Month: April 2012

College Leadership

The Council has begun the search for an individual to serve the College in the new position of Provost. The recruitment marks the start of the transition towards a new leadership model for the College, separating out the current responsibilities of the Rector.

The Provost will be responsible for the delivery of the College’s core mission: education, research and translation, and will report directly to the President & Rector, who will give emphasis to the College’s external affairs including development. The President & Rector and the Provost will together have responsibility for the strategic direction of the College.

In line with the beginning of the search for a Provost, from today Sir Keith O’Nions assumes the title of President & Rector. At the end of May the search will commence for a new President & Rector to succeed Sir Keith O’Nions following his retirement at the end of 2013, at which point the new leadership arrangements will be fully in place.

TOAST update – call for academics to participate

The College thanks academic staff who have already participated in the 2011-12 TOAST (Academic Staff Time) survey. Those who have not done so are strongly encouraged to participate. The current response rate is higher than the last survey, at 75.9%, but this is below the target of 80%.

The survey is anonymous. The information is used only at an aggregate level to determine the College’s costs of research, teaching and other activities. The results will be used to calculate the rates for research grants and contracts applications, supporting the College’s cost recovery.

Since the survey began in October 2011 seven of the 12 survey weeks have elapsed. All 1,200 staff who are required to be surveyed have been contacted to complete at least one of their three survey weeks.

All academic staff are asked to complete all of their remaining survey weeks. For more information, please visit www.imperial.ac.uk/planning/toast or contact TOAST@imperial.ac.uk.

Postgraduate Graduation Ceremonies – reduced catering services – Wednesday 9 May

Receptions for graduates and their guests will take place across the South Kensington Campus on Wednesday 9 May as part of the Postgraduate Graduation Ceremonies. These events will lead to some changes to College catering services:

  • Senior Common Room Cafe and Restaurant: open to graduands and their guests only until 11.45, but staff can buy breakfast to take away. Closed from 16.00.
  • Royal School of Mines/Bessemer Cafe: closed
  • Queen’s Tower Rooms: closed
  • Sir Alexander Fleming Cafe: closed from 11.30

Survey on green activities for final year project

An Imperial student is investigating the steps that staff and students are taking to reduce the impact of their activities on the environment for her final year project for her BSc in Ecology & Environmental Biology. Staff and students are invited to complete a survey, the results of which will be reviewed by the team in the Facilities and Property Management Division responsible for the College’s sustainability activities, and will influence future efforts to reduce the College’s carbon footprint.

Respond to the suvey here