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Why do we need a compassionate campus? And how do we get there? For students and staff to thrive at university and beyond, we need a campus culture where everyone feels they belong. This is about how we teach as much as what we teach. Bridgette Bewick explores how her conversations with students and staff are helping the University of Leeds become a compassionate campus. A university experience based on compassion and collaboration will give today’s students a fighting chance of solving tomorrow’s challenges, she argues – and help us all move to a more inclusive, diverse and equitable future.

Not ‘hard to reach’ but ‘hardly reached’ Empowering communities by engaging them in research When Jasjit Singh was researching media portrayals of British Sikhs, he wanted to make sure his research was a true representation of the people whose lives he was talking about. Working with the community then gave him the authority to take the findings forward to influence national and international policy. Here, he reflects on how universities can raise the profile of ‘hardly reached’ communities. By explaining how research works and embedding open dialogue in their projects, academics can make sure their work is relevant – and that it will make a real difference to society.

Can digital technology open up university education for all? In this World changers episode, Vice-Chancellor Simone Buitendijk speaks to Dr Bronwen Swinnerton. Digital technology is often promised as the key to widening participation in university education for more students. But such technology isn’t neutral, and not all learners have the same access to it. Bronwen Swinnerton has been looking at how the ‘digital divide’ affects students in the UK and across the world. And she describes how the University of Leeds’ mission to tackle such inequalities is starting right at home.

What if the drugs don’t work? Solutions start with communities In this World changers episode, Vice-Chancellor Simone Buitendijk speaks to Dr Jessica Mitchell. Infections that would have quickly killed us a hundred years ago are rarely a cause for concern nowadays. Antimicrobials protect us from infections caused by microbes such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. But the speed at which microbes are becoming resistant to these drugs is accelerating rapidly. What will happen if the drugs stop working? Dr Jessica Mitchell is exploring effective ways for our communities – global, national, and local – to come together and respond.

A university without walls: How St Gemma’s Hospice and the University of Leeds joined forces to transform end of life care. In this World changers episode, Vice-Chancellor Simone Buitendijk speaks to Dr Lucy Ziegler. Lucy Ziegler’s research in oncology took on a very personal significance when her own mother died of breast cancer. Her personal loss and passion for her research made her determined to improve the way we care for those nearing the end of their lives. Her research contributed to a landmark breakthrough when St Gemma’s became the world’s first University Teaching Hospice. Now its work not only serves the local Leeds community but also helps reduce inequalities in palliative care across the world.

Beyond the transmission of facts to a whole new level of understanding - how problem-based active learning can boost university students' learning. What is the purpose of a university education, particularly in an age of life-long learning? In the latest episode of the 'Changing the World' series, University of Leeds Vice-Chancellor Professor Simone Buitendijk and Deputy Director of Communications Fridey Cordingley discuss how, for some students and academics, university education is still viewed as the transmission of facts, and assessments to test whether those facts had been learned. The problem with that, Simone argues, is most people do not retain facts. And employers want a different set of skills. They are after people who can work in a team and can collaborate and we need to teach our students that learning never stops. The solution, she believes, is to train students to acquire knowledge but also to solve problems, through a process of active learning, getting students to actively engage with a subject to really learn. Follow Professor Simone Buitendijk on Twitter @SEBuitendijk, and follow University of Leeds at @UniversityLeeds To read more voices from the University of Leeds, visit our https://medium.com/university-of-leeds (Medium publication) and https://www.leeds.ac.uk/ (University's website).

University of Leeds Vice-Chancellor Professor Simone Buitendijk sits down with Dr Cheryl Hurst, a research fellow who specialises in gender and inequality, leadership and organisational change. Recorded in March 2021, their wide-reaching conversation looks at Simone’s journey to becoming the University of Leeds’ first female Vice-Chancellor, leading the organisation during the Covid crisis, the experiences of younger academics. They ask what is the true goal of universities - and should it be measured solely by academic output? Follow Professor Simone Buitendijk on Twitter https://twitter.com/SEBuitendijk (here), and follow University of Leeds by clicking https://twitter.com/universityleeds (here). To read more from the University of Leeds, visit its Medium publication https://medium.com/university-of-leeds (here), and the University's website https://www.leeds.ac.uk/ (here).

In the latest episode of the 'Changing the World' series, University of Leeds Vice-Chancellor Professor Simone Buitendijk and Deputy Director of Communications Fridey Cordingley discuss conflict. We all experience conflict in many areas of our lives - and at universities, debate and disagreements are part of the academic experience. Simone and Fridey discuss their own experiences of conflict, and how it's possible to embrace conflict to make sure it ultimately resolves problems in a constructive and collaborative way.

What is wrong with wanting to deliver perfect work, with wanting to be flawless at what we do? The short answer is: a lot. In this podcast from the University of Leeds, Vice-Chancellor Professor Simone Buitendijk discusses perfectionism with Alexandra Holloway, a Teaching Fellow in the Language Centre and Dr Alex Ding, an Associate Professor in English for Academic Purposes. Each discusses their own experiences with perfectionism, and the impact the concept has had on their careers, personal life and mental health.

In this new series from the University of Leeds, Vice-Chancellor Professor Simone Buitendijk is joined by Fridey Cordingley, Deputy Director of Communications, to discuss her blog, ‘Confessions of a leader in a time of crisis’. Much has been written in recent years about values-based organisations, and the potential they have of uniting and motivating employees. But what about a University? What are the implications for staff, students - and importantly the work we do, through research, to make the world a better place?

In this new series from the University of Leeds, Vice-Chancellor Professor Simone Buitendijk is joined by Fridey Cordingley, Deputy Director of Communications, to discuss her latest blog all around the theme of listening. You can read the blog in full here. In this episode, we'll hear the thoughts and questions from readers since the blog was first published, and delve deeper into why Simone was keen to raise this topic now.