The Catholic chaplaincy staff network is led by Manchester Universities Catholic Chaplaincy (MUSCC) and offer a lively community, based at the heart of Oxford Road, for all University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and Royal Northern College of Music students and staff.

Meetings

Staff are welcome to join the following regular events:

• Mondays at 1.30pm – Litter Picking in Whitworth Park;
• Tuesdays at 6.30pm – The Tuesday Talk (a weekly talk from an invited speaker on a theme of faith);
• Wednesdays at 6.00pm – Rosary Group;
• Thursdays at 7.00pm on Zoom – Reading Group;
• Fridays 1.10pm on Zoom – Bible Study;
• The first Friday of the month during term time - Nightfever at the Holy Name Church, Oxford road.

Further Information

The weekly chaplaincy newsletter details other activities and also when term time services begin/end.

The Manchester Universities Catholic Chaplaincy (MUSCC) is based in Avila House, Oxford Road (opposite the Students' Union), M13 9PG.

The Christian staff network, also known as the Manchester Universities' Staff and Postgraduate Christian Fellowship (the Fellowship, for short) is a staff Christian group drawn from The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Royal Northern College of Music.

The Fellowship is the successor of a group of Christian academic staff, which was founded in 1981 at The University of Manchester and is now open to all Christian staff and postgraduate students from the above institutions.  

The aim of the Fellowship is to enable Christians to meet together for prayer, mutual support and discussion.

Meetings

The Fellowship meets once a fortnight via Zoom. The meetings are very informal. 

Meetings are usually, 1.00pm – 1.30pm, alternating between a Wednesday and a Thursday. 

During each meeting the group enjoy a confidential catch-up on how people are doing at work, at home and at church, followed by a 10 minute prayer. 

Further Information

To subscribe to the Fellowship mailing list and for more information about meetings please contact:

• Acting Chair - Shirley Jenner 

The International staff network is aimed at overseas staff and postgraduate students at the University.

The network also includes the informal International Buddying Programme. The programme uses partners new international staff with existing members of staff and network members from the same country.  The idea is that they can help share information before the move to Manchester and once the new staff member is at the University.

Further information

To join the International staff network mailing list or for more information about the informal International Buddying Programme please email equalityanddiversity@manchester.ac.uk.

University resources

• New staff
• EU referendum support
• International staff handbook (updated May 2020)

The Muslim staff network is active across the University of Manchester, as well as in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University and the Royal Northern College of Music.

The aim of the Muslim staff network is to be:

• an independent, reliable and welcoming point of contact for queries, concerns and referrals by and about Muslims in Higher Education, with supported access for students and staff, their friends, family, professionals and the institutions themselves,
• to be fully inclusive, Pan-Islamic support to staff and students from the widest spectrum of Islamic communities, whether traditional or modern, fundamentalist or secular, practicing or non – practicing. 
• to be a safe, supportive, non – judgemental, Islamic space which was fully confidential and free from sectarianism and other divisive behaviours.

Meetings and Events

The Muslim staff network have several meet-ups throughout the year as well as running events in November for Islamophobia Awareness Month. Planned meetings and events are detailed below:

18 September 2024: Monthly Meet up - 12-2pm 2.53 Seminar Room, Humanities Bridgeford Street

16 October 2024: Monthly Meet up - 12-2pm Room 4.07, Williamson Building

2 April 2025: Eid ul Fitr celebration - 12.30-2pm Knowles Committee Room, Whitworth Hall

11 June 2025: Eid ul Adha celebration - 12.30-2pm Knowles Committee Room, Whitworth Hall

If you are interested in running events with the Muslim staff network please email Mohammed Ullah.

Further Information

If you would like to join the confidential LISTSERV, please email uom-msn@manchester.ac.uk.

University resources

• Guidance on Ramadan (2024) 
• Inclusive celebrations
• Prayer facilities on campus (interactive map)

This group brings Dharmic cultures and philosophies (including but not limited to Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and Sikhs) together under an umbrella staff group. 

The group have a Microsoft Teams space which you can request to join by messaging equalityanddiversity@manchester.ac.uk.

The Vegan staff network welcomes anyone interested in helping improve the lives of animals. Veganism is not just a diet, it is an ethical approach to life that informs every decision.

The network is a place for discussion and initiatives around FoodOnCampus, introducing a Vegan-Friendly pension option, improving University curricula, and other ways to advance an intersectional agenda that includes veganism at its heart.

Join the Vegan Network

To keep informed about activities and meetings you can join the network Microsoft Teams Space by emailing equalityanddiversity@manchester.ac.uk.

The Climate staff network is a friendly grouping of staff and students who are passionate about limiting (and potentially even reversing) the damaging effects of man-made climate change, both in a local and global sense. 

The network's goal is to inspire awareness of this topic and to help create an inclusive discourse around existing work occurring across both the University and the surrounding Greater Manchester region.  

The group would also like to highlight and discuss the concerns of students, supporting them in their aspirations relating to climate change awareness and actions.

Meetings

The Climate staff network hosts regular lunchtime seminars at which guest speakers discuss a variety of topics related to climate change and sustainability. Previous talks have focussed on sustainable fashion, eco-anxiety, food waste, and effective climate change communication.

These seminars and any other relevant climate change events are advertised in a weekly newsletter via Listserv. 

Further Information

• Climate staff network Yammer.
• Climate staff network Listserv.

The Executive assistant (EA) and Personal assistant (PA) staff network brings together all Professional services EAs, PAs, Secretaries and Administrators who have a supporting role working with an academic or executive.

The network aims to be a cohesive EA/PA community where colleagues can meet people they only talk to on the phone.

The network focuses on:

• Improving interpersonal skills and networking;
• Sharing ideas and problem solving;
• Building confidence;
• Sharing new role opportunities – event management, venue finding (by assisting the Network Committee);
• PA-specific continuous professional development.

Further Information

If you are interested in joining the EA/PA staff network, please email equalityanddiversity@manchester.ac.uk.

The Technical Excellence at Manchester (TEaM) staff network welcomes any member of staff who considers themselves technical to attend quarterly coffee and talk events. The ultimate idea being that there will be local representatives who attend the meetings and can disseminate information at a local level.  

The aim of TeAM is to raise the profile of technical staff, recognise their contribution to the University, and empower them to develop their careers.

Further information

If you are interested in joining the TeAM staff network, please email technical.excellence@manchester.ac.uk 

• Te@M blog

The Women in Biology, Medicine and Health (WiBMH) staff network is a developing network for all female academic and research staff, administrative staff and students within the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health (FBMH).

The network is dedicated to providing positive support for women in FBMH and aims to encourage women throughout their career in Manchester, with the aim of increasing recruitment, retention and progression. Achieving this is part of a joint effort between WiBMH, employers, mentors and individuals.

Further Information

If you are interested in joining WiBMH, please contact equalityanddiversity@manchester.ac.uk

• WiBMH blog

The Women in cancer staff network was launched in 2017 and is a supportive network to connect women working in all aspects of cancer research across the University, including the Christie Hospital and Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute.

The network aims to integrate students, researchers, academic and clinical staff to provide a positive and welcoming alliance.

Further information

If you are interested in joining the Women in cancer staff network, please email women.in.cancer@manchester.ac.uk.

The best way to keep up to date with the network is via Twitter, @WiCN_Manchester.

The Women in Environmental Sciences (WiES) staff network group was inaugurated following a workshop held on Wednesday, 13 June, 2018 at the Roscoe Building. The group welcomes female academics, early career researchers, undergraduate students, postgraduate students, and women with a general interest in the environment particularly welcome.

The group has a particular focus on key environmental issues, knowledge exchange and transfer and questions linked to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular goal five, which aims for gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls. 

The group aims to:

• promote interdisciplinary environmental sciences between academics and non-academics.;
• provide a forum to talk about issues that affect and appeal to women in the field of  environmental sciences;
• share experiences of female leaders (from within and outside academia) who work in the   field; 
• provide hands-on activities in a wide range of environmental sciences;
• provide a platform for career mentoring, leadership and development;
• promote networking opportunities for women;
• inspire and motivate women to take on leadership roles in environmental sciences.

Celebrating International Women's Day/Month

The Women in Environmental Sciences (WiES) celebrate the International Women's month through a collection of videos and research with this year's theme ‘Inspire Inclusion’.

We invite you to access our various resources here https://www.meri.manchester.ac.uk/wies/. We hope you find them inciteful and, if you find any of our work of interest, please cite and share

Best wishes,     

Cecilia   

Chair WiES 

Further information

If you would like to join the WiES, please follow this link for contact information.