University Square Stratford soon opening

University Square Stratford, our brand-new campus in the centre of Stratford, is due to open ready for the start of the new academic year in September 2013.

The new campus is a unique partnership between UEL and Birkbeck, University of London, funded by the London Borough of Newham and the Higher Education Funding Council. UEL’s law, criminology, performing arts and MBA students will study alongside students from Birkbeck.

Staff moves are due to start in August 2013, with the campus opening its doors to students from 16 September 2013. For more information, please visit the website...

IT Services to upgrade DELTA

Following consultation with School registrars and heads of service, it has been agreed that IT Services will upgrade DELTA on 15-16 April 2013. This means DELTA will be unavailable for data entry for these two days.

Please ensure that all staff who use DELTA, Jasper Reports or UEL Direct are aware of this upgrade. For more information click here...

Reminder: UEL launches new Retirement and Savings Plan

From 1 July 2013, new Government legislation will require UEL to enrol staff in an occupational pension scheme, irrespective of whether they have previously opted out of one.

As part of the new Defined Contribution (DC) Pension Scheme, UEL will contribute 10% of pensionable pay towards the scheme (with no employee contribution required). For more information click here...

Olympic masseur voted onto board – Earle Abrahamson from External and Strategic Development Service, who worked as a 2012 Olympic massage therapist, has been voted onto the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council’s board for massage. For more info click here…

Student-Led Teaching Awards – More than 180 nominations have been received for over 80 members of staff in six categories. The presentations will take place at SportsDock on Thursday 11 April at 5pm. To RSVP click here...

Performance Philosophy international conference – 'What is performance philosophy? Staging a new field' will be the inaugural conference of the new professional association Performance Philosophy, running from Thursday 11 - Saturday 13 April. For more info click here...

Help unlock cycling funding – UEL has joined Barclays Cycle Superhighways programme, which offers the possibility of up to £15,000 to improve cycling facilities, training and workshops. To access the funding only 250 more staff and students need to fill in a 30-second survey! To take part click here...

Power to the MFDs – If you have a large office multifunctional device (combined printer, scanner and copier) you no longer need to switch it off each night. All MFDs will automatically switch into low-power mode, using 11 watts ph, compared to 197 watts in standby mode. For longer periods however, please switch off completely. For more info email Emily Hamilton.

Rachel Mulvey wins grant for continuation of CEDEFOP project – Rachel, the Associate Dean of Psychology, has been awarded €20,914 from CEDEFOP to continue her work on “Narrative of career/ labour market-related learning of low-skilled workers”.

Call: EU research networks to provide foreign policy expertise – Tenders may be submitted on areas such as EU enlargement, Russia and central Asia, transatlantic relations, security and defence and human rights.

Call: Association of Commonwealth Universities titular fellowships – The Association of Commonwealth Universities invites applications for its titular fellowships. These provide opportunities for university staff to spend periods of time at other member universities.

Call: Open Society Fellowship – The Open Society Foundations invite applications to support individuals seeking innovative and unconventional approaches to enrich public understanding of fundamental open society challenges.

Going Global bidding now open – Going Global supports home students with part funding to participate in short study visits abroad related to their studies. The closing date is Friday 3 May. For further info click here...

Annual sports survey – Take part in the survey and help UELSports develop and improve their sport and physical activity programme for students. Everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a prize draw. To enter click here...

Songlab UEL – Songlab is the flagship event for UEL's creative community. Incorporating spoken word, illustration, and a wealth of live music spanning a range of genres and styles. The next event is 17 April, 7:30-11pm at the Troy Bar, Hoxton. For more info click here...

Bollywood dance – Bollywood dance is April's class of the month. With a mixture of many different dance styles including Bhangra, modern and folk, it is guaranteed to de-stress and energise you! Every Monday 8:15-9:05pm at SportsDock.

April gym challenge – All members can take part in the 'Bench Press' until 30 April. Of the two categories, under 30s and over 30s, the highest percentage of weight lifted compared to body weight wins. For more information speak to a SportsDock fitness instructor.

Free Paralympic taster sessions – Students get FREE sessions to try Paralympic sports. Try a Sport has organised three weeks of goal ball, boccia, wheelchair tennis, archery, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball for all students, starting on 16 April at SportsDock. For more info click here...