LSE's new student centre, LSE LIFE, is taking shape in the LSE Library. With over 300 events planned for Michaelmas Term the team is gearing up to a busy start of the year.
Would you like to help colleagues and students who are concerned about experiencing bullying and harassment in the workplace? How about volunteering to be an Anti-Bullying and Harassment Adviser?
The School understands the uncertainty that the recent EU Referendum outcome has caused for EU staff. Some financial support will be offered on an initial basis for 12 months to assist staff who would like to apply for permanent residence in the very near future.
The LSE Annual Fund has broken the £1 million barrier for the first time in its history. This is a significant milestone for unrestricted individual giving at LSE - it is a figure very few annual fund programmes in the UK higher education sector enjoy.
Thank you to colleagues across the School who have helped to make this possible - obviously through staff making generous gifts, but also through your support of the Annual Fund’s work in engaging alumni and friends philanthropically in the life and future health of LSE.
Michael Storper, Professor of Economic Geography at LSE, has received the Royal Medal - Founder’s Medal from the Royal Geographical Society.
The Royal Medals form the most prestigious of the Society’s series of awards. Professor Storper was recognised for scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography. His work focuses on contemporary forces of globalisation, technological development, and industrial change.
Professor Storper said: "Geographers’ research is essential to helping humanity find pathways to more just and peaceful societies that respect the environment and are based on respect for all peoples. I am honoured to take my place among other geographers recognised by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) for their contributions to our discipline and our commitment to making a better world through geographical research."
Professor Sonia Livingstone of the Department of Media and Communications has been appointed as a specialist adviser to the Communications Committee inquiry into children and the internet.
The Committee is conducting an inquiry into children's access and use of the internet. The Committee will also investigate how children's use of the internet is governed and regulated, examining the roles that parents, schools, media companies and regulators should all play.
Professor Livingstone said: "It’s an honour and a challenge to act as specialist advisor to the Communications Committee inquiry. An honour, because it’s a fantastic group to work with, and I know we’re about to be deluged with evidence in response to the call. A challenge, because there’s so much that needs to be done."
Two LSE teams have received funding for their project ideas as part of the Jisc Summer of Student Innovation. The competition invited students from across the country to submit ideas about how technology can improve the student experience in higher education.
Both teams received £2000 to attend design spirit events to help them develop their projects further.
You can find out more about both projects from the students themselves via the video links below:
Jon Deer, Deputy Director of the Research Division and team leader for the Research Development Team at LSE, has accepted an invitation to join the Campaign for Social Science board.
The Campaign for Social Science was launched in 2011 to promote social science to the UK Government and the wider public. Jon has over 20 years experience in higher education, working at the Institute of Education before joining LSE.
In June, the LSE Middle East Centre brought together scholars, policy-makers and civil society representatives to critically reflect on some of the key challenges posed by the Syrian refugee emergency in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and the wider Middle East.
A video presenting highlights from the workshop is now online. A short policy brief, in English and Arabic, has also been published presenting a set of key recommendations relevant to all stakeholders.
There was no apparent post-Brexit decline of high-level interest in an event LSE hosted on ‘Migration: maintaining hospitality’ at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday 13 July.
The event was part of the LSE Institute of Global Affairs Migration Initiative, on which Peter Sutherland, UN Special Representative for International Migration and former EU Commissioner, is a Professor of Practice.
A group of 50 senior Commission officials, MEPs, NGO activists as well as experts and politicians from across Europe discussed how to ensure that European citizens remained hospitable to immigrants. The discussion was moderated by Claude Moraes MEP, who Chairs the Civil Liberties Committee in the European Parliament and is an LSE alumnus.
The ‘hidden’ women of LSE LSE Centennial Professor Mary Evans charts the history of women at LSE and the changing attitudes towards gender in higher education and society that occurred throughout LSE’s early decades.
Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland – a Conservative intellectual A hundred years ago on 6 July 1916 Arthur Steel-Maitland was elected LSE governor and Chairman of the Court of Governors. He replaced the Liberal politician Russell Rea who had died in February 1916.
Applications are invited for the role of Director of the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA). The IPA Director will provide strategic academic leadership to advance the mission and objectives of the Institute, developing a programme of work to optimise the position of the IPA that enables it to become a world-leading centre for public policy.
The post is available for a four-year term. For more information, click here. The closing date for receipt of applications is Sunday 21 August.
UniForum Benchmarking Launch Event
Friday 5 August, 10-11.30am, Old Theatre, Old Building
Tomorrow, Cubane Consulting will be running a launch event for the Uniforum Benchmarking programme. All Professional Services Staff are welcome to attend the event, but it will be of particular interest to those who have roles as Primary Contacts and Respondents.
If you are unsure if you have a role within the Programme, please check with your line manager. The Programme team is also available to answer related queries at uniforum@lse.ac.uk.
This event will introduce participants to what the UniForum collection process involves, the various roles within it and all the available support tools. The event will be facilitated by Cubane Consulting and will be in the form of a web-conference. It is estimated to last for 90 minutes, with an hour of presentations followed by a 30minute Q&A session.
For more detailed information on the UniForum programme and for a copy of tomorrow's presentation, please visit the webpage.
European Research Council (ERC) Starting and Advanced Grants - Skype Conference Meeting
Wednesday 17 August 12-1pm (UK time) for Starting Grants 1.15-2pm (UK time) for Advanced Grants
Research Division will be holding a Skype meeting with colleagues who are thinking of applying for ERC Starting Grants with a deadline of 18 October and with colleagues who are in the last stages of their proposal preparation for ERC Advanced Grants with a deadline of 1 September.
Please connect for a brief discussion about the particulars of the scheme and to share any questions/concerns you may have. To register, please send your Skype user name in an email to rescon@lse.ac.uk by Tuesday 16 August.
Do you volunteer?
We’re on the lookout for inspirational volunteering stories from LSE staff to help encourage LSE students to volunteer.
If you’re a regular volunteer or just get involved occasionally please do get in touch so we can share your experiences on our blog.
Our Assistant Volunteer Coordinator Livi recently spent five days volunteering at Jamie’s Farm, read about her experiences if you’re looking for inspiration.
This global event series takes place each summer, coordinated by LSE Advancement and Student Marketing and Recruitment. More than 90 Destination LSE events are organised by LSE alumni groups to give overseas students who are about to start studying at the School an opportunity to meet each other, alumni and current students prior to arriving at LSE. It is a perfect opportunity for offer holders to connect with the School before they arrive in London. The sessions are a great example of alumni contributing significantly to the future of LSE.
If you are travelling this summer and would like to attend and/or speak at an event, please email destination.lse@lse.ac.uk for more information.
When travelling abroad or going on sabbatical, remember that LSE’s 90+ regional alumni groups organise events throughout the year and are always looking to host academics or LSE staff. Please get in touch with the Alumni Relations team at alumni@lse.ac.uk to let us know about any future plans.
Interested in innovating your teaching through technology? Take inspiration from LSE Innovators, academic faculty who are leading innovative practices in their teaching.
Some research data providers are asking that a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is carried out before they will release data. A PIA enables you to determine how much of an impact your research or a new system will have on the privacy of the individuals whose data you will be processing and storing.
To help staff and students who are required to carry out a PIA, the School now has a Privacy Impact Assessment template, which can be found here. The template includes examples from real research to guide you in filling out the form.
If you have any questions or need help, please contact the School’s Data Protection Officer Rachael Maguire at r.e.maguire@lse.ac.uk or ext 4622 and/or the Information Security Manager Jethro Perkins at j.perkins@lse.ac.uk or ext 6641, who will be happy to take you through the form.
To celebrate the 10 years of CEFTA agreement, LSEE, the Research Unit on South Eastern Europe at LSE, and Montenegro as the CEFTA Chair in Office supported by the Secretariat are launching a paper competition on the theme "CEFTA in 10 years on: its contribution to the CEFTA economies".
We invite original scientific papers that seek to address the contribution of CEFTA to the economies of the CEFTA Parties, either in general or in relation to specific elements of CEFTA or specific policy areas and sectors of the economy. Full papers, including a 250-word abstract and up to three keywords, should be submitted electronically in anonymised form by Thursday 15 September to academia@cefta.in.
The LSE Sustainability Team is working with TFL to offer LSE students and staff a range of cycling services and increased cycling infrastructure on campus.
As part of this package, we are collecting responses to a short travel survey to find out how staff commute to work. It consists of three questions and takes less than two minutes to complete.
Please fill in the survey to help us secure cycling benefits for all students and stuff.
How would the world look like if we were all the same?
LSE staff are invited to participate in a new Marie Curie project about Londoners’ everyday knowledge about individuality and behaviour, using novel methods and cutting-edge video technologies.
There are two studies to take part in:
Online Studies: Complete a special survey online and receive a £5 voucher.
Video Studies: Visit a video lab in QUE House together with a colleague, friend or acquaintance for a joint interview about videos showing people in everyday situations. Each participant receives £20.
For more information and to participate, visit id-research.org. If you have any further questions, contact Dr Jana Uher at j.uher@lse.ac.uk.
Pop-Up Aperitivo Bar
Following the success of our previous Friday night pop-ups, our Aperitivo Bar will be popping up on the 8th Floor of the New Academic Building on Friday 5 August.
Come along between 5-8pm and enjoy a glass or two of bubbly and a selection of delicious complimentary Italian bits. If bubbly isn't your tipple, we also have wines, beers and soft drinks.
The great roof terrace offers stunning views over London and a chance to enjoy your drinks al fresco.
Stationery give away
The European Institute have surplus stationery which they would like to donate to departments across the School.
If you are interested, email Anna Murton at a.murton@lse.ac.ukor pop by toCOW 3.11, Cowdray House.
LSE Santander branch closure on Wednesdays
Please note, LSE's Santander branch located on Portugal Street will be shut every Wednesday throughout August.
For the first two weeks in August Simon Roberts (pictured), Coordinating Language Teacher at LSE, will be performing at the Jermyn Street Theatre in a production of two plays by award-winning playwright, David Greig.
Kyoto takes a wry look at the world’s environmental challenges through the eyes of two long-standing conference delegates as they grapple with dilemmas ( and a dress! ) in a dowdy, post-communist era hotel room. In The Letter of Last Resort a new prime minister is working late into the night when she is interrupted by a civil servant with a request that a letter be written: a letter of last resort, penned by every British prime minister, addressed to the country’s ballistic missile submarines commander with orders on what action should be taken in the event of a nuclear attack.
For more information and to book tickets, click here.
What’s on
September events at LSE
Politics: between the extremes Thursday 15 September at 6.30pm. Venue to be confirmed to ticketholders Speaker: Nick Clegg (pictured)
Globalisation, a term once conjuring up ideas of progress and a closer-knit world, now evokes fears of an uncertain future. Has Brexit kicked off a domino effect? And can the interconnectedness of cultures, economies and technologies work against us?
Philippe Legrain (pictured), Senior Visiting Fellow at LSE's European Institute, and Dutch sociologist Saskia Sassen will discuss these controversial topics and ask if we should be preparing for a future in danger of a bigger fallout.
The Royal Statistical Society conference is for all statisticians and users of data. The three-day programme offers a mix of keynote talks and sessions organised into ‘streams’ or topics, plus an equally diverse schedule of social events.
Moodle Training: learn the basics or brush up your skills
New sessions added for you to get ready for the start of term! Open to teaching and admin staff.
Moodle Basics: a two-hour hands-on sessions covering the basics of Moodle.
Moodle Surgery: half-hour lunch-time slots for a one-to-one on anything Moodle.
Sessions from the start of term will be added by the end of the month.
EDI and Organisational Learning Autumn Training Courses
In partnership with Organisational Learning, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce has arranged for three courses to be held at LSE this autumn:
Stonewall Role Models Programme, Tuesday 6 September, 9.30am-5pm The Stonewall one-day LGBT Role Models Programme gives individuals the opportunity to explore what it means to be a role model and the space to identify how they are going to create an inclusive environment for everyone. For further details from Stonewall and click here to register.
Stonewall Straight Allies Programme, Wednesday 14 September, 9.30am-5pm The Stonewall one-day Allies Programme gives non-LGBT individuals the opportunity to explore what it means to be an ally and the space to identify how they are going to create an inclusive environment for everyone. For further details from Stonewall and click here to register. Professor Julia Black, the School’s Interim Director, has committed to attend this training session.
Cultural Ability Development Engagement & Talent (CADET) programme for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees This will be run by Imperial College London, and hosted at LSE from September 2016 to January 2017. Please contact Joy Whyte to be added to the programme mailing list.
Get in touch!
If you have some news, an achievement, or an aspect of LSE life that you would like to share, we would love to hear from you - get in touch at communications.internal@lse.ac.uk or on ext 7582.
The next edition of Staff News is on Thursday 18 August. Articles for this should be emailed to us by Tuesday 16 August. Staff News is emailed every Thursday during term time and fortnightly during the holidays.
