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Welcome to in Focus Update… |
Past Issues << | Issue 266: 18 October 2011 |
A message from Dusty Amroliwala, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Services and Infrastructure:
The University of East London has decided to approve the transfer of UEL employed security staff to CIS, a private contractor.
Our highest priority throughout the extensive consultation process which preceded this decision, involving staff and trade union representatives, has always remained the safety and security of our students and staff. Transferring the provision of the service to CIS will improve the delivery and profile of security and will introduce a more flexible service, which can respond quickly to changing needs. This will be particularly relevant leading up to and during the Olympic period.
The target date for the transfer of staff to CIS is December 2011, subject to a contract.
Our annual Staff Planning Conference took place on Friday last week at Stratford’s Old Town Hall and was attended by over 250 members of staff from across all Schools and Services, making it our most successful conference yet.
The packed schedule focused on the government 's White Paper and fees and funding at UEL, enabling staff to find out more about fees and how they affect our students, the myths surrounding £9,000 fees and repayments, plans for the upcoming year and improving the student offer. Staff tackled the topics by taking part in interactive quizzes, videos, presentations and a group discussion session.
This year saw the introduction of a ‘wall of achievement’ (below) to showcase some of the fantastic work taking place across the University. Staff were encouraged to bring along items to add to the wall and we couldn’t have asked for a better response. By the end of the conference the wall was completely covered with photos, flyers, posters, articles, certificates and more, showing just how much UEL has achieved in the last 12 months.
Speakers on the day included Vice-Chancellor Professor Patrick McGhee, who gave an insight into the government's White Paper and its impact on UEL, and Ian Ashman, Principal of Hackney Community College, who discussed the impact of the changing fee regime on further education and gave an insight into what their students want from HE.
The feedback has been extremely positive and we would like to thank all those that attended together with everyone who helped make it such a success. The outcome from the conference will be cascaded to Schools and Services shortly. In the meantime if you have any questions or comments about the conference please email strategic.planning@uel.ac.uk
Building work has commenced on a state-of-the-art library facility at UEL’s Stratford Campus, marked this week with a ceremonial ‘turning of the turf’ in front of guests from the University and the construction company, Volker Fitzpatrick. Paul Chopra (UEL Stratford Campus Library Manager) and Andy Stoney (Volker Fitzpatrick Operations Director) took a dig at the site before a bulldozer showed them how to do it properly. For the full story see bit.ly/libraryturfturning
Last Thursday evening saw the first-ever Going Global awards celebration, where students from each School had the opportunity to showcase the overseas travel they undertook as part of UEL's Going Global scheme 2010/11. Students delivered presentations to their peers, VCG, Governors and special guests, including the Schools' International Champions. Vice-Chancellor Professor Patrick McGhee opened the celebration and presented certificates to the participants. 'Going Global' organiser Dan Stevens commented, “Year one of the UEL Going Global bursary scheme has been a resounding success, with nearly 100 students taking part. Going Global aims to facilitate short overseas study trips for our students, with significant funding being awarded to successful applicants. The scheme is an excellent way for students to incorporate an international element into their studies, and is great in terms of personal development and future employability. We aim to have up to 200 students taking part in 2011/12”. The deadline for Going Global trips this year is 15 November. For further details see www.uel.ac.uk/goingglobal
Graduations are now fast approaching. Academic staff from all Schools are required to attend where possible. If you would like to attend and join the academic procession, but have not yet informed the Graduation Team, please email graduation@uel.ac.uk They will need the date of the ceremony you wish to attend, your height, hat size, university and degree. Deadline for ordering academic gowns is this Friday 21 October.
TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER: School of Architecture and the Visual Arts – 2.30pm
MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER: Royal Docks Business School – undergraduates – 10.30am
MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER: Royal Docks Business School – postgraduates – 2.30pm
TUESDAY 15 NOVEMBER: School of Computing, Information Technology and Engineering – undergraduates – 10.30am
TUESDAY 15 NOVEMBER: School of Computing, Information Technology and Engineering – postgraduates – 2.30pm
WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER: School of Health and Bioscience – 10.30am
WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER: CASS School of Education – 2.30pm
THURSDAY 17 NOVEMBER: Schools of Law and Psychology – 10.30am
THURSDAY 17 NOVEMBER: School of Humanities and Social Sciences – 2.30pm
In higher education 48% of black, Asian and minority ethnic students gain good degrees when compared to the national average of over 66% creating an attainment gap of over 18%. Dr Gil Robinson, Acting Associate Dean Royal Docks Business School, will be providing a presentation which will examine students’ attitudes and motivations to study. The talk will also explore employability, networking, working hard and the importance of self belief. The presentations will be of benefit to all staff and students. The talks will take place on Wednesday 2 November, 5 – 7pm, in EB.G.14 on Docklands Campus. For further details email w.a.morgan@uel.ac.uk
A University of East London fine art graduate has had works chosen to appear at two major exhibitions this month. Mark Lawrence, who graduated from UEL last year with an MA in Fine Art, has been selected to exhibit at both the Jerwood Drawing Prize and the ING Discerning Eye exhibitions. For the full story see bit.ly/MarkLawrence
UEL will be holding its annual Christmas Party again this year, and require's a team of eager volunteers to organise it. If you think you have some good ideas for the party (and we know many of you do) and would like to get involved, email staffparty@uel.ac.uk to register your interest and get the party started!
For the latest on our activities visit the news releases section of our website www.uel.ac.uk/news
The Drive to Diversify the Teaching Population: is it more complex than we think?: Thursday 20 October, 1 – 2pm (ED.2.01, Stratford Campus)
Professor Ninetta Santorro, from Charles Sturt University, Australia, will be presenting the talk ‘The Drive to Diversify the Teaching Population’. Everyone is welcome to attend. Please RSVP to v.a.burton@uel.ac.uk
Migrant workers and camel jockeys: a look at exploitation in the Gulf: Wednesday 26 October, 3.30 – 5pm (Room 110, Duncan House)
David Keane, Lecturer, Department of Law, Middlesex University. Refreshments provided, all welcome. For further information visit www.uel.ac.uk/chrc or contact Johanna Herman on j.herman@uel.ac.uk
Roundtable event: Friday 28 October, 1 – 4pm (Knowledge Dock Presentation Suite, KD.2.22, Docklands Campus)
The findings from an Arts and Humanities Research Council & Economic and Social Research Councilfunded project entitled A meta-narrative review of conceptualisations and meanings of ‘community’ within and across research traditions will be presented at this roundtable event. In order to discuss these findings, we have invited people engaged in community research from both academic and policy fields operating in a wide spectrum of research and policy areas. For further details or to RSVP please contact g.barrow-guevara@uel.ac.uk
Talks from the Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff network in association with the National Mentoring Consortium: Wednesday 2 November, 5 – 7pm ( EB.G.14, Docklands Campus)
Dr Gil Robinson, Acting Associate Dean Royal Docks Business School, will be speaking on ‘Succeeding in higher education and the creation of Black History Month’, and Robin Landman OBE, Chief Executive of NBP, will be speaking on ‘The Network of Black Professionals: tapping into the national network to enhance your successful future’. The presentations will be of benefit to all staff and students.
Gender-based violence in war and the question of accountability: the case of Bosnia: Wednesday 9 November, 3.30 – 5pm (Room 110, Duncan House)
Maja Korac, Reader, School of Law and Social Sciences, and Olga Martin-Ortega, Senior Research Fellow, Centre on Human Rights in Conflict, School of Law and Social Sciences (UEL). Chair: Johanna Herman, Centre on Human Rights in Conflict, UEL. For further information visit www.uel.ac.uk/chrc or contact Johanna Herman on j.herman@uel.ac.uk
The Centre of Excellence for Women Entrepreneurship (CEWE) Conference: Thursday 17 November, 9am – 4.30pm (Honourable Artillery Company, Moorgate)
Registration is now open for the CEWE Conference and networking session. The event will bring together women entrepreneurs and their supporters to share knowledge, experiences and challenges. This is an excellent opportunity to develop your networks! Please see www.uel.ac.uk/cewe/conference.htm for more information and to book now.
The Human-Rights Compliance of UK Anti-Terrorism Legislation in the Light of Domestic and International Case Law: Wednesday 23 November, 3.30 – 5pm (Room 110, Duncan House)
Carmen Draghici, Lecturer, School of Law, City University. For further information visit www.uel.ac.uk/chrc or contact Johanna Herman on j.herman@uel.ac.uk
See Events Calendar for a full listing: www.uel.ac.uk/marketing/support/eventscalendar.htm
Spotlight on staffDavid Watkinson, Principal Lecturer, Field Leader Professional Health Sciences, School of Health, Sport and Biosciences:
“I enjoy being part of UEL's triathlon club as triathlon is a very friendly and welcoming sport in which beginners and experienced athletes can compete together. The club is very welcoming and has plenty of experienced members who can give advice. There are lots of events locally so you don't need to travel very far and it's great to be able to compete on the same course as the elite competitors. The biggest event we did this year was Hyde Park, which will be the Olympic event next year”.
The Triathlon Club trains Tuesdays 7 – 8pm in Newham Leisure Centre (swim session) and Wednesdays from Stratford Campus at 5.30pm (cycle session-must be pre-booked). For more information email triathlon@uel.ac.uk
Michael Parks, UEL connect
On Wednesday 28 September, the second all-UEL tennis tournament took place at West Ham Park. It was a very sunny day and there was an impressive turnout of students and staff from all over the University.
The tournament, organised by the UEL Tennis Co-ordinator, Nurudeen Isa, was arranged in a singles format with competitors split into four groups and each person playing against four different opponents.
Many of the students had stayed on to play after their regular Wednesday afternoon session. It is great credit to them that they were able to play so well and for so long in the hot conditions. It was a pleasure to see so many staff and students competing against each other and putting into practice many of the techniques and strategies they have picked up from regular coaching sessions at UEL. To add to the sense of occasion, a student TV crew arrived and proceeded to conduct some post-match interviews with some of the players!
Finally, at the end of the tournament, there were prizes for the group winners including a UELSports kit and cans of tennis balls.
Tennis coaching sessions are available throughout the week at both Stratford and Docklands Campuses. For details of times and locations see www.uel.ac.uk/sports/activity/physical.htm or email n.isa@uel.ac.uk
Welcome to the Green Thing, a regular section full of info on environmental projects, tips and ideas for staff at UEL. Visit our website www.uel.ac.uk/greenthing, follow us on Twitter twitter.com/uel_greenthing or get in touch at greenthing@uel.ac.uk W e’d love to hear from you!
Environment Team, Facilities
Last month we sent 23 tonnes of waste to be recycled. That’s 32% of our total waste produced for the month of September. 30 tonnes (43%) went to landfill, and 17 tonnes (25%) was used for energy recovery. UEL’s recycling and waste reports are now available to read every month – packed with facts and figures about how much we recycle, where our waste goes and more. If you want to know what the elephants represent, have a read of the newly published September waste report. Find it online, along with an archive of past reports, at www.uel.ac.uk/recycling/wastereporting.htm
21 October is national apple day, and UEL is celebrating by planting our new urban orchard. Six dwarf fruit trees will be planted in barrels next to the raised vegetable beds by the C-wing entrance to University House between 12.30 and 1.30pm on Friday 21. All are welcome to attend and free apples will be available for those who come along. Also look out for the special apple dishes available in The Green and The Edge on Friday. For more information about UEL’s biodiversity-related plans and actions, visit the Green Thing website: www.uel.ac.uk/greenthing/wildlife.htm
A keen student volunteer has removed all of last year’s weeds and prepared the bed, so we are now ready to kick off ‘Grow Your Own’ at Docklands. Our first planting session is on Wednesday 19 October at 5 pm, at the raised bed behind the AVA building (next to the windmill). At Stratford, lots of fun was had when we planted in September, and rumours are that the rocket has grown particularly tasty over the last few weeks. If you want to get involved with growing food at UEL, come along to Wednesday’s session, email greenthing@uel.ac.uk or read more about the project online: www.uel.ac.uk/greenthing/growyourown.htm
…that getting a regular delivery of fresh fruit and vegetables – either local, organic or both – is now even easier? Many websites such as vegbox-recipes.co.uk/veg-boxes/find-a-box-scheme.php have handy search functions, so you can find a vegetable box scheme to suit you, no matter where you live or what your needs are.
Please send comments or contributions for in Focus Update to: infocus@uel.ac.uk
To contribute a UEL news item please supply a headline (c. 10 words), short paragraph (c. 50-100 words) with a call to action (email / web link or phone) together with a photo.
To contribute a UEL event please supply a headline (c. 10 words), date, time, location, short description, with call to action (email / web link or phone)
© 2011
