Staff Briefing

Search University of Bradford for More advanced search

Next editions Next editions and entries to the briefing 40th Anniversary Events Atrium official opening - send us your messages Invitation to Academic staff to attend the Inaugural Meeting of the Re-launch of the Graduate Association Forty Years Later: The Past, Present and Future of the University of Bradford Saturday 14 October 2006 General University notices Restructure of Corporate Services (CS) Disabled staff focus group Important message for USS members News from Accommodation Services Retirement of Stan Houghton – a word of thanks University short-listed for THES Award Buddhist Meditation Sessions (reminder) Training and Development Opportunities for Staff Staff Training Opportunities Arts on Campus Theatre in the Mill - 2 for 1 offer for staff this week Tasmin Little Music Centre - next concert Gallery II - exhibition (reminder) Works on campus Horton D Building Lectures, seminars and newsletters World Mental Health Day on the 10th October School of Lifelong Education and Development (SLED) Education Research Seminar Research Bulletin Job Vacancies at the University

Next editions and entries to the briefing

• Monday 9 October
• Monday 16 October - afternoon
• Monday 23 October

Please keep entries concise with, if necessary, a link to further details on the web. Please check entries for accuracy and timeliness before sending. Deadline for entries is (generally) 12 noon each Friday.

Email: briefing@bradford.ac.uk

^ top

40th Anniversary events

Atrium official opening - send us your messages

On the 18th October there will be a large screen in the Atrium broadcasting messages from all our friends - students, staff, alumni and other external stakeholders.

If you would like to send us a video message, a happy birthday text message or photos of the University from your mobile phone or by email to be included on the 18 October read the details on the 40th anniversary site:

http://www.brad.ac.uk/40/video.php

^ top

Invitation to Academic staff to attend the Inaugural Meeting of the Re-launch of the Graduate Association

To coincide with our 40th Anniversary Year, the University will be re-launching the Graduate Association, which has been inactive in recent years.

The first meeting will be held on Saturday, 7 October 2006 and academic staff who are not graduates of the University of Bradford can apply to be members and attend this meeting. The programme will begin with lunch at 12.30pm in the Board Room, Richmond Building and the meeting will follow at 2pm in E59 Richmond Building. Jawahar Dhutia (Mathematical Sciences 1979) has kindly agreed to be Acting Chair for the first meeting.

If you would like to attend the meeting, please send an email to j.kronbachs@bradford.ac.uk but addressed for the attention of the Deputy Principal. For catering purposes please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements.

For further information and to download a copy of the Agenda go to http://www.brad.ac.uk/alumni/grad_ass.htm

^ top

Forty Years Later: The Past, Present and Future of the University of Bradford Saturday 14 October 2006

In this Saturday School, specially organised to celebrate the occasion, you will learn about education in Bradford and the history of the campus from the 19th Century, the development of the University as an institution, and also take a look into the future to see how the campus is likely to change physically and to assess the likely changes in the curriculum and academic life.

There are also some entertaining moments from the past in viewing how the University has promoted itself in film.

This event is free of charge - however, places need to be reserved in advance.

Further details and a booking form can be found at http://www.brad.ac.uk/admin/conted/civic-community/40.html

^ top

General University notices

Restructure of Corporate Services (CS)

With effect from 1 October we have one central administration Planning Unit called Corporate Services. This will comprise 6 Directorates and one central executive hub, the Offices of the Vice-Chancellor.

Please read the full details at: http://www.bradford.ac.uk/news/private/cs-structure.htm (University username and password required)

^ top

Disabled staff focus group

The Disability Office is arranging a disabled staff focus group as part of the Disability Equality Scheme (DES) strategy. It will be held on 12 October at 12.30pm - 2.30pm in the Jazzmans meeting room where free lunch and refreshments will be provided.

We would like staff to attend who have personal experience of the University policy and procedures affecting disabled staff / staff with health implications. All staff are welcome whether they consider themselves disabled or not and their views will remain anonymous.

This is an excellent opportunity for staff to express their issues and concerns over the support they have received from the University. Staff contributions will be vital to the structure of the DES scheme and how support will be implemented in the future.

If you are interested in attending please contact Gill Simpson in the Disability Office on ext: 5156 or email g.simpson1@bradford.ac.uk

^ top

Important message for USS members

Due to the recent and sometimes complicated changes to Pensions law and the wider possibility of improving your pension benefits, Prudential now consider (with USS’s full agreement) that it might be an appropriate time to visit us here at Bradford so as to again give our USS members the opportunity for a one-to-one consultation.

Please see the documents below for full details. At this stage - and although this will also depend on the level of take-up - we are hoping to have a dedicated meeting room on both the main University campus throughout the week, and also at the School of Management site on Tuesday 17th October. Perhaps when you reply you will be kind enough to indicate your preference. Further details of the meeting rooms will be advised when the reply groupings and numbers are known.

Prudential tell me that their recent experience at other Universities has shown that the level of interest is high, so arrangements for the week will be very much on a first come, first served basis and your early reply, then, might be important.

• Prudential invite (word doc, will open in a new window)
• Changes to USS (word doc, will open in a new window)

If you have any queries or problems please let Peter Mitchell know on 3143.

^ top

News from Accommodation Services

Student Accommodation Guides 2007/2008

These are available from Monday 9th October 2006. To request your copies please contact Mr A Drake, Head Porter on a.drake1@bradford.ac.uk. A supply will be available on the Open Day Accommodation stand on Saturday 7th October

Short Stay Accommodation

We have a small number of rooms available in Wardley House for staff/visitors requiring short stay accommodation. Please note that subject to availability we can only take bookings of 1 month or over. All rooms are en-suite and are charged at £125.00 per week on a self catered basis.

Payment in advance is required.

Thank You

Accommodation Services would like to thank all staff in the many departments who helped us to provide services to students over the late August and Intake period.

^ top

Retirement of Stan Houghton – a word of thanks

I can't believe it. My six months notice period has flown by. It all seemed so far away six months ago but, as the time approaches, it has become stark reality. Indeed, after just under forty years at Bradford, I view it all with somewhat mixed feelings.

Those of you who know me well will be aware that I am not one for sentiment or for long, drawn out goodbyes - it is not my style. Thus, I have spent some of the last few weeks having a chat with colleagues or having lunch - saying goodbye to colleagues I have worked with for a long time, many of whom I now look upon as good friends. I haven't completed the circuit yet and do appreciate that there are many I have yet to see.

If I haven't had a word with you, don't take it personally. Even when I finish, I will be back to visit. I need to bring to fruition my own life-long education plans for a change! In fact, those who worked closely with me know well that my memory never was much good – remember all the lists! Hence, if you feel in the mood for a chat over quick cuppa, a glass or even a pint, don’t hesitate to email or ring me to suggest a date/time.

I know there is a lot at Bradford that I will miss. Nevertheless, I decided that the time was right to make a decision - to put health and family before my occupation. Perhaps it is a time for someone younger but more resilient to take over LSS, someone more in tune with a rapidly changing culture - a new era.

Retirement implies substantial adjustment for me too, as I move to a less "timetabled" life style – where I can make my own decisions and change my mind in an instant if circumstances demand it. In the end, if I work at it, I am sure I will cope without the pressure and paperwork – assuming that I also cope with the long and daunting list of decorating and home maintenance tasks that my wife Ros is compiling

And now to the point. . . . .

I really do want to say a very sincere “thank you” for the many emails, telephone calls, cards, etc. I appreciated the kind comments and certainly enjoyed the anecdotes and amusing stories from the past. The 40 years I have spent at Bradford have had their ups and downs but were not to be missed – I have a lot of memories that I will treasure. You can rest assured that I will be back from time to time.

Thus “thank you and goodbye” to those colleagues who saw me as a friendly, balanced and supportive kind of guy. “Thank you and goodbye”, too, to those that saw my more contentious and less compliant side! I may not have agreed with everything but at least you had my attention!

I have been justly proud of the LSS team over the years – they are a dedicated bunch. They have a remarkable record of achievements and have services that have attracted considerable praise – particularly in accreditation visits and quality audits.

Thus, I wish you good luck with the appointment of my successor - not only LSS my colleagues but everyone at Bradford. Indeed, I wish my successor all the best too, in the new culture. We need to build on these firm foundations.

Kind regards and thank you again to all of you

Stan

^ top

University short-listed for THES Award

The University has been short-listed for a Times Higher award in the Widening Participation Initiative of the Year category.

The Access and Widening Participation team developed the 'Understanding School' module as a result of partnership working with a local parents' initiative, the Bradford Parental Education Network and has been further developed as part of the University's Aimhigher project 'Intergenerational Approaches to Learning'. It now forms an embedded part of the University's community outreach and engagement strategy.

After consultation with parents at local primary schools it was noted that parents wanted to help their children but did not know how. Most of them were not aware of what their children were being taught at school and did not understand the target system for their child's year. In addition, although there is little research into this area, what does exist suggests that parents as the first educators of children have a significant role to play in the motivation and achievement of their children within the school system.

The aim of the module was to engage parents/guardians in the education of their children by providing clear information about the National Curriculum, their roles and responsibilities as parents of school-aged children and generally contribute to the raising of educational attainment in Bradford. The courses are taught by Rehana Kauser and Helen Turner-Desai in a number of primary schools in Bradford in particularly disadvantaged areas and engage with parents primarily from an Asian background who had never considered HE level study before.

The other short-listed projects are from the University of Manchester, Napier University, Coventry University and the Universities of Nottingham & Lincoln. The winner will be announced at an awards dinner in London on 15 November.

^ top

Buddhist Meditation Sessions (reminder)

Why not relax on your lunch hour and go along to the Meditation Sessions held every Wednesday, starting on Wednesday 27 September 2006, in 0.13 Phoenix Building from 12.30 to 1.15pm.

Everyone is welcome

^ top

Training and Development Opportunities for Staff

Staff Training Opportunities

 ^ top

Arts on Campus - new seasons at: www.bradford.ac.uk/arts

Theatre in the Mill - 2 for 1 offer for staff this week

Theatre in the Mill Professional Season opens with a Staff Offer!

Get 2 tickets for the price of 1 on our Season opener "Consultation" by Leikin Loppu, just show your staff card when booking tickets.

Friday 6th & Saturday 7th October at 8pm at the Theatre in the Mill. Tickets cost £6.50 full & £4 for concessions, call 01274 233200 for information & to reserve tickets.

Consultation is a simultaneously comic, uplifting and poignant tonic which examines the journey of Doctor and patient as they strive for mutual understanding. Made in collaboration with a real life Doctor this play treads the thin line between art and science, need and satisfaction, illness and health. It is sharp as a surgical incision and tight as a tourniquet.

www.bradford.ac.uk/theatre

^ top

Tasmin Little Music Centre

Thursday 12 October | 9.00pm

ZEF - Oriental/French Diablo Band
Love Apple Café, Great Horton Road, Bradford

£3/£2 (TLMC members £1)

Box office: 01274 233191

Having recently appeared at Glastonbury, dance floors all over Europe have vibrated to the wonderful tunes of this talented French band who have been labelled 'whirling dervishes with a wild Celtic twist'! This is a fantastic opportunity to dance to jazzy rondeaux, wild Diablo circassian circles, oriental bourrées and dreamy mazurkas.

^ top

Gallery II - new exhibition (reminder)

Richard Wincer - latest work. Emotive and sensitive expressions of the English countryside.

Gallery II, Chesham Building until Friday 13 October 2006
Weekdays 11am - 5pm (except Thursdays until 6pm)
Free.

For further details email gallery@bradford.ac.uk or call ext: 5495

^ top

Works on Campus

Horton D Building

Maintenance and Repainting of the window cleaning cradle track.

As access will be required to the roof, it will be necessary to close the disabled toilet on the 5th floor corridor.

It is anticipated that the work will commence on Monday 2 October and should be completed by Friday 6th October.

If you have any queries regarding this work, please direct them to Brian Jinks on 3438.

^ top

Lectures, seminars and newsletters

World Mental Health Day on the 10th October

As part of the celebrations around World Mental Health Day on the 10th October, CCCMH and Evolving Minds are pleased to announce that the next seminar guest speakers will be:

1. Aidan Shingler - Title: 'One in a hundred: the experience of schizophrenia' on Thursday 12th October, in the school of health studies, main lecture theatre 3.30 - 4.30pm. See flyer here (word doc, will open in a new window)

2. Sue Mcbean - Title 'Service User led research Project - people's experiences of Mental health, Citizenship & recovery' on Thurs 19th October, in the scholl of health studies, main lecture theatre 3.30 - 5.00pm - see flyer here. (word doc, will open in a new window)

These seminars are free to all those interested in mental health issues, there is no need to book, but please adhere to University of Bradford parking restrictions.

For more information please visit our website below or contact: Tricia Gallagher (CCCMH Administrator) 01274 236619 or email p.a.gallagher@bradford.ac.uk

Web: http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/health/research/cccmh/index.php

Stakeholder meeting - reminder

See: http://www.brad.ac.uk/briefing/we-29-september06.php#cccmh

^ top

School of Lifelong Education and Development (SLED) Education Research Seminar

'Factors affecting the educational achievement of Nigerian adolescents'

Presented by Alice Musa, SLED Postgraduate Research Student, on Monday 23 October 2006, 1pm - 2.30pm in Room 35, Cobden Building.

Attendance is FREE. Refreshments available.

Please ring Linda Fox on ext. 5984 or email l.j.fox@bradford.ac.uk to book a place. Course flyer (word doc, will open in a new window).

Full list of seminars at: http://www.brad.ac.uk/admin/conted/ere/seminars.html

^ top

Research Bulletin

The latest version of the Research Bulletin can be found at: http://www.brad.ac.uk/rkts/researchsupp.php?content=researchbulletins

Included in this issue:

• New Head of Research Support Unit - Tamsin Holt
• EU Seventh Framework Programme (2007 - 2013)
• Research and Knowledge Transfer Support booklet
• National launch of Professional Development Materials for Principal Investigators
• Joint Grants Scheme with Research Councils
• British Academy/ESRC announce new Visiting Fellowship Collaboration
• Royal Academy of Engineering - Research Student Development Fellowships
• Arts and Humanities Research Council - Research Grants - Practice-led and Applied Route
• National Science Week 2007 - Small Grant Awards for Public Engagement
• European ICT Prize launched
• British Council - UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) PhD Scholarships
• Details of Applying for a personal account with ResearchResearch.com; joining the UKRO mailing list and subscribing to the ub-research mailing list at the University

^ top

Job Vacancies at the University

Current vacancies at the University can be found at the Personnel website:

http://www.brad.ac.uk/admin/personnel/jobvacancies/

The weekly bulletin can also be found as a pdf from the same page.

All queries should be directed to Personnel: ext: 5347, email: personnel@bradford.ac.uk

^ top

Staff Briefing home | Specialised Mailing | Corporate Communications home | University of Bradford home

Disclaimer: This page may include links to information provided by external services that are not in any way under the control of the University of Bradford. The University cannot, therefore, be held responsible for its content or accuracy.