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Welcome to our weekly in Focus update...... |
Past Issues << | Issue 54: Tuesday 29 May 2007
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Earlier this month our Students' Union (UELSU) was presented with the NUS Black Achievers' Award out of about ninety other UK universities participating at this year's NUS Black Students Conference.
General Secretary Caston Matewu explained how UELSU won the award: "The Conference looked at what all Students' Unions are doing across the UK to support the needs of BME students. At UELSU we have run a number of campaigns in close collaboration with the Mayor for London's office. That's in terms of employability, work experience, volunteering and enhanced career opportunities for our students. We've also developed policies that facilitate greater involvment in the student movement by BME students. The judging panel took all these aspects into consideration in making the award."
Over fifty percent of our students are from BME communities and this is the first national award UELSU has won for services to BME students.
Caston continued: "UELSU wants to help improve the value of UEL degrees to employers so that the fact that a student comes from UEL is something to be reckoned with. Winning this award gives UELSU extra motivation because we realise the external recognition we are winning from our peers."
UELSU is planning a number of events to celebrate Black History Month in October with more information to follow.
A working party has been set up to co-ordinate Black History Month 2007 events for September and October of Semester A. The activities will mark the Bicentennial of the Abolition of the slave trade as well as the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All.
The sorts of projects discussed include a film season, photographic images, lectures and talks, performances and a competition to create an image or write an essay of what Black History means to the participant, with prizes for the winning entries.
The working party next meets on 6 June to finalise plans.
If you have any ideas as to what you would like to see as part of the programme of events please email the group's chair Secretary and Registrar Alan Ingle on a.ingle@uel.ac.uk
Friday 6 July Docklands - Closing date for international students to confirm they are coming is Friday 1 June.
International students can each bring two guests to the awards ceremony and tickets are free. There will also be an alumni event on the same day.
More detailed plans about the shape of the day will follow but in the meantime if you would like to attend as a volunteer you are very welcome.
Please let Nicola Quilter know if you are coming and she will be able to order your gown for you.
You can contact Nicola on Email: n.quilter@uel.ac.uk
Many of our staff who are also students will have received the Student Satisfaction Survey 2007.
The closing date for completed surveys is this week, so if you still have yours and have been meaning to complete it please make sure you do it this week.
If you've lost the survey or have any queries you can contact Jason Dickson on J.J.Dickson@uel.ac.uk.
Thursday 31 May AVA Building Docklands Campus 6pm
The Private View for our Architecture and Visual Arts Showcase takes place from 6pm on Thursday 31 May.
George Iacobescu, Chief Executive Officer of Canary Wharf opens the show this year, at 6.30pm.
All staff welcome.
For more information visit: http://www.uel.ac.uk/news/latest_news/stories/showcase07.htm
Graduate Catwalk Show 2007 Monday 4 June 6.30pm Theatre B Stand no. 135 Battersea Park Arena
See the work of graduating students from the BA Hons Fashion and Marketing and BA Fashion Design as part of Graduate Fashion Week
For more informationabout the event visit: http://www.uel.ac.uk/news/index.htm
Saturday 9 June Docklands Campus 11am – 5pm
Encourage your students to
learn how to produce a winning CV, shine at interviews and dress for success!
Students who are serious about a great career after graduation need to be there! For more informationabout the event visit: www.uel.ac.uk/employabilityworks
Open Day: Saturday 16 June Stratford and Docklands Campus 11am – 4pm.
UEL Extra Launch: Saturday 16 June Stratford Campus 12 noon.
We are preparing for our biggest ever Summer Open Day this June and with just over three weeks to go, we've already had meetings with most schools and services.
Over 10,000 posters and postcards are rolling off the printer right now for distribution to applicants, schools, colleges, libraries and community partners. We are also planning a pan-London advertising campaign.
Dr Shani Gbaja joined us earlier in the year as Head of UEL Extra, a new unit to develop and deliver part-time programmes with an initial focus on evening and week-end provision. UEL Extra is planning to expand and develop cost-effective, high-quality and innovative short courses aimed at regional and international markets. The unit will draw on existing markets and develop new ones for part-time undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. To achieve this, UEL Extra is working with all Schools and our Corporate Marketing and International Office to develop our first ever part-time prospectus. This will be launched wtih UEL Extra at our next Open Day on Saturday 16 June.
UEL Extra will manage our collaboration with Birkbeck Stratford. Our partnership will allow students to move more freely and flexibly between the two institutions and create new routes for students to gain university-level qualifications. Partnership programmes are offered at Stratford only. A wider range of part-time programmes will also be available in Stratford, Docklands and the exciting new Barking Lifelong Learning Centre.
For more information about our Open Day visit: http://www.uel.ac.uk/openday/
Organised by Continuum - our research centre for widening participation, this prestigious international conference is the premier networking event for everyone with an interest in: access, widening participation, lifelong learning and student success. We expect to attract around 250 delegates from both the UK and overseas. We would also like to take the opportunity to encourage our colleagues to attend this event as a platform for their work and a great networking opportunity.
Visit http://www.f-a-c-e.org.uk/conference2007.htm today to find out more.
To conduct a search of current funding opportunities , including all the major competitions , or to set up email alerts specific to your interests, visit www.researchresearch.com.
If you intend to submit an application for funding please contact Tim Brooks (Acting Research Funding Officer) in the Graduate School. Tim is retaining his other responsibilities within the Graduate School so the more notice you can give, the better!
Sunday 3 June 2007
Summer bike ride Five mile to fabulous organised for women by the Cycle Touring Club (CTC) is meeting at Upminster Railway Station at 9.45am this Sunday and the ride commences at 10am.
Described as five easy miles mostly around quiet roads and lanes, the ride calls at the Thames Chase visitor centre in Pike Lane where it's possible to get refreshments, such as sandwiches, tea and coffee. Toilets are also available at this stop.
For further information contact Phyllis on Tel: 01708 558 221 or
Email: phyl@dsl.pipex.com
Bring a picnic, bring your friends and family and don't miss the magic and excitement of some of the most sensational ballet and opera in the world...completely FREE!
EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
Swan Lake, The Royal Ballet Thursday 31 May at 7.30pm
Don Giovanni The Royal Opera Wednesday 13 June at 7pm
Tosca The Royal Opera Tuesday 3 July at 7.30pm
For venues and more information visit: http://www.royaloperahouseevents.co.uk/bpsummer/
Our Children’s Garden Early Years Centre summer fair takes place Wednesday 13 June from 12pm -3pm at our Docklands Campus.
ALL WELCOME!
For further information, contact the Children's Garden on
Tel:
020 8223 7833/2663 or Email: childrens.garden@uel.ac.uk.
Wednesday 4 July 6pm duration: approximately 1 hour.
ExCel London Royal Victoria Dock E16 1X
www.excel-london.co.uk Admission: FREE
The New London Orchestra presents Newham welcomes the world - the journey begins by Ronald Corp and Hope Massiah - a choral and orchestral performance by over 400 members of the Newham Community!
For further information, contact Tel: 020 7823 5523 or visit:http://www.nlo.co.uk/
Do you enjoy singing? East London Chorus (ELC), which has enjoyed close links with UEL since its formation in the days of the North-East London Polytechnic, rehearses in the West Building lecture theatre at Docklands campus on Tuesday evenings.
Earlier in May ELC performed Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem with piano duo in Greenwich and Eltham, and is now rehearsing for a concert of Schubert and Mozart at St James Piccadilly on 7th July. They’ll give a world premiere of a work by contemporary composer Brian Chapple at this concert, too.
The Chorus is looking to expand membership, and singers from the University are always specially welcome. The Chorus performs to a high standard, so sight reading skill is necessary.
If you are interested, just come along to a rehearsal and join in to see how you emjoy it, then after 2 or 3 weeks there’ll be a short audition with the Chorus' Music Director before confirming your membership. For rehearsal dates and further details about the Chorus, visit www.eastlondonchorus.org.uk and click on Join.
Sing for Life Bridges Walk On 10 June, East London Chorus is doing a sponsored walk to raise money for the next season and also for Cancer Research UK’s research into Breast Cancer. We are walking the bridges from Tower Bridge to Westminster, so if you would like to spend an afternoon strolling back and forth across the river at the heart of London in aid of a worthy cause, why not join us? Details are on the website.
For further information about East London Chorus visit www.eastlondonchorus.org.uk.
Brush up your IT skills and get an internationally recognised qualification online. Contact Greg Price, Organisational Development Manager on ext 4361 or email g.price@uel.ac.uk
http://www.uel.ac.uk/staff-development/documents/ForthcomingStaffDevelopmentCourses-May-July2007.doc
From the 1 - 15 June Knowledge Dock are running a series of business support courses in E-Business Planning, Market Research and Marketing and Business Planning. The workshops are offered free but places are limited. To book a place call:Sujata Vaishnav Tel: 020 8223 7286 or Email: s.vaishnav@uel.ac.uk
We are set to cut our carbon footprint and reduce energy bills by joining phase three of the Carbon Trust’s Higher Education Carbon Management (HECM) programme.
We are one of fifteen universities across England and Scotland participating in this phase of the programme, designed to provide universities and higher education colleges with practical advice on cutting their carbon emissions and reducing energy costs.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Martin Everett, said: “We are determined to play our full role in the fight against climate change. Working in close partnership with the Carbon Trust on their Higher Education Carbon Management programme, we now have a strategy and a set of practical actions that can help us become even more environmentally friendly. We are very much looking forward to reducing our carbon emissions at the same time as saving considerable amounts of money.”
Our Docklands campus was short-listed for Building of the Year 2001 for its energy efficient design. The new Student Village at Docklands, opened in April 2007, is also specially designed to reduce heat and water wastage, while the Children’s Garden, opened on campus in 2006, features recycled prefabricated construction and sustainably-sourced larch cladding. We offer the first free bike-rental scheme in the UK to staff and students and runs regular green awareness days on campus.
Plans are now in place to install photovoltaic cells on the roof of the Knowledge Dock Centre, also home to our Sustainability Research Institute, which investigates and develops the application of innovative eco-efficient technologies.
To date, the Carbon Trust has worked with 33 universities – one third of the higher education sector – and has identified annual savings of more than £12 million and 125,000 tonnes of CO2 for the sites involved.
For more information visit: http://www.uel.ac.uk/news/latest_news/stories/carbontrust.htm
For a round-up of events see www.uel.ac.uk/events.
If you would like items included in In Focus Update please send them to me by Wednesday of the preceding week at infocus@uel.ac.uk
Please print off a copy of In Focus Update for those of your colleagues who may not have easy access to email.
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