FD bulletin

FD Bulletin – July 2024

Email sent to all FD staff from Ann Allen, Director of Campus Innovation and Development, on Monday 1 July.

Summer is finally here, and while the campus feels quieter with most students having left, our teams are hard at work preparing for conferences, graduations and refurbishing residences. Thanks to everyone involved.

I also want to extend my thanks to everyone who was involved in working with the protest encampment on campus. The protestors have now left.

There were some challenging moments – particularly for the Security team – and I appreciate the calm and professional approach shown by everyone.

Campus Reimagined

I am delighted to share with you that the Campus Reimagined project has taken a big step forwards. This major initiative is a 15-year+ project to redesign aspects of our campus to ensure it meets the needs of its users now and into the future.

This work is different from anything that has gone before it at the University. The development of our campus has tended to focus on new buildings. But what makes a campus special is about more than that: it’s what you see and feel as you walk from one place to another; the view as you turn a corner; whether you feel you belong. It’s about your whole experience of it.

Last week we started recruitment for a masterplanner for Campus Reimagined – someone who will develop a framework, or plan, for changes to campus. You can find out more about that and about the whole project on the new Campus Reimagined website. Please sign up to the newsletter on there and watch the video made by the Marketing and Communications team – it shows off our campus so beautifully. This is the start of the journey.

We will keep you updated.

People Positive: Professional Behaviours training

Following my email last week, I hope that team leaders are encouraging everyone to book onto the Professional Behaviours training. I’ve heard really positive feedback from the training for managers that is currently taking place.

It’s so important that we are all on the same page when it comes to understanding what respect for each other means. The People & Culture strategy is also a part of this, as is the activity following last year’s Staff Survey results. We are all responsible for creating a happy and healthy workplace.

Employee Engagement Pulse Survey

Please remember to complete this survey by the closing date of Friday 5 July. You should have received an email from CultureAmp with the link. Paper copies are available from your manager if you would like one. You can find out more about it on the intranet.

Go Beyond project

The Infrastructure, Construction & Development team are making great progress in their programme to improve operational excellence. A peer-led process, four secondees have been appointed from within the team to take forward ideas for improvement, working with the FD’s Business Improvement team and an external supplier.

They are reviewing the current operational model and recommendations for ‘quick wins’ and short and medium term actions are being formulated.

Mandatory IT security training

Please may I remind you all how important it is to complete your mandatory IT information security training. I’ve been informed by IT that over 350 people in the FD have not done this, and are not therefore compliant. Remember to check your ‘Clutter’ if you can’t find the reminder in your inbox.

We all have a responsibility to understand what might make us vulnerable to security issues. Not doing so can lead to breaches that can affect the security of the whole university. If you haven’t completed your training, please find time to do so asap.

Community Safety & Campus Security Survey

This is a chance to feedback about the service provided by the Security team. The closing date is 31 July and there’s a draw for £100 worth of Morrisons vouchers. You can access the survey here.

Planon update

The team have worked with Marketing & Communications to develop a process for regular updates to the wider team, using a template that can be printed as a poster as well as used online. Good progress is also being made through complex SAP interface work.

And finally…

If you were at the Staff Festival on Friday, I hope you enjoyed it!

Regards,

Ann Allen
Director of Campus Innovation and Development