A message from SEED Interim Head of School, Juup Stelma

31 Jan 2025

Starting the new semester, essential training courses, recruitment updates and School achievements

Dear all,  

As we start the new semester, and with January behind us, we can look forward to longer days and hopefully a bit more sunshine. There are again a lot of students on campus, which will lift our spirits. Many of you are shifting from marking to teaching, with some juggling both for a period. I do hope that we all have a wonderful start to the new semester. 

Even at this early juncture, there is a wealth of amazing research and social responsibility successes to report. Particular research successes this month includes the award of a Bezos Earth Fund prize (Geography), a Ford Foundation award to establish a research observatory studying the role land rights (GDI), and further success for the #BeeWell project (MIE). These research successes benefit from, and contribute to, SEED priorities around sustainability, social justice and inclusivity. The successes will also benefit SEED teaching and our students’ experience. 

This week we received a visit from our Dean, Fiona Devine, and the wider Faculty Leadership Team. Fiona talked about the Faculty’s progress and provided a look-ahead to priorities for the coming years. We also had an extended opportunity to ask questions. I want to thank Fiona and her team for the time and continued support and commitment to making SEED strong and successful. Thank you also for all of you who came to meet the Dean and for asking difficult questions – that is as it should be.   

There are a few important reminders that I need to give:  

First, we all must complete eight essential training courses by Friday, 28 February. These do take time to complete, but they signify a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, as well as our shared wish for a safe and healthy working environment.  

Next, for those of you that need this, Friday, 14 March is the deadline for submitting a Teaching Availability Arrangement application for the 2025/26 academic year.  

Finally, the renovation of the Ellen Wilkinson C-Block ground floor corridor will start this February. If you work in, or visit, the Ellen Wilkinson building, there will inevitably be some disruption, and we will keep you updated as this exciting development takes shape.  

There are a couple of recruitment messages. We are recruiting for an Associate Director of Research: Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange. This is a key SEED-level research appointment, working closely with our SEED Director of Research and across the Faculty. Looking forward, in February we will circulate an overview of the upcoming internal academic opportunities for senior representative positions, helping you to plan ahead if you wish to apply for SEED-level roles. 

I would also like to highlight the National Student Survey, which launched earlier this month. Our NSS results are greatly enhanced by a high response rate. We want all our final year undergraduate students to feed back on their student experience. This requires a lot of time and hard work by our undergraduate Programme Directors, Co-ordinators, their programme teams and our Professional Services colleagues. I hope everyone will support these colleagues and, if there is an opportunity, that we all encourage our final year students to complete the NSS survey. 

Finally, on behalf of everyone in SEED I want to extend a special thank you to Kay Hodgson, our Head/Director of School Operations, who is moving to the School of Engineering this month. Kay has worked tirelessly, with care and passion, to make SEED (perhaps) the best school in the University. We will feel the loss; you can read Kay’s last message to us on Staffnet. As Kay moves on, we are fortunate to have David Pattwell as our new Director of School Operations. Please join me in welcoming David to the school – maybe at the next SEED Staff Social on Wednesday, 12 February. 

With best wishes, 

Juup