Broadcast: News items

PS Essentials - June 2024

Posted on behalf of: Internal Communications

Last updated: Tuesday, 11 June 2024

PS Essentials highlights the key priorities for Professional Services colleagues and recent news which you and your teams may find useful. Please take five minutes to read the full PS Essentials below.

If there is information you would like included in a future edition of PS Essentials, please email the Internal Comms team at: internalcomms@sussex.ac.uk.

Quick links:

About you

Are you ready for your Achievement and Development Review?

The Achievement and Development Review (ADR) cycle has begun, running until 30 September for PS and academic colleagues. Find out about improvements made to the ADR process following feedback from staff and sign up for online and in-person workshops in June and July to help you prepare for an ADR, whether you are a reviewer or reviewee.

Advance HE Fellowship Certification

If you hold an Advance HE Fellowship, this is a reminder to check your details are correct on My Advance HE. You can view guidance on how to do this. It is always good to check any data held on you, and it also helps the University to report accurately on staff qualifications. These are achievements you have worked hard for and can be proud of – remember to refer to them in your Achievement and Development Review.

If you would like to work towards a new or higher Fellowship, support is available to guide you through the process.

Sharing your views with Senate

The next Senate meeting will take place on 26 June and the agenda, minutes and papers will be published a week in advance on Sussex Direct. Senate is the highest academic committee, overseeing quality assurance and standards of the education provided by the University. Senate meets termly, and you can view information on past and future meetings.

The PS voice is a vital part of the discussion and two elected senators, Gemma Harman and Kit Eves, act as spokespeople for PS staff, representing your needs and interests. Please contact Kit at ce79@sussex.ac.uk or Gemma at g.harman@sussex.ac.uk in confidence if there is a matter you would like them to raise at Senate. You can also get in touch via their shared email inbox: pssenators@sussex.ac.uk.

About Professional Services

Closing the Covid-19 hotline

The University has now closed its Covid-19 hotline, which handled nearly 1,000 enquiries since it opened in October 2020. You can read more about the work of the hotline which enabled us to support staff, students and their relatives during highly challenging times. Staff should also now remove any references to the Community Pledge from email signatures.

Updating a University policy? Get in touch with the Information Management team

Work continues on the University-wide Policy Project, led by the information Management team. The approach has changed slightly due to a recent review, so if you are currently updating an existing policy, or drafting a new one, please contact the Information Manager, Karen Blackman, at k.blackman@sussex.ac.uk in the first instance before you begin, to help us ensure policy work across the University is aligned. If you are a policy contact who has already met with the Information Management team, they will reach out to you again soon to outline the changes and schedule another meeting to review policies in your area. In the meantime please contact Karen if you have any queries. A further update will be shared in the coming weeks.

Refresh your Health and Safety knowledge with new e-learning and newsletter

The Health and Safety Team, with the support of Organisational Development, has set up 36 new e-learning courses that can be accessed via LearnUpon. You can log in, search the catalogue for ‘safety’ and enrol on the courses you would like to complete. Topics covered include chemical safety, management of contractors and display screen equipment. A full list of courses can also be viewed on our Health and Safety webpages. You can also catch up on the latest edition of the Health and Safety newsletter which includes an interview with Senior Safety Manager Mike Young and top tips to reduce the risk of toaster fires in the workplace.

Incident Coordination Team established

The University now has an Incident Coordination Team, chaired by Emma Potts, and comprised of a group of senior colleagues from across the University. It will convene to coordinate and, where necessary, communicate a response to any significant incidents on campus. The group has been set up to help expedite the University’s response to an incident and ensure that the relevant people are engaged as early as possible. It will not impact on the current process of reporting, so please continue to follow this guidance if you need to report an incident.

Explore the possibilities of AI with Microsoft Copilot

All Sussex staff and students now have exclusive access to a secure web version of Microsoft Copilot, via your Sussex account. Microsoft Copilot is an advanced generative AI tool to assist with generating images and creating content. This unique access ensures your data remains protected while you explore the capabilities of Copilot.

Read the latest updates in the Transforming Sussex newsletter

The latest edition of the Transforming Sussex newsletter features recent updates from across the Capital Programme and beyond. Read about how we are surveying students on accessibility and taking steps towards a new and improved digital HR system.

The Digital Infrastructure Programme is also helping us develop better ways of working by modernising our approach - you can find out what the programme has achieved so far and what is coming up next.

To keep up to date, sign up to the newsletter mailing list and receive future issues of the newsletter directly to your inbox.

Student debt update

The Finance Division has written to over 1,000 students with tuition fee and accommodation debt this month to advise them how and when to settle their final 2023/24 debt and where to find support if they need it. Our approach continues to balance the need to maximise recovery of income with consideration for the wellbeing of our students and supporting them to continue with their academic studies and achieve the academic outcomes they have worked for. View the briefing information sent out last week for staff dealing with enquiries which explains what will be happening, and how staff can help students. The briefing is designed to help staff understand how we are supporting students through the process.

Coming up

PS Open Forum (24 June)

We will be holding a PS Open Forum, chaired by Emma Potts, on Monday 24 June at 1.30pm in person in the Terrace Room at Bramber House and online. Pleaser register if you would like to attend in person - registration is not needed if joining online. Submit questions or issues for discussion in advance in the registration link or by emailing us at internalcomms@sussex.ac.uk. We will try to cover the key topics raised in advance on the day, and there will also be time for live questions. Remember, you can see the recording of, and answers from, the last session on the Staff Hub.

Summer of Research engages local community with events in June

Summer of Research celebrates the diversity of research at Sussex and this June we’re hosting a series of talks and events for staff and the local community. Why not come along, and bring a friend?

Events in Brighton include:

Think Again! The Science of Wellbeing (13 June)
Multispecies Flourishing - The Living Coast Artist Residency exhibition (from 19 June)

On-campus events include:

How do we change how we talk to young people? (12 June)
Two practical crafting workshops: Using creativity to build safe, connected and sustainable communities (12 June) and The Urban Fabric: Layers of London Road (17 June)

Financial year end is on 31 July

If you have financial responsibilities, please look out for an email from Chief Financial Officer Jacinda Humphry which will set out what to start thinking about now ahead of year end. The Finance Service Desk will be looking at ways they can help make this process run smoothly for you and may be in touch to resolve any issues, so please do work with the team if you are contacted.

A reminder

Join us to celebrate Summer Graduation

Summer Graduation is taking place from Monday 22 to Friday 26 July at the Brighton Centre and you have the opportunity to play a part in this key event. Staff are at the heart of this very special occasion and we are calling for volunteers to help deliver the event. In this video you can hear from colleagues about why they enjoy being part of Graduation.

Over 100 staff are needed each day to make the celebration a success and you can find out more about the different roles available on the Graduation webpage. If you have any queries please contact: graduation@sussex.ac.uk

Can you help our student recruitment efforts during Clearing 2024?

Our Admissions team is looking for enthusiastic volunteers from across the University to staff the phone lines during Clearing on Thursday 15 August. Clearing is mission critical to the University, playing a vital role in helping Sussex achieve its student recruitment targets. It is also an exciting opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of applicants.

To sign up, please complete our registration form. Full training will be provided in advance, as well as support on the day itself. If you have questions or would like to find out more, email Dara O’Kane at: dara.o-kane@sussex.ac.uk.

Share your experience of campus sport facilities

You can take part in the Sussexsport staff survey until 28 June. This is a chance for staff to share views on our sports facilities including what works well and what could be improved, so make sure you have your say.