We are so delighted to let you all know that we are on track for merger completion and for the London and South East University Group to be officially up and running on the 1st August. This is a significant milestone and an exciting moment. Two universities, one group, stronger together.
We realise that this moment will bring lots of questions about what will happen on 1st August. The most important message is very simple – university business continues as usual.
The priority is to ensure a smooth transition for everyone including students, staff, and our partners and collaborators. That means your day-to-day role, your teams, and how we work with our students will remain unchanged immediately following merger completion. There are a few exceptions where line management has changed, and you will be informed directly about that if that is the case. That really is the exception, so please assume that this is not the case unless you have been told differently.
Day 1 will feel familiar, but it will also mark an important moment and a new beginning for the University of Greenwich and the University of Kent working together as the LASE University Group. We will be taking the time to further develop our LASE strategy and to plan the work of integration to ensure we are setting up for success. We will share updates as integration plans develop, and we will continue to have a full engagement programme to involve you in shaping our plans.
There’s lots happening to prepare us for Day 1 and beyond so to help clarify some key aspects, here is a short update on what will happen in four key areas of digital, people, estates and brand;
Digital
- Your email – carry on using it as normal. Your email address stays the same, your inbox will still work. A new email signature, making clear that the University of Greenwich and the University of Kent are now part of LASE, will be provided to all staff.
- Accessing systems/platforms – carry on using your systems/platforms as normal. You will still have access to them as normal.
- Enabling shared working - file sharing and the creation of shared Teams channels is already possible between both universities and will continue.
People
- Your employer – all staff will be employed by LASE University Group.
- Terms and Conditions – your existing terms and conditions and all related employment policies will stay the same on Day 1 as before. For example, your existing hybrid or flexible working arrangements stay the same.
- Line Management – reporting lines will remain largely unchanged, with the exception of a small number of roles that report to the newly established executive and senior leadership positions. If your line management arrangements are changing, you will be notified before 1st August.
- New Hires – vacant roles will be advertised and on-boarded via either the Kent or Greenwich platform with appointments on existing Kent or Greenwich terms and conditions depending on the role. Your HR business partner can support you.
- Information and Consultation – the current trade union recognition and consultation arrangements will continue until such time as new arrangements are agreed. Your representatives will continue as previously.
- Support for staff – continue to access your wellbeing and other support through the existing Employee Assistance Programme
Estates
- Building/maintenance helpdesk requests - there will be no changes to service delivery from Day 1, so please continue as normal when raising helpdesk requests or service queries.
- Security Access – your existing ID card will operate as normal. You won’t be able to access premises on our partner university campuses until further IT integration has taken place. If you need an exception to this, please get in touch with your usual card access contact.
- Continuity of Responsibilities – Existing statutory, regulatory, health and safety and compliance responsibilities will remain unchanged on Day 1 until further notice.
Brand usage
- For staff: New brand assets and templates (for example, email signatures, PowerPoint templates and Teams backgrounds) will be made available to all staff on the portal before 1st August. These will show that Greenwich and Kent are now part of LASE. These should not be used until 1st August unless you have been contacted directly by the brand team.
- For students: Day to day, we will continue to use the existing Greenwich and Kent brands for student-facing activities on campus and also for recruiting new students. If you are ordering merchandise, clothing or event materials for student-facing activities, please continue to use the existing Greenwich brand for now.
- FAQs: commonly asked questions about brand usage and contact details for any further questions can be found on the portal.
In summary, please carry on as normal. We know it is a busy time with clearing and preparations for the new academic year, and we look forward to working with you as we shape this exciting new chapter of the LASE University Group.
Professor Jane Harrington, Vice-Chancellor and CEO, University of Greenwich
Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura, Acting Vice-Chancellor & President, University of Kent