A video message from President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Ian Greer to the Queen's University Belfast community, including the announcement of the appointment of the new Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Richard Miles.

View the video transcript here.

Read about the appointments here.

With a General Election coming up, there will be opportunities to address the issue of investment in Higher Education with candidates vying to become your next MP.

With this in mind the Public Engagement Office has produced a handy infographic summarising key messages.

• Staff can save the attached images (in landscape and portrait options below);
• or follow this link and download a portrait version to your phone.

If a canvasser calls, you can use the infographic to ask them what their party plans to do to retain talented young people and open up opportunities for students from all walks of life.

Queen's University Belfast has become an accredited Living Wage Employer, receiving Living Wage Employer accreditation on Thursday 20 June at the launch of Advice NI’s Living Wage NI initiative in Parliament Buildings.

Queen’s has already been paying its employees the Real Living Wage since 2022, and the recent accreditation officially recognises the University’s commitment to ensure employees and any regularly contracted workers are paid the living wage hourly rate.

The Living Wage accreditation is one of a number of initiatives the University has undertaken during the Cost of Living Crisis to support and invest in their people.

Read the full story.

Graduation Week 2024 takes place from Thursday 27 June – Thursday 4 July.

Please expect delays when leaving the Main Site car Park from after 4.00pm on Graduation days and plan accordingly.

We ask for your cooperation and understanding as members of our Security Team work to facilitate and support the safe movement of vehicles and people through our site in the context large numbers of guests between ceremonies.

The University is currently advertising for the following positions internally:

• 24/112036 – Employer Engagement Consultant, Education and Student Services
• 24/112038 – Head of Operations and Administration, Central Administration Unit – The Chancellery

Staff can view internal and external vacancies through iTrent Employee Self-Service (via the 'Useful Links' noted under the staff profile 'Utility menu' dropdown).

To facilitate the year end process, please note the following arrangements for raising sales invoices to customers for activities carried out prior to 31 July 2024:

Qfis Sales order invoices

• Up to 31 July 2024: All sales orders relating to activities completed prior to 31 July 2024 should be fully approved and posted to QFIS by 4pm on Monday 31 July 2024. Invoices in progress but not fully approved by 31 July 2024, will be posted to the new year.
• 1 August 2024 – 8 August 2024: Sales order function will be available on QFIS but during this period there will be a delay in the email and posting of invoices. Invoices raised during this period will be emailed to initiators and posted to QFIS in the August 2024 period (202401) from 9 August 2024.

July Holiday – 12 and 15 July 2024

Please note the following Accounts Payable arrangements over the July holiday period for paying authorised Supplier Invoices, Request for Payments and Staff Expenses Claims:

1. Requests for Payment, and Staff Expenses Claims, received on or before 12.00pm on Thursday 4 July 2024, and Supplier Invoices received before 5.00pm on Wednesday 3 July, and which have been authorised on or before Friday 5 July 2024, will be paid week-ending 12 July 2024.
2. Authorised Supplier Invoices, which have been GRNd, Requests for Payment, and Staff Expenses Claims, received on or before 12.00pm on Wednesday 10 July 2024, will be paid week-ending 19 July 2024.
3. Authorised Supplier Invoices, which have been GRNd, Requests for Payment, and Staff Expenses Claims, received after 12.00pm on Wednesday 10 July 2024, but before 5.00pm on Friday 12 July will be paid week-ending 26 July 2024.
4. Normal payment arrangements will apply for all payment requests received from 15 July 2024.

University Financial Year End – 31 July 2024

Staff are invited to join the South Belfast and Mid Down General Election candidates for a Hustings event on Thursday 27 June at 12.30pm in The Cube, One Elmwood. This joint Civic Engagement and Students' Union event is your chance to engage with and question those vying to become the next MP for the University area.

The panel will be hosted by David McCann from Slugger O'Toole, and refreshments will be available.

Places are still available. Please register here: General Election Hustings

Pre-election period

The pre-election period (formerly known as purdah) is the period of time between the time an election is announced and the date the election is held when specific restrictions on the activity of civil servants are in place.

While broadly universities are beyond the scope of these restrictions, there are instances where specific care should be taken with regards the use of public resources and the communication activities of public bodies, civil servants, and local government officials. If you have any questions, please get in touch with publicengagement@qub.ac.uk.

Key considerations for staff in Queen’s University Belfast

Under Article 55 of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (NI) 1998, the University is required to review its employment composition and practices at least once every three years and submit an Article 55 review to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

This was completed in September 2023 by the Diversity, Inclusion and Staff Wellbeing unit and the resulting affirmative action plan has now been approved by University Management Board and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

Some of the actions require a University wide approach and therefore we would ask all Faculty/School/Department leads to familiarise yourself with the action plan and discuss with your leadership teams. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Diversity, Inclusion and Staff Wellbeing unit by emailing eqdiv@qub.ac.uk.

The full Article 55 report as well as a summary of key findings and the Affirmative Action plan can be found here.

The Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Unit are holding an informal showcase of Queen's as an inclusive employer and one of the largest employers in Northern Ireland.

'Behind the Scenes at Queen’s' will take place on Thursday 27 June from 10.00am to 1.30pm in Screen 1, Queen’s Film Theatre (QFT). The event aims to demonstrate the variation and extent of working roles available across our campus to those who may not have thought of Queen’s as a potential employer. The event is open to external organisations and individuals.

Staff are encouraged to share this event with anyone they know who may be interested in coming to work at Queen’s in a Professional Support role.

Technicians in Higher Education provide essential technical expertise, enabling the delivery of cutting-edge research and high-quality education.

Queen's University became one of 36 founding signatories of the Technician Commitment when it was established in 2017. The vision of the Technician Commitment is to create visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability to enhance technical careers. 

View this brochure celebrating Queen's seven years as a Technician Commitment signatory.

Queen’s is proud to confirm that we will be taking part in the Belfast Pride Parade this year on Saturday 27 July. All Queen’s staff and students, and their friends and families, are welcome to join us as we celebrate LGBTQIA+ people in Belfast and beyond.

There will be light breakfast refreshments, coffee and an opportunity to meet, chat and get ready for the parade on the morning.

Register here to take part in the Queen’s group at Belfast Pride Parade.

All staff and students are invited to the third annual Queen’s Pride Picnic on Wednesday 24 July from 12.00pm to 3.00pm. Pride on campus will be celebrated with music, entertainment, food trucks, drinks, and an ice-cream cart for all staff and students to enjoy.

This event is free. Please note: the first 200 registrations will receive a free meal and ice-cream ticket, but there will be the opportunity to purchase from the food trucks and ice-cream cart on the day.

Register via MS Forms here.

Active Campus's Summer Couch to 5k programme begins on Wednesday 26 June at 1.15pm, meeting outside the Lanyon Building. Taking place every Wednesday up to and including 28 August, Summer Couch to 5k is perfect for everyone; whether you are a complete beginner or just looking to get more active, Active Campus's group of volunteers will support you every step of the way, whether you prefer to walk, jog, or run.

Register to take part here: Summer Couch to 5k | Queen's Sport

Nominations for this year's Postdoc Awards will close on Sunday 30 June.

All staff are encouraged to nominate postdoctoral researchers who have excelled in one of the award categories this academic year.

Find out more and nominate here: Postdoc Awards 2024

Queen's first Annual Sustainability Report has now launched.

Covering the academic year 2022-23, the report captures a wide range of important initiatives delivered across our campus and beyond – addressing sustainability issues in research, operations, teaching and learning, and outreach delivered in collaboration with our key stakeholders and civic partners.

Everyone is encouraged to take a few moments to read it and learn more about all that we are doing to drive forward this work. We will produce this report on an annual basis.

To support continuous improvement, we would be grateful if you could let us know how we've been doing on sustainability communication this academic year (2023-2024).

• Please take one to two minutes to share your feedback here.

We would really appreciate your feedback by Friday 28 June on how we communicate on sustainability and what we can do better. 

Staff are reminded that you can view your Total Reward Statement within iTrent Employee Self-Service. This personalised statement provides an overview of your:

• pay
• pension
• other non-monetary benefits

The Education Committee: Student Experience approved a revised Procedure on Support to Continue in Study on the Grounds of Health and/or Safety (previously known as 'Fitness to Continue in Study') for implementation in the 2023-24 academic year. The Student Disability and Wellbeing Service has updated how referrals to Occupational Health are managed where, as part of the process, a student needs to have an independent review of their fitness to study.

The last of these sessions will be held on Tuesday 25 June from 3.30pm to 4.30pm online via MS Teams. 

Register here: Support to Continue in Study

Staff are invited to get involved in SU Volunteer's 'Declutter and Donate' campaign, helping to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation's lifesaving research. This is an opportunity to spring clean your space while supporting good causes.

Donations to the campaign will be accepted at the sites detailed below until Sunday 7 July.

Recent posts from Queen's Policy Engagement (QPol):

• Professor Ciaran O’Neill: Beyond hospital waiting lists: the need for accountability and reform in our health system
• Dr Ronagh McQuigg: The New EU Directive on Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence
• Dr Stefan Andreasson: Why the US oil majors may end up doing more for the green transition than their (slightly) more progressive European rivals
• Event: Launch 'Paradise Lost: A Report on the Emotional and Personal Impacts of the Crisis of Lough Neagh', Monday 24 June, 5.00pm, Peter Froggatt Centre, room 02/018. Register here.

The Conversation is a news website featuring articles by academics, often republished to global media outlets. Articles by Queen's academics published in The Conversation have been read by 12.5 million people internationally. Read the latest:

• Dr Jonny Hanson: Farmers told me what they really think about reintroducing lynx and wolves to Britain and Ireland
• Dr Jamie Pow: Northern Ireland: the three electoral threats keeping the DUP awake at night

Queen's Staff Blog provides a space for staff to share our reflections, knowledge and experiences and build a connected University community. Our latest blogs focus on the launch of Queen's Civic Mission in May 2024, as well as the experiences of some of our staff carers:

• BLOG: Our Civic Mission, by Dr Federica Ferrieri.
• BLOG: Being a Staff Carer at Queen's: My Experience, by Duncan Berryman
• BLOG: Being a Parent Carer at Queen's: My Experience, by Dermot Leonard
• BLOG: Being a Staff Carer at Queen's - My Experience, by Tom Dore

Read the latest staff news stories on the Staff News and Community Gateway:

• In Pictures: Showcase of Queen's Innovation Centres
• Queen’s becomes Accredited Living Wage Employer
• New senior appointments, including appointment of new Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor
• End of semester message and senior leadership appointments
• New chapter for the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s as it opens landmark building
• Queen's colleagues recognised in King's Birthday Honours 2024

The Internal Communications Team in the Strategic Communications Directorate will hold the following Drop-in Sessions during Summer 2024:

• Tuesday 25 June 2024, 2.00pm to 4.00pm, The Graduate School, GR7
• Tuesday 30 July 2024, 2.00pm to 4.00pm, The Graduate School, GR7
• Tuesday 20 August 2024, 2.00pm to 4.00pm, The Graduate School, GR7
• Tuesday 27 August 2024, 12.00pm to 2.00pm, The Graduate School, GR7

Colleagues across the University are welcome to drop in individually or in groups of up to four colleagues for guidance on approaches to help promote information or initiatives to internal audiences, or for advice on internal communication challenges. 

Staff are invited to view the latest edition of the new Research and Innovation Newsletter.

This newsletter provides the entire research community at Queen’s with information on the latest news, announcements and events related to their researcher journey and on Research and Innovation activities at Queen’s.

Subscribe here.

Read this week's summary of funding opportunities and news from the Research Development team.

Researchers wishing to continue receiving this weekly update are asked to resubscribe here.

The latest issue of the WWIEM newsletter, The investigator, (Issue 14, June 2024) is now available.

View 'The investigator' newsletter here.

Past editions are available on the WWIEM website.

Details of ongoing works being carried out across the University campus can be found on the Estates Directorate webpage.

More information: Campus Development: The week ahead.

This week’s new and returning films at Queen's Film Theatre, your cinema on campus.

SHOWING THIS WEEK:

• A House in Jerusalem
• After the Credits: Film Discussion Group

As part of the 2024 Belfast Photo Festival, the Naughton Gallery presents Outside the Echo Chamber, the first UK solo exhibition by Berlin-based American photographer Andrew White.

The exhibition continues until Thursday 11 July. The Naughton Gallery is open 11.00am to 4.00pm, Tuesdays through Sundays. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Offering a recognised coaching qualification, the Coaching Connections programme – aimed at both Professional Services and Academic staff – is a comprehensive development programme designed to develop coaching skills. On completion of the programme, participants will be part of the Queen’s team of internal coaches. The application and selection process will open later this year.

A short information session on Coaching Connections will be held on Tuesday 2 July from 10.00am to 11.00am (venue confirmed following registration).

Find out more and register here.

People and Culture's Learning and Development programmes offer training and development opportunities that are suitable for all staff, from Learning for All, Leading and Managing at Queen’s and LinkedIn Learning to Nature Masterclasses and Recruitment and Selection Training. The July 2024 highlighted courses come from LinkedIn Learning:

• Top tips for personalising your public relations strategy
• Excel: PivotTables for Beginners
• Share a Google doc with a non Google user

View the full July programme of events here.

The Centre for Educational Development has launched a new Podcast, 'Advisor Exchange', created to support individuals in the Advisor of Studies role.

This podcast aims to demystify processes, share best practices, and provide valuable insights into the intricacies of support department nuances.

Listen here and join the conversation.

The Postdoc Society are pleased to announce the return of the Queen's Postdoc Showcase, taking place in celebration of Postdocs and Research Staff, on Monday 16 September in The Malone Hotel, 60 Eglantine Avenue, Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 6DY.

Find out more and register here: Postdoc Showcase 2024

The Developing Leadership in Educational Practice is a programme of study designed to bring together staff who work within the same environment to share good practice and discuss issues to enhance their personal development and wider professional practice. It is intended that you will transfer new-found knowledge to adapt or change the way you work to improve the student experience.

This award recognises the importance of Academic and Professional Services Leaders who have a pivotal role at Queen's. You may join this programme whether you are from a professional service or academic role. Those in leadership roles in the Students’ Union would also be eligible for this programme.

Register for the programme via iTrent self-service.

SEDA Programme Leaders is a blended learning course for new, aspiring, and experienced Programme Leaders, running from 2 September 2024 to 5 January 2025.

The course aims are:

• To support you in your professional development as an educational leader;
• To support and recognise your individual progress, practice & professional achievement;
• To enhance curriculum development and, hence, the student learning experience;
• To promote the development of professionals with the knowledge, skills and attributes to effectively lead, nurture and guide educational change and development in the sector.

Find out more and secure your place via iTrent.

The following learning events are now open for application. Full information and registration can be found via the iTrent links below.

• Introduction to Teaching: 2 to 6 September, 10.00am to 4.00pm – week of supported preparation for staff that have not previously been responsible for delivering a module.
• HEA fellowship claims – online programmes where participants will complete their claim for Fellowship/Associate Fellowship/Senior Fellowship HEA:

The latest updates on AI at Queen's. Contact the 2030 Digital Education Team at AI-Hub@qub.ac.uk with any questions.

GPT-4o Release

OpenAI has recently announced the release of GPT-4o. This advanced model accepts as input any combination of text, audio, image, and video, and generates outputs in text, audio, and images. It's much faster and responds to questions at human-like speeds. OpenAI has also provided a series of demo videos to showcase these capabilities.

These advancements are available for ChatGPT users with a free account. Discover how you can access GPT-4o and get started with ChatGPT by watching our Quick Start Video.

Digital and Information Services' IT Training programme has completed for this academic year, but if your School or Directorate requires IT training for staff, geared towards a specific area or set of tasks, email itcourses@qub.ac.uk and the team will arrange a consultation.

Additional training materials can be found here on the IT Training Unit SharePoint site.