Broadcast: News items

PS Essentials - October 2024

Posted on behalf of: Internal Communications

Last updated: Thursday, 3 October 2024

PS Essentials highlights the key priorities for Professional Services colleagues and recent news 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

Staff survey is open - have your say on working life at Sussex

The staff survey - your chance to make your voice heard as we work together to become an employer of choice and build a University for the future - is now open.

The survey will now run on a two-year cycle, so it is slightly longer to cover a wide range of topics. The new cycle means that it is all the more important to take this opportunity to have your say. All survey responses will continue to remain completely confidential and no answers or comments will be attributable to any individual.

The survey, which should take approximately 15 minutes to complete, will be open until Sunday 20 October. Results will be available for Faculties, Schools and Divisions to share with staff from late November and full results reports will be published on the staff survey webpages in December.

Book your free flu vaccination

With winter fast approaching, flu season will soon be upon us. As a key public health measure, getting your flu vaccination is more important than ever. Many of you will already have received, or are eligible for, a free flu vaccine. For those not eligible for a free NHS vaccine, we’ve arranged for our occupational health provider, Heales, to offer flu vaccinations at Sussexsport’s Sports Centre during October and November. Book your appointment today.

Travelling on University business

If you are planning to travel for University business, you are asked to consider the following:

Is the travel for an activity which is deemed business critical?
Is the travel needed, or can a suitable alternative be explored? i.e. online remote based meetings or conferences

All travel for University business must be authorised in advance by the appropriate Executive Dean, Head of School, Director of Professional Services, or delegated staff member prior to booking or paying for travel or accommodation. Authorisers will review applications for travel in light of the questions above.

Travel insurance - disruption and security advice

If you are travelling on University business and have arranged University travel insurance cover, you will have access to Crisis24 Horizon which provides 24/7 alerts of threats and disruptions, country risk analysis and actionable safety and security advice. Crisis24 Horizon enables staff and students to stay informed of concerns ahead of and during travel.

Download the Crisis24 Horizon app before you travel for advice, security information and to receive alerts for any incidents occurring in your destination country or region. Alerts can be configured by country, proximity, severity and/or category to ensure that you receive the alerts that you need.

Visit the University travel insurance webpage for details on applying for Travel Insurance Cover and registering for the app. If you have any questions, please contact the Finance Service Desk.

Paperless parking from Monday 14 October

Campus parking moves to a paperless system from Monday 14 October. If you currently have a paper permit please make sure you register for a digital permit. There will also be changes to visitor and guest parking from 14 October.

About Professional Services

Student fee collection

A briefing has been sent out to Executive Deans and Divisional Directors on the approach to collecting student tuition and rental fees in the 2024/25 academic year. The briefing explains how staff can support any students who contact them with regards to fee payments or debt issues. To help staff understand more about how and when we communicate with students about debt over the course of the academic year, please see the attached student fee cycle calendar.

Can you help with UCAS process market research?

If you have a young person in your household going through the UCAS decision making process, please consider sharing any communications they have received from other universities with our Marketing and Recruitment teams. This will provide us with helpful insight into how our competitors are communicating with young people and highlight any trends.

Examples can include offer holder communications, Open Day brochures or communications, or Applicant Visit Day communications. Any context would also be helpful around which university it is from, the subject applied for, and further communications following offer acceptance. Please send any communications to Carolyn Keys, CRM Marketing Officer (c.keys@sussex.uk), and Hannah Le Fevre, CRM Marketing Manager, (H.Le-Fevre@sussex.ac.uk). Any personal or sensitive information from the communications will be removed and will not be shared more widely.

New Division of Library, Culture and Heritage

A new Division has been created at the University, bringing together The Keep, the Library, and the Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts (ACCA). Formed on 1 September, it provides physical space, resource, and expertise to engage with the education, research, civic and cultural ambitions of the University’s new strategy. The new Division, under the direction of Jane Harvell, Director of Library, Cultural and Heritage Services and University Librarian, will seek to open up more campus spaces for the benefit of people from our city and region.

Change in job title for Heads of Professional Services

In line with the introduction of the University's new Faculty structure, the four Heads of Professional Services (HoPS) had their job titles updated to Head of Faculty Operations (HFOs). The change aligns with industry standards and peer practices, and reflects the seniority of the role, which involves collaborating closely with Executive Deans of Faculty in the organisation and planning for their respective Faculties. Additionally, HFOs will work closely with Marie Gallagher, Director of Faculty Professional and Technical Services and Divisional leads to navigate the new structures and ensure a smooth transition and effective integration.

As a reminder the four HFOs are:

Jacqui Guillemard, Faculty of Media, Arts and Humanities
Marc Williams, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine
Merrill Jones, University of Sussex Business School
Pippa Robinson, Faculty of Social Sciences

Find out the latest news from the projects and programmes transforming Sussex

The latest issue of the Transforming Sussex newsletter and our photo gallery are now available. Here are just a few of the highlights:

A new and transformed Eat Central has opened, with improved recycling
The latest updates on the Multi-factor Authentication rollout
Take a look at all the places you can grab delicious food on campus this term.

We’re also pleased to introduce this month’s Changemaker – Jane Hyder-Wilson, Change Manager. Find out more about the great work Jane has been doing to help to implement digital improvements.

Want to stay updated? Sign up for our mailing list today and be the first to receive future newsletters straight to your inbox.

Coming up

VC Open Forum (9 October)

The VC Open Forum is happening next week, on Wednesday 9 October from 3.30pm to 5pm. Sasha will give further information on topics such as student admissions and financial recovery, financial planning, and the upcoming launch of our new Sussex 2035 strategy. She will be joined by Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost Professor Michael Luck to help manage and answer questions.

This will be an in-person event in the Attenborough Centre auditorium, offering a good opportunity to connect with colleagues from across the University. It will also be livestreamed for a remote audience. Please register for the in-person event, or use the Zoom link in your calendar invitation to join the event online.

A reminder

Update your pension details today

On joining the University, you are automatically enrolled to the appropriate pension scheme for you. Your University pension scheme gives you access to a variety of benefits for you and your family, but it is important to keep your details up to date and plan for your retirement early (regardless of how near or far away it might be). Take charge of your future today and review your pension details now. Make sure everything is up to date, including your nominated beneficiaries, and check your savings are invested in the areas that matter the most to you. Simply follow the steps on the Staff Hub and remember to update your details if your circumstances change in the future.

New policy on Research Degrees is now live

Following a comprehensive review of Sussex’s postgraduate researcher (PGR) regulations and policies, new documentation came into effect in August 2024. Regulation 23, relative to Degrees of Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy, has been significantly streamlined, while the new Policy on Research Degrees brings together previously dispersed policies into a single, comprehensive document covering the full PGR academic journey. Processes and guidance are currently under review, to take into account policy updates, and changes will be rolled out in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, colleagues should refer directly to the new documentation linked above.