New Essex Business School building starts in January

The project to build the new Essex Business School starts in January 2013 with a planned completion date of May 2014. The new building, which will be located next to the University’s new Knowledge Gateway research park, will offer a flagship home for Essex Business School. Leading architects BDP have included sustainable design throughout – with features such as low and zero carbon technology, an interior winter garden which will act as an environmental buffer zone, a ground source heat pump and photovoltaic panels. In early January contractors Morgan Sindall will erect hoardings, start enabling works and prepare the site compound to start building work from Monday 28 January. During this period our car parking attendants will be on-hand to redirect car users to nearby spaces as necessary, and all contractor vehicles moving on- and off-site will be managed so as to avoid busy times as much as possible, with the majority of vehicles using the entrance off Boundary Road. The building project is being managed by the University’s Estate Management team and comments or questions may be sent by e-mail to: ebsinfo@essex.ac.uk. For further information about this vibrant new building for our Colchester Campus, read the news release.

Southend town trail - blow away the cobwebs with a winter walk

If you're studying, visiting or working at our Southend Campus, then why not download this town trail walking tour and accompanying map to help you find your feet around town, visit some interesting places right on our doorstep, and blow away the cobwebs with a bracing seaside walk? Second and third year students, and our University staff, may also discover a new place or two!

• Southend-on-Sea town trail (.pdf)

• Southend-on-Sea town trail walking map (.pdf)

See the Forum Southend-on-Sea take shape

The Forum Southend-on-Sea partnership £27 million development is taking shape, and now has its own webcam – providing a bird’s eye view of how work is progressing, and it's updated every minute. Take a look at www.theforumsouthend.co.uk. In addition to the webcam, visitors to the website can also view a computerised animation showing how The Forum Southend-on-Sea will rise from its bare foundations to an impressive four-storey building. Find out more about the Forum Southend-on-Sea, and the excellent facilities it will offer, on this University of Essex news release.

Vice-Chancellor’s staff blog and briefings

The Vice-Chancellor Professor Anthony Forster updates his blog for University of Essex staff monthly, via his dedicated University webpages. The latest blog post is titled ‘Research and scholarship that matters’. To access the page, staff need to enter their University log-in details, and bookmark the page to revisit it regularly. A video-recording and podcast of the recent Vice-Chancellor's all-staff briefings, which took place on 3 and 6 December, will be available online soon for staff to view and listen to.

• Follow the Vice-Chancellor Professor Anthony Forster on Twitter

Put the Student News page in your pocket

Excellence in education is our ethos, and if you're a current Essex student, there's a new Facebook page that already more than 550 followers, where you can find all the useful guidance and support you need to help you achieve your full potential during your time at Essex. And if you use the Facebook smartphone app you can carry it around in your pocket. This information is also included in the start and end-of-term student e-bulletins, containing information from right across our University. 'Like' the new University of Essex student news page for more about help and support as you continue your studies at Essex.

Creating our vibrant new Student Centre

From Spring 2013 we will start building a major new centre for student services and extending the Albert Sloman Library to enhance the student experience at our Colchester Campus. The project is planned for completion by late 2014, and the architects are Patel Taylor, who designed the University’s award-winning Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall. This exciting new space will offer:

• A one stop shop for accommodation, payments, registration and student welfare
• Integrated learning centre for creative and group working
• New IT facilities including touchdown access and new helpdesk
• State-of-the-art media centre for Students’ Union media
• New reception area to serve the whole campus
• A 24-hour reading room
• An archive and special collections book store
• A 24-hour postgraduate study area
• Additional study spaces and library shelving
• Expanded student book collection in existing library
• A new meeting room for University Council

View further information and architect's images on the Student Centre webpages.

Improve your writing with help from the professionals

Any Essex student looking for help to improve their writing skills need look no further. Because our Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies is hosting two Royal Literary Fund Fellows - both of whom are professional writers. Gillian Richmond is a dramatist for TV, radio and stage and Jim Kelly is a crime novelist (pictured). Gillian and Jim can help with all aspects of improving your writing - from getting multiple ideas into essay form in a clear, accessible style, to developing writing strategies and reviewing feedback on marked work. Gillian will is now on our Colchester Campus on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10am-5pm, and Jim on Thursdays and Fridays from 10am–5pm. Both are based in room 5A.334. and to make an appointment, please visit the Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies administrative office in room 5A.201, or e-mail Gillian at: grichmon@essex.ac.uk or Jim at: kellyj@essex.ac.uk.

Business awards success

The University and the Students’ Union have each won major categories in the 2012 Colchester Business Awards, which were held during mid-November. The Environmental Awareness award recognised the University’s efforts to reduce CO2 emissions significantly and raise environmental awareness through all its work – including research, teaching, sustainable transport and energy infrastructure. Strong feedback for its Freshers 2012 campaign helped the Students’ Union win the Excellence in Marketing award. The campaign was the SU’s biggest and most successful ever. Estate Management Procurement Apprentice Charlotte French was a finalist in the Apprentice of the Year category and the University was also finalist in the Active and Sustainable Travel category.

The Meadows student accommodation takes shape

Friday 19 October saw the 'ground-breaking' ceremony for The Meadows - the vibrant new student accommodation set to open at our Colchester Campus in autumn 2013. When finished the new development will offer an additional 648 student bedrooms, and a social pavilion, which will house a common room, launderette and a 'grab and go' shop. Pictured at the ceremony are - from left to right - David Pannells from Derwent Living, Arnaud Bekaert from construction company Bouygues UK, Bryn Morris, the University's Registrar, and Nicolas Guerin of the Uliving@Essex partnership, that has overall responsibility for managing the project.

Essex Offers - the new benefits scheme for our staff

The University of Essex has teamed-up with employee benefits company Reward Compass to offer staff everyday savings and discounts in an extensive new staff benefits scheme, called Essex Offers. It provides easy, online access to benefits available to staff working for the University and our wholly-owned companies, and offline deals are also available. Money-saving schemes include medical insurance to dental care plans, alongside salary sacrifice options such as childcare vouchers and mobile phones, good local deals, disocunted shopping cards and exclusive privileges. If you're a member of University staff, join Essex Offers now and find out more.

Maths support for all

A free Maths Drop-in Centre is now open at the University to offer help and advice to students and staff on a range of maths problems. Providing a one-stop-shop for any maths issues, the service is part of an on-going scheme by the Department of Mathematical Sciences to improve the employability of students. The new helpdesk, run by trained frontrunner Plus student advisors, will offer support to students and staff on maths issues on all levels. The aim is to provide the opportunity for staff and students to chat through their maths problem and be given guidance on how it can be solved. All questions will remain confidential. To contact the Maths Drop-in Centre e-mail: mathshelpdesk@essex.ac.uk The Drop-in Centre is open from 2-3pm Monday to Wednesday and 12 noon to 1pm on Thursdays and Fridays. Local businesses are also invited to use the service, although their problem may be dealt with on a consultancy basis.

New FindYourWay@Essex online map

If you find yourself getting lost around our Colchester Campus - then we have just the solution - online maps of buildings that you can easily view to help find your way to your teaching room, lecture hall or office. If you are a student, simply select the 'room' function shown on your timetable, and staff and visitors can browse the online mapping pages here. An Android mobile phone app is also available from the IT helpdesk, in room 4SW.5.12, off Square 4, which is open from 8.30am-6pm, and an iPhone version is planned to be tested and released by the end of November 2012.

New Essex timetabling and scheduler app

The new Essex Scheduler app makes it easier than ever for our students to keep track of schedule and coursework deadlines. Created by Computer Science students Vegard Polden and Jonny Baker, for students at the University of Essex, it lets you quickly access your timetable and online Essex resources at the touch of a fingertip. Please note: this is a student showcase app, created by students, and is not an official University of Essex product.

Features include:

• Personalised timetable – check your schedule for the next day, week or two weeks
• Deadlines – view your coursework deadlines by module or date
• Useful links – instant access to the most visited online resources on the University website
• Personal events – easily add your own events to the schedule
• Widget – display your timetables in a compact format on the home screen of your device
• Find and download this useful new student-created app on Google play here!

Buses, bikes and trains

There are a number of ways you can get to our Colchester Campus – and great discounts on offer for students and staff. Working with First Essex Buses and the Student’s Union, we have negotiated a special discount that saves students more than £300 off zone 1 annual bus tickets. These tickets will be available from the First Bus stall on our Colchester Campus during and after Freshers’ Week, from the Burrow – the Students’ Union ticket office, on Square 3. For train travel, staff can get a 10 per cent discount on a monthly season ticket, and 15 per cent off quarterly, six monthly and annually for travelling to campus by Greater Anglia trains. Students may wish to purchase a 16-25 Railcard which enables discounts of up at a third off rail fares.

• View bus ticket prices and travel zones here

• View the interactive map of local buses services here

Car parking at Colchester Campus from October 2012

Construction of the new multi-decked car park is now underway at our Colchester Campus, and alternative car parking areas to provide temporary spaces are now available. Temporary restrictions on student car parking registration for 2012-13 also now apply. If you are a member of staff or a student, please read full details, including including postcodes affected by the restrictions, here on the Car parking developments at Colchester Campus webpage (you will need to enter your University username and password). The decked car park is being built to address the current shortage of car parking space at our Colchester Campus and is planned for completion during early February 2013.

Innovative new biofuel energy centre gets underway

Preparatory work to begin the construction of the new biofuel energy centre, which will be located on and underneath Square 1 at Colchester Campus opposite the Networks Centre of CSEE, starts on the weekend of Saturday 1 September. Approved by USG in 2011, the energy centre will be the first to be housed on our Colchester Campus and will produce combined heat and power (CHP) for the campus using biofuel derived from pre-used vegetable oil. The project is considered to be exemplary and innovative within the higher education sector and anticipated to pay for itself within three to four years, with an estimated gross annual saving to the University of £1m. It will also contribute substantially towards the University’s target of reducing its CO2 emissions by 43 per cent by 2020, and will help to support our future demand for energy. For further information please read the FAQs or contact Richard Frost, Energy Manager e-mail: rfrost. Read more about the University's environmental and sustainability policy.

Research Excellent Framework website goes live

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) website is now live, to provide staff with the latest news about the development of the REF by higher education funding bodies, and the steps being taken by the University to prepare for its submission in 2013.

The REF is the new system for assessing the quality of research at universities in the UK, and replaces the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) last conducted in 2008.

The website includes resources for departments to help them in the development of their REF submissions and easy access to previously circulated documents used to collect data from academic staff.

Boost for books in the Albert Sloman Library

Following the allocation in 2010 of an additional £300,000 to develop the student book collection within the Albert Sloman Library, the redevelopment of the first floor of the library is now underway to house the expanded collection. The student book collection refers to text books and other reading material typically used on degree course reading lists. The revamped space is planned to open in time for the start of the 2012-13 academic year, and will hold some 45,000 books in total. This work is in addition to the new extension to the library. Find out more about the new Student Centre and extension to the Albert Sloman Library.

Discover the benefits of car sharing

Did you know the University of Essex's online car-sharing database now has more than 300 members of University staff, and students, who are looking to share their journey onto our Colchester Campus? Colleagues from across Essex, Suffolk and beyond have now signed up and are waiting to hook up with a car share buddy who lives nearby. The easy-to-use online database uses liftshare.com’s proven IT system which brings together potential car sharers, and is totally free to use. When you register your details, the system supplies you with a number of suitable matches, and a useful map will help you pinpoint different locations - so you can find a car sharer near to where you live. Why not give it a go - and see the benefits of saving the environment, saving on fuel, reducing wear and tear on your car, and making it easier for all car users to park at the University. Signing up is quick and easy - join the scheme today here.

Our research repository is now online

The University of Essex Research Repository is now live online with some 1,800-plus academic research papers already uploaded – boosting the visibility and impact of our research. The repository hosts publication details and full text of published research, and all material uploaded is open access – anyone can view it – and it is available free of charge. If you’re a member of University research staff, by uploading your research to the repository you will join academic colleagues in making it available to the global scholarly community on a scale that is impossible with paper. Visit the University of Essex research repository at http://repository.essex.ac.uk

Meet the Students' Union sabbatical officers for 2012-13

The University of Essex Students' Union sabbatical officers have taken up their new roles for the 2012-13 academic year. Pictured left to right are: Lily Flaherty, VP Welfare and Community; Zain Kukaswadia, VP Education; Becky Fisher, VP Student Activities; Nathan Bolton, President; Mimi Crunteanu, VP Loughton and Southend; Chris Fowler, VP Services and Communication and Jovanna Yiouselli, VP International Students. The sabbs are also supported by part-time officers who are also current students. For a full list of all SU student officers for 2012-13, please visit the Essex Students' Union 2012-13 officers' page

In 2014 the University will be 50

The University of Essex's 50th Anniversary campaign has now been launched. The University will be 50 years old in 2014 - and a short film has been produced to start the campaign, which charts the University's growing reputation locally, nationally and globally. Watch it on the 50th Anniversary website.