City News for staff Issue 15

City News Issue 15

Building the Vision How our estates plan will transform City

NEWS | UNIVERSITY UPDATES | RESEARCH | MEET THE TEAM AND MORE INSIDE

Hello... ...and welcome to the latest issue of City News.

Thank you for your feedback on the new design; it is encouraging to hear your thoughts and please continue to let us know your suggestions for future editions by emailing the Editor.

You are no doubt noticing that building work is commencing around Northampton Square, transforming our estate with state-of-the-art facilities for education and research. In our main feature Matt Shipton outlines the estates plan, promoted by hoardings on the corner of Spencer Street and St John Street and this month’s From the Archive just so happens to take a trip back to the 1950s, when works on that same space created new laboratories, libraries and workshops at a cost of more than £7 million in today’s money.

City is renowned for its graduate employability and a crucial element of this is the support and guidance offered by the Career & Skills Development Service (CSDS). On pages 16-17 we meet the team and get a flavour of its work.

Reading about the CSDS team’s work brought back memories of my own experience of a university careers service and my somewhat haphazard approach to boosting my graduate employability. Like many fellow students, my first thought given to “what next?” was late in my final year with a quick visit to the careers library to pick up some leaflets. A rapid review of my cv and it was suddenly adorned with newly acquired hobbies such as windsurfing and mountain climbing, in the hope of impressing a future employer.

Today’s City students are giving greater thought to their careers and at a far earlier stage in their studies, with the invaluable support of the CSDS. This edition’s student journalist contribution develops this theme of graduate destinations to explore the increasing demand for high quality graduates to work as nannies and tutors for children of the global super rich.

Simon Watts Head of Communications

Contents

University news Staff news Media highlights University updates Council, Senate and ExCo updates Feature article: Building the Vision Research at City Meet the team: Career & Skills Development Service Student journalist: The £60,000 graduate role Staff benefits From the archive Dates for your diary Staff training and development

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Comments and feedback are always welcome, as are suggestions for future editions such as research outputs or an exciting new project. Please contact the editor.

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City News is published six times a year by Marketing & Communications for all staff.

Back issues: blogs.city.ac.uk/staff-news/city-news Editor: Chris Leonard Tel: 020 7040 3234 Email: Christopher.leonard.1@city.ac.uk

Thank you...

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Recycle When you have finished reading City News, please recycle it.

...to all of this issue’s contributors: Jon Appleyard, Gary Argent, Evan Bates, Professor Martin Caraher, Yasmeen Cohen, Sophie Cubbin, Dr Graham Daborn, Roann Etan, Sabrina Francis, Kayley Goff, Dean Horton, Chris Johnson, Xan Kite, Professor Tim Lang, Mary Luckiram, Helen Merrills, Sheila Munton, Dr Anastasia Nesvetailova, Jo Pentecost, Claude Rouschmeyer, Ben Sawtell, Matt Shipton, John Stevenson, Neil Stewart, Jennifer Viccars, Dr Caroline Wiertz, Nadia Zernina-Forde

Next edition Our next edition will be published in June 2013.

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News A plan for City’s people

The HR strategy in action

Mary Luckiram and colleagues

The University’s Strategic Plan has laid out our long-term objectives at an institutional level but what will the Plan mean in practice for individual staff?

The new HR Strategy and its supporting Implementation Plan answer this question by identifying priorities and activities which will enable staff to contribute fully to City’s success through the development of a working environment and culture that attracts, retains, motivates and develops our staff in a challenging and competitive environment.

Mary Luckiram, Director of Human Resources (above right), explains: “The Strategy and its supporting Implementation Plan outline the priorities for HR and how we will address the people aspects of the University’s Strategic Plan.”

Key initiatives will include activities focused on staff development and performance; improving staff communications and engagement; building the capabilities of current and future leaders; and enhancing University employees’ resilience in a changing environment.

Example activities already completed or underway include professorial banding; the development of academic career paths; health and wellbeing activities such as Revitalise February; and a well-received Leadership and Management Development Programme (see boxout).

Mary explains: “Behind this activity is a vision of City in 2016 as a place for staff achievement, development and career progression - where success is celebrated and rewarded. The Strategy is about creating an ethos where the link between personal achievement and the University’s Strategic Plan is clear to all staff.”

Read the full HR Strategy and its supporting Implementation Plan on our staff intranet HR Strategy: https://intranet.city.ac.uk/staff/hr/ about-hr/hr-strategy.html Implementation Plan: https://intranet.city.ac.uk/ staff/hr/about-hr/implementation-plan.html

The Leadership and Management Development programme was launched in February and has been received very positively.

Run by the Leadership & Staff Development Unit, it is based on a thorough needs analysis consisting of one-to-one meetings with 167 nominated colleagues in key leadership and management roles across the University.

The programme differentiates between leadership and management development, reflected not only in what is offered but also to whom, how and when. Adopting blended learning best practice and accommodating individual learning styles, the programme provides tailored activities for colleagues, designed to meet their individual development needs for supporting the Strategic Plan’s implementation. This includes workshops, mentoring, coaching, a managers’ network and online learning.

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News in brief Marie Colvin Scholarship

George Arbuthnott, a graduate of City’s Investigative Journalism MA, has been named winner of The Sunday Times’ inaugural Marie Colvin Scholarship. There were more than 400 applications for the prestigious paid scholarship which will include six months working on the foreign desk of The Sunday Times and six months spread between News Review, Business and Magazine sections in both print and digital formats.

City plays prominent role in Cancer Research UK’s Gamejam

In early March, City’s computer games technology offering took the spotlight in Cancer Research UK’s Gamejam, held at Google Campus, Shoreditch. Dr Gregory Slabaugh and Dr Chris Child represented the School of Informatics and City students were part of a team that helped devise the ‘most playable game’.

Capitalising on a media storm The recent horsemeat scandal provided a demonstration of how City academics – in this case, Professor Tim Lang and colleagues in the Centre for Food Policy – can use media appearances to raise the profile of their work.

During the story’s first week, City’s Press Office received more than 60 media requests for expert comment by the Centre for Food Policy, resulting in appearances on TV programmes like Panorama, Channel 4 News and BBC’s Newsnight and in The Guardian, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. The Press Office helped by organising locations, times and travel arrangements for Professor Lang’s interviews.

Below, Professor Lang suggests how City’s academics can capitalise on media interest to raise the profile of their research.

How can colleagues prepare for providing media comment?

“Be true to what you know: only comment on something you work on to enable you to convey your knowledge, data and insights.

“I’ve learned always to prepare a crib sheet to help me to identify the problem, with half a dozen key facts or issues and up to three solutions surrounding the interview area.”

Professor Tim Lang

How does the Press Office help?

“City’s Press Office has been consistently excellent. In the Centre for Food Policy we believe it essential that we know our [School’s] Press Officer. We make a point of explaining what we do, what we are confident to speak about and what’s coming up in our work.

“Press Officers can co-ordinate interviews and press releases on relevant topics and they manage media requests, so make them aware when the media approach you directly.”

Do you have a strategy for media appearances?

“The Centre has a clear remit and record of issues and we comment only on those.

During the horsemeat scandal I drew on the Centre’s work on traceability and European food systems as well as my extensive work on food adulteration scandals in the 1980s and 1990s.”

If you would like help with any media or press-related matter, email: pressoffice@city.ac.uk

Annual Report revealed at Court

This year’s meeting of the University’s Court saw the launch of the 2012 Annual Report, providing an overview of the life of the University including research, education, governance and work in the community.

Court is the University’s annual stakeholders’ meeting which receives the Vice-Chancellor’s Annual Report. Membership includes the Chancellor and members of Council and Senate; Honorary Fellows and Graduates; representatives from City Livery companies, the Alumni Association and Students’ Union, external bodies and institutions; and individuals nominated by the Pro-Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor.

For the first time, the Annual Report uses augmented reality, allowing readers to scan the publication with their mobile devices to view related video content on their device. To watch the videos and download the publication, visit www.city.ac.uk/2012annualreport

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News Professional Liaison Unit aids local community City computing undergraduates are successfully helping local residents to solve their personal computer problems, at the same time gaining valuable experience.

After estate resident Leo Chapman (above right) approached City’s computing programme for help with his personal computer, the Professional Liaison Unit (PLU) arranged for BSc Business Computing Systems student Jermaine Carthy (above left) to provide help.

Leo was so impressed by Jermaine’s help that he suggested an outreach project for City’s computer science undergraduates to provide IT help for local residents. The PLU and Mr Chapman now jointly coordinate a network of over 50 students who are giving up their time to help local residents.

Mohson Khan, Work-based Learning Advisor, is finding additional ways for City’s computing students to gain experience through helping local residents; for example, working with another local housing association, Duncan Terrace, to redevelop its website and help better connect residents.

City gets into the heart of Tech City City has secured its own incubation space in a deal with The Bakery, a new enterprise hub located on City Road in the middle of Tech City and a stone’s throw from Cass Business School. Twenty hot desks will be made available for City’s students and academics for a seven-month trial starting in mid-spring.

The space, known as The Hangout, will house City’s spin-outs, start-ups and student projects alongside external entrepreneurs and businesses. It will foster educational collaborative projects by offering dedicated space for Informatics undergraduates, where they can interact directly with local technology start-ups.

The Hangout will accommodate among others the Human Computer Interaction and Design (HCID) consultants team, a Games Incubator, a Publishing Incubator and a small hatchery for student enterprises, including the winners of City’s annual ‘CitySpark Big Ideas’ competition.

Mohson said: “The PLU enriches the student experience to equip them with the tools required to bridge the gap between education and employment. Supporting local residents is a rewarding way to achieve this.”

Project lead Leo Castellanos (above) said: “‘The Hangout’ will pave the way for increased inter-School cooperation and interdisciplinary research. We hope that it will become a vehicle for collaborative research, consultancy and knowledge transfer and increase the number of student placement and internship opportunities.”

For more information on the PLU, visit our website: http://tinyurl.com/infoplu

For more information, email: leo.castellanos.1@city.ac.uk

Cass Scholarship the real thing Cass Business School has launched a new $528,000 (£349,000) undergraduate scholarship aided by support from The Coca-Cola Foundation which has been made possible by a grant from Friends of City University (London), Inc. The scholarship, known as The Coca-Cola Scholars Programme, will offer eight students fully-funded places across Cass’ business, management and finance degrees.

Under the programme, four UK and four international students will receive full tuition fees and a living allowance.

Professor Steve Haberman, Dean of Cass, said: “We are delighted to have connected with one of the world’s most respected brands to help talented students continue their education and kick-start their careers.

This will be among the largest and most generous of our scholarship awards.”

Ruth Mantle, Trust and Foundation Manager at Cass, added: “Securing such significant funding from the Foundation is a testament to the Trustees’ belief in the excellence of our graduates.”

News in brief Royal Academy of Engineering Chair

Professor honoured at Chancellor’s Dinner

Professional Services Review

Professor Ashraf Ayoub, a recent appointment in Civil Engineering, has been confirmed as the RAEng/Pell Frischmann Research Chair in Nuclear Infrastructure Engineering here at City. The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) will support the Chair, one of the most prestigious awards received by City in many years, under full economic costing (fEC) methodology for five years.

Cass Business School Professor Charles Baden-Fuller has received The Chancellor’s Award for his exceptional contribution to the University after his nomination by Dean of Cass Professor Steve Haberman. The award was presented by City’s Chancellor, The Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Roger Gifford in Mansion House in front of more than 300 guests at the Chancellors’ Dinner.

As you will be aware the Professional Services Review is currently underway at City.

Alongside communications activity and face-to-face meetings, don’t forget that you can read the latest information and documentation, as well as staff questions (and email your own), on our staff intranet: https://intranet.city.ac.uk/staff

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Staff news If you want to promote your charity fundraising or celebrate the achievements of your colleagues, email the Editor.

Kitchin Award winners Two colleagues received the 2013 Robert Kitchin Award in recognition of their significant achievements, at a dinner hosted by the Worshipful Company of Saddlers. Jacqui Gaul, Head of Library Services at Cass made substantial improvements to the Cass Library and significantly enhanced the student experience. Dr Dilly Tawakkul was recognised for her pivotal role in increasing the number of University applications made and awards received for EU research funding.

Pensions auto enrolment coming On 1st July, City will implement the Government’s pension automatic enrolment initiative. Any employees who are not currently members of one of City’s pension schemes (USS or LPFA) will be automatically enrolled in a suitable scheme, with the ability to opt out if they wish. Between now and July staff will receive further information on auto enrolment to enable them to consider their pension options and to make an informed decision. Watch this space.

Dragon Boat challenge A team of staff from City has entered a team in this year’s Children’s Heart Federation Dragon Boat Challenge.

‘Rock n Row’, led by Senior International Student Advisor Lizzie Huckle, will be competing at Surrey Docks Water Sports Centre on Sunday 19th May, aiming to raise at least £1,000 for the charity. You can pledge support for City’s team at: www.justgiving.com/teamrocknrow

Media highlights Recent highlights of press releases and notable media coverage of our academics.

City University London City was named as the UK’s most energy efficient university by the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme. Coverage ranged from Times Higher Education to City’s own hyperlocal news blog, St John Street News. http://tinyurl.com/sjsnewsgreen

School of Engineering & Mathematical Sciences Professor Panicos Kyriacou, in Professional Engineering, commented on his research into developing equipment to diagnose cancer without the need for biopsies and other intrusive diagnostics. http://profeng.com/features/light-work

Cass Business School The Financial Times ran a feature length interview with Professor Steve Haberman on his appointment as the new Dean of Cass: http://tinyurl.com/FT-Haberman

School of Health Sciences Research into telehealth by Professor Stanton Newman, Dean of the School of Health Sciences, was featured in a BBC News story on telehealth and originally published in the British Medical Journal. http://tinyurl.com/bbctelehealth

School of Arts & Social Sciences Dr Zahera Harb, from the Department of Journalism, contributed to a BBC World Service interactive guide on the evolution of the language referring to Iraq over the last ten years: http://tinyurl.com/ harbiraq

School of Informatics Professor David Stupples was featured in The Guardian, commenting on protecting business’ intellectual property from theft. http://tinyurl.com/guardiancybersecurity

The City Law School Dr Steven Truxal was interviewed by the BBC about the expansion of air passenger rights. His comments were also featured by The Guardian: http://tinyurl.com/CLSpassenger Social media highlights A surprise appearance by a high-profile figure outside City this month was tweeted by @cityalumni: “Spotted @MayorofLondon cycling past City a few moments ago! Quick chat – said our University was ‘splendid’ #thanksboris” This prompted follower @wheresMit to tweet: “@cityalumni @MayorofLondon Glad to see he’s finally right about something.”

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University updates Updates on activities and projects as part of our Strategic Plan implementation and other activities of interest.

People update: academic appointments As featured in our Strategic Plan Implementation Update e-newsletters and recent VC Messages, we have made more than 120 appointments of research-excellent academics, putting us on schedule to make the Research Excellence Framework deadline.

You can see lists of confirmed academics and their online University biographies (where published), on our Staff News intranet blog (under the News about staff category): blogs. city.ac.uk/staff-news

Property & Facilities update You can find out more about the implementation of the University’s Estates Plan in our special feature on pages 10-11.

IS updates Information Services continues to deliver improved services to students and staff.

Below is the latest on four current projects.

Microsoft Office 365

All students and around half our staff have been migrated to Office 365. The remaining groups of staff, including Cass and Professional Services, will be migrated by the end of May. Office 365 gives everyone the instant benefits of cloud computing including a 25GB mailbox, improved calendar management and easier access to their accounts via email.city.ac.uk

Wireless printing

A trial of wireless printing has been run in Northampton Square Library. Students and staff can print from their laptop to a selection of University printers simply by visiting http://everyoneprint.city.ac.uk and logging in with their University login details. Initial feedback has been positive.

Strategic Learning Environment

In summer 2013 we will launch a major upgrade to Moodle, our Strategic Learning Environment. This will deliver exciting changes including a new look and feel, accessibility via mobile phones and tablets and new features relevant to students and academic staff. For further information visit the website: http://tinyurl.com/citysle

Decommissioning Lotus applications

Work to decommission all Lotus applications used in Cass Business School gathers momentum. Over half the applications have been replaced without interruption and consultation with users continues to ensure the best replacement is found for each application.

One technology proving particularly popular is FormAssembly, a web-based application for creating online forms. Staff have quickly adopted this simple tool and created numerous forms, thereby saving time and improving the student experience.

If you have paper-based forms, questionnaires or surveys and would like to know more about how you could create online versions using FormAssembly, please contact ittraining@city.ac.uk You can find out more about the work of Information Services and keep up to date with the latest developments by visiting our new blog: blogs.city.ac.uk/ISnews

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Governance and ExCo Each edition of City News features brief reports on recent meetings of Council, Senate and the University Executive Committee (ExCo). More information on our Governance structure can be found on our website: www.city.ac.uk/about/city-information/governance

Report from Council

Meeting held: Friday 22nd March

You can read more about Council and approved minutes of meetings on our intranet: https://intranet.city.ac.uk/staff/governance.

The most recent Council meeting discussed a number of issues, listed below.

Working with the Lord Mayor: At the invitation of the current Chancellor, the University will review its relationship with each Chancellor.

Student experience: The Pro-Chancellor noted it had been useful to put into focus executive and student perspectives on the student experience, prior to a Council session on the student experience.

Prayer facilities: The Interim Registrar will review the University’s interim multi-faith facilities to ensure suitable provision for all faiths.

Students’ Union funding: The Executive Team felt there was a good case for further investment but only if it proved affordable.

Professional Services Review (PSR): Council’s role in the PSR is to monitor progress. The Executive Team was still to determine a process for selecting staff for the new structure.

Budget and financial plan update: Current projections showed a deficit of £17.7M for the 2013/14 Budget (in line with the Strategic Plan). The financial plan underlying the Strategic Plan is being revised and a proposed budget and revised financial plan will be presented for approval in May. Investment Policy: Council agreed to minor changes to the Investment Policy proposed by Deloitte, primarily expanding the counterparty list to consider non-UK counterparties.

Pension Auto Enrolment: Council noted progress on implementing pension auto enrolment by 1st July 2013 and on establishing a sector-specific defined contribution scheme. The Director of HR will review the proposed new scheme, seek independent advice and bring a proposal to the Remuneration Committee prior to Council’s next meeting.

Publication of Council Papers: Council agreed to a “Restricted Papers” publication category, to enable circulation to staff of some papers withheld from the public.

Report from Senate

Meeting held on Wednesday 13th March

Information on Senate, including papers and minutes can be read online: http://tinyurl.com/CULgovernance. A number of agenda items were considered, discussed and approved at the most recent meeting.

Senate membership: Helen Jeyakumar’s appointment as a Student Member of Senate was approved for the remainder of the Academic Year.

Professional Services Review (PSR): An update from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

Students’ Union (SU) standing report: A recommendation that School Representation Officers become ex-officio members of Boards of Studies was approved.

National Student Survey (NSS) 2013: A ‘heat map’ report on City’s milestones for improving NSS satisfaction scores was discussed.

School Student Experience Committees: A report on 2012/13 meetings was noted.

QAA Institutional Review: Senate thanked staff and students involved in improving student engagement (noted as best practice by the 2012 QAA Institutional Review).

New policies: Several new policies approved Research & Enterprise work stream report: Noted and now an annual item on Senate’s agenda.

Ordinances: Senate to recommend revisions to Ordinances concerning Senate Chair’s Action and the Senators’ Role Profile.

Examinations Scheduling Changes Working Group: Approved changes to examinations scheduling.

Module Evaluation Autumn 2012 – Outcomes: Noted a thematic report on evaluation outcomes. Boards of Studies will continue monitoring their School’s programme action plans.

Degree Classifications in 2011/12: A report summarising classifications by School was noted.

Research Grant Applications and Awards: Report noted and to become a standing agenda item.

Sabbatical Leave Policy: Approved revisions to the Policy to ensure consistency with Ordinance D, Standing Orders.

Regulation Exemption: Approval granted for an exemption to Regulation 19, Assessment Regulations, to allow an award without classification.

Research Ethics Framework: Approved.

Translation Review Report: Report noted.

To be considered by Board of Studies for Arts & Social Sciences.

Report from ExCo

Meeting held on 25th March 2013

ExCo discussions continued to emphasise the important and urgent items: 1) Academic staff recruitment Academics recruited increased to 111 (another were 49 in progress). ExCo agreed tactics for concluding ‘in progress’ discussions by Easter.

2) Undergraduate recruitment ExCo approved School-level targets for the uncapped ABB+ segment and the Student Number Control and International segments.

UCAS applications increased by about 5% (the sector rose about 2%).

3) National Student Survey ExCo approved arrangements to encourage participation, recognising that academics in daily contact with students play a significant role.

4) Academic Staff Performance Management ExCo will consider a full report on the 2012/13 cycle in April.

5) Professional Services Review The top level structure was approved and Directors made initial detailed recommendations.

6) REF and Research and Enterprise Income A Research and Enterprise Income Report was circulated to Schools for comment.

School and subject level performance information was presented, prompting a useful debate on the most challenging areas.

The final recommendations of the Professorial Banding project were approved.

The results of a ‘Mystery Shopper’ report were considered and a group led

by Tim Longden, Director of Marketing & Communications, will present recommendations in May. Arrangements for student accommodation were approved to ensure all first year students wanting a place in halls will be offered one.

ExCo was appraised of the progress made in training all academic staff in risk assessment.

ExCo approved the pilot launch of The Conversation UK. It was agreed to enter the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards in the categories of Outstanding Services for Students and Library Teams and Knowledge Exchange/ Transfer Initiative of the Year.

Building the Vision The first of a long term series of projects to transform the estate begin this spring and City News looks at what you can expect.

“While these works are underway we appreciate your understanding and the help you can provide to ensure they go as smoothly as possible.”

Article by Matt Shipton

I

n March last year, Council agreed the University’s Estates Plan 2012-2016, which set out the ways in which City will transform its estate in the coming years to create new spaces and facilities to meet the changing nature of education and research.

Over the next five years many of our buildings will be transformed but this year the opening phases of several projects will be most visible.

Up to £130 million of investment in estate development was agreed by Council and detailed planning began for the delivery of key projects from 2013. Once they are completed, the University will have an estate that provides high quality academic and social spaces and a stronger sense of community, for City’s staff and students alike.

Communicating estate developments Consultations hosted by Property & Facilities (PAF) are underway for the design and use of spaces to be developed from 2014.

In particular, PAF is speaking with representatives from Schools, the Students’ Union and Professional Services on the relocation and development of Students’ Union facilities, Tait Building level 1 amenity space and the planned redevelopment of the University’s Northampton Square entrance.

Communication with staff directly affected by 2013’s construction work continues to help minimise disruption to education, examinations and major events.

Materials such as posters and hoardings have started to appear around the University and

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Estates Projects in 2013 Some significant projects will begin in the 2014-2015 academic year, but 2013 will be critical as refurbishment and reconfiguration of existing spaces and the development of new facilities get underway. Confirmed projects for 2013 include: Tait Lower Ground Floor Project will reconfigure existing space for the School of Engineering & Mathematical Science (between now and February 2014).

give information on the developments taking place. Later this year, an exhibition space will open in the University Building, giving staff and students the opportunity to learn about the projects and see artists’ impressions of the finished works.

Roger Ward, Deputy Director (Property), said: “Achieving this level of change will not be easy and there will be times when potential disruption will have to be very carefully managed but by 2016 we should have the buildings and facilities of which we can all be proud.”

Visit the Building the Vision web pages at www.city.ac.uk/buildingthevision for a variety of plans and architectural renderings and to access the latest project updates.

Lecture Spaces Project (phase 1) will create new education spaces in the lower levels of University Building with new access routes to the main walkway (due for completion September 2013).

The Cass Undergraduate Project will expand Cass facilities at Northampton Square to encompass the entire top floor of Drysdale Building (between May and September 2013).

Under the Cass Executive Project, newly leased premises at 200 Aldersgate will be fitted out ready for the start of the next academic year when all Cass Executive Education and the Executive MBA programme will be delivered from the site.

The Gloucester Building Project (running until June), will reconfigure and improve existing accommodation.

The Mechanical/Electrical Infrastructure Project (due to finish in November 2014) will renew and rationalise risers throughout Northampton Square, improving buildings’ electrical and heating capacities ahead of future projects such as redevelopment of the University Building main entrance.

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Enterprise at City

100%

Based on a small survey of 22 attendants at a recent session, every person wanted to attend another session.

50%

Half of attendants to sessions are repeat customers.

10,000

tweets reach a potential audience of over 10,000 followers with approximately 25 regular active voices

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By April, City Unrulyversity students had consumed 21 large bags of crisps and wasabi nuts.

City Unrulyversity proves a hit with Tech City City Unrulyversity, an innovative free pop-up university from City University London and video technology company Unruly Media, is proving a hit with local entrepreneurs and City academics alike.

Launched at the end of January at Unruly Media’s headquarters in Whitechapel, City Unrulyversity provides weekly interactive sessions hosted by City academics to inform, inspire and empower the next generation of Tech City entrepreneurs.

As City News went to press, almost all events had been booked out, with around 30 local technology entrepreneurs attending each session. At the same time, City’s own academics are pushing for inclusion in the list of speakers for the autumn term later this year.

Dr Caroline Wiertz, Reader in Marketing at Cass and a driving force behind City Unrulyversity, praises the ‘amazing’ enthusiasm and support from her University colleagues, adding: “It is a great initiative that fits well with Tech City’s collaborative spirit and benefits City’s community by allowing cross-School collaboration.”

The first term of City Unrulyversity runs every Wednesday until July with individual academics from Cass Business School, the School of Informatics and the School of Arts & Social Sciences hosting sessions in the early evenings.

In the coming months, City Unrulyversity will cover a wide range of topics from a ‘How To’ session on developing the best algorithms, building apps and teams, to commercial issues such as funding and managing partnerships, product development and even a session on how to master storytelling in gaming. It will also experiment a little with the session formats, trying out a head-to-head debate between Cass Professors Andre Spicer and Cliff Oswick on ‘To lead or not to lead?’ in May, and will experiment with a panel session hosted by the Cass Entrepreneurship Fund, featuring a range of other investors, on how and when to obtain funding for new ventures.

Such has been the success of City Unrulyversity that plans are already being made to run it again in the next academic year, capitalising on the enthusiasm of the University’s academics and the interest from technology entrepreneurs and start ups in the Tech City area.

“City Unrulyversity is going from strength to strength. We have just hired our first internship student (from City, of course) and will now focus our attention on developing better processes and professionalising the venture a little more,” says Caroline. “Excitingly, our own Twitter account recently went live: @cityunruly #cityunruly. Follow us!”

You can find out more at www.cityunrulyversity.com

City Unrulyversity sessions City Unrulyversity sessions are held each Wednesday evening at Unruly Media’s headquarters just off Brick Lane in London.

Each session is hosted by a City academic and focused on sharing knowledge, discussing ideas and reflecting on business practices. They are generally in one of five formats: Stuff You Need to Know: The basics of a business, technology or design topic.

Masterclass: A more advanced look at a topic, focusing on research and insights in a particular field.

How To: A hands-on workshop.

Theory Meets Practice: A City academic partners with a leading practitioner to deliver the session.

Head-to-Head: Two experts take opposing views on a topic.

If you are an academic and want to host a workshop next year, contact Caroline at: c.wiertz.@city.ac.uk

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Research at City Highlights of recent research at City University London

The impact of chefs adopting local schools The Centre for Food Policy has a long tradition of working on aspects of food and culinary skills in the population at large. In a recent paper, Professor Martin Caraher examined the impact of a ‘chefs in schools’ teaching programme for English primary school children and proposed avenues for further development of the programme.

The research, published in international journal Appetite, evaluated the impact of the Chefs Adopt A School (CAAS) scheme run by the Academy of Culinary Arts. CAAS, which reaches 21,000 UK schoolchildren annually, sees professional chefs linking with local schools to deliver three sessions to a particular class each year. Topics include healthy eating, flavours and taste; practical food preparation; and where possible, a visit to a restaurant. The aim is to teach children about food provenance, healthy eating and food preparation.

The research by Professor Caraher was based on questionnaires of participating children before and after the CAAS intervention. It found that CAAS resulted in changes to children’s attitudes and behaviour and a small increase in the children’s confidence in preparing and asking for ingredients to be

The programme had an impressive impact on children’s cooking confidence

Building children’s cooking confidence

used in their homes. In addition, children’s vegetable consumption increased after the session with the chef.

However, the research also highlighted the need to standardise the nutrition message delivered by the chefs in the CAAS scheme and a requirement for ongoing evaluation to monitor whether changes in children’s behaviour is continued.

“The programme had an impressive impact on children’s cooking confidence, eating behaviour and confidence to ask for foods at home,” said Professor Caraher. “Even though the practical cooking intervention instigated a small but nonetheless significant change in the short term, follow up monitoring is necessary to assess whether such changes are sustained.”

Professor Martin Caraher

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Research at City cont.

Asian street vendors

Could street food vendors save the lives of Asian flood victims?

A new supply chain study suggests that street vendors and other “micro-retailers” could hold the key to preventing humanitarian crises in the aftermath of floods in Asia.

Professor Mohan Sodhi of Cass and Professor Christopher Tang of UCLA Anderson School, California, co-authored a plan for “buttressing” supply networks relied on by street vendors, so they could continue selling in communities hit by floods. Their research, to be published in Productions and Operations Management, argues that the plan could help to speed up relief for victims and aid economic recovery.

In the last decade, eight out of 10 of the deadliest floods worldwide occurred in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. By 2050, an estimated two billion people in Asia will be living in areas vulnerable to a 100-year flood.

‘Micro-retailers’, who typically earn five dollars a day selling supplies from roadside stalls and handcarts, are widespread throughout Asia. In India alone they account for 90 per cent of the retail industry and employ around 40 million people.

“Since micro-retailers are already embedded in communities, buttressing the existing supply chain enables faster and more effective humanitarian relief,” says Professor Sodhi. “It also allows speedier economic recovery by helping the affected micro-retailers to restore their business operations after a flood.”

Under the plan, social enterprises would buy essential consumer goods from manufacturers and distributors and pre-position inventory in temporarily leased spaces before an anticipated flood.

Pre-registered micro-retailers could then replenish their stocks during the flood and the recovery period and continue selling to their

local flood-affected customers, who would pay by using cash or vouchers provided by the Government or international NGOs. Professor Sodhi added: “The plan leverages the traditional retail supply chains that operate during normal times to quickly establish a temporary supply route. Using their local knowledge and reach, microretailers can continue selling basic food and personal hygiene items to meet the primary needs of flood-hit communities.”

When humanitarian aid stops, the traditional supply chain operations would be restored, and erstwhile beneficiaries could continue buying from micro-retailers who would replenish their stock from wholesalers as they did before the flood.

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City Research Online Have you uploaded your research outputs to City’s research repository?

City Research Online can help raise the visibility and citation of your research and help the University to collate and monitor its research.

Find out more at: http://openaccess.city.ac.uk

Professor Jill Francis

CRO doubles research dissemintation City Research Online (CRO), the University’s open access research repository, is helping the City Political Economy Research Centre (CITYPERC) to reach as wide an audience as possible in the first initiative of its kind at City.

The CRO team is partnering with CITYPERC to add the latter’s research to City’s online repository, while at the same time arranging for the automatic transfer of these papers to the Repository of Papers in Economics (RcPEc), used by economists the world over.

The Research Centre (cityperc@city.ac.uk) was created in November and is based within the Department of International Politics. It is

Back pain doesn’t need x-rays There is substantial evidence that most patients with non-specific low back pain (LBP) do not require an x-ray, despite the frequency of such referrals. Assuming that an adequate ‘history’ of a patient’s experience of pain is taken, an x-ray provides no further diagnostic advantage, increases the cost of healthcare and can risk exposing patients unnecessarily to radiation.

Professor Jill Francis in the Health Services Research and Management Division, focuses her research on the underlying causes of consultants’ apparent resistance to changing clinical practice despite evidence to the contrary. She works with groups in a range of clinical areas to support practice change for patient benefit and she has collaborated with clinical researchers on a series of studies examining the influences, pressures and motivations that may affect clinical behaviour.

chaired by Dr Anastasia Nesvetailova and supports a community of faculty and doctoral students researching political economy within the Department of International Politics, in collaboration with Cass and other Schools and Departments at City.

Dr Nesvetailova says: “At a time when financial crises have engendered mounting dissatisfaction with economic policy-making, CITYPERC offers a hub of expertise in alternative approaches to understanding the interplay between politics and the economy.”

In February, the Centre organised a successful international conference (‘Shadow Banking: A European Perspective’) and is disseminating its new research on economic policy and

Non-specific low back pain (LBP) has been a particularly useful area of focus because it is so common; for example, 79% of Australians will suffer from it in their lifetime and there is a clear ‘evidence-practice’ gap.

Although entrenched practices in the NHS may be seen as a particularly British phenomenon, Professor Francis has found similar patterns of apparent change resistance in healthcare systems in Australia and Canada which are very different from the NHS. In Australia, direct and indirect methods have been used to try to change the practice and behaviour of clinicians and patients alike, including GP education and mass media campaigns, but all with limited success.

Professor Francis, with colleagues from UK and Australian institutions, investigated a new approach using bespoke theory-based intervention to support GPs in reducing their

governance through the CITYPERC Working Paper Series, its flagship publication with the help of the CRO team.

Neil Stewart, Digital Repository Manager, says: “Working Papers Series authors get a benefit to increase the dissemination of their papers - availability from CRO’s repository itself and from RePEc, where many economists begin their literature searching.”

If you are interested in finding out how the City Research Online team can help disseminate your research, please email: publications@city.ac.uk or visit: http://openaccess.city.ac.uk

x-ray referrals for acute non-specific LBP patients. In a related study – the ALIGN trial funded by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council and published in Implementation Science – Professor Francis and colleagues tested the effectiveness of their approach in encouraging closer adherence to official Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG), when specifically targeted at physiotherapists and chiropractors.

Professor Francis said: “There are many reasons why changing healthcare practice might be difficult and it is becoming clear that CPGs on their own are often not enough to ensure that patients receive best care.

“For healthcare professionals, like other human beings, knowing about the evidence needs to be complemented by other support strategies. Some of the strategies from behavioural science may help.”

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Meet the team Career & Skills Development Service The Career & Skills Development Service (CSDS) plays a key role in developing the University’s employability strategy. It works closely with undergraduate and postgraduate students throughout their studies, giving them every opportunity to maximise their potential in the graduate jobs market.

City has a very good reputation with graduate recruiters and our employability statistics are consistently strong. Employers regularly give positive feedback about our students when they visit City and the professional relevance of our courses and strong links with industry ensure our graduates remain in demand.

CSDS works closely with Schools and Professional Services to ensure that students start thinking about their graduate employment early in their time at City so they are prepared when they enter the competitive graduate market.

There are four main elements to CSDS’s work: Careers Guidance, Employer Liaison, Information Provision and Unitemps.

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Careers Information, Advice and Guidance The Careers Consultant team, led

by Marlon Gray, aims to make City a first choice graduate talent pool by helping students prepare for their transition from education to employment.

Consultants provide students with practical career guidance, advice and education through one-to-one sessions, centrally run workshops and career seminars in Schools tailored to student groups.

The team helps students prepare their cvs, cover letters, applications and for selection processes. Consultants also encourage students to develop career plans through selfreflection and career management skills and to develop a personal skills portfolio, a useful resource for when students speak to graduate employers.

Information team Employer Liaison The Employer Liaison team led

by Manvinder Bhabra, builds and maintains strong links with employers from small businesses to international recruiters and also develops City’s central vacancy service to advertise opportunities to students.

The strategy is to help and encourage businesses to recruit City graduates and to raise employers’ brand awareness on campus through employer-led events such as fairs, panel sessions, presentations and tailor-made workshops designed in collaboration with Schools.

Employer Liaison’s innovative initiatives include its highly successful Employability Skills Programme and the new ‘Snapshot – Your Insight into Industry’ scheme.

Growing demands on students’ time and the proliferation of information resources mean that a clear, effective information strategy is more important than ever.

The Information team led by Kulvinder Birring works with CSDS colleagues to provide up-to-date information about employability and the graduate market to students and University colleagues alike.

The team has a wealth of experience in collecting, authenticating and disseminating information to help students. It supports them through every step of their journey; from initial contact when a new student approaches the CSDS enquiry desk, to collecting and analysing DLHE (Destination of Leavers from Higher Education) information after students graduate.

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Director Gary Argent, Director of the Career & Skills Development Service, has overall responsibility for ensuring that his teams’ activities support City’s strategic aspirations in graduate employability and are focused on creating opportunities for students to improve their prospects.

Case study

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A student’s journey

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Unitemps City’s Unitemps branch launched in May 2012 to provide students with temporary and part-time work assignments at the University and increasingly, with local businesses. Unitemps’ aim is to give students opportunities to earn money and develop employability skills without compromising their studies.

In its first eight months, Unitemps provided temporary staff for almost 3,000 assignments, the majority of whom were students or recent City graduates.

Unitemps also benefits the wider University; The self-service online process for booking temps and approving timesheets saves time and the University saves money that would otherwise be paid as agency fees and VAT.

Jennifer Viccars, Senior Consultant, Capco I applied for only one University and was sold on City after visiting an Open Day. I got a place on the BSc Business Studies course after achieving three As in English, Economics and Graphics at A-Level.

Although I settled into life at City, I deferred my second year to take a break from studying. My course leaders were very supportive of my decision and I had an incredible experience before returning to resume my second year.

Coming back was challenging. Many friends I started with were now in their final year and re-adjusting to academic life was tough. I did not know what I wanted to do at the end of my degree and I struggled with working part-time to fund my studies.

I found the CSDS to be invaluable during this period. I applied to become a Student Ambassador which enabled me to earn money and to meet new friends at City.

This gave me the chance to inspire young people from my home town to consider higher education through presentations and hosting workshops for students. I also joined City’s

Professional Mentoring Scheme, which paired me with an incredible woman working in the arts, who helped me work out what I was good at and what I could do with my degree. In 2010, in my final year of study, I won a Student Impact Award for my commitment and performance within Widening Participation.

Whilst at City I enjoyed attending Industry Insight days put on by CSDS; excellent opportunities to understand the variety of careers available to City’s students. I even remember attending a mock interview and I still use much of that session’s feedback today!

On graduating from City in 2010, I applied for several Graduate Schemes and was offered a place on the Associate Talent Programme (ATP) of Capco, the business and technology consultancy, within a few weeks.

Since then, I have been promoted twice and am now a Senior Financial Services Consultant.

I am also part of the leadership team running Capco’s ATP, responsible for initiatives designed to encourage potential candidates to apply. This is my opportunity to meet the next generation of graduate talent and it is a pleasure to give back to the same people who supported me at City not that long ago.

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Student journalist: The £60,000 a year graduate job A second year City undergraduate investigates the rise of a lucrative employment opportunity for first-class graduates.

Main clientele: Russian, Chinese, UAE, Saudi Nanny salary: £700 to £1500pw (standard rate £400 to £600pw) Nanny qualifications: Minimum five years’ experience with qualifications. Candidates often in their 30 to 40’s, with over 10 years’ experience working in private households.

Tutor salary: £44,500 to £64,000 annually Tutor qualifications: Aged between 20 to 55 years, privately educated (including classical subjects such as Greek or Latin), attended a top university, speaks several languages, has lots of interests and plays several sports.

By Yasmeen Cohen

A graduate fresh out of university might not expect to be jet-setting across the world in their first job, but for the best students open to working for rich foreign families, a glitzy lifestyle is only a step away.

Highly demanding customers from the ex-Soviet republics, the Middle East and Asia are increasingly sparing no expense for the British traditions and experience. Elite agencies specialising in nannies and tutors for international clients offer lucrative salaries to attract highly-qualified domestic staff.

Adam Caller, Director of International Tutors, an elite tutoring agency, has experienced a 33 to 40 per cent annual growth in revenues since 2008, correlating with a growth in overseas clients. “The average price has risen about 33 per cent for by-the-hour tutoring at the lower end. At the upper end, when families want someone extraordinary at short notice, there might be a 100 per cent increase.”

Roles tutoring children of rich families offer a starting salary between £44,500 and £64,000 plus bonuses with all expenses paid and attract top-class graduates. Stephan Thompson, 25, Oxford graduate and employee of International Tutors, says: “I got into the business because I wanted adventure and money. Flexibility is a key skill because clients want things done fast.”

Stephan has tutored for a rich family for the past three years all around the world, while staying in high-end hotels. He says: “I was once on a yacht which sleeps 20 excluding staff, with 25 crew on board…One day in the South of France, the kids didn’t feel like getting off the boat to go to an ice cream shop, so the mother simply sent a captain on a speedboat to get the ice cream for the kids while they waited.”

Clients expect extremely high standards from those they employ at such high salaries.

Stephan says most of International Tutors’ clients come to London with astonishing amounts of money, living a life of luxury and never having to work: “This can make it difficult to convince the children to do their homework because they’re so secure financially and know they won’t ever have to work.”

Britain’s class system has also attracted increasing demand for British services from customers from countries like China, where the newly rich hanker after perceived aristocratic glamour.

‘Ms Jana’, from London agency Royal Nannies says: “Clients are paying for English traditions. British nannies represent someone well brought up and educated; they bring a sense of tradition to a household.”

Clients often request ‘highly educated British nannies with the Queen’s English accent’ but a sophisticated accent comes at a price. Royal Nannies charges almost double the average fee for nannies with a clear English accent.

The most qualified placed overseas earn a minimum of £700-£1,500 per week plus bonuses, with separate living accommodation and all expenses paid.

Reputation is everything to these agencies and they must get everything right to meet clients’ high expectations. Agencies conduct several interviews before matching employees to clients and they have high entry requirements. Royal Nannies demands a minimum of five years’ experience plus qualifications. ‘Ms Jana’ says: “A standard candidate from our books would be in their 30’s to 40’s, with over 10 years’ of experience working in private households.”

Despite the current economic climate, companies selling luxury are prospering as the rich remain rich. Indeed, businesses providing services for international clientele are experiencing significant growth because Britain’s history, tradition and its worldrenowned education continue to attract rich foreign families to spend their money in England.

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Staff benefits Employee discounts City has teamed with Edenred to launch City Discounts, an employee discount scheme offering savings with high street, supermarket, travel and online retailers.

Edenred claims an average user of its site could save at least £565 a year with no change to their normal shopping habits.

How to sign up: 1. Go to: www.edenred.uk.com/signin 2. Username: your City email

Free eye tests and aftercare

Microsoft Home User Programme

The Division of Optometry and Visual Science offers free eye-examinations, contact lens assessments and aftercare from our clinic in Bath Street, near Moorfields Eye Hospital.

As a City employee you are eligible for the Microsoft Home Use Programme, letting you purchase Microsoft Office 2010 Professional for either PC or Mac for only £8.95.

Each consultation is led by a final year student under staff supervision and you can purchase reduced-price spectacles and contact lenses.

This purchase gives you a licence for up to three installations and provides access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, OneNote, Access and more.

Make a booking via email at: eyeclinic@city.ac.uk or telephone extension: 8338

This offer is available until October 2013 and can be accessed only through our staff intranet: http://tinyurl.com/citymicrohome

3. Your initial password is ‘Citydiscounts’ (you choose a new password after signing in)

From the archive Rebuilding the Mountford Building from 1952 to1956

With new hoardings going up on the corner of St John Street and Spencer Street to mark the start of the estates plan work (see pp 10-11), City News looks back at the last works to take place on that corner 60 years ago for what was then Northampton Polytechnic.

In 1952 work commenced on rebuilding part of Northampton Polytechnic under Extension Schemes II/III (Scheme I saw temporary huts installed on Spencer Street where the Drysdale and University Buildings now stand).

The schemes involved extensive works and alterations to College Building and Mountford Building.

The programme of works was originally discussed by the Polytechnic’s governing body in 1950 before it was submitted for approval (and some of the funding) from the Ministry of Education. With approval secured and funds donated by friends of the Polytechnic

(including Worshipful Companies), work began with a proposed total budget of £324,620 (£7.6 million in today’s money) and project managed by Patman & Fotheringham.

• Six new classrooms (second floor);

The plan was to carry out the following modifications to College Building and Mountford Building.

• An observatory including a telescope presented by Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers (roof).

• In the basement laboratories and workshops were built for Applied Physics (in the Hall Block) and Aeronautics, Hydraulics and Metrology (in the Library Block);

The contractors eventually finished in spring 1956 and the new building was officially opened in May by Minister of Education Sir David Eccles in front of 400 guests and local dignitaries. He described the Polytechnic as, ‘the senior engineering institution in London’.

• A reconstructed entrance hall and main staircase in College Building; new student refectory and workshops for Production Engineering (ground floor); • Reconfiguration of The Great Hall and workshops for Instrument Engineering, Measurements, Instrumentation and Process Control (first floor);

• Skinners’ Library and Optics laboratory (third floor); and

And the total cost of Extension Schemes II/III? A little over budget at a grand total of £397,000 – or £9.3 million in today’s money.

Dates for your diary To find details and to register for events at City, you can visit our website: www.city.ac.uk/events University events ICLCity 2013: Innovation, Creativity and Leadership - Research and Practice Monday 13th May A one day conference organised by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Creativity in Professional Practice on the themes of innovation, creativity and leadership. This year’s focus is on areas of interest to London’s Tech City community.

Digital Shoreditch 20th to 31st May Various venues Learning at City Conference & Exhibition 2013 Thursday 6th June This year’s annual education conference is on the theme of creativity and innovation in higher education. You are invited to share your practice, innovation and research in this area and to explore transferability to different disciplines.

Research Symposium Wednesday 26th June An ideal opportunity for PhD students to present their research to a supportive platform, either in poster or oral presentation format.

Alumni Reunion 2013 6.30pm to 8.30pm Thursday 27th June, Great Hall (College Building) This event is an opportunity for staff to meet our most engaged alumni – those who would be happy to advise prospective students, support current students, provide testimonials etc.

Undergraduate Open Day 10am to 3pm Saturday 29th June Music concerts Oxford Maqam 7pm Tuesday 14th May, Performance Space (College Building) Studio Concert 7pm Tuesday 21st May, Performance Space (College Building) Lectures Help, my eyes are falling out! Disfigurement due to eye socket disease Thursday 9th May, Drysdale Building Geoffrey Rose from Moorfields Eye Hospital and the Institute of Ophthalmology presents as part of the School of Health Sciences Dean’s Lecture Series.

Staff training and development For information about staff training email: evan.bates.1@city.ac.uk or visit: http://www.city.ac.uk/sd/index Managing Workload for Academics Tuesday 14th May Practical Manual Handling Wednesday 15th May Management of Health & Safety at Work Thursday 16th May Risk Assessment (for Professional Staff) Thursday 30th May Retirement Planning Wednesday 12th June

Technology Transfer Surgeries: From patents to proof of Concept Funds Get advice and support to help you make money from your research.

Every Monday afternoon from 2pm (or on request) in the Enterprise Office Email: techtransfer@city.ac.uk to arrange a time