Staff updates

News, events and updates from and for UQ staff.

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With the Olympics and Paralympics just around the corner, meet the UQ athletes representing Australia on the world stage in Paris. Members of the UQ community – including students and alumni – are competing across disciplines including swimming, rowing, hockey and rugby.
As UQ athletes head to Paris, we'll be celebrating their extraordinary achievements here on campus. You can get involved and support our athletes at watch parties and other events. These Games are an exciting step for our athletes as we get ready to welcome the world to Queensland in 2032.
UQ staff, students and their families are eligible for a 15% discount on in-person and telehealth speech pathology services at the UQ Health and Rehabilitation Clinics. Services are delivered by speech pathology students under the supervision of experienced practice educators.
Nominations for the 2024 Ally Award are now open. These awards highlight staff members and teams who contribute to creating positive change for LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Any staff member can nominate a colleague or team before Friday 26 July. The winner will be announced at the UQ Awards for Excellence in November.
Expressions of interest for a media training session for early- to mid-career researchers close this Friday 26 July. This one-hour session will be hosted by UQ’s Marketing and Communication team on Wednesday 31 July at St Lucia. Come along to learn how the media works, what journalists are looking for and how to confidently handle interviews.
Submissions are invited to the review of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit (ATSISU)/Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement), which will be conducted by the Academic Board from Monday 2 to Thursday 5 September. The terms of reference for the review are available on the Academic Board website. Submissions should be sent to the review coordinator at org.reviews@uq.edu.au by Monday 29 July.
The Uni Bike Shop at St Lucia campus has closed, and the Sports & Spinal Physio clinic will relocate to Indooroopilly from Thursday 31 July. Alternative services can be found on campus and in the local area.
The 2024 All Staff Expo is fast approaching, and registrations are now open. The expo, on Tuesday 6 August at St Lucia, is a chance to learn about the great range of benefits on offer to UQ staff, with stalls run by UQ areas and benefit providers. For a chance to win a $100 Customs House voucher, email your best UQ staff benefit to the Internal Communication team.
As a UQ staff member, you have access to many great discounts and benefits. When you travel on non-work trips, you can now take advantage of exclusive new discounts on airfares for Singapore Airlines and Air Canada flights.
UQ’s Institute of Modern Languages (IML) is offering online and face-to-face courses to staff, students and the community in Semester 2. Starting in late July, the courses are designed for beginner learners of languages from Spanish and Mandarin to Classical Latin.
Throughout July, UQ Wellness and the School of Public Health are running an awareness campaign around vaping and its potential health risks. Get involved by completing a survey to help the team understand the UQ community’s views on vaping. You can also register to attend an expert panel event on Friday 26 July.
If you use Learn.UQ (Blackboard), take some time to review and declutter your course site in preparation for Semester 2. Cleaning up your course site should make it easier for you, your teaching team and your students to use and manage. The eLearning team has put together a decluttering checklist with tips to help you.
UQ wi-fi fosters daily innovation, collaboration, and achievement by connecting more than 55,000 students and staff at more than 30 locations. Wherever, and whenever, you're on campus or at a UQ site, UQ wi-fi is the gateway to realising your goals.
UQ has lodged its annual public report with the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). Staff are encouraged to read the 2023–2024 report and provide feedback. You can find the report and instructions for submitting comments in the 'Reporting' section of UQ's Strategies, plans and governance webpage.
The UQ buying community is encouraged to recognise the significant value that engaging Indigenous suppliers adds to the University. A new webpage on engaging with Indigenous suppliers at UQ has been launched this week, which includes new resources for staff.
Motor Active is a children's physical activity program run by third-year UQ clinical exercise physiology students. The program aims to improve foundational motor skills in a fun, unique, non-threatening and inclusive environment, focusing on motor development and the ongoing improvement of physical, social and cognitive wellbeing.
Academic staff are invited to participate in an anonymous survey conducted by an ARC project team based at the UQ Business School and School of Psychology. The survey is an opportunity to share experiences of performance appraisal processes at UQ, particularly metric-based performance data. Please note the research team is an independent group of researchers, and this study is not being undertaken at the request of the University.
The Microsoft 365 student mailbox migration is now complete. This transition means that from Monday 8 July, students will have expanded access to tools like OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, OneNote, and Forms. Due to the migration, staff and students now share the same Microsoft 365 environment. While there is no direct impact to staff, these changes will affect your digital presence at UQ.
If you use Learn.UQ, you may have used the video hosting service Kaltura to embed videos on the platform. All Learn.UQ videos hosted on Kaltura have been automatically migrated to the platform Echo360. The new Echo360 videos have been embedded in Learn.UQ courses. The old Kaltura video links will also remain visible to teaching staff, but will no longer be playable. We recommend reviewing your resources and deleting any old Kaltura video duplicates.
Plastic Free July has inspired millions of people and businesses around the world to reduce their single-use plastic. Your small changes can make a big difference. Find out what you can do around UQ and further afield.
A draft of UQ’s inaugural Disability Inclusion Research and Innovation Plan is now open for consultation. The Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) has gathered feedback via a survey and focus groups and now it’s your chance to have a say. The Plan will launch in September during Research and Innovation Week.
If you use Learn.UQ (Blackboard), you can preview the latest version of Blackboard courses by emailing the e-learning help team to request an Ultra Course preview site. The preview site is not accessible to students, so you can explore Blackboard's new functionality in a test environment.
Cool weather means more warm drinks! If you’re getting a takeaway beverage to heat up your winter mornings, don’t forget to bring your own cup. Many cafes on campus offer discounts for BYO cups – read UQ Sustainability's updated list.
Teaching staff can visit the new Library Digital Learning Hub to find modules, guides, videos and interactive content for courses. These resources can help students with research, referencing and learning digital skills.
The University has updated its parking terms and conditions, which are now in effect. In addition, the option to use part-time parking permits at St Lucia, Dutton Park and Herston campuses has been extended until Monday 30 June 2025. Please be reminded the green zone in P3, P4 and P11 is only available for staff with parking permits.
Are you looking for more ways to get involved in sustainability at UQ? UQ Sustainability runs a range of programs and initiatives throughout the year including training sessions to help you reduce waste in your workplace, volunteering opportunities, and the Green Fund to support you to implement new sustainability ideas.
UQ is implementing a new email security protocol called DMARC (Domain Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance), designed to protect you against imposter emails and ensure your messages are delivered without interruptions. If you are an email system owner, applications to have DMARC applied to your system immediately are now open. From late 2024, email services that do not use DMARC will be quarantined and emails sent will be undeliverable.
A new admissions system is coming. In October, StudyLink will replace UQ’s current domestic and international admissions systems. Find out more about this exciting project on the Admissions Reimagined and Transformed project page.
Find your new best friend through UQ VETS. There are 5 pets currently looking for new homes – could you help them find their new forever families?

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