Campus News
UoN hosts civic and faith leaders for Black History Month
October 10th, 2023
On Saturday 7 October 2023, the university hosted a Black History Month breakfast in partnership with the Majority Black Led Churches in Nottingham.
The event brought together more than 80 civic and faith leaders across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, focusing on learning from the past and shaping the future.
As part of the event, leaders from different sectors committed to working in partnership across our region to address systemic inequalities and celebrate the achievements of those from Black heritage.
Some of the attendees included the High Sheriff of Nottingham, Veronica Pickering; Councillor David Mellen; local Members of Parliament Lilian Greenwood (Nottingham South) and Nadia Whittome (Nottingham East); and the Chief Executive of Nottingham City Council, Mel Barrett.
Alongside these political leaders, Bishop Paul Williams and the leaders of the Majority Black Led Churches were also in attendance, as were representatives of Nottingham Trent University, The Police, Nottingham University Hospitals, and Nottingham Citizens.
Also in attendance was Donna Ockenden, chair of the independent review of maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), who used the occasion to encourage the church leaders to support the review.
You can view a gallery of images from the event below.
Every year, we celebrate Black history, culture, and achievements during Black History Month in October. This is a time to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contributions of Black people to British society and beyond. It also serves as an opportunity to inspire and empower future generations.
This year’s national theme is ‘Saluting our sisters’ – highlighting Black women’s critical role in shaping black history, culture and communities. We took the opportunity to celebrate some of the Black women in the room and their achievements.
These included Veronica Pickering – High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire; Audra Wynter – Deputy Leader Nottingham City Council; Penelope Siebert – NTU Senior Lecturer; Donna Sherratt – Programme Manager Small Steps Big Changes; Sabrina Taylor – Nottingham Healthwatch; Claire Bale – EDI Lead – Girls School Trust and Denise McClean – Senior Technical Specialist University of Nottingham.
During the event, Pastor Dr Ezekiel Alawale said: “The Majority Black Led Churches is committed to creating partnerships with all sectors of civil society to raise the aspirations of Black people in the city of Nottingham.”
He added: “Change doesn’t just happen. People make it happen. We need to take collective responsibility and make sure from what we’ve heard today we are a part of that change”.
Professor Katherine Linehan, Pro-vice chancellor for Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and People at the university said: “It was a huge pleasure to host breakfast for our key partners here at the university. We are committed to working together to enhance opportunities for young people from black communities in Nottingham and beyond.
“We will ensure we go beyond words and take meaningful action to address systemic inequalities in the university and within our local society”.
Tags: bhm, BHM 2023, Black History Month 2023, Civic and faith leaders
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UoN ResX team skydiving for Morocco earthquake victims
October 10th, 2023
As you will be aware, Morocco was recently hit by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake, the strongest on record in Morocco, spanning 45miles and wiping out entire villages in rural areas.
Thousands of people have been killed and many more injured. Homes have been damaged and destroyed in Morocco’s towns and remote mountain villages. It’s the strongest earthquake to hit Morocco since the 1960s.
Any donations big or small will make a huge impact on the lives of victims in Morocco.
You can donate to the cause here.
Tags: charity, Earthquake appeal, fund raising, Morocco
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Centre for Media, Politics and Communication Research
October 10th, 2023
Following the highly successful launch of the new Centre for Media, Politics and Communications Research (CMPCR) with the public lecture by Eliot Higgins of Bellingcat on September 20 at the Nottingham Contemporary, CMPCR is delighted to announce the first event of the Autumn Seminar Series.
The CMPCR Autumn Seminar Series is dedicated to interrogating the role of storytelling and metanarratives in persuasive political communication, including in propaganda and populist personality politics.
The next roundtable event will be held on Wednesday 18 October 2023, from 3.30pm – 5pm in Room A2, Law and Social Sciences building, entitled “Political narratives and journalistic storytelling: an Interdisciplinary discussion“.
The first event is an interdisciplinary roundtable discussion between UoN colleagues from different disciplines with a common interest in political storytelling.
- Carina Hart’s (English Literature) analysis of Robin Hood folklore and literature demonstrates how the narrative of the heroic outlaw has been invoked by both Boris Johnson, whose government broke the law to prorogue parliament and avoid scrutiny of the Brexit bill, and Extinction Rebellion.
- Jen Birks’ (Cultural, Media and Visual Studies) study of the 2022 Conservative leadership election explores how both Truss and Sunak employed the ‘hero’s journey’ archetype to give competing visions of the dominant threat to the national community and their readiness to take up the quest to vanquish it.
- Ellen Watts (Politics and International Relations) will discuss the ‘origin story’ as a form of political knowledge and ‘meritocratic narratives’ in Marcus Rashford’s #EndChildFoodPoverty campaign.
We hope to welcome colleagues from a wide range of disciplines to join us in a discussion of political storytelling.
And if you’d like to see a full report of the launch event from BBC Politics East Midlands, please see here at 24 minutes in.
Tags: media, Media and culture, roundtable
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New Director of Student Experience appointed
October 10th, 2023
A new Director of Student Experience will join the University of Nottingham from Friday 1 December 2023.
Sally Olohan, currently Head of Support and Residential Life at Westminster University, will take up the role.
Sally has previous professional experience as a teacher, counsellor and special needs coordinator and has worked in higher education student services leadership roles for over 30 years.
As Head of Student Support and Residential Life at University of Westminster, she had responsibility for services, policies and university-wide frameworks relating to student living, wellbeing and safeguarding.
She is also currently Co-Chair of the London Higher Mental Health and Wellbeing network, which promotes best practice and joint initiatives to improve student wellbeing across a range of HE providers.
Sally has coordinated and contributed to sector-level guidance on issues relating to student mental wellbeing, disability inclusion, duty of care and suicide prevention.
She has served on the Executive of AMOSSHE, the Student Services Organisation and was awarded an MBE in 2009 for services to higher education.
She is a Nottingham resident and has served as a governor at two Nottingham City schools. For her own wellbeing, she enjoys walking and running – including through University Park and Jubilee campuses – and participating in local community activities.
Sally will take up her post on Friday 1 December 2023 and is very much looking forward to working collaboratively with colleagues, UoNSU officers and partners to shape the future vision of student experience and wellbeing at the university.
Tags: Education and Student Experience, Sally Olohan, student experience
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Race equality in practice: Black Industry Connections and Empowerment Programme
October 10th, 2023
This year, the University of Nottingham will run the Black Industry Connections and Empowerment Programme (BICEP) for the second time.
BICEP’s goal is to offer students from Black heritage backgrounds the opportunity to expand their personal and professional networks, meet inspiring Black role models; and find empowerment whilst at university. This work supports the university’s commitment to the Access and Participation Plan objective to close the awarding gap between Black and White students.
Over the course of four months our 24 volunteer mentors provided 87 students with insights into what it’s like working in a variety of industries.
They took part in two in-person networking events, as well as more than 60 online group sessions where students could discuss a range of topics with mentors and develop skills that could support them now, as current students and once they graduate and enter into the world of work.
Angela Namubiru, a Medicinal and Biological Chemistry student and a BICEP participant, said: “BICEP was such an excellent programme to be apart of. Having conversations with black people who have attended Nottingham university and understand what it’s like being a minority at this place was good , especially as many have excelled within their own career fields too.”
BICEP has been a hugely positive new initiative and we look forward to seeing the programme continue to grow. Students can find out more and sign up to take part in this year’s BICEP here: nott.ac/bicep Closing date for applications is Wednesday 25 October.
Objective 4.15 from our Race Equality Charter is to improve graduate outcomes for Black, Asian, and minority ethnic students.
Find out more about our race equality commitments here.
Tags: bame, BICEP, Black Industry Connections and Empowerment Programme, Black students
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World Mental Health Day 2023: find support and guidance
October 10th, 2023
Today (Tuesday 10 October) is world mental health day. More and more of us are aware of mental health, but one in three people feel too embarrassed to ask for support.
To help take the next step from awareness to action we would like to take this opportunity to highlight the resources available for colleagues to support everyone’s mental health.
- As a line manager you can attend our Leading Mental Health and Wellbeing workshops to learn more about supporting your own mental health as well as protecting and promoting the mental health and wellbeing of your team. Places are available on Thursday 11 October from 10am – 11am and Monday 6 November from 2pm – 3pm. You can register here.
- Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) – provide a point of contact for staff seeking support, they are trained to have a good awareness of mental health to signpost staff to appropriate professional support and provide the opportunity to engage in supportive conversations. The MHFA SharePoint site has names and departments of all MHFAs.
- As well as our Counselling Service, all members of staff have access to counselling support via our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). You can access the service here via our Employee Hub. If you’d like to know more about how the EAP can support you, there are a number of webinars running this week which explain the features of the service. These webinars will also be available as recordings via the same link after the event.
- Togetherall – provides a safe online space for members to engage anonymously with a wide network of people across the world who understand what it’s like to struggle with mental health. Peer-to-peer support is available and members can access the online support community 24/7 and 365 days of the year. This is free to UoN staff.
In addition, wellbeing resources can be found on the UoN Wellbeing Hub.
Tags: EAP, health and wellbeing, mental health, mental health first aiders, support for staff, University Mental Health and Wellbeing Day., world mental health day
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UniCore – our new HR, Finance and Procurement system
October 10th, 2023
The Digital Core project team would like to thank everyone that took part in the naming competition for the university’s new HR, Finance and Procurement system.
A competition was launched over the summer to find a suitable name for our new HR, Finance and Procurement system. Activities that will be completed using the new system include accessing payslips, booking annual leave, recording financial transactions and sickness absence, undertaking staff recruitment, completing Appraisal and Development Conversations (ADC), claiming expenses and making purchases.
An astounding 540 entries were received from staff across the university. A judging panel comprising representatives from the Brand, User Experience, Internal Communications, HR, Finance, Procurement and DTS teams had the tough job of selecting a name that best reflected the nature of the system.
The name that has been selected for the system is UniCore.
“We are very grateful to everyone that submitted their name suggestions for our new system. It hasn’t been easy to select a name as we received many excellent suggestions,” highlights Sally Blackamore, Director of Financial Control.
“UniCore was chosen as the best name for the system as it is a combination of the words ‘university’ and ‘core’, portraying that it will be a central university system that brings together our HR, Finance and Procurement processes. This name is also short and easy to remember.”
Five members of staff submitted this great name suggestion – these lucky winners will each receive a High Street voucher:
- Martyn Barrett, Senior Technician, Civil Engineering
- Rujuta Naik, Practice Support Teaching Assistant, School of Health Sciences
- Rundong Yan, Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering
- Alina Ungureanu, Communications and Content Officer, Student Recruitment
- Selin Palali, Postgraduate Researcher, School of Chemistry
As highlighted in the previous Digital Core update, UniCore is expected to be rolled out across the university in May 2024. The new system will play a key role in enabling our People and Culture and Digital Strategic Development Plans, and ensuring we can deliver our Assurance Framework. Over 45 dated existing IT systems will be replaced by UniCore; a modern, reliable and secure system that can be accessed using laptops, tablets and mobile phones.
The Digital Core project team will be running demonstrations over the coming months to highlight how the new HR, Finance and Procurement processes will work in practice. Training for the new system is expected to commence from February 2024.
For further information regarding the Digital Core project, please visit the SharePoint site or email digitalcore@nottingham.ac.uk.
Tags: Digital Core, finance, HR, procurement, UniCore
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Conflict in the Middle East – staff and student support services
October 9th, 2023
As the conflict in Gaza and Israel escalates, we must ensure that colleagues and students who are impacted are offered all available support. This will be a stressful and worrying time for many in our community – please do access support where needed, and signpost our services to those who may need them.
Students who are struggling with academic matters or wellbeing can book an appointment – in-person or virtual – with their local Support and Wellbeing team. Book through MyWellbeing in the StudentLife portal.
Personal tutors or supervisors may also be able to offer further support and guidance – students can check in with them for advice.
The Chaplaincy and Faith Support team are there for staff and students with or without a faith. Visit the Chaplaincy webpages to find out how you can access their support.
Staff members affected by the conflict should check in with line managers to ensure they are supported locally. You can also access support services through the Employee Assistance Programme and Staff Wellbeing Hub, available by logging in to the Employee Hub.
Dr Paul Greatrix
Registrar, University of Nottingham
Tags: Gaza, Israel, palestine, support for staff, support for students
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Automatic Restarts for Windows – phase 2
October 9th, 2023
As part of our continuing security improvement initiatives, Digital and Technology Services (DTS) will be starting monthly ‘Automatic Restarts’ for university-managed Microsoft Windows devices.
Microsoft provide monthly updates to keep our Windows systems secure and, they also occasionally introduce new productivity features to help us in our work. If devices are not restarted regularly, they are more vulnerable to cyber threats.
Following a successful pilot of automatic restarts within DTS, Libraries and IT Reps in September, DTS will now proceed with its second phase of the rollout plan.
When will this start?
From Monday 23 October, the rollout will be extended to all Windows devices within the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Social Sciences.
Following the second rollout, in November, we will complete the rollout by including all university faculties and professional services departments.
Who and what devices does this apply to?
The monthly Automatic Restarts will only apply to Windows devices that are university-managed, i.e., Desktops, Laptops, Surface Pros. Note, PCs in central computer rooms and known servers already have their own separate restart rules.
Such devices are issued to staff, associates, and postgraduate researchers (PGRs). Please note, if a user of their device change roles to a different Faculty and take it with them, the device remains associated to their original role.
What will happen each month?
In the week following the second Tuesday of each month, users get a pop-up message prompting the user to restart the device at a convenient time. A future date and time of two weeks will be shown. Users can snooze the message up until 24-hours before the deadline.
Then a final 24-hour warning pop-up will appear before the device automatically restarts, this cannot be snoozed.
The two-week countdown will only start, and the pop-up message appear when the device downloads its updates and are ready to be installed. Note, if a device has multiple pending updates, users may receive a restart notification twice in one month.
What if a Windows device cannot be restarted?
We are aware that some devices will need to be excluded from the Automatic Restart process. Submit this exemption form to request a device to be excluded from the monthly automatic restarts. The exemption is by device, not its user(s). Devices that are approved to be exempt will only receive a restart reminder message.
Your feedback and FAQs
To help us assess how effective the initiative is, we are asking users provide feedback on the experience and any issues by submitting this form.
For more details and FAQs about automatic restarts, visit this Workspace page. We welcome your feedback for any improvements.
Tags: Automatic restart, windows
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University’s Registrar assumes leadership role in prestigious European network
October 9th, 2023
The university’s Registrar, Dr Paul Greatrix, has been appointed as the President of HUMANE (Heads of University Management & Administration Network in Europe), a prestigious European network that brings together university leaders, administrators, and professionals from institutions across the continent.
The appointment is a testament to Paul’s long term involvement in university management and administration. He will take up the role from Monday 16 October 2023.
HUMANE’s primary goal is to foster collaboration, innovation, and knowledge sharing among higher education professionals, promoting excellence in university management and administration.
Dr Greatrix has been involved with HUMANE for many years, including as a contributor to the Winter School and other residential school programmes, as well as a brief period as Round Table Chair and more recently, Board member.
Speaking about his appointment, he said: “I am delighted and honoured to take on the role of President of HUMANE.
“This organisation has a long history of facilitating collaboration and knowledge exchange among higher education leaders across Europe and I’m excited to be a part of that.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue this tradition and drive positive change in our universities.”
Paul will be taking over from Calluna Euving, who leaves the University of Amsterdam and HUMANE to take up a role in the Judiciary in the Netherlands.
Find out more about the work of HUMANE.
Tags: Dr Paul Greatrix, Heads of University Management and Administration, HUMANE, Registrar
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