was first celebrated in 1988 and inaugurated by Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary. Eichberg said, “most people think they don’t know anyone gay or lesbian, and in fact, everybody does. It is imperative that we come out and people know who we are and disabuse them of their fears and stereotypes”.

To an outsider, it may seem like a small step, but often it represents a key milestone in a long internal struggle for LGBT+ people in being confident and comfortable with their own identity, and to come out to others.

Telling someone about your sexuality and/or gender identity is a personal decision, and no-one should be pressured to come out, unless they want to. There is no right or wrong time to come out and it may not be a one-off time.

According to Stonewall, “… only half of lesbian, gay, bi people (46%) and trans people (47%) feel able to be open about who they are to their whole family… more than a third of LGBT staff (35%) have hidden their identity at work.”

The University is a member of who provide advice and guidance to drive positive change in people’s attitudes and policies, and provide on coming out.

Andrew Landells, Chair of Pulse LGBT+ Staff Network says, “we celebrate National Coming Out Day at the University of Southampton in recognition that all members of our community should feel safe in coming out at work and being their whole self.”

If you are interested in becoming a member of Pulse LGBT+ Staff Network, please email UoSLGBT@soton.ac.uk

We’ve shared some of the key headlines from the survey feedback below. We know it’s been a tough year for many of you, so we’ve also highlighted some of the ways that we’re here to support you. Wellbeing and academic support were important themes in your feedback, and we want to let you know that we’re always here to support you, no matter what the issue. ������Ƭ out about our range of support services below.

Headlines from the survey results include: 

• 43% of respondents told us they felt their health and wellbeing was supported by the University.
• 59% of respondents said that they knew where to get support and advice not related to their course.
• 52% of respondents said they felt supported in their academic studies.
• 66% of respondents said they felt that campus is set up in a way that allows them to learn safely.
• 65% of respondents felt that they had been kept sufficiently updated by the University.
• Students said they wanted to feel part of a community. The Students’ Union (SUSU) has so many opportunities for you to do just that.

We want all students to feel supported with their wellbeing, to know who to turn to, and to feel supported academically. Meet the staff who are here for you in our video below: 

Here are just some of the ways we can support you: 

• You can access support to help you with your wellbeing in a number of ways. This includes face-to-face,��over the phone (24/7) and through , as well as through our �������-��������������dzܰ������.
• We have launched a brand new  to make sure that support is accessible to you, regardless of what time you need it.
• Personal problems may impact your ability to study and achieve your potential at University. Our Counselling service gives you the opportunity to discuss any concerns or issues you may have in a supportive and safe environment.
• �۴dzܰ���Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) is your primary academic contact during your studies. They can help you to achieve your goals, answer questions and guide you to further support.
•  is here to represent the voice of students at every level and make your university experience unforgettable. There are plenty of opportunities to have fun and get involved with something new,��whether that’s competing in a sport you love, giving back to the local community through volunteering or finding a part-time job.

The next survey is coming your way soon!  

Your feedback helps to shape change across the University. Look out for the next student Pulse survey hitting your email inbox in May 2021.

Moving forward with our 10-Year Plan – an introduction by Professor Mandy Fader, Pro Vice-Chancellor (10-Year Plan)

While talking with colleagues across our campuses as part of the consultation process for finding our next Vice-Chancellor, it was evident that, while many have heard of the 10-Year Plan, a number of colleagues weren’t sure what it actually is.

The strategy began in 2016, with the aim of propelling our University to the top ten national and international rankings by 2026. It focuses on our core principles of: Quality, Internationalisation, Collegiality and Sustainability. The purpose of the 10-Year Plan is to deliver this strategy.

Some of this work is progressing through Faculty and Professional Service business plans while other work, such as Estate projects, is driven within a portfolio of University-wide projects. These are co-ordinated and supported by the University’s Change Portfolio Office, led by Helen Everest.

The University Executive Board (UEB), chaired by our Vice-Chancellor and comprising the Chief Operating Officer; Deans; Vice-Presidents; Executive Directors of Human Resources, Finance, Planning & Analytics, and Engagement & Advancement and myself, meets weekly and has governance oversight of the 10-Year Plan.

I have taken on the role of academic lead for the 10-Year Plan, and chair monthly UEB meetings where work-stream and project works are reported, monitored and discussed, and where business plans are presented for approval.

The steady momentum we’ve been building with delivery of our strategy through the 10-Year Plan is reflected in our rise in all UK and international rankings in 2018, as well as our healthy research income and in the delivery and progress of strategic projects such as OneWeb.

University Council were very pleased with the progress that was reported to them at their annual awayday. They also heard from some of our newest senior colleagues: Kieron Broadhead (Executive Director for Student Experience) and Winnie Eley (Vice-President International). You can find out more about the work Winnie is doing to develop our University’s International Strategy on her , or by attending one of her townhall sessions.

Our portfolio of strategic projects is also moving forward, and you will find updates below on OneWeb and ICT Transformation. Our Campus development plans are progressing, with the Estates team taking steps forward in line with the plans set out last summer.

I’ve been keeping staff updated on the recruitment of our next VC through regular updates, all of which you can see on our dedicated site. We are hoping to be in a position to confirm the appointment of our next President and Vice-Chancellor during April 2019.

I welcome your feedback on what it would be useful to know more about through Strategy Pulse, and what other types of communications you would value on the 10-Year Plan.

Mandy Fader

Pro Vice-Chancellor (10-Year Plan)

Introducing Kieron Broadhead

Kieron joined our University in late 2018 as Executive Director of Student Experience.

Watch the short video below to find out more about the priorities around Student Experience, including the importance of delivering ‘brilliant basics’ as well as ‘brilliant optional extras’.

We’ll hear more from Kieron about the ongoing plans to transform student experience in future editions of Strategy Pulse.

OneWeb secures funding

OneWeb is our ambitious web transformation project which is crucial to the delivery of our strategy. The project is aimed at ensuring that anyone who visits our websites or accesses our digital services has an outstanding user experience.

Last week Finance Committee formally approved the business case and budget for the project, which will take three years to complete. Work to ramp up the project will start immediately.

A key part of the project governance is the newly created OneWeb Advisory Group (OWAG) which is designed to keep the University community closely involved in the programme’s delivery. The group is made up of staff and students who bring a wealth of expertise, seniority and specialisms from across the faculties and professional services. You can see who is in the Advisory Group on the .

Follow our OneWeb journey by to the blog.

We’re getting to know Office365

With Office365 (O365) rolling out to staff across our University over the coming year, our awareness raising week in partnership with Microsoft, named Waffle Week, aimed to help colleagues get to know Office 365 by exploring our toolbox of apps (the waffle icon).

The fully booked launch event, in partnership with Microsoft, saw Dominic Williamson, Microsoft Product Manager, host a hands-on introductory workshop on Microsoft Teams. Our in-house expert, Peter Gibbs, hosted two introductory sessions on the new SharePoint Online.

For more information on how the University is transforming our digital experience using Office 365, .

Look out for details on recruiting digital champions, which will be published on SUSSED News in the near future.

New Project Management resources available

The Project Management Resource Hub is a new online resource, designed to support anyone involved in project management across the University. The site’s purpose is to help ensure projects are run consistently and effectively, making use of best practice.

The Hub has been created by the Change Portfolio Office, the team who co-ordinate and support the 10-Year Plan Portfolio, working in partnership with programme sponsors and project leads to support 10-Year Plan projects from idea through to delivery.

If you’re a project manager, sponsor or involved with a project at the University at any level, we encourage you to visit the . The Hub will evolve and be enhanced over time, with new content added regularly. If you have ideas to contribute, please get in contact with the Change Portfolio Office.

Related news:

• 11 of our academics among 2018’s Highly Cited Researchers
• We entered a partnership to develop life-saving unmanned maritime vehicles
• How staff can support our student experience surveys

This Strategy Pulse update series will be published regularly on SUSSED News and cascaded to senior managers.

Featured within this update:

• Access slides from the October 2018 Senior Leaders’ Forum
• Green light for landmark Campaign for Southampton (£100m target)
• Estates: Transformation of Computer Science facilities
• Faculty Finance Teams and the Finance Research Hub
• Southampton among top five for research grant income
• OneWeb festival recap
• The search for our next Vice-Chancellor is live
• Financial statements published

Access slides from the October 2018 Senior Leaders’ Forum

On Monday 15 October 2018, more than 80 of our senior leaders met at Turner Sims to hear from members of the University Executive Board (UEB) about the priorities and challenges for the year ahead.

A selection of slides from the presentation are now available to view here.

Green light for landmark Campaign for Southampton

We’re excited to announce that the University Executive Board has approved plans for our most ambitious fundraising and engagement campaign to date.

With a proposed target of £100m, the Campaign for Southampton is part of our 10 year strategy and will play a pivotal role in enabling our mission to change the world for the better.

Strong philanthropic and engagement programmes are the hallmark of globally leading universities and the income they generate provides the flexibility to invest in the future.

The Campaign will build on the success of the Cancer Immunology Campaign (CIC), which raised over £25m to open the nation’s first dedicated cancer immunology research centre. As a result of the CIC, we have seen a ground-swell of support for the University: attracting 4,000 new donors, more than doubling philanthropic income and volunteers over five years, and nurturing an increasingly engaged alumni and local community.

Raising the bar higher still, the Campaign for Southampton will be ‘comprehensive’, meaning it will support multiple projects across the University.

Commenting on the new campaign, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Christopher Snowden said:

“Our plans for the University’s first comprehensive fundraising and engagement campaign are ambitious.

The Campaign for Southampton will enable us to invest further in our student experience and our life-changing research. It will also provide a wonderful opportunity to bring together our University, alumni and friends communities to support our mission, providing opportunities to volunteer, spread the word, open networks and take part in community fundraising initiatives. It will be exciting to see the Campaign themes develop.”

The Campaign for Southampton is currently making great progress in its planning phase. Look out for more information on SUSSED News in the coming months.

Estates: Transformation of our Computer Science facilities

On Thursday 15 November, The School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) and the Future Worlds Start up Accelerator celebrated the opening of new and . The opening event represents the culmination of a six-month renovation project and a multi-million pound investment by the University, to transform Buildings 1 and 16 into state-of-the-art facilities for current and future students.

������Ƭ out more here.

Faculty Finance Teams and the Finance Research Hub

As outlined in July, work has been progressing within Finance, Planning and Analytics (FPA) to develop the new finance research hub. The hub will be based in the Gower building and has a ‘go-live’ date of 2 January 2019.

The design and resourcing of the Finance Research Hub is progressing well. Initially, all pre-award work from the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences (FEPS) and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) will transfer to the Hub.

Over the next few months, FPA will be completing the staffing of the hub; movements in staff will be reviewed as they arise with a view to taking on work from the Faculty of Medicine (FMED), the Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences (FELS), and the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS).

Organisation charts for the Faculty Finance and Research Hub Teams, with effect from 1 January 2019, can be found here and contact points on a faculty-by-faculty basis will be available on the covering research.

A deadline of the 31 July 2019 has been identified to move all pre-award work and resource into the Hub.

More information can be found here.

Southampton among top five for research grant income

Figures published by Times Higher Education placed Southampton fifth among UK universities for research grant income awarded during the 2017-18 academic year.

Our University received nearly £54m across the year from the UK’s Research Councils, rising from 11^th last year to place above Oxford, which this year dropped from first to sixth.

Further details can be found here.

OneWeb Festival recap

To mark the University’s commitment to OneWeb (our web transformation project) on Tuesday 27 November, the digital team hosted the OneWeb Festival.

The first university-led event of its kind in the sector, the festival enabled the exchange of ideas and best practice across numerous digital disciplines.

Staff and students were able to attend talks held at Highfield and Avenue Campuses, with an impressive line-up of speakers presenting on topics such as:

• User needs
• Content-first transformation
• Social media listening and guiding principles

Further details, including session slides, are available on the Digital Team’s blog. Stay up-to-date with all things OneWeb by .

The search for our next Vice-Chancellor is live

The and consultation report are now available to view.

The consultation with staff and students on the attributes of our next Vice-Chancellor included an online survey, a dedicated mailbox, seven open drop-in sessions across UK campuses, six faculty board meetings and 11 face-to-face and telephone meetings. Professor Mandy Fader would like to thank all those who contributed their views.

This culminated in a report to the Selection Committee, which informed the job specification in the recruitment pack.

Financial statements published

The 2017-18 financial statements and the 2017-18 Remuneration Committee report were published on Monday 3 December.

Our Vice-Chancellor noted our strong financial performance in a challenging climate and thanked the community for their role in this.

Read the full story here.

This Strategy Pulse update series will be published regularly on SUSSED News and cascaded to senior managers.

Featured within this update:

• Join the search: have your say on the attributes of our next Vice-Chancellor
• Recent appointments and updated University key contacts chart
• The inaugural Senior Leaders’ Forum
• OneWeb festival for our staff and students
• The first step toward digital transformation: the Office 365 project
• The Unification of Recruitment and Admissions Teams
• Banner system changes are live

Join the search: have your say on the attributes of our next Vice-Chancellor

Selecting a new Vice-Chancellor to lead our Strategy going forward is a defining moment and our staff and students have an important role to play in the process.

Over 750 of you contributed your ideas about the attributes we should be looking for in our next VC through the recent online survey. You have also been attending drop-in sessions with Professor Mandy Fader and our search partner, Odgers Berndtson. If you’d still like to give your views,��you can email the following mailbox: VCselection@soton.ac.uk

Recent appointments and updated University key contacts chart

Professor George Attard has been appointed our first Pro Vice-Chancellor (Interdisciplinary Research), on a three-year term.

Anna O’Neill will be our Director of Library and Arts Strategy as of 2 January 2019, joining us from the University of Chichester.

Professor Martyn Hill from the School of Engineering has been appointed Associate Dean Education for the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

We’re also delighted that, as of last week, Kieron Broadhead has joined us as our new Executive Director of Student Experience.

You can view an updated University key contacts chart here.

The inaugural Senior Leaders’ Forum

On Monday 15 October 2018, more than 80 of our senior leaders met at Turner Sims to hear from members of the University Executive Board (UEB) about the priorities and challenges for the year ahead. Attendees were asked to share this information with colleagues in their Faculties, Institutes and Directorates over the following few weeks. We’ll also be sharing more of this content with you in a forthcoming edition of Strategy Pulse.

Our first OneWeb festival – Tuesday 27 November 2018

To mark the University’s commitment to OneWeb (our web transformation project), the digital team will be hosting the first university-led event of its kind in the sector. Our impressive line-up of speakers will include some of the UK’s stars of content strategy and design as well as user experience. The event will be free to our colleagues and students.

Ayala Gordon, Head of Digital commented:

“As we move forward with OneWeb, we understand the importance of face-to-face conversations that allow for depth, collaboration and a greater sense of trust. The OneWeb festival reflects our commitment to continue an open dialogue with our internal community.”

Further details will be added to the later this week. You can also register your interest by .

The first step toward digital transformation: the Office 365 project

Earlier this week, we started the roll out of the Office 365 (O365) project for staff. This marks an important moment in our journey to transform our digital environment, and how it supports our working lives.

Once delivered, O365 will increase opportunities for communication and collaboration across the University. One of O365’s greatest strengths is ease of access, with Office Suite tools being accessible across various devices (including mobiles and tablets).

Migrating staff email and calendar to O365 (from November 2018 to March 2019) is the foundation for this important project, and will enable the more impactful changes of later phases to be delivered in 2019. No downtime will be required to complete the migration, and you’ll only see minor aesthetic changes within your email and calendar once the move has been made.

Update: The unification of Recruitment and Admissions teams

After two years of planning and consultation, the following changes took effect last month:

• The Recruitment and Admissions teams that manage undergraduate and postgraduate taught applications have been unified and are now based together in level 4, Building 37, Highfield Campus.
• A new team has been established within Student Recruitment and International Relations (SRIR), to work closely with faculties on enhancing their key conversion activities such as Open Days, Applicant Visit Days and Interview Days. The newly formed Enquiries, Events and Conversion team is based at 39 University Road, Highfield Campus, as well as embedded within the faculties.

The new structure enables staff to work in support of our strategy in a consistent and more resilient way, while still respecting subject differences.

Banner system changes are live

We’d like to thank all those colleagues involved in the essential update to our Banner system, which successfully went live earlier this week. The sheer scale of work required to align Banner’s programmes, modules, student data and report generation functions with our new faculty structure is huge.

Claire Atkins, Academic Registrar, commented:

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those staff involved in the project for their hard work in developing, testing and implementing this critical change.

“To have such a large number of staff actively involved in delivering this work during such an extremely busy time is very much appreciated.”

Other strategic stories to be aware of

• Southampton is the biggest riser in the Times Higher Education ‘Table of Tables’
• Announcing the new Faculty Academic Registrars

Receive SUSSED News stories, straight to your inbox

Staying up-to-date on University news couldn’t be simpler – subscribe to SUSSED News to receive each day’s stories, straight to your preferred inbox.

This Strategy Pulse update series will be published regularly on SUSSED News and cascaded to senior managers.

Featured within this update:

• Announcing approval for the OneWeb project
• Make a virtual visit to our new Centenary Building
• Easy ways to familiarise yourself with our five-faculty structure
• New governance for the Strategy Programme

Continuity of our Strategy

Last month, our President and Vice-Chancellor announced his intention to retire in spring 2019. In a period of leadership transition, it’s natural to question whether our Strategy is about to change. Last week, our Chair of Council Philip Greenish reiterated that:

“Our strategy and ambitions are clear, and we will ensure a smooth transition to [Sir Christopher’s] successor next year, who will continue our exciting transformation journey.”

Announcing approval for OneWeb

We’re pleased to announce the approval of a major new university project: OneWeb.

Crucial to the delivery of our Strategy, OneWeb is an ambitious web transformation project that will ensure the University web estate – our window to the world and critical to student recruitment – provides a dynamic, sector-leading experience focused on the needs of the user. OneWeb will empower us to create clear, accurate and compelling content which projects our brand, reputation and values around the globe. Ultimately, creating a website we are all proud of. To achieve this, we will transform not only the content itself, but also the systems, processes, governance and strategy that underpins it.

Ayala Gordon, Head of Digital and Strategic Lead for OneWeb, is in no doubt about the importance of this project:

“Delivering an outstanding user experience online must become a way of life for any organisation expecting to survive in an increasingly competitive digital era. We have no choice, but we have a great opportunity now we have decided to embrace this.

“As a global University, our web presence is fundamental to our reputation and a vital tool in the recruitment of high quality students from around the world. This project will deliver to the very highest standards with the aim of being a global exemplar for our sector.”

The immediate next steps will include recruitment of a project manager to continue driving the progress of this project and the establishment of project governance.

Follow the OneWeb journey via the Digital team’s blog.

Take a virtual sneak peek into the Centenary Building, our new Learning and Teaching Centre

Many of us have been watching the ‘South Gower’ building going up on Highfield Campus over the last 18 months. The ‘Topping Out ceremony’, to mark that the highest point of the building is now in position, will take place this Friday 5 October.

This new, purpose-built centre will provide a wide range of carefully designed spaces and facilities to create a great teaching and learning environment for our staff and students. The outside areas around it, including the courtyards between buildings 58, 2 and 4, are also being developed to improve the overall campus experience. The building is scheduled to be open to students and staff from autumn next year.

2019 is also the year we mark 100 years of Highfield Campus. To celebrate this significant milestone, the new building will be formally named ‘The Centenary Building’ and will be assigned as building number 100 on our campus maps.

.

Easy ways to familiarise yourself with our new five-faculty structure

Many colleagues and students were away from the University over the summer when our new structure went live on 1 August. If you’re not sure who’s who and what’s what in the new structure, for an overview.

Direct links to some of our key content:

• Faculty organisation charts
• [published 1 August]

The next phase of the restructure project will focus on making the new structure work for us, including ensuring we have consistent ways of working across our five faculties.

Mandy Fader, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Internal Partnerships commented:

“We made key changes on 1 August but there is still plenty more work to do to bed down this new structure. We’ll continue to work on those things and will keep colleagues updated, including through these new, regular updates.”

New governance for delivery of our Strategy

Last week, University Executive Board (UEB) approved a new structure for how we govern the delivery of our Strategy. This new structure will support robust and timely decision making, a faster pace of delivery and ensure regular communication to our internal community. .

Email alerts direct to your inbox

Staying well informed about our University’s news couldn’t be simpler – subscribe for email alerts for all of our SUSSED posts.