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Welcome to in Focus Update… |
Past Issues << | Issue 302: 25 July 2012 |
First Lady Michelle Obama will visit the University of East London this Friday 27 July.
The First Lady will lead the presidential delegation to the opening of the London 2012 Games. While in London, Mrs Obama and the delegation will attend the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, meet with United States athletes competing in the Games, and encourage American children to be active in their daily lives.
As part of the visit on Friday morning, First Lady Michelle Obama will greet members of Team USA and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Patrick McGhee, at a breakfast briefing in SportsDock in honour of the athletes. Mrs. Obama will deliver brief remarks at the event.
Patrick McGhee said: “We are honoured and excited to be welcoming the First Lady to our campus during the Olympic Games. She is an inspirational figure with a track record of promoting better health through sporting engagement and raising aspiration generally. We are delighted to be hosting Team USA during the Games and now thrilled to be welcoming the First Lady’s visit to the athletes.”
Due to heightened security arrangements across UEL, some colleagues are being asked to access Docklands Campus via the Reception Building to confirm their staff status. This is no reflection on individual staff members, and whilst it can cause some delay, we would ask everyone to comply politely with the requests of the Security Team who are implementing security protocols.
We expect a very busy day on Docklands Campus this Friday 27 July and are therefore suspending all vehicular deliveries to the Campus until after 2pm that day. Please ensure you notify your suppliers. Any delivery vehicles that arrive at Docklands Campus prior to 2pm on 27 July will be turned away.
Whilst UEL encourages staff not to drive to work during the Games, additional parking spaces have been secured at Gallions Reach from 1 – 31 August 2012. If you would like to park at Gallions Reach during this period please email secudl@uel.ac.uk no later than 12 noon on Friday 27 July 2012, stating your name, School/Service, contact phone number, email address and car registration. You will be advised by the Security Team if you have been allocated a place by 5pm on Monday 30 July 2012.
Please do not park at Gallions Reach unless you have received a confirmation email from the Security Team as you will receive a parking fine if your registration is not provided by the University to the Centre Manager.
Please note that the University will not be running a shuttle bus from Gallions Reach to Docklands Campus during August and you will need to make your own way to and from the University.
We will soon be launching a brand new online portal which allows UEL staff to access all of the biggest news and updates from across the University, in one place and at their own convenience.
Sections in the portal will include essential updates, covering the most important University announcements, get involved, featuring the latest campaigns and projects relevant to you, as well as tell your students, School news, Service news and how do I, which is a one-stop-shop to answer all of your burning questions about UEL procedures and benefits, ranging from setting up your voicemail to claiming expenses.
You can also use the portal to raise internal communications requests and get your message out to staff and students across the University.
We will notify you once the inFocus staff portal is live.
ID cards should be visible on your person at all times when you are on campus. If you have any issues regarding your card, please contact the 2012 team on ext. 5959 or 2012@uel.ac.uk
Construction work continues on the new library at Stratford Campus. A recent ‘topping out’ ceremony on 17 July commemorated completion of the building’s concrete frame, which has been finished to the industry’s highest standards. The design of the library takes on board the user brief and stakeholder requirements and will also be environmentally friendly. You can see how work is progressing via a live feed on the library website, as well as watch a ‘fly-through’ 3D animation showing you what the library will look like upon its completion in early 2013.
Last Saturday 21 July, the London 2012 Olympic torch passed by all three UEL campuses on it's relay throughout the capital. Following last week's call out for volunteers to capture the event, a whole host of staff and students from the University community turned out to take photos, tweet and facebook on our behalf. A big thank you to those who took the time to join UEL in such a memorable occasion. Read more >
From 27 July and throughout the Olympics we will be emailing you a regular edition of inFocus. This special bulletin will include travel updates and top news, as well as profiles of staff and students who are involved with the Games, from those volunteering as travel ambassadors to those dancing during the opening ceremony.
So if you're getting involved with the Games in any way, or just want to let us know what you're up to whilst working off-campus, we want to hear about it!
Get in touch at infocus@uel.ac.uk or extension 2082.
UEL’s Library and Learning Services will be well represented overseas this summer. Paul Dudman will be attending ‘Beyond Borders’, the Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archivists, in San Diego in August. Paul will join archivists from USA in a panel discussion on resettlement and refugees. Also in August Judith Preece, as Chair of Art Libraries Society UK and Ireland, will represent the Society at the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) Art Section, whilst Adjoa Boateng will attend the main IFLA conference in Helsinki. Read Adjoa’s 2011 IFLA report in ROAR, UEL’s open access repository.
For the latest on our activities visit the news releases section of our website www.uel.ac.uk/news
2012 Annual Conference of the Association of Tourism and Leisure Education (ATLAS)
12 – 14 September, Royal Docks Business School, Docklands Campus
• The conference, ‘Re-creating the Global City: Tourism, Leisure and Mega-Events in the Transformation of 21st Century Cities’, brings together academics, practitioners and policy-makers to discuss the relationship between sporting mega-events, tourism and wider questions of urban economic and cultural regeneration, as well as social justice and sustainability.
• Keynote presentation from Dr Beatriz Garcia of Liverpool University and Head of Research in Cultural Policy and Impact at the Institute of Cultural Capital
• Talks also from Professor Gavin Poynter, Professor Maurice Roche and Professor Kevin Hannam.
• More info > r.bianchi@uel.ac.uk
Partnership in learning: working together towards excellence – UEL’s annual learning, teaching and assessment conference
Wednesday 31 October, time and location TBC
• Staff are invited to submit proposals for presentations, debates, round-table discussions and workshops, and posters. Poster submissions also welcome from UEL students only.
• Conference is free and open to all staff and UEL students.
• View the guidelines for submission of abstracts and submit via the conference registration or email apse@uel.ac.uk
• Deadline is 5pm, Monday 3 September.
David Bailey's East End
6 July – 5 August, Compressor House, Dockside Road, Royal Docks
• Exhibition by the world-renowned photographer, documenting the change in physical and social landscapes of London's East End.
• More info > createlondon.org
Stratford Allotment Club
Every Wednesday, 12.30 – 1.30pm, Stratford Campus
• Grow your own fresh fruit, herbs and vegetables at the Grow Your Own Club.
• All gardening tools provided.
• To tend to the allotment outside of club hours, collect a Grow Your Own kit bag from RB.2.21.
• Contact > Emily Hamilton
See Events Calendar for a full listing: www.uel.ac.uk/marketing/support/eventscalendar.htm
SportsDock is now closed as UEL hosts Team USA over the next few weeks. The centre will reopen its doors on Thursday 16 August, at 6.45am for Gold and Silver members and 7.30am for everyone else. Exercise classes will resume from 16 August. In the meantime SportsDock wishes you a healthy and active Olympic period. For further information please email enquiries@sportsdock.co.uk
Our free Run England jogging group will be continuing over the summer every Thursday from 5.15 – 6.15pm. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never run before as the session is aimed at all abilities. The meeting point for the group will now be Beckton Park, by the pavilion/trim trail. If you have any questions contact Claire Smith on ext. 4528.
Welcome to the Green Thing, a regular section full of information on environmental projects, tips and ideas for staff at UEL. Visit our website, follow us on twitter or email Green Thing. We’d love to hear from you!
Environment Team, Facilities
UEL has secured four days of free funding with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) using Olive Environmental Consultancy. The project is part of the European Pathway to Zero Waste programme (EPOW). The focus of this support is on assisting public sector organisations in the South East of England to embed sustainable procurement strategies in organisational policy and practice, with specific focus on resource efficient products.
This year Green Week will be held from 17 – 21 September. Events will include the ever popular Dr Bike Workshop, Grow Your Own taster sessions, with energy and water saving tips and the launch of UEL’s Green Impact. Keep an eye on our website for more information, coming soon!
The Grow Your Own Allotment at Stratford Campus will be providing fresh tomatoes, courgettes and runner beans for all students, staff and Olympic guests during the Games. Keep a look out for Grow Your Own labels at Café on the Green and Buzz Café. For more information and to get involved with Grow Your Own at Stratford contact Emily Hamilton, Environmental Projects Officer.
DEFRA have published Sustainable Development Indicators which measure the state of England’s natural world.
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)
© 2012
