The Complete University Guide 2014 league table – message from John Joughin, Acting Vice-Chancellor

Dear colleagues,

The Complete University Guide 2014 league table was released on Monday and, as you may be aware, UEL was placed bottom of the table.

Obviously, this is very disappointing. Moreover it clearly does not truly reflect the hard work of our staff and students. As it happens, we have actually improved year-on-year in several areas. Our entry standards are up, from an average 195 tariff points to 229, while hitting our admissions targets, showing there is strong demand for places at UEL, and more of our students are graduating with good honours (rising from 44% to 49%). But at the same time, our students continue to have difficulty finding good graduate jobs in the current economic climate, and our satisfaction score in the National Student Survey (NSS) fell slightly, pushing us down the table.

You will be aware that we are already working extremely hard with the Students’ Union and our students to try and get back to the level of the 2011 NSS, in which we recorded our highest-ever rating, and improve it further. For the 2013 NSS we have already received our highest-ever response rate. We will also continue to work tirelessly with the private and public sectors to improve our students’ chances of gaining graduate-level employment when they leave UEL.

We are all proud of the dedication of UEL staff to our students, and I know that you will continue to work hard to enrich their lives while studying at UEL to give them the best possible chances when they leave.

Best wishes,

Professor John Joughin, Acting Vice-Chancellor

Stratford and Duncan House library closures in June

The existing UEL Stratford and Duncan House libraries will close their doors for good at 5pm, Friday 7 June, while the printed library collections and staff are relocated to the new Stratford Library between 8-23 June. The new state-of-the-art Stratford library will be open for business from Monday 24 June.

If staff or students need library access during this period, there will be 24/7 access to a full range of online resources. Docklands Library will also remain open throughout this period.

To minimise any disruption, students will be able to borrow 25 items from the beginning of June - that's ten more than usual.

For more information about the services that will be available during the two-week closure visit the Stratford library website or email newlibrary@uel.ac.uk.

3-2-1 meal offer – Hungry? Want three food items for £2? Take part in the Edge and Green refectories' 3-2-1 offer, which includes protein and carbohydrate-based items and a vegetable for only £2, between 5-6pm.

International India Centre memorandum of cooperation – UEL Chancellor Lord Gulam Noon, and Executive Director of Sahara Pariwar Sushanto Roy, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to work in partnership towards investing, developing and managing the International India Centre (IIC), a major new building in London’s Docklands. For the full story click here...

De-stress with free Falun Gong sessions – Natalie (Tilly) Nesbitt from the Children’s Garden is offering free Falun Gong sessions to all staff who want to relax and unwind. Falun Gong is a traditional Chinese practice involving meditation and gentle exercises. Sessions are starting from Thursday 2 May, 10-11am in NB1.01A, Chaplaincy. For more information visit the Falun Gong website or email the Chaplaincy.

Don’t forget the new Credit Control opening hours – From 9 May, the Thursday afternoon Credit Control drop-in-session will now be open until 5.45. For more information about the services Credit Control offer click here…

Collide Festival 2013 – The annual student-run Collide Festival is back this year at Stratford Circus, on Friday 10 May. Come and celebrate east London’s burgeoning urban dance scene, packed with high-energy performances from UEL students. For more information and to purchase tickets visit the Collide website.

Gerry Czerniawski elected to BERA council – Congratulations to Gerry Czerniawski, Cass School of Education and Communities, who has been elected to the Executive Council of the British Educational Research Association (BERA). Gerry was elected through a highly competitive electoral process and joins Jean Murray, also from CASS, giving UEL a very powerful voice in this important national forum.

Researching allegations of sexual misconduct in schools seminar – Professor Pat Sykes, University of Sheffield, talks about the perceptions and experiences of male school teachers who have been accused of sexual misconduct with female students, whose court cases were cleared or dismissed. This interesting seminar is on Thursday 2 May, 4.30-5.30pm, ED.2.04, Stratford Campus.

Seed swap success – A huge thank you to everyone who donated seeds to the seed drive. There are now carrots, beetroot, spring onions, rhubarb and wildflower borders merrily growing at the Stratford raised beds. If you’d like to get volunteering at the food-growing clubs please contact Emily Hamilton.

Biodiversity fellows – Are you interested in biodiversity? Would you like the opportunity to undertake surveys with organisations like the London Wildlife Trust, UEL Field Studies Council and Royal Society for the Protection for Birds? Up to 20 places are available for staff and students to train to become a biodiversity fellow with the Field Studies Council. Email Emily Hamilton for more information.

Have your say on sustainable development education – Anna Klawe, the new Sustainability team research intern, will be working on the new Mapping for Sustainability project. If you would like to be interviewed by Anna regarding your thoughts on the development of an understanding of the range of sustainability-related education taking place in UEL and other HEIs email Emily Hamilton.

Call: Centre for Social Action Innovation Fund launched – The Centre for Social Action Innovation Fund is a £14 million fund that will support innovative ventures and programmes that use social action to achieve impact in ageing well, long-term health, young people and impact volunteering. For more information click here...

Call: HLF – Heritage Enterprise Fund launches – These are grants of between £100,000 and £5 million, eligible to not-for-profit organisations, for heritage projects that have the potential to unlock a heritage asset in need of investment and utilise it as a stimulus for economic growth. For more information click here...

Call: EU Lifelong Learning Programme – implementation of ET2020 – The aim of this call, run by the European Commission, is to encourage developing skills for growth and competitiveness in education and training; and strengthening youth employability and reducing early school leaving levels. For more information click here...

Last chance to RSVP for the E-Factor final – Watch UEL students pitch in Canary Wharf's stunning new tech Level39 incubator space and play your part in voting for the winner of the £6,000 prize. You need to RSVP to Natalie Freeman by today, Wednesday 1 May, 6pm for the event which will be held on Thursday 2 May, 6.30pm at 39th Floor, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, E14 5AB.

Summer Ball 2013 – Spread the word about the Summer Ball! There's only a month to go and tickets are selling fast. For more information, students can visit the Summer Ball website and get their tickets here...

Volunteering at the Museum of London – The Museum of London will be hosting June open days to showcase the work of their volunteers, what volunteer roles they have and how they contribute to the museum. It's a great way to gain work experience, improve skills and meet new people. More information can be found here…

Try a Sport 365 a success – Since September 2012 over 1,200 students have taken part in Try a Sport 365 sessions, a dramatic increase on the 525 who took part in 2011/12. At SportsDock alone, 14 different sports have been offered completely free of charge. Staff can also enjoy the benefits by joining as a UELSports member, which is just £70 for the academic year, with free access to all Try a Sport 365 sessions.

Varsity 2013 UEL v Middlesex – UEL were crowed Varsity champions for 2013 after an exciting day of competitions spanning 17 different sports. The day got off to a slow start before UEL took the lead and excelled in table tennis, judo, netball, hockey, men’s football and volleyball and men’s and women’s rugby and basketball. Congratulations to all who took part.