Census feedback

Feedback

72% of respondents hadn’t used any of the Benefits and Services on offer to alumni, the main reason being they never thought to look (42%).

Part of our Benefits and Services is lifelong access to our Careers Services. Our Alumni are not using the Careers and Employability Services because they said they didn’t know the Careers Service was a lifelong service they could use at any time.

Response

We commit to refreshing and actively promoting our Benefits and Services offer to ensure it is the best it can be. We have recently added:

• Discounted rates at College Court 
• Information about events on campus including signposting to Attenborough Arts Centre
• Extra information about our Languages at Leicester courses 
• Information for a visit to campus including food outlets, chaplaincy facilities, printing and access to our prayer room. 
• An addition to the Contact Service, providing support to try and connect with past lecturers. 

Feedback

64% of respondents who had not attended any events said the biggest barrier was living too far away. This is a barrier for both UK and international Alumni (54% and 72% respectively). Our Alumni Community reported a preference for online and hybrid events. 

Others felt they did not want to attend alone, did not feel like they were eligible to be there, or were not sure how to visit after a long time. 

Response

We commit to reviewing our Events Calendar to ensure there are more academic and research-focused events, and reduce barriers to access. We will also continue with our Festival of Change Virtual Events Programme to allow all Alumni to attend and engage. We have relaunched our programme with speakers featuring content from across the institution including different levels of research from early PhD studies to recently qualified Research Staff.

We aim to make any Alumni visiting campus feel comfortable and are aware that the site may look different to the last time you visited. 

Our Interactive map (flash) of the University of Leicester enables you to see the accessibility of each building on campus

If you are visiting campus for a reunion or just a short visit, a member of the Alumni team would love to host and say hi. We can be involved as much or as little as you wish.

Feedback

Our Alumni Community reported preferring email and e-newsletter contact.

Our Alumni Census told us that LinkedIn and Facebook are the two main platforms alumni use, or plan to use, to stay connected with the University.

A number of alumni mentioned the Alumni Magazine which has not been published since before COVID.

Response

We are committed to bringing you the best content through our Alumni Citizen e-Newsletter.

Don't forget to check our Archive of Alumni Magazines. Our alumni magazine, formerly known as Graduates' Review, has been renamed Gryphon. 

We commit to reviewing our communications by continuing to send emails bimonthly but will also explore the possibility of more printed materials.

We are committed to going out to Departments and asking for regular Philanthropic News, Research/Society/Sports/Staff/Students' Union Updates, Public/Community Engagement and Campus Updates that we can report back to you in our regular Alumni Citizen. 

Furthermore, we are committed to highlighting our Strategic Plan, Benefits and Services, University Events and Volunteering regularly in our Alumni Citizen.

Feedback

We were thrilled to hear that although 38% of Alumni have not volunteered, they would consider doing so in the future. Lots of you had examples of previous volunteering activity. 

Response

We are currently in the process of writing our Volunteering Engagement Plan which will incorporate a Volunteering Programme Pilot Scheme and Mentoring Pilot.

Feedback

Around 30% of Alumni said they would consider donating to the University in the future. 

Response

At the University of Leicester, philanthropy has driven impact for nearly 100 years. We are one of only two universities in the world to be founded as a living memorial to those who served and lost their lives in the First World War. 

Every year, thousands of donors help the University of Leicester change the world – from providing support for students to access education, to funding life-changing medical research, world-saving environmental research, inclusivity and community engagement. The University makes no administrative charge, so 100% of each donation the University receives goes directly to the area supported.

We have dedicated webpages to guide anyone on how to donate to the University, whether your gift is big or small.

Feedback

A number of our Alumni reported some historical unhappy times at the University during their studies. Themes included those below.

Response

We understand that not everyone's time at the University has been entirely positive and we wanted to address some of these concerns with improvements and initiatives that have been, and continue to be, put in place.

Bus Service

The bus service is currently free to all students and staff, as part of the University’s response to the cost of living crisis. The bus will remain included in residential contracts at The Village for the foreseeable future. 

Our Student Hardship Fund is a discretionary support provided by the University of Leicester to assist if students are experiencing financial hardship. 

COVID-19

We understand the effect that COVID had on the student experience. Leicester became the first city in the UK, in June 2020, to face a ‘local lockdown’ due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. The University response centred on key themes of clear communication with students and staff, as well as flexibility in University processes which enabled a large-scale test-and-trace programme and other major changes to day-to-day operations. We now as a University stand strong, being able to provide hybrid methods of working and teaching as part of our curriculum, something we could not do before.

Distance Learning

Our online distance learning courses have students in more than a hundred countries, on almost every continent, studying a wide range of subjects at different levels. 

Many of the distance learning programmes offer face-to-face opportunities either physically and online. This creates the opportunity for students to meet and network with their peers in addition to interacting with academic colleagues and spending time on campus in Leicester. 

The Distance Learning Team now provides a single point of contact for students to aid and support them through their academic studies - providing expert support for non-academic based enquiries. 

The Distance Learning Team and colleagues in the Students' Union collaborate to offer campus-based visit days for the our distance learning community of students. 

We would be happy to support any Distance Learning Alumni who have not visited the campus – get in touch via alumni.events@le.ac.uk

Accommodation

All first year students are now guaranteed an offer of University-managed accommodation when applying before 1 September in the year that they start their degree.

Communication

The University has many channels it uses to communicate campaigns, support and events with students, including:

• MyWorkspace student intranet
• Monthly Citizen all student newsletter
• @Leicstudentlife Instagram and Facebook
• MyUoL app
• Physical assets across campus

The central student communications team works closely with colleagues across the organisation, including the Students’ Union, to ensure communications are planned, coordinated, timely and relevant.

Industrial action

The University appreciates that it is a challenging time for students when a strike is announced and no member of staff participates in industrial action lightly. Industrial action has the potential to have a significant impact on our students and their education. Alongside regularly communicating with our trade unions, we have a set of plans to minimise the impact on our students and colleagues when strike action does take place. 

Academic Support

We engage our students as partners in developing the curriculum and put them at the heart of our learning.  We have a number of systems and processes to help students through their University journey such as Blackboard, Learning Development Team, IT Services, The Mathematics Help Centre and Languages at Leicester.

We are committed to ensuring that ours is an inclusive learning, working and research environment where all students, staff and visitors are treated with dignity and respect. The Dignity and Respect at Leicester Policy and associated documents outline, with clear definitions and examples, what unacceptable behaviours are and the processes in place to address, deal with and report them. Students and staff can disclose any unacceptable behaviours they experience or witness, and access support, through our online Report and Support portal, anonymously if preferred.

Our dedicated AccessAbility Centre and staff offers support and advice for students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties as well as working with students who have sensory disabilities, mobility difficulties; mental health conditions and autism.

Key departments all offer individual support schemes such as Let’s Talk at Leicester Law School. 

Careers Support

Every autumn, spring and summer we hold our Festival of Careers, a week-long programme of inspiring workshops, presentations and information sessions dedicated to helping students and graduates find out more about what’s available in the world of work. We welcome our graduates to attend the event to support their future career plans as well as supporting the delivery of the activities throughout the week. 

As a graduate of the University of Leicester, you can still access our award-winning Career Development Service. As a graduate, you can also enjoy lifetime access to our online careers platform, giving you 24-hour access to hundreds of internships and graduate vacancies, career appointments and event bookings. 

Mental Health Support

The University of Leicester currently has plenty of support options available, should students need additional support. Our Student Wellbeing Service offers a wide range of free and confidential services to any student who needs them – including individual counselling and workshops covering issues such as exam stress, as well as Mental Health Advisor support who offer psycho education and specialist mentoring. 

In addition students have access to Health Assured, a 24/7 helpline who offer counselling and wellbeing support advice. The service operates 365 days of the year.

Standing Together is a University-wide programme improving wellbeing through tackling unacceptable behaviours and supporting students, and the wider University community, who are directly and indirectly affected. Standing Together engages all areas of the University including academics, the Accommodation Team, the Students’ Union, the Security Team, the Sports Team and, importantly, students.

Our Student Counselling Service offers a wide range of free and confidential services to any students who need them – including individual counselling, therapeutic group sessions, a well-stocked resource library, and workshops covering issues such as exam stress. Our Residential Advisers (RAs) in halls are specially trained in student support and signposting to university and community services that are best placed to help. Our Report & Support Service allows students to anonymously report any concerns that are affecting them or someone they are concerned about. 

Also, the Students’ Union runs an independent, impartial Advice Service that helps guide students with queries relating to academic misconduct, University appeals and accommodation advice.

Loneliness

We understand that university studies will be new for a lot of people who enter into Higher Education and socialising is a big part of what can help individuals through their time here. Our ResLife Team have set up a programme of events every day for our students to attend whether these are crafts nights, cooking nights and trips to other local cities. Their dedicated website has lots of supporting information including Dealing with homesickness, getting support with studies and overall wellbeing. 

Students Union

The Students Union is an empowering, innovative and inclusive student-led Union championing your interests and providing a community that is home away from home. Although they regularly collaborate with the University, they are a fully independent organisation made up of student elected representatives that work totally and completely for students. Their website details campaigns, societies and events to get involved in as well as an offer to pop into the office anytime when needing support or direction to a particular service. 

Value for Money

We understand that some of our graduates experiences might have felt strained due to changes in tuition fees over the years. The University of Leicester is committed to attracting the very best students from across the world, to study and learn at all levels, regardless of background or circumstance. In a global context of reduced public funding for higher education, we are more dependent upon the generosity and support of our alumni, friends and donors than ever before.

We have a selection of scholarships, bursaries and discount initiatives. 

Also, our Strategic Plan outlines how we are aiming to we will empower our staff to deliver continuous improvement, striving for operational excellence and financial sustainability across the University. The University of Leicester, together with the Students’ Union, is committed to supporting our community through the cost of living crisis. Along with existing support, we have taken additional steps to help all of our students.