Vice-Chancellor's Introduction
I've had the opportunity to speak to some of you following my 'reset' message at the end of March. I've been encouraged by the positive response from many and the recognition and support for making positive changes. I know there are still many questions. The leadership team will share plans as they are developed as we recognise it’s vital to keep colleagues informed of the changes ahead. I know change can be daunting but I firmly believe for us it will be exhilarating, rejuvenating and empowering.
In this Bulletin, I will be previewing our new Global Strategy which is due to be published next month alongside our new Education and Research & Innovation Strategies. There are details of plans to increase available student accommodation, our new staff recruitment platform and UEB support for our staff networks.
A number of exciting research and innovation initiatives are highlighted along with a major Revolution Plastics public event which takes place in June. And there will be another good opportunity to discuss ideas with me and our Deputy Vice-Chancellors over a coffee at next week’s Café Conversations.
Global Strategy Preview
A new Global Strategy will soon be launched with four strategic priorities:
- Cultivate strategic global partnerships
- Manage our international student recruitment, support and outcomes
- Promote global mindsets for students and staff
- Be known globally for excellence
These priorities relate to our University Strategy and are a continuation of our previous good work. There has been some change in emphasis in response to more recent trends, notably the growing number of international students coming to Portsmouth. We will continue to ensure that we have the support in place for our international students to meet the changing demographics of our students.
Led by Chris Chang, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement and Student Life), the Strategy outlines our plan to develop and champion initiatives that will contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and improve our position in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings where we ranked in the top 400 universities globally last year.
And following the disruption caused by Covid-19 worldwide, the Global Strategy rekindles our desire for students to develop their global mindsets outside the UK through placements, internships and work experience undertaken abroad, and expand our international mobility. We also seek to provide the global experience locally through opportunities for our students to engage with the international community and culture through the expansion of Global Week, engagement with the city’s international community and virtual exchanges.
The new Global Strategy, Education Strategy and Research and Innovation Strategy will be published in June.
Student Accommodation - Langstone
Every year we support thousands of students to find suitable accommodation in halls of residence and in student housing in the city. We’ve recently experienced some challenges with a shortage of suitably priced accommodation in the city due to a reduction of student houses (HMOs), continuing students taking up more places in halls of residence, and international students staying on after completion of their studies on a Graduate visa. This is not unique to Portsmouth and affects a number of cites across the UK, many more acute than at Portsmouth.
After approval by the Board of Governors, we are taking a number of steps to help alleviate this demand for the next academic year, in addition to reviewing our normal arrangements with third party halls providers, including:
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reinstating the three remaining accommodation blocks at Langstone, which will bring back around 250 competitively priced self-catered rooms. This will include converting some into one or two bedroom flats, and to make some of the rooms suitable for families as we have seen an increase in the number of international students who arrive with their children. We are also looking at other support services such as extending the ;U2 bus service to Langstone
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exploring options for commuting students
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continuing to support students and communicate and manage expectations in terms of accommodation availability, costs and how they can secure accommodation.
While we know this will not completely meet the demand for accommodation, it will help mitigate some of the issues we have seen over the past year.
The Revolution Continues - our major public event
Revolution Plastics, our mission-driven research initiative, is building global partnerships and driving innovation in the way society makes, uses and disposes of plastic. The next stage is to launch our Global Institute for Sustainable Plastics, a world-leading interdisciplinary research institute that will combine our research and innovation - from plastic-digesting enzymes to our Global Plastics Policy Centre.
On Wednesday 14 June we will host The Revolution Continues, a major public event at the RIBA headquarters in London, where a carefully selected panel of experts will discuss the issues and strategies to tackle the global challenge of plastic pollution.
Chaired by Maryam Moshiri, a BBC chief news presenter, the panel of 8 speakers includes representatives from Tesco and the NHS, alongside campaigners and our very own Professor Steve Fletcher.
This event is one of the most ambitious we have set out to deliver and is another example of how we are resetting our position in the research space. We’re sparking a change-making conversation that calls for many diverse voices, so please share with those in your network who would be interested to attend.
Find out about our expert panel and how to book at: www.port.ac.uk/revolution.
This major public event will be followed by PlasticsFuture 2023, a 3-day academic conference in Portsmouth, bringing together researchers for participatory sessions, workshops and policy analysis to share research opportunities and identify solutions.
Research and Innovation Success
Our ambition to deliver globally-recognised research and innovative solutions that improve society continues to gather pace with a number of significant projects winning awards and securing external funding. While a full list of the successful projects would be very long indeed, our faculties have highlighted a few including:
5 British Academy small grants have been awarded to the Faculty of Business and Law (BAL), on addressing societal issues with interdisciplinary research drawn from Economics, Finance, Law and Management.
The School of Accounting, Economics and Finance in BAL has won three equalities research projects examining interventions to encourage women to apply for leadership positions, the social and economic forces that result in the low share of women in UK STEM faculty, and initiatives to improve EDI engagement by senior management in UK FTSE companies.
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HUM) is inviting applications for three fully-funded MRes bursaries for black and minoritised ethnic home students. This is a new initiative that targets under-representation in our postgraduate body and aims to provide a pipeline to PhD study.
The Faculty has also captured research and innovation income from a variety of funders, including the British Academy, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, Hampshire County Council and Uzbekistan State University. Notably, £78,000 was awarded by the Ministry of Justice to undertake an evaluation of a pilot project that aims to increase protection of victims of stalking and harassment.
A glittering ceremony for this year’s BETT Awards, saw our technical solutions specialist White Light win the ‘Innovator of the Year’ accolade. This follows the launch in May 2022 of the University’s £7 million Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality (CCIXR) in the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI).
A new PhD has been launched in collaboration with Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery to study the work of Betty Joel, a Hampshire furniture designer of the 1920s and 1930s who became world-famous for her work.
My congratulations to all involved in these exciting projects.
Launch of the University’s £7 million Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality (CCIXR).
Our technical solutions specialist White Light winning the ‘Innovator of the Year’ accolade at the BETT Awards 2023.
Staff Networks UEB Sponsors;
Staff networks play an important role in bringing people together, creating supportive environments for colleagues with similar needs and backgrounds to bring about positive change at our University. They are a vital sounding board - providing helpful feedback and constructive criticism on our policies and practices in our ambition to build an inclusive culture - different voices, one community.
Last year, we launched a new EDI Framework and Governance Structure which provided a greater voice to our staff networks.
We are taking this a step further with the appointment of UEB sponsors to all of our staff networks, to help ensure that their ideas and concerns are reflected in the thinking of senior leaders and decision makers.
Our Staff Networks include:
Neurodiverse Staff Network
Co-Chairs: Nicola Young and Stephanie Campbell
UEB sponsor: Sherria Hoskins
neurodiversestaffnetwork@port.ac.uk
Parent and Carers Staff Network
Co-Chairs: Emma Scott-Ward, Emily Parry, Julian Ingle
UEB sponsor: Anne Murphy
parentandcarerstaffnetwork@port.ac.uk
Women's Staff Network
Chair: Anna Vaernes and Jen Little
UEB sponsor: Fiona Hnatow
LGBTQ+ Staff Network
Co-Chairs: David Thompson and Chenda Cox
UEB sponsor: Trevor Keeble
Disability Staff Network
Co-Chairs: Cathy Banks, Emma Deabill and Emma Hart
UEB sponsor: Jeremy Howells
disabilitystaffnetwork@port.ac.uk
Multicultural Staff Network
Co-chairs: David Lubega, Emilie Smith and Lauren Mundle
UEB sponsor: Claire Dunning
multiculturalstaffnetwork@port.ac.uk
I know my UEB colleagues take their sponsorship duties seriously and are looking forward to working closely with our staff networks to build a culture that makes a positive difference to the lives and experiences of our students and staff.
Further details about how colleagues can join and get involved in the staff networks will be featured in the staff newsletter over the coming weeks as we build up to the National Day for Staff Networks on 10 May.
Go Live - New Staff Recruitment Platform
Following on from my previous update in March on Phase 2 of our HR Digital programme, we are launching our new staff recruitment and onboarding platform in May 2023 on iTrent.
This new platform is a great step forward for us in terms of transformational change and automating three very large processes - Recruitment, Onboarding and Offboarding - most of which is currently manual. This will simplify current processes and become more efficient. During the implementation phase of this platform we have also reviewed existing recruitment technology providers which has resulted in reducing the amount of systems we use. Adopting this new way of working will deliver a better experience for staff and applicants.
All academic and professional staff responsible for hiring across the University will be invited to take part in upcoming training awareness sessions that are being held twice a day starting from 9 May until the end of the month.
A step-by-step instruction guide, frequently asked questions and bite size videos will also be made available in Moodle - iTrent Recruitment Onboarding and Offboarding page - to help colleagues familiarise themselves with the new system.
Café Conversations
Our second Café Conversations session takes place from 3.30pm to 4.30pm on Wednesday 10 May - an informal face-to-face session providing you with an opportunity to ask questions and discuss ideas with me and our Deputy Vice-Chancellors. This time we will be at the Chimes café on the ground floor of the University Learning Centre, with free coffee for colleagues who come along.
While our first session back in February worked well, we would like to see more colleagues this time for more in depth conversations in a relaxed setting on any topic of your choosing. Joining me at the session will be:
- Paul Hayes, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor
- Bernie Topham, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Vice-Chancellor
- Chris Chang, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement and Student Life)
As this is a relatively new initiative, as an example it might be helpful to hear what Kevin Poulter, Soft Service Facilities Manager in Estates and Campus Services, found from his experience at the first session:
“I would say this is a great opportunity for anyone to gain an insight into any questions you would like to discuss. The session was very informal and I was fortunate to have the chance to talk to Graham, Paul & Chris as a group. I discussed Graduation and campus improvements, sharing examples and options with them to gain expectations and clarity to enable my team to support in the best way they could. They were very engaged and friendly, and found their feedback invaluable.
“My top tip for colleagues would be to prepare some notes about what you want to discuss ahead of the session so you can get the most out of your time. I would recommend it to anyone.”
Like Kevin, we’ve often heard colleagues want more time to discuss ideas with senior leaders about how to improve university life. This is your opportunity, so please come along.
If you can’t attend the session on 10 May, we’ve published the dates of future café conversations along with other planned all-staff events on this new events page.