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Welcome to in Focus Update… |
Past Issues << | Issue 163: Tuesday 18 August 2009 |
Recruitment so far Conversion activities, such as, targeted emails to enquirers, follow up emails to offer holders and invites to open days, have produced good results. When applications to UCAS closed on 30 June our undergraduate full-time applications were up by two per cent compared to last year, with a nineteen per cent increase in the volume of applications from EU applicants.
UCAS firm accepts have shown an increase of eight per cent for conditional offers and fifteen per cent for unconditional offers. Firm acceptances for direct applicants are at the same level as last year.
It has been a particularly good year for PGCE applications and currently we have vacancies on only four programmes. Fifteen are already full with healthy waiting lists to draw on should some applicants not be able to come this year.
Pictured: Emma Burchfield, Head of Student Admissions
Home and abroadThe introduction of the Points Based System by the UK Borders Agency (UKBA) this year has led to new challenges in international recruitment . Despite a drop in international UCAS applicants, we have made the same number of offers to well-qualified applicants as last year. We have secured our license from UKBA and we are on the A list of recruiting institutions.
Our UKBA license needs to be maintained and places new legal responsibilities on us. The new rules apply differently to applicants and students. For advice and guidance from our International Student Advisors, visit: www.uel.ac.uk/isa
Adrienne Clarke, Director of International Office, said: “The Points Based System is still being phased in by UKBA. In the longer term this will facilitate the visa application process for qualified and committed students.”
The home market has also changed due to external forces this year. With a cap on recruitment for all higher education institutions, some predict that as many as 20,000 UCAS applicants may not secure a place this September. This means we expect it to be busy in Clearing and we have raised our summer entry requirements from a typical 80 UCAS points to 120 UCAS points. To meet overall targets this will be closely monitored and we must be prepared to implement any changes quickly and consistently.
Pictured: Adrienne Clarke, Director of International Office
UCAS has introduced a number of new processes for Clearing this year. Firstly, applicants who were made conditional offers at other institutions which they then met and exceeded, will be permitted to take five days to look for an alternative place. We are encouraging applications through this process. For details, see the Clearing information on our home page at www.uel.ac.uk
We are ready to receive Clearing acceptances for applicants already in the UCAS system online for the first time. Gone are the days when we need to wait for the receipt of paper clearing passports by post, or to return any actual passports to confused applicants! Instead, applicants simply refer themselves to us online using their UCAS web account, allowing faster and more reliable offer acceptances, which is excellent news for students too.
This year, we have successfully completed the implementation of our new enquiry management system, which will allow us to develop personalised email communications with our enquirers and applicants. We will be able to communicate key information to them as they go through the application cycle from initial enquiry, to application and finally confirmation of a place.
Stuart Smith, Student Recruitment Marketing, said: “This will help improve our conversion rate and ensure we have accurate and speedy communications with applicants. We hope eventually to be able to develop personalised web pages for each applicant.”
Pictured: Stuart Smith, Student Recruitment Marketing
Our telephone clearing operation, once again based on the Business School Trading Floor, has a hundred telephones for our academic, administrative and temporary staff, ready to take calls from 8am on Thursday 20 August, when A Level results are released to all students.
Teams based in Clearing include Admissions, Student Recruitment Marketing, International Office, the English Language Centre and Information, Advice and Guidance, as well as colleagues from our Schools.
We are also catering for in-person enquiries with teams of ambassadors supporting our Information, Advice and Guidance team at both our Docklands and Stratford campuses. At Stratford, the Application and Advice Centre has a new home in the recently opened Conference and Computing Centre. Located on the ground floor by the new main entrance to the campus, applicants are sure to be impressed with the excellent facilities even before they go on a tour with a friendly ambassador!
Pictured: a Clearing cluster in the Business School (left) and the Conference and Computing Centre at Stratford (right)
Applicant and advice centres opening hours
Period |
Hours |
Weekends / comments |
Thurs 20 Aug 2009 – Sun 23 Aug 2009 |
8.00am – 8.00pm weekdays |
Sat 22 Aug 2009 – 10.00am – 4.00pm, Hotline and 1 staff member for each School required Sun 23 Aug 09 – 10.00 – 4.00pm, Hotline, School staff welcome |
Mon 24 Aug 2009 – Sun 6 Sept 2009 |
9.00am – 7.00pm weekdays |
Sat 29 Aug 2009 – 10.00am – 4.00pm, Hotline Sun 30 & Mon 31 August 09 – voicemail service (Bank Holiday) Sat 5 & Sun 6 September 2009 – voicemail service |
Mon 7 Sept 2009 – Fri 18 Sept 2009 |
9.00am – 6.00pm weekdays |
Voicemail service at weekends |
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE APPLICATION AND ADVICE CENTRES OPERATING FROM THE SKILLZONE IN BOTH STRATFORD (GROUND FLOOR LIBRARY) AND DOCKLANDS (SECOND FLOOR LIBRARY) ARE THE SAME AS TELEPHONE CENTRE HOURS AS ABOVE BUT RECEIVE LAST VISITORS HALF AN HOUR PRIOR TO TELEPHONE CENTRE CLOSURE AT DOCKLANDS AND AN HOUR PRIOR TO CLOSURE AT STRATFORD
Open Day: 2 September Our Wednesday 2 September Open Day, is specifically aimed at enquirers and applicants starting at UEL this year. Both Stratford and Docklands campuses will be open from 4pm - 7pm and will provide prospective students (and their parents) with the opportunity to talk to our staff and students about the hundreds of degree programmes we offer. Visitors will be able to tour our impressive facilities and student village residences, find out about our scholarships and bursaries and how to apply for them, and also speak to our student finance advisors about financial support. We will provide guidance on completing application forms and information on all aspects of university life.
For details, visit: www.uel.ac.uk/openday
We have a wealth of information on our web pages, with links from our front page to programme vacancies and information on applications, whatever the course and mode of study.
For those working in the centre, the Summer Recruitment Handbook will be available online. It's for internal use only so you will need your staff username and password to access everything you need to know about how we recruit applicants over the summer.
The Summer Recruitment Handbook is now available for download at this web address https://www.uel.ac.uk/marketing/admissions/internal/
This takes place on Wednesday 19 August 2009 at 9.30am in WB.G.02 and gives both a clearing overview and a question and answer session.
More specific training follows as below:
Time |
Location |
Content |
9.30am |
WB.G.02 |
Recruitment Overview |
11.15am |
Cluster 9, lower trading floor, BS |
Data Entry |
2.00pm |
Cluster 9, lower trading floor, BS |
Management Reporting - Senior Academic, Admin and Clearing Staff |
Catherine Downes, Director of Corporate Marketing said: "I would like to thank everyone for all their hard work and time that they have committed to setting up our clearing centre and all the staff who will work tirelessly throughout.
"Clearing is such an important time for UEL and impacts on every member of the university to a certain extent. I am confident that we ensure that applicants receive the best possible customer service and an excellent university experience whether in person, phone or email.”
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For the latest on our activities visit the news releases section of our website www.uel.ac.uk/news
All Staff Briefing Session... This takes place on Wednesday 19 August 2009 at 9.30am in WB.G.02 and gives both a clearing overview and a question and answer session.
Clearing starts: Thursday 20, August. Business School and Library Building
Open Day: Wednesday 2 September, 4-7pm, Stratford and Docklands Campuses. Specifically aimed at enquirers and applicants starting at UEL this year. Both Stratford and Docklands campuses will be open from 4pm - 7pm and will provide prospective students (and their parents) the opportunity to talk with our staff and students about the hundreds of degree programmes we offer. They will be able to tour our impressive facilities and student village residences, find out about our scholarships and bursaries and how to apply for them and also speak to our student finance advisors about financial support available.We will also be providing guidance on completing application forms and providing information on all aspects of university life. Visitors who wish to attend the Open Day can book online at www.uel.ac.uk/openday. Everyone who books online is entered into a free prize draw to win £100 Amazon voucher.
Mapping the Body Exhibition: until 7 September, Florence Nightingale Museum AVA Senior Lecturer, Susan Stockwell's exhibition, 'Mapping the Body', is on at the Florence Nightingale Museum until 7 September. Florence Nightingale Museum, St Thomas' Hospital (museum entrance in car park)2 Lambeth Palace Road London SE1 7EW 0207 620 0374. All welcome. Susan Stockwell www.susanstockwell.co.uk
Open House: 19-20 September Docklands campus will be open all weekend to the public to showcase its iconic architecture and stunning waterfront location. www.openhouse.org.uk
First Week: 21 - 25 September Thousands of new students start life with us in September www.uel.ac.uk/starting
Inaugural and public lecture: The Idea of Prevention in Social Work - Examining the past and imagining the future Thursday, 15 October 5.15pm Docklands Campus
An inaugural and public lecture by Professor Steven Trevillion, Dean of our of School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The case of Baby Peter has led many people to argue that in recent years there has been too great a focus on prevention and that it is time for the pendulum to swing back towards protection. This lecture will take issue with this argument and seek to show that it is rooted in some fundamental misconceptions about the nature of preventive social work and its relationship to concerns about protection. The lecture will develop a set of arguments first put forward by Professor Trevillion in 2008 in ‘Preventive Social Work’, a chapter he wrote for The Art of Social Work Practice edited by Toyin Okitikpi and Cathy Aymer. All welcome, admission FREE. For further details visit: www.uel.ac.uk/lectureseries and to confirm your attendance, contact our events team on 020 8223 2884 or events@uel.ac.uk
Public Lecture: How the Media Promote the Publics' Misunderstanding of Evidence Dr Ben Goldacre and bad science, Monday, 19 October 2009, 5.30pm Conference and Computing Centre, Stratford Campus. We are delighted that Ben Goldacre, Guardian columnist, doctor and unsurpassed debunker of 'bad science' is joining us at our Stratford campus to highlight the latest mythologies and questionable logic claimed as scientific fact. For more information about Ben Goldacre, see: www.badscience.net All welcome, admission FREE. For further details visit: www.uel.ac.uk/lectureseries and to confirm your attendance, contact our events team on 020 8223 2884 or events@uel.ac.uk
Open Day Dates 2009/10
2009
Wednesday 2 September 2009, 4-7pm, Stratford and Docklands
Saturday 17 October 2009, 12-4pm, Stratford and Docklands
2010
Wednesday 6 January 2010, 4-7pm, Stratford and Docklands
Wednesday 21 April 2010, 4-7pm, Stratford Campus only – Postgraduate advice evening
Saturday 26 June 2010, 12-4pm, Stratford and Docklands
Wednesday 1 September 2010, 4-7pm, Stratford and Docklands
Saturday 16 October 2010, 12-4pm, Stratford and Docklands
Key links:
Academic Board: www.uel.ac.uk/qa/committees/acaboard
UEL Chaplaincy: www.uel.ac.uk/chaplaincy
Board of Governors: www.uel.ac.uk/governors
Graduation:www.uel.ac.uk/graduation
Mayfest: www.uel.ac.uk/mayfest
Open Days: www.uel.ac.uk/openday
Public Lectures: www.uel.ac.uk/lectureseries
Stonewall Information Service, for advice on housing, parenting, school, work, partnerships, health, immigration and crime call 08000 50 20 20. For details, visit: www.stonewall.org/info
See Events Calendar for a full listing: www.uel.ac.uk/marketing/support/eventscalendar.htm
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Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art – Curatorial Research Grants
Deadline: 15 September 2009
These grants are normally made to help institutions undertake research for a particular exhibition or installation of British art by appointing a research curator. The award will not exceed £20,000 per annum, for up to three years. The Centre also issues Educational Programme Grants (for lectures, symposia, seminars on British Art); Publication Grants for authors or publishers; and Research Support Grants.
http://www.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk/19/
The Commonwealth Fund, US – Harkness Fellowships in Healthcare Policy and Practice. Deadline
15 September 2009
These enable mid-career professionals from the UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Switzerland to conduct a research project in the US and to work with leading US health policy experts, in order to study how the US approaches health policy issues. Fellowships last for nine to 12 months, and are worth up to $107,000.
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Fellowships/Harkness-Fellowships.aspx
Online Library Computer Centre/ALISE, US- Library and Information Science Research Grants. Deadline
15 September 2009
These support independent research that helps librarians integrate new technologies into areas of traditional competence and contributes to a better understanding of the library environment. Grants are worth up to $15,000.
http://www.oclc.org/programsandresearch/grants/default.htm
European Science Foundation (ESF)– Research Conferences Scheme Network
Deadline: 15 September
The ESF Research Conferences Scheme provides the opportunity for leading scientists and younger researchers to meet for discussions on the most recent developments in their fields of research. It acts as a catalyst for creating new synergistic contacts throughout Europe and the rest of the world.ESF Research Conferences are open to scientists world-wide, whether from academia or industry.These grants support high-level research conferences for between four and five days in ESF member organisation countries.
http://www.esf.org/activities/esf-conferences/call-for-proposals/framework-call-for-proposals.html
Canon Foundation in Europe, NL – Research Fellowships. Deadline
15 September 2009
Annually, the Canon Foundation in Europe grants up to 15 Fellowships to highly qualified European and Japanese researchers. The candidates hold a doctorate or at least a Master’s degree. They are eligible during the ten-year period following the successful completion of their PhD or MA degree. Extensions to the ten-year rule are possible in principle in case of exceptional circumstances which should be explained in the application and supporting documents are required. The European Fellowship holders pursue a period of research in Japan whereas the Japanese Fellows do their research at host institutions in Europe. The Fellowships are awarded for periods of minimum three months and maximum one year. The Fellowships are awarded regardless of discipline and existing employment positions. http://www.canonfoundation.org/programmes_1_fellow.html
Design History Society, UK – Research Grants
Deadline: 15 September and 15 January annually
The Research Grant is awarded twice each year to encourage debate and research activity in design history. This grant is open to postgraduates and professional scholars in the field of design history. To be eligible to apply postgraduate candidates must be registered with an institution to undertake a MPhil or PhD degree in design history of any period; there is no age limit for applicants. Independent scholars affiliated with, as well as those in the employ of, academic and cultural institutions are also eligible. No application should exceed £1,500.
http://www.designhistorysociety.org/awards/research_grant/index.html
The Association of Dance of the African Diaspora – Trailblazer Fellowships
Deadline: 15 September 2009
These Fellowships provide dance artists working on dance forms of the African Diaspora the opportunity to develop their careers. The bursaries can be used to contribute the cost of classes, training, equipment, research trips and other professional development needs. Fellows will also be assigned a mentor and will follow a programme of skills training. Fellowships provide bursaries worth up to £2,000 each. http://www.adad.org.uk/metadot/index.pl?id=23268&isa=Category&op=show
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Bridging the gaps
Deadline: 4 pm, 16 September 2009
EPSRC encourages a multi-disciplinary approach to research especially when tackling major research challenges that will have societal and economic impacts. The aim of Bridging the Gaps (BTG) is to enable Research Organisations to build a programme of activities that will stimulate creative thinking, across disciplines, which reflect institutional strengths and strategies. This year EPSRC’s Cross-Disciplinary Interfaces Programme (C-DIP) would like to encourage applications that bridge the gap between engineering and physical sciences (EPS) and other non-EPS research area. In particular EPSRC would welcome proposals that include interfacing with the social sciences as well as the arts and humanities. The call is aimed at supporting the development of a multidisciplinary working environment at individual research organisations. http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/CallsForProposals/btgcall.htm
Missed an Update? All previously advertised funding opportunities are archived until their date of expiry at http://www.uel.ac.uk/gradschool/research/ResearchUpdate.htm or http://www.uel.ac.uk/gradschool/research/euroupdate.htm
For details about First Aid courses, contact Frances Bronzite on f.s.bronzite@uel.ac.uk
For details about ECDL, contact Cedrick Nosa on c.nosa@uel.ac.uk
For Learning and Development Course dates see: www.uel.ac.uk/staff-development/handbook
Please send comments or contributions for in Focus Update to: infocus@uel.ac.uk
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