news and events

Safety risks exist wherever we are – at school/college or home, in the shopping centre, in the playground, or on the internet. They are, however, increased in the online environment by the fact that we can’t usually see who we are communicating with and probably don’t know who provided the data we are accessing. To compensate for this we all need to develop our online safety skills and know how to get the best out of the internet, avoiding the pitfalls.

College & University Support Network Executive Patrick Nash has called on employers to give greater emphasis to staff health and wellbeing support amid the economic downturn. In his speech at the third annual Skills for Work conference, he argued that the economy could save up to £100 billion a year if employers gave good support to their staff.

Richard Friedman once rather wisely said, "Money will buy you a fine dog, but only love can make it wag its tail". This may be true, but January is probably the month most likely to inspire despondency about our financial situation and any resulting absence of decent canine company. Even with reports that many families were putting ‘caps' on how much they would spent on presents over Christmas, the period can entail massive costs which can make the cold first month of the year bleak in more than just meteorological terms.

For many of us, the New Year is often a time for a new start. After a couple of weeks of overindulgence there is not a better opportunity to wipe the slate clean, try to abolish bad habits and make positive changes to your life. We can all make the start of 2009 a chance to improve our wellbeing; both physical and mental.

Take a look at the latest new and updated factsheets in our online InfoCentre for some ideas:

If you know someone whose remarkable learning achievements deserve
recognition and could inspire others, then nominate them for an Adult
Learners' Week Award.

As an added bonus, the first 100 nominations received will be sent a free USB stick.

CUSN Chief Executive Patrick Nash will be speaking at the forthcoming conference, ‘Delivering 14-19 Provision: Meeting the Need of Students and Employers.’

Organised by Westminster Briefing, Delegates will discuss reforms and their implications for local authorities, schools, education practitioners, employers, HE providers and this, and future, generations of young people. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with the panel in a number of interactive sessions throughout the day.

CUSN Communications and Business Development Manager Hannah Essex addressed the UCU conference, ‘Tackling Bullying’, in London on the 27 November.

In the presentation, Hannah discussed types of bullying, such as criticism, threats and obstructing career progression, offered examples of people who had contacted CUSN over bullying, gave advice on how to deal with bullying and explained how CUSN could help those suffering or witnessing bullying.

CUSN Chief Executive Patrick Nash will be addressing the forthcoming
conference on higher education and 14-19 reforms, ‘Matching access to
expectations: implications for higher education'.

We have negotiated a 15 per cent discount with the organisers for
anyone quoting CUSN's parent charity, Teacher Support Network, when
they book their places.

At the conference, which is organised by Neil Stewart Associates,
Patrick will be appearing as a panellist in a discussion on the best
practice in higher education.

CUSN Chief Executive Patrick Nash will be speaking at the forthcoming
conference, ‘Delivering 14-19 Provision: Meeting the Need of Students
and Employers.'

Organised by Westminster Briefing, Delegates will discuss reforms
and their implications for local authorities, schools, education
practitioners, employers, HE providers and this, and future,
generations of young people. Participants will have the opportunity to
engage with the panel in a number of interactive sessions throughout
the day.

Class sizes are rising, but more time is being spent on admin
duties than on students or research. Welcome to the life as a 21st
century lecturer.

Polling conducted by the College and
University Support Network (CUSN) for UCU on the eve of the union’s
annual congress has revealed that administration dominates lecturers’
workloads. The issue is set to be debated at the Manchester conference
with delegates likely to call for more effective guidelines to curtail
excessive workloads, and to ensure time for research and scholarship.

The survey revealed: