Campus News
BBC 2’s Hospital filming at QMC next year
November 29th, 2017
The next series of BBC2’s documentary series Hospital is set to film with our partner, NUH, at the City Hospital and Queen’s Medical Centre sites in the new year.
The production company, Label 1, are currently in the research phase ahead of filming in the new year. Clinical colleagues may already have received an email from NUH informing them of this.
Filming is expected to take place over seven weeks in January and February, though final schedules are still to be confirmed. Six one-hour episodes will be produced, and are expected to be screened in April.
Consent for filming and broadcast is managed by the production company. Staff and patients will be required to give consent to film. They will also be contacted during the editing process to give consent to broadcast. Staff and patients who gave their consent during filming will also be given contact details for the production company so that they can discuss/rescind consent once filming is complete.
Please be assured, colleagues can ask the researchers or filming crew to leave at any time when filming if they feel patient care is being compromised by their presence.
We are working closely with the NUH comms team on making the most of this opportunity to showcase our work, and to ensure that the needs of our staff, students and patients are considered at every stage.
Tags: BBC Hospital, City Hospital, Hospital, Nottingham University Hospitals, NUH, Queen’s Medical Centre
Posted in Announcements, News | Comments Off on BBC 2’s Hospital filming at QMC next year
Best Outdoor Space Winner for Nottingham Conferences
November 29th, 2017
Nottingham Conferences, the University’s meetings, event and conference service support department, has won the Best Outdoor Space category in the first ever Academic Venue Awards, which took place on Wednesday 22 November at the Queen Mary University of London.
Following an investment of over £5 million into its outdoor offering — which has placed Nottingham Conferences at the forefront of outdoor academic spaces — the facility has hosted a number of major events which have successfully tested all aspects of the University’s operational campus infrastructure and capability from sports, security, logistics, catering and accommodation. This has resulted in a record breaking year for all business areas of Nottingham Conferences.
Andrew May, General Manager of Nottingham Conferences, commented: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won the Best Outdoor Space category at the inaugural Academic Venue Awards. The win reflects the versatility of the outdoor space at the University as well as the efforts of the entire team who work tirelessly to maintain and enhance these spaces to enable us to deliver such a diverse range of events for our clients.”
The Academic Venue Awards are designed to celebrate the ‘best of the best’ through 14 carefully selected categories, as well as to bring together representatives from the UK’s top academic venues with event buyers to network, share best practice, highlight progress and celebrate success.
Tags: Academic Venue Awards, Andrew May, Nottingham Conferences, Outdoor Space
Posted in Announcements, News | Comments Off on Best Outdoor Space Winner for Nottingham Conferences
The University of Nottingham seasonal e-card
November 29th, 2017
This year’s seasonal e-cards are now available for staff to send to colleagues, associates and partner organisations.
By sending an e-card you will be contributing to the University’s sustainability goal and supporting our commitment to being a leading green university. You may also wish to make a donation to the Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre’s Christmas appeal or a charity of your choice in lieu of the money you would have spent on cards.
This year we have created three designs – please visit the downloads page to choose your preferred design and for full instructions on how to send.
If you’re having trouble accessing the ZIP file, please email brand@nottingham.ac.uk and they will be able to provide it in an alternative format.
Season’s greetings to all at the University of Nottingham. Enjoy the holiday season and we wish you all the best for the New Year.
Tags: CBTRC, Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre, Christmas, e-cards, holiday season, seasonal
Posted in News, Uncategorized | Comments Off on The University of Nottingham seasonal e-card
VC inaugural lecture — livestreamed Thursday 7 December
November 29th, 2017
Following an overwhelming response, the ticket ballot has now closed for the Vice-Chancellor’s inaugural lecture.
The event, held in the Great Hall, will see Professor Shearer West deliver her vision for the University following her first months in office.
Tickets are limited, and will be allocated to ensure a fully representative range of staff can attend the event, across grades, sites, academic disciplines and professional services. Separate arrangements were made to ensure that Operations and Facilities colleagues with limited access to digital channels could have equal access to tickets in the ballot.
All those who applied via the ballot will be contacted and informed whether or not they were successful in securing tickets.
The lecture will be livestreamed at www.nottingham.ac.uk/vc-inaugural-lecture.
It will feature a Q&A session, with attendees and viewers encouraged to submit questions during the lecture. This can be done via #AskUoN on Twitter, or by emailing VC-events@nottingham.ac.uk
The lecture will also be available to view online after the event.
Tags: inaugural lecture, Professor Shearer West, shearer west, VC, Vice Chancellor, vice-chancellor lecture
Posted in Announcements, Main News Story, News | Comments Off on VC inaugural lecture — livestreamed Thursday 7 December
Screen lock security feature to be introduced in January
November 29th, 2017
In July, the University introduced a new security feature — intruder lockout — to protect individual user accounts from multiple password attempts. To ensure security best practice continues the University will now be introducing an additional security feature — screen lock — from January 2018.
What is screen lock?
Screen lock is the automatic locking of a desktop or laptop PC screen after a period of inactivity by the user (for example, no keyboard strokes or mouse activity).
From January 2018, screen lock will be triggered for UoN staff and PGR laptops/desktops after ten minutes of inactivity. After this time, the desktop/laptop will require the user to re-enter their password to unlock the machine and continue working. If users wish to immediately lock their desktop/laptop screen (recognised best practice), this can be triggered by pressing Windows key + L on the keyboard.
Why are you introducing screen lock now?
The University is at more risk than other organisations because of the open campus and public access to many areas. The increase in laptop use and staff mobility also leaves devices more exposed in public places.
What devices will screen lock affect?
Please note that screen lock will only affect staff and PGR laptops/desktops which are University managed Windows machines. This will not apply to machines in computer rooms or lecture theatres. Computer rooms already have a policy that automatically logs the machine off after 20 minutes of inactivity.
The introduction of this new security measure is part of the development of a comprehensive digital security strategy led by Jason Carter, the University’s first Chief Information Security Officer.
A set of Frequently Asked Questions regarding the introduction of screen lock and the rationale behind the introduction of this simple but effective security measure is available on the IT Services website.
Tags: Information Services, IT, IT Services, screen lock
Posted in Announcements, News | Comments Off on Screen lock security feature to be introduced in January
Work continues on Highfields Park pathway
November 29th, 2017
Work began on Monday 20 November to fell ten cherry trees in Highfields Park, with replacements scheduled to be planted in the New Year.
All the trees are unfortunately diseased and have been in decline for a number of years, meaning they are now in a dangerous condition.
They will be replaced with semi mature cherries, which will line the path from the tram stop to Nottingham Lakeside Arts Centre.
The path is also being re-surfaced and lit by newly restored gas lamps, leading to a beautiful hand-crafted iron gate by the tram stop. The work is part of a £4.8m restoration project, which has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Big Lottery Fund’s Parks for People programme and Nottingham City Council.
The existing trees, assumed to be part of the first planting in the park, are thought to date from 1925, making them about 90 years old. This is far beyond the usual lifespan of this species of cherry tree, which helps to explain why they are in decline and have become infected with a fungus, which causes a brittle fracture of the stem. The ‘Ganoderma’ fungus has been recorded since 2009 and there was a recommendation that the trees should be felled in 2012.
Cllr Dave Trimble, portfolio holder for leisure and culture at Nottingham City Council, said: “We understand there will undoubtedly be some sadness that the existing cherry trees are being removed.
“Park users and passers-by have enjoyed their beautiful display of spring-time blossom for generations and so we haven’t taken this decision lightly. It is based on the very best advice with the safety of the public and the health of the specimens in the park at heart.
“We would like to assure park users that the blossoms will be replaced with similar trees alongside the improved pathway and will once again enhance the site for many years to come as part of the ongoing works to improve the park.”
There are signs on site explaining the works and offering diversions. The path will be closed for four weeks.
Tags: cherry blossom, highfields, Highfields Park, Lakeside Arts, restoration, tram stop, trees
Posted in Announcements, News | Comments Off on Work continues on Highfields Park pathway
Office 365: Try it today
November 28th, 2017
Connect, communicate, and collaborate with colleagues across our global University.
Throughout 2017, Information Services has been promoting the use of Office 365 via roadshows and bespoke events for School and Professional Service departments. Over 1,000 colleagues have attended sessions and are starting to benefit from the range of Office 365 tools and applications in their everyday work.
We’ve also run a series of blogs to showcase how UoN staff have been getting to grips with new ways of working with Office 365 and we have produced a series of promotional videos for staff and students to encourage use of Office 365 across our global community. More activity will continue in 2018.
Switching to OneDrive
At recent roadshows, it was mentioned that the Z:drive would be decommissioned and that a switchover to OneDrive would take place. We would like to clarify that there is currently no planned date for this work and it will not happen until summer 2018 at the earliest.
Full communication plans and a programme of changes will be shared when a firm rollout schedule for the removal of the Z:drive is confirmed. In the meantime, familiarisation with OneDrive will continue.
See our website and video overview for more information about using OneDrive — additional guidance will be published by early 2018.
Getting the most out of Office 365
We’ve got a range of fantastic resources available to help you make the most out of Office 365, including:
- Videos: To help you get to grips with Office 365, we’ve produced the following new video material for staff and students:
- Blogs: Find out more about how your colleagues across the university are using Office 365 (Sway, Skype for Business, Planner): View all of the published Office 365 blog posts.
- Office 365 courses: Professional Development are now offering two new short courses on ‘working with Office 365’ and Skype for Business. Please click on the relevant link for more information and to book a course.
- Final 2017 roadshows coming soon: During December 2017 we will be hosting a final round of staff roadshows. All staff are welcome, we’ll be introducing Office 365 and you’ll have the opportunity to ask any questions about the features and how they can work for you and your teams. This way you can get on with making the most of the Office 365 tools and applications available. For more details on roadshows visit our Office 365 page.
Office 365 — what can you do today?
Here are just some of the ways you can already get started using Office 365:
- Login to the Office 365 portal and look around the available applications
- Start using your web based email and calendar
- Open Skype for Business and activate your account
- View our short presentation in Sway to see a summary of the features and applications offered by Office 365
- Look at the early adopter Yammer group to see how your UoN colleagues have been using Office 365
And finally…
Don’t forget to keep updated on the latest Office 365 news on our the Information Services website. Please contact Information Services if you’d like them to visit and discuss further how Office 365 tools could help transform ways of working in your School/Department.
Tags: Information Services, Office 265 roadshows, Office 365, OneDrive, Z Drive, ZDrive
Posted in Announcements, News | Comments Off on Office 365: Try it today
Talking about disability at UoN: make sure you count
November 27th, 2017
Are you a disabled member of staff? Please help us to better understand the diversity of our work community by updating your personal details on MyView.
Make sure you count
In the UK nearly 5% of people have a disability. Monitoring equality data allows us to better understand the diversity of our staff, to inform current and future policy and practice, identify barriers, and to actively look at ways of removing or mitigating them, as we aim to improve the overall experience of working at the University.
In order to monitor this data as effectively as possible, it’s important for us to have the most accurate information available. Please help us to make sure you are included in our staff data by updating your details on the online MyView portal. MyView is confidential and designed with data security in mind. Data held within the system is managed in accordance with the University of Nottingham’s Data Protection Policy.
If you aren’t able to access MyView there is an online Equality Data Monitoring Form that you can use instead. The form should be sent to HR once completed.
Your information will be used to help ensure that our services and practices are working for everyone through the equality monitoring and impact assessments that we undertake. Data is anonymised when used for this purpose.
To find out more please visit the People and Culture Blog.
Further information:
New disability leave and absence provisions (introduced April 2017)
Tags: disability, Disability December, equality, human resources, myview, people and culture
Posted in News | Comments Off on Talking about disability at UoN: make sure you count
Admissions launch the MyNottingham portal
November 24th, 2017
The Admissions Team have been using the Campus Solutions system to process undergraduate applications from UCAS since 2015. Since the beginning of October, we have been introducing new system functionality to allow us to manage our other Admissions routes – postgraduate UCAS courses, UCAS Teacher Training courses and Direct Admissions – through Campus Solutions.
To make this possible, we have developed and launched several new interfaces and system parts, including:
- A new online application form
- The MyNottingham Applicant portal, where applicants can manage their application, upload documents, receive notifications from staff at the University, update their personal details, pay fees and make further applications
- The MyNottingham Agent Centre for agents who create applications to our University on behalf of their clients. Using the Agent Centre, agents can create, submit and manage applications
- A link that allows us to pull applications from the UCAS Teacher Training database into Campus Solutions – similar to our existing link to the main UCAS system
- A data storage system where information from Campus Solutions will be backed up for use by certain legacy systems
80% of the finance module of Campus Solutions, which will allow applicants and our finance team to manage the payment of fees and financial records
To learn more about how Campus Solutions works for Admissions, visit the What Campus Solutions does… pages on Workspace.
How the go-live went
We launched the system to applicants and agents in stages. Our launch started by opening up MyNottingham to agents and applicants wanting to make a new application on Monday 23 October. A couple of days later, we extended the access to existing applicants and started to take applications from UCAS Teacher Training. This first week went roughly to plan and we were able to receive over 500 applications through the new system.
In the following weeks, colleagues from Admissions and the School of Education have been able to successfully process the applications coming from UCAS Teacher Training and pass decisions back to the organisation.
Progress with the direct admissions system was delayed by some problems with the accuracy of the information needed to populate offer letters. However, we believe these issues are now resolved and we have started to send out offer letters to our new applicants.
There is now a large backlog of applications for the team in Admissions to work through. Once the backlog is clear, we will be able to return to our normal one to two day turnaround for applications. However, until then, there will be a longer waiting period for applicants. The team in Admissions are formulating a plan to manage the backlog and overtime is being offered to the team who process the applications. Admissions Tutors, Heads of Operations, Faculty Pro-Vice Chancellors and colleagues in Student Services who are impacted by this, have been informed.
Issues
When going live with a complicated IT system, glitches are to be expected. The Project team and Admissions have been working closely to identify, escalate and resolve issues as soon as possible.
If you would like more information about the process and system issues we found during go-live, take a look at the Project Transform Workspace.
Whilst we did experience a few issues, we were able to launch the site to applicants and agents on the advertised dates. A huge thank you to the teams who were working hard to make sure that we could meet our deadlines for applicants.
What is next for Admissions and Campus Solutions?
In the short-term, the Admissions team, along with Admissions Tutors and staff in schools and Student Services, will continue to use Campus Solutions to process our applications. This includes tasks such as recording decisions and sending out offer letters.
In December, we will be launching visa processing for direct applications. We launched visa processing for UCAS applications earlier this year and the functionality is very similar.
Due to the deadlines involved with processing visas, MyNottingham is only being used for direct applications to courses starting from April 2018. Any direct applications for courses starting before then are still being processed in the older systems. Once we have passed 1 April, we will be using Campus Solutions for all of our Admissions.
Related to Admissions, is the launch of an Online Scholarship Application system, accessible to applicants through MyNottingham. Colleagues in Student Services will be looking to launch that part of the system over the next week. Using the system, applicants will be presented with a pre-filtered list of scholarships they are eligible to apply for. At launch this only pulls from the list of centrally managed scholarships aimed at international and EU offer holders. If successful, we will look to expand its use next autumn.
Thank you
Admissions have pioneered the use of Campus Solutions in the University of Nottingham over the past two years. There has been a sustained commitment during this time to making the implementation of Campus Solutions a success. Teams in Admissions have worked in close partnership with colleagues in Project Transform and the IS team to make this happen with support from Admissions Tutors and staff in schools and Student Services.
Whilst implementation has been difficult at times, the Campus Solutions system will allow us to reduce the number of systems that we need to use to manage applications. With fewer systems, we will see a more robust and simpler process for staff, applicants and agents. The new system will also see the automation of many processes which were previously manual.
Thank you to all involved with our launches over the past two years. Your hard work, patience and dedication have been fundamental to our progress to date.
Tags: Admissions, direct admissions, MyNottingham, Project Transform
Posted in Announcements, Side news story | Comments Off on Admissions launch the MyNottingham portal
Centre for Biomolecular Sciences: Expansion work commences January 2018
November 23rd, 2017
Building work for further expansion of the Centre for Biomolecular Sciences (CBS) will begin on Monday 15 January 2018 on University Park.
The expansion will provide a physical link between the existing CBS building and the Boots Science Building and will include laboratories, offices and meeting rooms for academic and postgraduate staff.
When complete, it will house a number of formerly geographically-dispersed but complementary research groups and multidisciplinary teams. These research groups include Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Cancer Science, Chemical Biology and Mass Spectrometry, Respiratory Genetics and Pharmacology.
The expansion will also unlock space and facilities in the existing CBS building for the Green Chemicals Beacon, and will form a key part of both Global Strategy 2020 and the University of Nottingham’s Research Strategy.
CBS expansion — a timeline
A Project Management Group, chaired by Professor Dame Jessica Corner, was established in September 2016 to oversee the design and development of the building expansion following Executive Board project endorsement. The group has focused on optimising the building’s design to meet the requirements of the proposed research groups and incorporate best practice in providing an environment that would encourage multidisciplinary and group networking behaviours — providing further opportunities in line with Strategy 2020 and enabling the co-location of all the groups needed to strategically leverage the maximum advantage from the building.
Funding approval for the project to proceed was confirmed earlier this month.
The new building will comprise of an area of 6,000 m2 spread over five floors and will be located adjacent to the Boots Science Building on University Park.
Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, explains:
“The expansion to the CBS building presents the University with an exciting opportunity to drive forward a digitally-enabled research agenda, develop and attract world class researchers and ensure that our researchers have access to leading technologies and environments that enable new ways of working and collaboration and provide the services and systems to easily collect, manipulate, analyse, store and share research data.
“This facility will allow much more effective leverage of funding from research councils, charities and industry, and will be crucial to the delivery of innovative courses in Cancer Studies that will put Nottingham at the forefront of modern UK education in this area.”
Effect on parking
The development of the CBS expansion will result in some changes to car parking facilities: Around 60 parking spaces will be removed from the area next to the Boots Science Building when work commences in January 2018.
We appreciate the inconvenience of this and have recently carried out a review of the parking facilities on University Park to improve the provision of parking spaces available.
Measures include:
- Adjustments to parking layouts in the Engineering and Science area to provide 32 additional staff parking spaces, anticipated by January 2018
- The recent re-instatement of 35 staff parking spaces adjacent to the Chemistry building
- Re-instatement of 20 staff parking spaces at the front of Hallward Library, anticipated by January 2018
Other areas available for staff parking on University Park are:
- Main visitors car park which has 230 staff spaces
- Lenton Hall Drive between Library Road and Derby Road with 107 staff spaces
- Lincoln Hall car park off Cripps Hill with 58 staff spaces
Building work on the CBS expansion will commence in January 2018, with an anticipated completion date of the end of 2019. Throughout this period, construction related vehicles will be restricted to using the South entrance and Science Road only.
We will be releasing further details of the development over the coming months.
For all the latest news on current developments around our campuses, visit the Current Developments website.
Tags: Boots Science Building, building, CBS, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, Coates Road, Estates, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Science, parking
Posted in Announcements, News | 5 Comments »