN Sport
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Derby resignalling — major rail works from July
March 26th, 2018
From Sunday 22 July – Sunday 7 October, major works will take place in and around Derby station. If you travel by train, please read this announcement to see whether you will be affected.
Derby Resignalling is the biggest rail investment in Derby for decades and will replace and upgrade the current track and infrastructure to provide better journeys for the thousands of passengers who travel to, from and through Derby every day. It is part of the biggest upgrade of the Midland Main Line since it opened in 1870 to support better journeys between Sheffield, Derby and Nottingham.
Changes to journeys
There will be some changes to journeys — however these will vary depending on when and where passengers are travelling. East Midlands Trains and CrossCountry services to and from Crewe, Matlock, Birmingham, Nottingham and Sheffield will be affected at different times while the work is carried out.
Services to and from Nottingham and stations south of East Midlands Parkway on the main line to London are only marginally affected but you may still wish to understand these impacts as well as the details of the work taking place.
Final timetables are not available yet but these are currently being developed and will be published as swiftly as possible.
Find out more
A dedicated new website has been launched for passengers, businesses and communities that might be affected by the works. The site includes an A-Z station directory providing detailed travel advice.
The website also provides a more detailed explanation of the project, frequently asked questions and an animation explaining why the works are needed and how they will be delivered during the 79 days of carefully planned activity.
If you have any questions about the works and impact on travel, please email dby2018@eastmidlandstrains.co.uk.
Tags: commute, rail, rail station, train, train station, travel
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USS pensions — a potential way forward
March 25th, 2018
The Vice-Chancellor has published a new blog confirming that the University supports a proposal published on Friday evening which could resolve the current USS pensions dispute. Universities UK and the University and College Union are consulting their respective members on the proposal.
The proposal would see the pension scheme maintained as it is until at least April 2019, and the industrial action suspended, while a jointly agreed independent panel of experts reviews the valuation of the scheme.
The detail of the proposal is as follows:
- a formally agreed Joint Expert Panel, comprised of actuarial and academic experts nominated in equal numbers from both sides will be commissioned, to deliver a report. Its task will be to agree key principles to underpin the future joint approach of UUK and UCU to the valuation of the USS fund. It will require maintenance of the status quo in respect of both contributions into USS and current pension benefits, until at least April 2019.
- there will be a jointly agreed chair whose first step will be to oversee the agreement of the terms of reference, the order of work and timescales with the parties. Any recommendations by the group must be based on a majority view of the panel without the use of a casting vote. A secretariat, jointly agreed by the parties, will be appointed.
- the panel will focus in particular on reviewing the basis of the scheme valuation, assumptions and associated tests. It will take into account the unique nature of the higher education sector, inter-generational fairness and equality considerations, the need to strike a fair balance between ensuring stability and risk.
- recognising that staff highly value Defined Benefit provision, the work of the group will reflect the clear wish of staff to have a guaranteed pension comparable with current provision whilst meeting the affordability challenges for all parties, within the current regulatory framework.
- the panel will make an assessment of the valuation. If in the light of that contributions or benefits need to be adjusted in either direction, both parties are committed to agree to recommend to the JNC and the trustee, measures aimed at stabilising the fund to provide a guaranteed pension broadly comparable with current arrangements.
- alongside the work of the panel both sides agree to continue discussion on the following areas: comparability between TPS and USS; alternative scheme design options; the role of government in relation to USS; and the reform of negotiating processes to allow for more constructive dialogue as early as possible in the valuation process.
Support for this process will need to be sought from the USS trustees and the Pensions Regulator, recognising their statutory responsibilities. Both UCU and UUK will make the necessary approaches to seek this support.
Should this process prove acceptable to all parties this could provide the basis for the UCU to consult its branches and members on ending the industrial action currently underway within the sector.
Tags: Industrial Action, pensions, UCU, Universities UK, University and Colleges Union, USS, UUK, Vice Chancellor
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QMC featured on BBC2’s Hospital documentary series
March 23rd, 2018
The third series of BBC2’s Hospital — featuring Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham — started being broadcast by the BBC from Monday 26 March.
The documentary series aims to tell the story of the health service through filming completed in January and February 2018, during the worst winter for the NHS on record.
In first episode, Hospital examines the winter crisis, focusing on the front door of the hospital (the Emergency Department) and the back door (complex discharges) and assessing the impact of the unprecedented demand during January 2018 for these services.
The six-part series was filmed with our partner, NUH, at the City Hospital and Queen’s Medical Centre sites. Each episode is 59 minutes long.
Hospital will run on BBC2 on the following days and times:
- 9pm, Monday 26 March
- 9pm, Tuesday 3 April
- 9pm, Tuesday 10 April
- 9pm, Tuesday 17 April
- 9pm, Tuesday 24 April
- 9pm, Tuesday 1 May
Tags: BBC Hospital, Hospital, NHS, NUH, QMC, Queen’s Medical Centre
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Open access and REF 2021: an important deadline for researchers
March 21st, 2018
A message from Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange
Dear colleagues
I would like to remind you of an important deadline for the deposit of journal articles and conference proceedings in order to make them open access and eligible for REF 2021.
To be eligible for REF 2021, your journal articles and conference proceedings must be deposited with Nottingham Eprints, our institutional repository, within three months of acceptance of the manuscript.
HEFCE has allowed a concession for papers to be deposited within 3 months of publication but only until 31 March 2018 – so this is your last chance to make these open access otherwise they may not be eligible for REF 2021.
If you wish to take advantage of the concession that a deposit is made within three months of publication, please do so by 31 March.
From 1 April, deposits made within three months of publication will only be eligible for REF 2021 if they are accompanied by a “deposit exception”, detailing why the papers could not be deposited and made open access with three months of acceptance.
HEFCE continue to stipulate that journal articles and conference proceedings submitted for REF are made open access within three months of acceptance of the manuscript.
The University therefore urges colleagues to deposit their research outputs with Nottingham Eprints, within three months of acceptance.
University of Nottingham Libraries is ready to support you in navigating open access requirements for REF2021 submissions and I recommend that you make full use of their support and advice
I would like to thank all of the members of our research community who as a matter of course deposit publications in our institutional repository. These outputs will drive our ambitious goal of joining the top 60 global universities and becoming a top five UK university for research power.
I’m delighted to report that we have made huge progress and the number of Nottingham Eprints deposits has passed 14,000. However, the good work of making your outputs open access needs to be continued throughout the run-up to REF2021.
This should be a priority the moment a journal article or a conference proceeding is accepted.
Each time you have a publication accepted:
- notify openaccess@nottingham.ac.uk
- either use the Library’s mediated deposit service or deposit yourself your own research output into Nottingham Eprints
At the University of Nottingham, we are committed to sharing our world-class scholarship, widely and freely and I thank you once again for your support and dedication.
Support
- email: openaccess@nottingham.ac.uk for support and each time you deposit your research output with Nottingham Eprints
- A mediated deposit service will assist you in depositing research outputs with Nottingham Eprints.
Please feel free to read HEFCE’s statement on open access policy.
Tags: Jessica Corner, open access, publication, REF, research, Research and Knowledge Exchange, researchers
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University Park Central Student Service Centre is moving
March 21st, 2018
A number of services based on University Park will be moving over the Easter break, including Student Services.
The University Park Student Service Centre — currently based in Cherry Tree Lodge — will be moving to the Portland Building on Thursday 19 April. Its new location will be on C Floor opposite the Welcome Zone and where the bank was previously located.
The new Student Service Centre will be operational immediately from Thursday 19 April meaning that any students on campus during this period will still be able to get in-person assistance.
Specialist Services (including Academic and Disability Support, Visas & Immigration and Funding and Financial Support) will then move in to Cherry Tree Lodge after it has been refurbished at a yet-to-be-confirmed date.
There will be signs and digital communications in place to direct students to these new locations but we would appreciate the assistance of all staff in signposting students to these services.
Tags: Portland Building, relocation, student services, University Park
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Gender Pay Gap Report
March 21st, 2018
Figures showing the gender pay gap at the University of Nottingham are published today in a new statutory report available on the HR website. The report records the gap in pay by gender and highlights what the institution is doing to reset the balance.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West said the report should be seen as fresh impetus for our University community to tackle equality and fairness across the board.
The report confirms that the University of Nottingham has a significant gender pay gap of 23.6% in favour of male employees, compared to the national average of 18.4% as measured by the Office for National Statistics.
This gender pay gap is largely attributable to our demographics – we employ a greater proportion of male staff in more senior roles, who will have accrued salaries over a longer length of service than more recently recruited female staff.
However, it is important to note the difference between the gender pay gap and the issue of equal pay. We are confident that men and women are paid equally for doing work of equal value at the University and regularly carry out equal pay reviews to ensure this, most recently in 2017.
The report also highlights that despite there being more female staff working for the University — 4,225 female staff to 3,650 male staff — male staff occupy a larger proportion of senior positions.
Vice-Chancellor Professor West said:
“The University of Nottingham is committed to treating all our people in a fair, inclusive and equal way, regardless of gender or any other protected characteristic. A diverse and inclusive workforce is not just good for women, it is good for everyone.
“Significant progress has been made in this area and we should be proud of that, but we all recognise there is more to do and I want us to make the most of this opportunity. Our ultimate aim must be to achieve equality across the University, for all staff at all levels. You have my commitment that the University will work hard to close this gap.”
The report warns that it will take time to show meaningful change but highlights measures taken in recent years such as equalising starting pay on promotion and addressing historic gender salary imbalances.
Other initiatives include encouraging female staff into more senior roles and supporting them to stay and develop their career at the University, continued work through the Athena Swan programme and encouraging more male staff into junior roles to address the gender imbalance which exists there.
Tags: edi, equality, Equality Diversity and Inclusion, pay
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Lord Dearing Award winners 2018
March 20th, 2018
The winners of the Lord Dearing Awards have been announced for 2018.
The Lord Dearing Award scheme, which has been running since 1999 and is overseen by the Education and Student Experience Board, recognises staff members’ outstanding contributions to enhancing the student learning environment.
The Awards are held annually, with nominations from staff and students considered in late winter and awards conferred in spring. Awards are given to individuals and teams who have successfully demonstrated the impact of their teaching and learning (and/or associated projects) to enhancing the student experience.
In 2018, 21 individuals and nine teams received Lord Dearing Awards. The full list of recipients can be seen below:
Individuals
- Marilena Minoia (Faculty of Arts)
- Tracey Potts (Faculty of Arts)
- Melvyn Hemsley (Faculty of Engineering)
- Charles Heron (Faculty of Engineering)
- Arthur Jones (Faculty of Engineering)
- Benjamin Jones (Faculty of Engineering)
- John Robinson (Faculty of Engineering)
- Kimberley Edwards (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)
- Roger Kerry (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)
- Tim Coughlin (Faculty of Medine and Health Sciences)
- Markus Eichhorn (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)
- Andrew Armour (Faculty of Science)
- Tom Wicks (Faculty of Science)
- Lisa Coneyworth (Faculty of Science)
- Anne Emerson (Faculty of Social Sciences)
- Ben Holland (Faculty of Social Sciences)
- Nana Kufour (UNNC)
- Risky Harisa Haslan (UNMC)
- Gerard Francis (UNMC)
- Siew Chen (Mandy) Sim (UNMC)
- Kang Nee Ting (UNMC)
Teams:
- Centre for 3D Design
(James Hazzledine, Malcolm Dugdale, Tony Lord, Samuel Barker, Scott Wheaver, Ross Clarke) - Design Studio Development Team
(Dr John Owen, Dr David Large, Chris Booker, Paul Antcliff, Prof Sam Kingman) - The Politics of Maternity Care Module Team
(Jo Foster, Kirstie Coolin, Alison Hancock, Suzanna Britt, Helen Spiby, Jacqui Williams, Kim Russell, Julia Allison, Amanda Wain) - Student Placements Team
(Diane Hill, Mandy Edwards) - The Behaviour Ecology Field Course Team
(Dr Tom Reader, Prof Jerzy Behnke, Dr Kate Durrant, Dr Markus Eichhorn, Dr David Feary, Prof Francis Gilbert, Jamie Jowett, Bernadette Hepworth, Anne Lowe) - Enterprise for Chemists
(Dr Trevor Farren, Prof Steve Howdle, Prof Simon Mosey, Dr Nick Bennett, Dr Sian Masson, Dr Joe Dawson, Dr George Marshall, Anna Cox) - The Global Mentorship Programme
(Xuan Feng, Fiona Hei, Mira Huang) - Library, Research and Learning Resources (LRLR)
(May Yan, Daniel Dai, Sherry Wei, Tony Lin, Anna Wang, Jane Chen, Claire Qui, Lulu Qui, Daisy Li, Linger Li, Fenglian Liu, Jumei Zhang, Shelley Jiang, Michelle Zheng, Roger Zhang, Della Chen, Tifanny Yu, Chao Meng, Yvonne Wang, Tryphena Tan, Ivy Ma, Clayton Austin, Rena Yao, Neil Smyth, Elsie Zhou) - Virtual Reality (VR) for Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Engineering Education
(Dr Jing-Ying Wong, Prof Andy Chan Tak Yee, Dr Su Ting Yong, Dr Sien Ti Kok).
The Lord Dearing Award for Excellence in the Learning Environment — an award first introduced in 2017 to recognise the achievements of an entire School or Department in achieving excellence in the student experience across all its provision — was given to the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Team.
Many congratulations to all of our award winners for 2018. All award winners will receive their certificate at their School’s graduation ceremony.
For more information about the Lord Dearing Awards, visit the Professional Development website.
Tags: Education and Student Experience Board, excellence, learning environment, Lord Dearing Awards, Professional Development, recognition, staff award, Student learning experience
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