Annual Review 2012-2013

annual review 2012/13

Contents Foreword from the Vice-Chancellor

01

A year of progress

02

Highlights

04

Creativity

06

Culture

14

Enterprise

22

Internationalisation

28

Development and Alumni Relations

30

Academic highlights

34

Research expertise

40

Working with business

50

Community

52

HR update

58

Facts and Figures

60

Governors and senior staff

61

Cover image: ‘Capriccio Beakers’ by Elke Sada ( BA Hons Ceramics, 2003)

Foreword from the Vice-Chancellor Welcome to the Annual Review of the University for 2012/13. We are proud to celebrate the achievements of our staff and students, reflecting the core themes of our vision – creativity, culture, enterprise and education.

Higher education policy continued to present universities with challenges during the last 12 months. Here at Bath Spa University we have developed our vision and strategy to build on our strengths and maximise our opportunities.

We celebrated new international partnerships, bringing new students as well as global opportunities for local students. Our aim is to help our students develop and become socially engaged global citizens at Bath Spa.

Bath Spa University has taught in Bath and the surrounding area for over 160 years and we prides ourselves on the quality of our provision. It is pleasing to report another year of gains in the National Student Survey with students expressing their continued satisfaction with the experience we provide.

The University offers a distinctive student experience, fostering vibrant and creative student communities. With our new academic building at Newton Park we look to the future, providing world-class student learning opportunities.

Our research community continues to grow across traditional areas as well as exploring what it means to undertake practice-based research. Researchers are reaching out across the globe, from New York to the peaks of Mount Athos. In a year where preparation for the Research Excellence Framework has been intense, we have seen progress in supporting our academic community. The launch of our repository, Research SPAce, has proven a great success and the new academic year will see many new PhD students including our new interdisciplinary cohort.

I thoroughly enjoyed our summer graduation ceremonies, held for the first time in Bath Abbey. Our presence in the city did not go unnoticed, with our students standing proud in their caps and gowns, admired by the many visitors to Bath. It was my honour to present this year's honorary graduates with their awards in recognition of outstanding achievement in their respective fields.

I hope that you enjoy this review of the exceptional achievements and highlights of the last year which make Bath Spa University such an inspirational place to work and study.

Professor Christina Slade Vice-Chancellor

01

A year of progress

Vision and Strategy for 2015 Since her arrival at the University in 2012, the Vice-Chancellor Professor Christina Slade has worked with colleagues to develop a vision for the future. That vision is for Bath Spa to be a leading educational institution in creativity, culture and enterprise. Through innovative teaching and research, the University will provide a high quality student experience.

Based in a world heritage city and connected to a network of international partners, Bath Spa University will ensure that its graduates are socially engaged global citizens.

This year, the realisation of that vision has started through the implementation of a clear strategy for the University up until 2015.

In 2015 Bath Spa University will celebrate over 160 years as an educational institution and ten years as a university. The Vision and Strategy for 2015 show how the University will expand its educational offerings and

02

develop research in areas of key strength; notably creativity, culture and enterprise.

Building on its distinctive reputation, the University will internationalise its operations, introducing global perspectives to the curriculum and opening programmes to an increasingly international student body.

The Vision for 2015 is underpinned by principles derived from the University’s long history and proven strengths. It is inspired by the University’s idyllic location in the world heritage city of Bath in which work and play, science and fiction, technological development and environmental awareness converge to stimulate creativity and innovation. The supporting strategy sets out clear goals for the student experience, research and internationalisation.

A distinctive student experience The University’s location in the world heritage city of Bath provides the backdrop for delivery of outstanding academic programmes in creativity, culture, enterprise and education.

A practitioner-focussed approach to teaching features studio and small group teaching, supported by the latest developments in e-learning. The University works in partnership with the cultural and creative industries as well as regional, national and international education partners to produce employmentready graduates who are socially engaged global citizens. Specifically the University will: G

foster vibrant and creative student communities,

G

deliver world-class student learning opportunities,

G

learn from its students.

Engaged research with impact Research is focused on creativity, culture and enterprise with established strengths in Art and Design, Music and Performing Arts, Humanities and Creative Writing and Education. These priority areas will be developed and the University’s reputation enhanced by increasing external funding, growing postgraduate research and teaching activity, enhancing international partnerships and maximising impact and engagement.

Specifically the University will: G

deliver excellence in research,

G

provide a vibrant postgraduate community,

G

engage the public in its research and innovation.

A world university The strategy for internationalisation will transform the University’s international profile, embed global perspectives into the curriculum and grow international student recruitment. Specifically the University will: G

establish the profile of Bath Spa as a world university,

G

develop graduates who are socially engaged global citizens,

G

increase overseas student numbers.

Newton Park campus development

In June of this year construction of new student residential accommodation at the top of the campus near to the Students’ Union began. The new student residential accommodation will consist of 55 individual ‘houses’ for up to ten students, six fully accessible rooms and a small number of studios, providing a total of 561 bedrooms.

Each house will have a shared kitchen/living space and en-suite bedrooms fitted to a high standard. The building work is scheduled to be completed by September 2014, in time for the start of the new academic year.

A large scale development project at the University’s Newton Park campus began in the summer of 2012. An outstanding new academic building and student residential accommodation are being constructed and will transform the student experience.

This is the largest development to ever take place at Bath Spa. It will significantly change the Newton Park campus and provide exceptional new facilities for all current and future students. As the University grows it is essential that it offers an outstanding experience and attracts students from around the world. The development of the Newton Park campus is a key element in helping the University realise its Vision for 2015.

Work on the new academic building began in June 2012. It is situated in the middle of the campus next to the Michael Tippett Centre. It will provide state-of-the-art teaching facilities for students across all subjects, as well as a café, learning commons, bookable rooms for group working and an outdoor amphitheatre for performances. It will also house a fantastic new digital studio and editing suites for all digital media-related courses. It will feature the best technology and equipment, equal to anything used by commercial companies and will be the most outstanding facility of its kind in the South West. Work on the new academic building is scheduled to be completed by April 2014.

Hartham Park developments A significant addition to the University’s infrastructure was developed in 2013 through a partnership with Hartham Park in Corsham.

The University’s PGCE provision in the School of Education will be re-located to Hartham Park in 2014 to form a new and high-profile Bath Spa Institute for Education. The move has been subject to a comprehensive public consultation, and will involve transforming part of the Hartham Park estate into a superb purpose-built teaching facility.

This exciting development will complement the University’s postgraduate provision based at Corsham Court, and consolidate the strong partnership between the University, Wiltshire Council and local schools. As a leading education provider with Ofsted ‘outstanding’ status, the University is ideally placed to lead the way in educational policy and practice development, and to help shape the national agenda on teacher education.

03

Highlights

SEPTEMBER 012 Moby Dick Big Read is launched at the Plymouth International Book Festival and soon attracts 1 million readers.

MARCH 013 The University signs the Manifesto for Public Engagement at the invitation of the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE).

04

OCTOBER 012 A new resource for schools In Care, In School is launched at the House of Lords hosted by Baroness Walmsley.

APRIL 013 Graduate Evie Wyld and Professor of Creative Writing Naomi Alderman are named in the Granta list of the top 20 British writers.

NOVEMBER 012 Film director Ken Loach is awarded an honorary doctorate at a special ceremony.

MAY 013 Joelle Adams, Deputy Director Library Services (Learning Development), is awarded an International Scholarship by the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

DECEMBER 012 Cook, TV presenter and Bath Spa alumna Mary Berry is announced as President of the Bath Spa Alumni Association.

JUNE 013 Painting Lecturer Andrea MedjesiJones is awarded an Abbey Fellowship in Painting at the British School at Rome.

JANUARY 013 Bath Spa and the Holburne Museum formalise their long-standing partnership.

JULY 013 Graduation ceremonies take place at Bath Abbey with honorary degrees awarded Peter Randall-Page, Anne Bull OBE, Professor Sir Harrison Birtwistle and Hilary Mantel CBE.

FEBRUARY 013 Stephanie Kitchen wins the Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD) national design competition.

AUGUST 013 New joint venture with Shorelight Education announced to bring more international students to Bath Spa.

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danceroom Spectroscopy Professor Joseph Hyde, Creative Music Technology, continued his work on Dr David Glowacki’s (Centre for Computational Chemistry, University of Bristol) ‘danceroom Spectroscopy’ project which had its London premiere in November. After successful outings at the Arnolfini in Bristol and the Weymouth Olympics last summer, the project ran over the weekend of 3 and 4 November at the Barbican in London as the centrepiece of their ‘Weekender’ festival. danceroom Spectroscopy is part interactive art installation, part immersive science experience, part large-scale video game, part dance performance, and part musical instrument. Spawned from Glowacki’s research, the project has become a largescale collaboration including Professor Hyde (sound/music), technologist Dr Tom Mitchell (University of the West of England), software artist Phill Tew (Pervasive Media Studio, Watershed, Bristol) and choreographer Laura Kriefman (Guerilla Dance Company).

Together with five professional dancers, they have also developed ‘Hidden Fields’, the world’s first ever dance performance that attempts to “choreograph” atomic dynamics using the danceroom Spectroscopy system. It is a high-impact and accessible show constructed using the danceroom spectroscopy technology.

It was developed through a series of workshops with professional dancers in partnership with the Arnolfini in Bristol.

Three 30-minute performances of ‘Hidden Fields’ were held on each day of the Weekender Festival at the Barbican.

06

Creativity “It was eye-catching, functional, futuristic, fun and accompanied with fabulous accessories which looked to the future in an original eco-manner.”

Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD) prize 2013 In February Stephanie Kitchen won the national design competition Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD). Fifteen finalists were selected from over 100 entries submitted to design optimistic solutions for the next decade.

The catwalk final took place during London Fashion Week as part of the Vauxhall Fashion Scout showcase where aspiring young designers compete for vital funding and top industry placements.

Stephanie’s work was judged alongside that of other contestants by a top industry panel including iconic fashion journalist and talent spotter Hilary Alexander. Stephanie’s work was also personally selected by Hilary Alexander to be showcased on the catwalk at the London Fashion Weekend.

Commenting on the high standard of designs, Hilary Alexander said: “Overall, the standard of this year's FAD entries was extremely high.

The three winners stood out immediately and the decision of the judging panel was unanimous.

With reference to Stephanie, she added: “The winning entry was outstanding, in concept, inspiration, execution and creativity - with an extremely high degree of sustainability, wearability and commercial appeal, as well.

Commenting on winning the final, Stephanie said: “It was so amazing to have the opportunity to see my designs on the catwalk and I was so flattered and shocked to have been announced the winner of the FAD competition.”

Gold award at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Louise Pickles, Course Leader and Coordinator of Fashion at Bath Spa, added: “It is fantastic that Stephanie has won this prestigious national design competition. The level of thought and attention to detail that went into the development of this mini collection was astounding.

A water sculpture designed by MA Fine Art student Fiona Haines was part of a garden that won Gold at the most famous horticultural show in the world, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

“This is the fourth year that we have had finalists in the FAD competition, and we are thrilled for Stephanie and the tremendous opportunities that this will open up for her.”

Fiona’s orange water sculpture feature, ‘Flow’ was part of the BrandAlley garden which won Gold in the ‘Fresh Garden’ category. Fiona was commissioned to produce the work for the garden which was designed by Paul HerveyBrookes.

This is the twelfth year that creative charity FAD has run the competition with the aim of challenging fashion students to think outside the commercial box, encouraging them to look to art, culture and wider social trends in their research and design work.

Commenting on the Gold award, Fiona said: “I am thrilled to have won gold at Chelsea Flower Show in its centenary year! It has been a wonderful experience working with the garden designer Paul Hervey-Brookes for the BrandAlley garden.”

Fiona works in Bath and prior to starting her MA graduated from Bath Spa with a First Class BA Honours degree. Her work is based on a love of architecture, landscape and colour. This, fused with her nursing career provides a catalyst for her artwork and choice of materials.

07

Creativity

Wonderful year of success for Creative Writing: The Creative Writing course at Bath Spa has been running for over 20 years. During that time it has become one of the most successful and popular in the UK. Course tutors are themselves respected writers and their links with the publishing industry are invaluable to graduates. Some success highlights from the last year are as follows: Sean Borodale PhD student Sean Borodale was shortlisted for the T.S.Eliot Prize, one of the most important poetry prizes in the UK. Sean was selected for his collection of poems Bee Journal which tells the life of a bee hive. He was shortlisted alongside major names including Simon Armitage, Sharon Olds and Kathlen Jamie. This was a remarkable achievement for a newly published poet. The T.S.Eliot Prize for poetry was established in 1993 by the Poetry Book Society to honour its founder. It is regarded as the most prestigious and valuable prize in the UK for poetry. Previous winners include Seamus Heaney, Derek Walcott and Ted Hughes.

Anna Freeman Creative Writing lecturer and performance poet Anna Freeman won the Tibor Jones Pageturner Prize. The biennial Tibor Jones Pageturner Prize aims to unearth exciting and original fiction from debut un-represented novelists. Anna received recognition for her novel The Fair Fight, a thrilling historical novel set around the lives of bare-knuckle prizefighters and their patrons, in Bristol in the 1800s. The inaugural Pageturner Prize was launched in 2011 and received an extraordinary response with over 400 manuscripts submitted.

Beatrice Hitchman Nathan Filer Graduate Beatrice Hitchman was long-listed for the Desmond Elliott Prize. The prize honours the best in debut fiction and Beatrice was long-listed for her novel Petite Mort. The award is named after acclaimed publisher and literary agent Desmond Elliott, who died in 2003. Beatrice, who completed her MA in Creative Writing in 2009, has already received recognition for Petite Mort which won the Greene & Heaton Prize.

08

Creative Writing graduate Nathan Filer’s debut novel The Shock of the Fall was published in May. It is an extraordinary portrait of one man’s descent into mental illness. It is a brave and ground-breaking novel from one of the most exciting new voices in fiction. Nathan is a writer and registered mental health nurse.

He has worked as a researcher in the academic unit of psychiatry at the University of Bristol, and on in-patient psychiatric wards. His stand-up poetry has been a regular fixture at festivals and spoken-word events across the UK, and has been broadcast on BBC 3 television and Radio 4, 7 and 5 Live. He is also a BBC Best New Filmmaker.

Recognition for textile design Penny Seume studied MA Design: Fashion and Textiles and her work was shown at the prestigious Society of Designer Craftsmen annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London. She was invited to exhibit following her award of a highly commended recommendation at the New Design Britain awards at Interiors UK in January 2012.

For the exhibition, Penny designed printed velvet fabric based on the New York skyline and worked with upholsterer, Ann Dyke and interior designer for Dulux, Chris Read, to produce a spectacular sofa. Capturing the atmosphere of New York glittering in the winter sunlight the sofa, entitled Vagabond Shoes (in homage to Frank Sinatra singing New York, New York - the very hub of this design) is a true collaboration of all their skills.

The whole body of work has been given a Distinction award by the Society and in addition to the sofa, Penny showed cushions and linen lampshades based on her paintings and collages of the city.

Following the exhibition, the sofa featured alongside the Dulux colour of the year, a deep midnight blue in contrast to the golden sofa.

Penny now works full time from her studio in Bristol, designing and creating beautiful printed fabrics, wallpaper and interior products. Her products reference the original location in a subtle way and capture some of the inherent mood and magic.

Her collections have been variously inspired by the Bath skyline, New York and London.

The latter captured twinkling lights, barges and architecture by the Thames Embankment and was designed for the ‘London: A Celebration’ show at the Oxo Tower Gallery in May 2012.

09

Creativity

Ceramics residency at the V&A Keith Harrison, Course Leader in MA Design: Ceramics was invited by the V&A Museum to be Ceramics Resident from November 2012 to March 2013.

The V&A Museum Residency Programme provides designers, artists, writers, makers, and musicians with a studio in either the Sackler Centre for Arts Education or the Ceramics Galleries, normally for six months.

Artists in Residence contribute workshops, lectures and gallery talks to the Museum’s Learning Programme and also hold sessions where Museum visitors can meet them in their studios and view and discuss their work.

During his residency Keith’s aim was to: “pursue new ways to explore the transformative potential of clay and electricity in both a material and social sense and foresee the period as an opportunity to develop new approaches to my practice in a new and stimulating environment.”

During the residency Keith created the ‘Disruption Series’ through installation and performance which existed temporarily across the Museum. The V&A described the work as: “Disruptions are intended as a riposte to the lunchtime recital, a succession of short, experimental shocks within the structure of the institution.”

Keith's work is far from that of a conventional potter. Since 2002 he has been shocking the world of ceramics with a series of live public experiments, exploring the process of transformation, converting clay from its raw state using industrial and domestic heating elements. In more recent work Keith has used sound to transform the clay and his largest experiment was impressively seen and heard in 2011 at the Jerwood Makers Open in the form of ‘Float’ a huge structure made up of 26 handmade speakers.

10

Hospitality exhibition at Bath Abbey Bath Abbey hosted a successful exhibition featuring new artworks by 11 Bath Spa University artists, including professional artist alumni, current students and staff from the Bath School of Art and Design.

"We are grateful to Claire Todd, Bath School of Art and Design at Bath Spa University, and all the artists involved in this project for helping the Abbey to speak this essential Christian message of welcome with such vitality and joy.”

The artists were asked by curator and Bath Spa MA Ceramics graduate, Claire Todd, to create artworks that critically engage with the theme of ‘Hospitality’ and are inspired by, and in dialogue with, the contemporary life of Bath Abbey.

Commenting on the theme, Claire Todd said: “The works are embedded in the fabric of the Abbey, in familiar and less visible ledges and corners. Worshippers and visitors may seek out certain works and encounter others by chance. In this way we aim to heighten awareness of the single joy of hospitality and space for reflection and to magnify the warm nature of the Abbey as a place of encounter and exchange."

The ‘Hospitality’ exhibition was part of a larger project looking at how visual art in a sacred space can critically raise awareness of space of refuge, space for devotion, common ground and understanding. There was also an accompanying education programme.

The artworks were staged amongst the daily activities of worship and welcoming visitors to the Abbey. Anyone coming into the building, whatever their purpose, was able to discover and engage with the artworks as they walked around.

The participating artists were: Dan Allen, Kateland Clark, David Cushway, Marc Le Galle, Carole Pearson, Sarah Purvey, Lyn Snow, Andrew Temple-Smith, Jo Taylor, Claire Todd, Jane Turner, Kate Wilson and Richard Winfield.

Alan Garrow, Bath Abbey’s Vicar Theologian, added: “Hospitality is important to us as a church; it is a key part of the Christian message. Having these artworks in unexpected places around the Abbey offers fresh, creative, and sometimes humorous, ways of emphasising a message already spoken by the building itself: there is a space for everyone here. Space is such a precious thing in our lives and in our city. It gives us a chance to breathe, to be ourselves, to encounter God and one another.

11

Creativity Granta’s list of top 20 British writers Professor Naomi Alderman and graduate Evie Wyld were joined on the once-a-decade list by other novelists including Zadie Smith, Adam Thirlwell and Sarah Hall, for the announcement at the British Council in London on 15 April.

Finn graduated from the Bath School of Art and Design in 2004 with a degree in Graphic Design. He was the Runner Up in the Observer/Jonathan Cape short graphic story competition in 2007, has had his awardwinning illustrations - which focus on cityscapes and landscapes - recently featured in director Danny Boyle's film Trance, and is currently working for Penguin on a series of book covers.

Granta first published a list of the top 20 writers aged under 40 in 1983. That list included illustrious writers such as Martin Amis, William Boyd, Ian McEwan and Salman Rushdie. It is published once a decade and focuses on existing and emerging talents.

Evie Wyld graduated from Bath Spa in 2002 having studied creative writing as part of a BA Creative Arts Course. Her debut novel After the Fire, a Still Small Voice won the 2009 John Llewellyn Rhys literary prize. As well as writing novels, Evie also runs an independent bookshop in London.

Professor Naomi Alderman joined Bath Spa in September 2012. Her debut novel Disobedience, was published in ten languages and like her second novel, The Lessons, it was read on BBC radio's Book at Bedtime. In 2006 she won the Orange Award for New Writers and in 2007, she was named Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year.

She also co-created Zombies, Run! - a fitness game and audio app for smartphones and was the lead writer on Bafta-shortlisted alternate reality game Perplex City.

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Commenting on the competition he said: “Taking part in the competition has been a great opportunity to work on a piece of literature that was a great source of inspiration whilst at University, and recent years have shown just how visionary Huxley's book was.”

Book Illustration competition Finn Dean was named winner of The Book Illustration Competition for his work based on Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World.

As a partnership between The Folio Society and The House of Illustration, the international competition invited contestants over 18, ranging from amateur to professional standard, to submit three illustrations and a binding design for the 1932 novel.

Finn beat over 500 rivals and received £4,500 for his efforts. His winning submissions, including the cover, featured in the new Folio Society illustrated hardback edition of Huxley’s renowned work, published in September 2013.

The announcement was made by John Sutherland, Professor Emeritus at UCL and author at the Collyer Bristow Gallery in July.

It made Finn the third winner of this competition which in previous years has challenged entrants to illustrate Camus’ existentialist The Outsider and Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber collection.

Cock-A-Hoop Symposium In April, 50 academics, students and artists gathered at Bath Spa University for the first ‘Cock-A-Hoop’ Symposium. Organised by Dr Terri Power and Pat Welsh from the School of Music and Performing Arts, in collaboration with the Bristol Shakespeare Festival, the event was an interdisciplinary platform for sharing ideas and practices for making Shakespeare more accessible to audiences.

The first panel of the day gave papers on contemporary Shakespeare in performance which was followed by an interpretive dance piece from a postgraduate choreographer Ji-Eun Lee. The second panel broke off into three workshops on the following topics: original pronunciation, a screening of a Macbeth project with prisoners in Ireland, and a cut-up Macbeth drumming workshop with Drum Major Russell MacEwan. The third panel included Pat Welsh and Bath Spa students sharing and discussing extracts of the Cock-AHoop performance work that premiered the night before at Burdall's Yard as part of the Bath Comedy Festival and the final discussion panel included several Shakespeare practitioners, directors and programmers.

Second year Acting students in the Cock-AHoop performance project worked as attendants during the symposium, leading the delegates around and answering questions while dressed in Elizabethan costumes.

The symposium was a huge success and several of the delegates have been programmed into the Bristol Shakespeare Festival in July. There are also plans to hold a two-day international conference in 2014 on the same theme.

Commenting on the event, Sarah Swords King, Director of Swords & King said: “Your students do you proud - all of them were excellent, obviously all extremely talented.”

13

Culture

Helping digitise the city Bath Spa staff and students played a pivotal role in the 2013 Bath Digital Festival, teaming up with the Festival organisers to provide ten days of exciting events at venues across the city during March.

Bath has a fast-growing digital sector and the Festival was developed to allow members of the public to explore the city’s thriving digital scene and to get involved in a variety of interesting projects. The mixture of events offered something for everyone in the community.

Innovative research is constantly being carried out at Bath Spa and cutting-edge digital enterprises are choosing the city as their home, so Bath has a lot to celebrate and is fast being recognised as a leading digital hub.

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Anthony Head’s Digitrope

Social Media Experiment

Anthony Head, Senior lecturer in Digital Technologies created a brand new artwork for the Festival. The Digitrope, which is an interactive, participatory linear zoetrope (a device that produces the illusion of motion from a rapid succession of static pictures) was projected onto the Roman Baths in Stall Street on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 March.

Another project during the Festival saw staff and students team up to look after the Festival’s entire social media presence.

Members of the public were invited to come along and be teleported into the Digitrope, by standing in front of the camera and performing for a few seconds. They then watched a 20 metre wide projection, showing their time-delayed image along the Digitrope's nine two-metre high windows.

Just like watching a 19th century zoetrope, but with a 21st century digital twist!

Anthony said: “It was great to have the opportunity to create a new projected work for Bath Digital Festival. Following my personal passion for digital interactivity, this participatory artwork brought many smiles to people as they experienced it for themselves.

The act of seeing yourself, patterned by the rhythm of time-delayed moving image is uncanny and engaging.”

Katharine Reeve, Acting Head of Department in Creative Writing and Publishing ran a social media workshop with senior lecturer Mike Johnston. The event sold out quickly to a wide range of local businesses, cultural organisations and freelancers, and showcased the recent work they have been doing around creative and responsive mobile video content.

Before, during and after the Festival, Katharine and Mike, with the help of Digital Publishing students managed the Social Media Experiment to promote the festival digitally through the use of Twitter, Facebook, blogs/articles, filming, interviews and YouTube.

Publishing staff and students also joined forces to launch a new Digital School Magazine project. They held a workshop for four local schools in the University’s Publishing Lab where they provided advice and expertise to school teachers and magazine producers.

Katharine Reeve said: “We've had a busy year providing creative digital content for many festivals and conferences. The students have developed not only their digital creativity but also invaluable experience of working with industry directly, and collaboration and teambuilding.

“The Digital Publishing students who worked on the Social Media Experiment were given some wonderful opportunities to create digital content across media and platforms for this important digital festival, which celebrates the city of Bath’s expertise in this area.”

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Culture ‘Creating Voices’ project The ‘Creating Voices’ project has been designed to capture the stories of the many individuals who were involved in caring for Bath Abbey’s fabric or who worked on restoring the present Abbey building. The project received £22,200 funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), and a further £7,000 was provided by the Friends of Bath Abbey bringing the project total to £29,200.

Staff versus students on BBC Radio 4 quiz show Bath Spa was selected as one of only six UK universities to take part in the annual BBC Radio 4 quiz show ‘The 3rd Degree’.

The production company recorded the show in the University Theatre in January and the programme aired in March.

The quiz involved a team of students going head-to-head with a team of staff answering questions on general knowledge and their degree subject. The staff team included Celia Brayfield, Senior

Lecturer in Creative Writing; Mark McGuinness, Head of Department: Social Sciences and Martin Dupras, Senior Lecturer in Creative Music Technology who were up against the student team of: Daniel Tapper, Creative Music Technology; Peter Bridge, Geography and Thilde Holdt, Creative Writing.

It was a close contest, but in the end the staff were victorious, winning by 23 points to 21.

Heritage and History students from the University will help the Abbey collect and present people’s stories from over a 60-year period of the Abbey’s rich and inspiring history, from the 1942 Bath Blitz, which provided the impetus for the 13 year post-war restoration of the Abbey, up to the end of the Abbey 2000 restoration.

The formation of the Friends of Bath Abbey in 1948 was crucial to the preservation and enhancement of the Abbey during this period as the Friends provided the driving force and much of the funding for both these programmes.

Dr Kristin Doern, Heritage Subject Leader, said: “This is an exciting time for the Abbey, and an ideal opportunity to look back and record the experiences of those who have worked on the Abbey in the past. A particular strength of the project is the collaboration between Abbey volunteers and our students, broadening the range of people our students work with, and helping the Abbey capacity build in terms of the skills of its core volunteers.

“Because the project runs over two years, it also gives us the chance to be involved in something on a longer term basis which has opened up new possibilities for how we can be involved, and increases the number of students who will benefit from working with the Abbey team. We are delighted to be involved in a project that further develops what is already a key partnership for the University, and welcome the opportunities it will bring for our students.”

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Bath Spa staff and students made wonderful contributions with chapter readings, and artwork, some made especially for the project.

The Guardian hosted a live event at King's Place in London with a lively and stimulating evening of readings, film clips and discussion with guests including Richard Sabin of the Natural History Museum, Zeb Soanes, the voice of Radio Four, Kerry Shale. The evening was spent discussing myth, gender and reality of Herman Melville’s book of 1851, and why it means even more than ever today.

Play nominated for five awards ‘Vanessa and Virginia’, a play by Dr Elizabeth Wright, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, has been nominated for five Off West End Awards (Offies). The nominations are in the categories of: G

Best female performance – Alice Frankham

G

Best new play – Elizabeth Wright

G

Most promising playwright – Elizabeth Wright

G

Best sound – Jeremy Thurlow

G

Best set – Kate Unwin

‘Vanessa and Virginia’ is about the lives of Virginia Woolf and her lesser-known sister, the artist Vanessa Bell. It is based on the 2008 novel by Susan Sellers. The play was performed at Riverside Studios in London from 25 March until 14 April.

The Offies recognise and celebrate the excellence, innovation and ingenuity of independent theatres across London.

Nominees will be shortlisted in January 2014 and the winners announced in the spring.

Chapters were released daily at www.mobydickbigread.com and the project ran well into 2013.

Annual Farmington Seminars on Religious Education

One million listeners for Moby Dick Big Read The Moby Dick Big Read involved celebrities, scientists and members of the public reading a chapter from Herman Melville’s famous 1851 novel. Readers included Prime Minister David Cameron, Stephen Fry, naturist Sir David Attenborough, actors Simon Callow and Tilda Swinton, and Pet Shop Boys lead singer Neil Tennant.

Since the project was launched at the Plymouth International Book Festival in September 2013, those readings have been listened to one million times on the SoundCloud website.

The Moby-Dick Big Read was developed over two years and ran run for more than three months from its launch at the Plymouth International Book Festival. The project was co-curated by Dr Philip Hoare, artist in residence at Plymouth University’s Marine Institute, and Angela Cockayne, Reader in Interdisciplinary Arts Practice at Bath Spa.

On Thursday 1 November the University hosted the annual Farmington Seminars on Religious Education. Will Farrell, Head of Religious Studies at Nailsea School presented his work on using children’s literature in religious education: ‘Of Lions, Wardrobes and Turkish Delight: using the Chronicles of Narnia to explore central Christian concepts at KS3’.

Alex Wilkinson, headteacher at Christchurch Junior School, presented his work on developing RE for year six pupils that uses music, art, story and philosophy as prompts to personal reflection and to raise important questions: ‘Mirrors, Windows and Doors: learning from religious education’.

The Farmington Institute is a charity based in Harris Manchester College, Oxford, which provides funding for teachers to engage in research connected with religious education.

The Fellowships can be based in school or university or both. Professor of Religion and Education Denise Cush has supervised seventeen ‘Farmington Fellows’ over the years since 1998 and considers the Fellowships a wonderful opportunity for teachers to find space for developing innovative ideas.

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Culture Bath Spa Live 2012/13 has been the busiest year to date for the Bath Spa Live production office. 101 events have been presented at the Michael Tippett Centre, University Theatre and Burdall’s Yard, as well as at other local venues including the Assembly Rooms, Museum of Bath at Work, the Rondo Theatre, the egg and St Swithin’s Church.

53 of these events showcased the work of the staff, students and artistic partners of the School of Music and Performing Arts. Bath Spa Live also supported a further 48 events from other Schools across the University and local arts organisations whose work links to the University’s academic programmes.

To support the ever growing season of events, 12 students are now employed in Bath Spa Live’s front of house team, to assist with event management and to share responsibility for the well-being and safety of the audience.

Suzanne Harris, Events and Venues Manager for Bath Spa Live, was also awarded Bath Spa University's ‘On Campus Employer of the Year’ prize.

The University’s Burdall’s Yard venue has been greatly developed by the Bath Spa Live team this year. The sound and lighting equipment has been upgraded, new furniture has been installed and the bar area now has fixtures to enable us to exhibit art by students from the School of Art and Design. A new floor was also fitted to greatly expand the venue’s ability to host acting and dance rehearsals. Burdall’s Yard programme now features regular comedy, jazz, storytelling and poetry events.

Bath Spa Live artistic highlights of 2012/13 Gwilym Simcock and John Treleaven In January, these two prestigious musicians visited the Michael Tippett Centre to run workshops with Music students and to give public performances. Described as a “creative genius” by Chick Corea, Gwilym Simcock was the first jazz musician on the BBC’s New Generation Artists scheme and was also voted one of the ‘1,000 most influential people in London’ by the Evening Standard. John Treleaven is one of the world’s most soughtafter ‘Heldentenors’, who specialises in performing heroic Wagnerian roles. Both artists were described as “inspirational”

by Bath Spa students.

Jean Abreu Dance - BLOOD In November, Bath Spa Live presented the previews of Jean Abreu’s new work BLOOD, at the University Theatre. BLOOD was commissioned by the Royal Opera House with support from the PRS for Music Foundation and the National Lottery. The work was the product of an intensive research, development and production project run with Bath Spa University’s Dance students and continues to tour the UK in 2013/14.

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Aphra Behn - The Rover Final year Performing Arts students presented their swashbuckling production of The Rover to four sell-out houses at the University Theatre in November and December. Featuring farce, intrigue, romance and sword fights, this show had the added entertainment of female and male students swapping roles, with men playing women and vice versa.

Performing Arts Thesis Shows For the first time this year, Bath Spa University’s final year Performing Arts shows were produced as part of the Bath Spa Live programme. Over three weeks in May, Boeing Boeing was presented at the University Theatre, Swallows & Amazons at the egg and Whale Music at The Rondo Theatre. Half of the performances sold out and all were met with enthusiastic reviews. We look forward to building on this project in 2013/14.

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Culture

Kilda Meadows

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Bath Spa Porthleven Prize In January the University and the Trevor Osborne Charitable Trust launched the Bath Spa Porthleven Prize. This is an exciting new opportunity exclusively for Bath Spa students to win one of five fully funded art residencies in Porthleven, Cornwall.

The prize is funded by the Trevor Osborne Charitable Trust in association with Bath Spa University. It is an excellent opportunity for students to gain professional artistic experience and promote their own work and practice to commercial galleries, prospective customers and clients.

The five students selected by a panel of judges were: G

Joseph Turnbull, second year BA Fine Art,

G

Jane Hall, second year BA Fine Art,

G

Kilda Meadows, third year BA Creative Arts,

G

Sara Mark, MA Fine Art,

G

Vasilieos Chatzimakris, PhD, Music and Performing Arts.

The prize winners took part in a ten-day residency in May, based at the Porthleven Lifeboat Art Studio. Whilst there, they worked together to produce a body of collaborative artwork. An exhibition of their work entitled ‘The Nearness of Gold’ was shown at the O3 Gallery in Oxford in September and then travelled to the Guildhall Building in Bristol during October and concluded at the Bath School of Art and Design in November.

The artwork in the exhibition communicates the essence of Cornish maritime existence, both in modern terms and historically. Taking inspiration from local Cornish folklore tales to the stories of current inhabitants of the harbour village, as well as referencing the physical materials of the site, the participating students have skilfully woven together all aspects of their Porthleven experience to produce a contemporary and creative vision of this special location.

Commenting on her residency experience, BA Creative Arts student Kilda Meadows said: “The Porthleven Prize was a great opportunity to work collaboratively and create work that responded to Porthleven in a contemporary context, and to explore new materials inspired by the rich natural resources of Porthleven.

“I was inspired by the legends and stories of local people and wanted to interpret them through fresh eyes and create new works that present a different perspective on old stories.”

Helen Statham, Director of the O3 Gallery, added: “The O3 Gallery is delighted to be working with students from Bath Spa University in this residency and exhibition.

Collaborative practice is so important to contemporary artists working today and we are thrilled to be bringing together five students with such diverse working processes and media.”

Exploring monastic relationships in the eighteenth century Professor of British History Elaine Chalus featured in a three-part historical programme documenting the relationships, deaths and illnesses of British monarchs in the eighteenth century.

Professor Chalus travelled to Hampton Court Palace to film the second programme of the three-part series. Entitled 'Fit to Rule' and hosted by historical writer and curator Dr Lucy Worsley, the series first aired on Friday 26 April on BBC2.

As part of the filming, Elaine specifically spoke about the events that came to poison the relationship between King George II and Queen Caroline with their son Frederick, Prince of Wales, in the 1730s.

Commenting on the filming, Elaine said: “The family relations between the Hanoverian monarchs and their sons were always difficult, but this relationship was played out in the full glare of the press. Viewers may well be surprised to see just how public this row was.”

Jane Hall

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Enterprise Impressive graduate employability

Top class Business and Management courses

New data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show that 93.2 per cent of Bath Spa graduates are in work or further study within six months of graduation. This is higher than the national average of 90.8 per cent and also higher than a number of Russell Group universities including the universities of Manchester (91.0), Durham (91.6), Oxford (92.0), Warwick (92.3) and Birmingham (92.8).

Business and Management at Bath Spa is ranked as number 1 in the UK for student satisfaction and joint number 1 for teaching by the Guardian University Guide 2014.

The data also show that more Bath Spa graduates than ever before have gone into work or further study. In comparison to other universities offering a similar experience to Bath Spa, the University is the second highest ranked.

In the last year alone, Bath Spa graduates have gone to work for various global businesses including Dyson, Danone, Agusta Westland, Disney, Jones Lang Lasalle and McGraw-Hill as well as leading creative and cultural industry organisations including Atlantic Records, English Heritage, Future Publishing, National Trust, Sony Entertainment and Universal Music.

Adam Powell, Head of Enterprise and Local Partnerships said: “It's great news that Bath Spa University graduates are continuing to do well after leaving university. It's clear that our focus on creativity, culture and enterprise is equipping our students with the necessary graduate skills to succeed in the work place.�

The statistics are based on the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey which is carried out by HESA on an annual basis.

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This demonstrates how our supportive academic staff and close knit student community creates an exceptional learning environment for students studying at Bath Spa. Students also have fantastic opportunities to work closely with business and industry through placements, projects and internships. This, coupled with the excellent course structure and teaching methods, ensures graduates have high employability prospects.

Work placements at the Environment Agency

Alice graduated this summer and secured a role in the Environment Agency sampling and collection department to help in their ongoing monitoring of waterbodies and fisheries.

Alice said about her experience: “This job allows you to broaden your skill set…to develop new areas of knowledge…It has been an invaluable experience towards my career development.”

Graduate employing graduates Integral to our BSc Geography experience is the application of real-world knowledge and skills to meet societal needs, such as sustainable river catchment management.

Two Geography students, Alice Johns and Tim Johns, worked at the Environment Agency at Bridgwater during the summer of 2012.

Tim graduated from Bath Spa with a Geography degree in 2012, en-route to a higher degree course. Supervised by Dr Richard Johnson, Tim successfully undertook a final year dissertation in partnership with the Environment Agency, exploring a catchment management issue on the River Avon in Wiltshire. The Environment Agency expressed how pleased they were with the quality of the product, the professional work ethic adopted, and real-world application delivered by Tim’s work. Since then Tim has undertaken a paid summer placement with the Environment Bristol Area Asset Management Team and speaking about the work he said: “These experiences have given me more drive and determination to achieve a career in the environmental sector. Working with the Environment Agency…I have learnt so much during the period…Without hesitation, I would thoroughly recommend the experience to anybody.”

In May 2010 Rosanna Campbell (now Mead) won the Bath Spa University Business & Enterprise Competition and was awarded £1,000 prize money which allowed her to set up her business Musica. The company provides interactive music workshops to benefit the health and well-being of older adults and particularly those with dementia. Following the initial success of the business in Dorset, care homes across the South West have expressed interest and Musica has therefore employed a team of representatives to run workshops in other parts of the country.

has been an excellent decision and I have been overwhelmed by their enthusiasm and professionalism. They are an asset to the company and are already proving popular, with many clients making repeat bookings.”

Professor Christina Slade, Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University said: “Here at Bath Spa we seek to create a culture of creativity and enterprise and foster skills in our students that will help them in their careers outside higher education. The annual Business & Enterprise Competition is an excellent way for students to develop their entrepreneurial skills and turn their creative ideas into business realities. The experience of Rosanna is testament to the value of the scheme and I am delighted that her business is growing thanks to the work of Bath Spa graduates.”

A team of five people are now leading Musica sessions, and four of these are recent music graduates from Bath Spa University. Frankie Whittingham who graduated this summer, has taken on the first Musica license – Musica Wiltshire – and through this Frankie will be running her own Musica business providing workshops for older adults in care homes and hospitals across the county.

Rosanna says: “The support I have received from Bath Spa University since winning the Competition back in 2010 has been fantastic.

I can honestly say that if it hadn’t been for the support and encouragement from Bath Spa I don’t think that my business would have expanded at the rate that it has. Taking on Bath Spa graduates to run Musica workshops

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Enterprise Graduate placements at Parragon Books The University has seen a substantial increase in the number of placement schemes including the continuation of a highly successful one with Parragon Books.

Over two thirds of undergraduate awards at Bath Spa give students the option of a placement or work-based learning module.

There has been around a 300 per cent increase in the number of students opting to take the University’s work placement module since the 2011/12 academic year. One of the most successful programmes has been the Parragon Graduate scheme. This three month internship for graduating publishing students, at Parragon Books in Bath, provides a fantastic opportunity for them to experience a real working environment.

Head of HR at Parragon Books, Claire Williams, explained: “The scheme is designed to prepare graduates for the world of work and to build up local relationships within the community. It aims to integrate students into the workplace, encouraging the appropriate attitudes, responsibilities and commitments which are all vital in the work place.

“We try to make the whole experience for graduates as professional as possible where they will go through the whole recruitment process including professional interviews and feedback as well as the full induction process when they join the business.

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“So far the placement scheme has been a great success. We have had some really fantastic graduates join the business, some of whom have gone on to secure permanent roles and for others, it has provided a great stepping stone into the industry they want to work in.”

Acting Head of Department in Creative Writing and Publishing, Katharine Reeve, said: “Parragon has been amazing through this whole process and they have really driven this. We are incredibly grateful and delighted to be working with them.”

The importance of students gaining high quality work experience is continually being highlighted and reflected in employer and student surveys. Results from the most recent High Fliers research warned that graduates without work experience will struggle to get jobs no matter how good their grades.

The University last year established a dedicated placements team which, in partnership with its employer liaison team, is supporting more students and local business than ever before in seeking and developing new placement opportunities. With over 1,500 Bath Spa students on placement in a range of businesses, schools and other settings, Head of Enterprise and Local Partnerships, Adam Powell, commented: “Placements and industry-led projects are an essential part of degree programmes today not only for the skills, knowledge and networks developed, but to gain an understanding of how formal and informal recruitment works.”

Student Employee and Employer of the Year awards

Ursula Forbush

Katy Stokes

Megan Howard

In June the University announced the winners of a number of awards for Student Employee and Employer of Year.

Student Employee of the Year

On Campus Student Employee of the Year

Employer of the Year – Highly Commended

Second year Drama Studies student Katy Stokes has been named as Student Employee of the Year. Katy works part time at Baskervilles Gymnastics and Fitness Centre in Bath. Baskervilles, a family run business which started over 30 years ago, specialises in offering competitive and non-competitive gymnastics training as well as fun-filled preschool classes and soft play sessions/parties for young children.

Third year Fine Art student Megan Howard has won the On Campus Student Employee of the Year award.

Suzanne Harris, Bath Spa’s Events and Venues Manager for Bath Spa Live has been awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the Employer of the Year category.

For the past year, Katy has been a children’s party leader and a recreational level gymnastics coach. Director of Baskervilles, Paul Baskerville nominated Katy because “the children instantly like her due to her personality and great attitude to work.”

Paul added: “Katy’s commitment to her job is second to none and she leaves parents and children with a smile every time they come into contact with her.”

The competition, organised by the National Association of Student Employment Services, recognises the contribution and achievements of students who combine a part-time job with their studies.

For the last two years, Megan has worked part time in the Art Shop based at Sion Hill in the Bath School of Art and Design. David Tinkham, Technical Facilities Manager, nominated Megan for her “unfailingly cheerful, positive and approachable manner...always ready to help out and advise on art products and techniques.”

Suzanne was nominated by Clare Ramsay from Student Events who said: “She is always a pleasure to work for, is understanding and realistic about each of her employee’s commitments including study and life outside university.

Student Employer of the Year

“Due to her management skills the team is confident, happy, and makes an effort to help each other and everyone else.”

Bath Spa’s Employer of the Year is Ursula Forbush, Manager for Action on Hearing Loss.

Ursula was nominated by two students who work as Relief Support Workers at the home she manages in Newbridge, Bath. She was nominated by Catherine Swift and Stuart Nelson who described her as “extremely accommodating to busy students.”

They added: “Everyone is treated equally and the atmosphere in the house is always so welcoming. The job has given us independence and great experience at helping other people organise their own lives, as well as the opportunity to take a course in British Sign Language.”

Juliet Mather, Job Shop Coordinator at Bath Spa, runs the Job Shop service which helps students find local and ideally degree-related part-time work to fit around their studies. She contacted local employers who have used the service this year for nominations as well as Bath Spa students to seek their nominations for student-friendly employers.

Commenting on this year’s awards, Juliet said: “These awards recognise the importance of part-time work experience for the future employability of students, as well as the valuable contribution students can make to key local employers.”

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Enterprise Fashion students win prestigious internship in USA Two fashion students travelled to America to spend a three month internship with GAPowned clothing and accessories company Old Navy.

Commenting on Lauren and Philippa’s success, Louise said: “It is a real testament to the success of the course to be invited to collaborate with such a successful high profile overseas brand, and for our students to compete against students from some of the strongest UK fashion design courses. I am thrilled that Lauren and Philippa have been given this amazing opportunity.”

Lauren Mather and Philippa Robinson were selected as two of only 12 students from the UK who spent 12 weeks with the San Francisco-based company during the summer of 2013.

Louise Pickles, Course Leader and Coordinator of Fashion, and her team have been developing a relationship with Old Navy and this year Bath Spa was invited to take part in their annual design project along with other high profile fashion courses from universities across the UK. The brief theme for the project was 'We are Family!' and the students were asked to focus on a Spring 2014 collection. Building on the heritage of the Old Navy brand, they were tasked to design a collection inspired by denim, tee-shirts and sweatshirts that fit into the DNA of the Old Navy brand. Students could choose to design for men, women, girls, or boys wear.

Design and human resources directors from Old Navy visited the University’s fashion studio and viewed the work where they selected seven students to interview with their full portfolio.

Of the seven selected students, three of our students were shortlisted to compete for the 12 available places with Lauren and Philippa making it into the final 12. Not only was this a highly prestigious opportunity and experience, full expenses were funded by Old Navy and the students were paid an hourly intern rate.

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Alongside his studies at Bath Spa, Jamie trains at the Pentathlon GB high performance centre at the University of Bath.

‘Kill it Kid’ track used in global advertising campaign Kill it Kid, which includes Commercial Music graduate, Chris Turpin, and Music graduate, Stephanie Ward, had a track called Run from their album Feet Fall Heavy, used in the latest Samsung Smart TV campaign.

The advertisement called Charge features a spectacular beach stampede of TV and film inspired content - Roman Centurions, police cars and helicopters, Maori warriors and American footballers, a whip wielding albino minotaur, a dinosaur, wolves and cheerleaders.

Jamie Cooke wins Gold in Budapest In May Business and Geography student Jamie Cooke won the first Modern Pentathlon World Cup medal of his career taking gold in Budapest.

Jamie, who won the World Junior Championships in Argentina in 2011, had to produce a gritty and spirited performance to battle back from 24th place after the fencing event.

The Olympic sport of Modern Pentathlon comprises the contemporary sports of pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding and running.

Ranked 40th in the world, Jamie was the fastest in the swimming pool, went clear in the horse riding and then produced a terrific run and shoot to take gold.

Commenting on his achievement, Jamie said: “This was my first World Cup medal, so I’m so happy. I never thought I would do this after the fencing this morning, but I had a good swim, a good ride and a good combined.

My shooting was definitely the key today.”

This is the first big synchronisation for the Bath-based band who has recently been touring the USA. During the tour Chris from the band met and jammed with famous Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash.

The BA Commercial Music course at Bath Spa has produced a number of successful musicians over the years. To build on this success, the University has recently launched a new Integrated Masters in Commercial Music. Students on this course study for four years instead of three and graduate with a Master’s degree.

Fine Art graduates win at Free Range 2013 Three Fine Art graduates celebrated success at the annual Free Range exhibition which took place in June. Charlotte Cousins, Esme Eros and Nathan Little were selected by a panel of industry experts to receive three out of a possible five Emerging Art awards.

Free Range is the UK’s largest graduate art, design and fashion show, providing new creative graduates with the opportunity to showcase their work on an international level.

It attracts visitor numbers of over 100,000 and showcases the work of thousands of art and design students.

Their prize includes: G

A £100 bursary from Cass Art,

G

Automatic entry into the Signature Art Prize,

G

On-going editorial coverage and support from FAD,

G

Representation and mentoring from DegreeArt, who specialise in identifying and mentoring talented graduates,

G

The opportunity to exhibit their work at a DegreeArt show in 2014.

The award was set up by FAD, a creative charity supporting young people to bridge the gap between education and the fashion industry; Degree Art, one of the UK’s first online art gallery, and Cass Art, London’s leading independent art retailer offering the world’s finest art materials, to support ten young artists in the year following their graduation.

Free Range - Nathan Little

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Internationalisation A key element of the University’s strategy for 2015 is the development of international partnerships and the expansion of the international student body. Jeremy White was appointed Director of International Relations in September 2012 and has recruited an experienced team to implement the internationalisation strategy.

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As well as recruiting international students to Bath Spa programmes, the International Relations Office has been developing international links and partnerships, formulating transnational education opportunities (TNE) and developing models of student mobility including summer schools and a study abroad programme. Over the last year, the team has conducted 52 visits in 26 different countries worldwide.

The International Relations Office is developing a number of global partnership links and so far the University has 28 partners in nine countries including Australia, China, Columbia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Indonesia and the United States.

These partnerships cover a range of activities including staff and student exchange, research activities, recruitment, transnational opportunities and study abroad. The University is also an established ERASMUS partner with a further 39 university partners across the European Union.

Shorelight Education partnership

BSU Offices have been established in Shanghai, China and Delhi, India and a network of 51 agents in 41 countries are working on behalf of the University. The ViceChancellor visited Hong Kong and China in May along with Jeremy White, Jiemin Tomita and Derek Wang of the China Office to meet new and potential partner institutions. The trip included visits to Shanghai University, Shanghai Finance University, Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. These institutions were impressed by Bath Spa’s vision for creativity, culture and enterprise and offer exciting partnership opportunities.

In August the University launched an innovative joint venture which will enable an increased number of international students to study at Bath Spa. The partnership with U.Sbased education provider Shorelight Education will involve the development of a ‘Pathway College’ for international students, as well as a Global Business Leadership College that will offer a portfolio of business and management related degree programmes.

Jeremy White said: “The growth in student mobility, new technologies and enhanced communication systems continues to be phenomenal and has made the world a much smaller place. Students are now looking for opportunities to broaden their horizons, differentiate themselves and seek employment options through overseas study.

“The UK has a great reputation for providing world-class higher education, and this partnership will enable more students from around the world to achieve a UK degree, as well as helping the University to grow, and invest in the future,” said Jeremy White, Director of International Relations.

“Additionally, we anticipate it will provide an economic boost for the local community here in Bath, from job creation to additional spending in the city centre.”

“It is important that at Bath Spa, we are able to ensure our students gain an internationalised student experience which provides them with the skills and knowledge to actively engage in global developments as socially engaged globalized citizens.”

The first intake year will be 2014 and it is estimated that an additional 300 international students will enrol. The aim is to then increase the number of students to 2,000 over the following four years.

Students coming to the University via the Pathway College will study an intensive first year that includes language tuition, academic

instruction and UK history and culture, and (subject to passing the first year) will join established degree courses in their second year.

The incoming students will initially study at the University’s Newton Park campus, and will live in some of the new residential accommodation currently being built there.

The first pathway programme on offer in September 2014 will be in Business and Management and students will progress onto the University’s BA (Hons) Business and Management course in their second year.

Tom Dretler, CEO & Co-Founder of Shorelight Education, said: “As an American education company primarily focused on partnering with world-class US universities, we were compelled to enter into this UK partnership because of the unique attributes of Bath Spa University, its innovative leadership team, and the attractiveness of the beautiful and historic city of Bath. We look forward to creating a truly special student experience and to preparing an outstanding community of global citizens for positions of leadership and responsibility throughout the world.”

This partnership is a core component of the University’s strategy for internationalisation and a step-change in how Bath Spa University operates in the growing international education market.

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A new Development and Alumni Relations team joined the University this academic year. The team will support the development of the University by engaging and growing the alumni community and fundraising for capital projects, student bursaries and other projects that will help achieve the Vision for 2015.

Marnie Whiting is Head of Development and Campaigns. She previously worked for The Holburne Museum as Head of Development and is also an alumna of Bath Spa having studied Creative Writing and Art, graduating in 1999.

Ruth Russell is Alumni Relations Manager. Ruth leads on all alumni activities including reunions and producing the new alumni magazine SPARTAN. Ruth previously led alumni giving at The University of Queensland, Australia, providing Annual Giving leadership across the University's faculties, institutes, schools and centres.

Naomi Box is Development Officer: Trusts and Foundations and is responsible for fundraising from trusts and foundations. Naomi previously worked in the development office at Bath University and Sidcot School raising funds to support the student experience.

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Development and Alumni Relations

New President of Alumni Association In December, cook and TV presenter Mary Berry CBE was named as the first President of new Alumni Association. The aim of the Association is to provide support to former students and staff and help ensure the friendships and contacts created while at the University continue to develop long after graduation.

As a former student herself, Mary is well placed to encourage other alumni to become an active part of the Association.

At the age of 18 she trained at Bath College of Domestic Science, followed by a Paris Cordon Bleu course. She has written more than 70 cookery books, since her first was published in 1970, and has sold more than five million. She has hosted several television series for the BBC and been a judge on The Great British Bake Off since 2010.

Speaking about the Association and her appointment as President she said: “I was very pleased to accept Bath Spa University’s invitation to be President of the Alumni Association. My time at Bath College of Domestic Science was wonderful and gave me a good start to my career. It is inspiring to hear about the achievements of other alumni and I look forward to welcoming many more of them to the Association.”

A new magazine for alumni, SPARTAN, was launched in April and will be issued twice a year. The first issue featured a welcome from Mary Berry, stories about graduate careers and the history of Somerset Place, as well as interviews with artists Sir Howard Hodgkin and Gavin Turk.

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Development and Alumni Relations

Fundraising The team launched a number of fundraising initiatives this year including one for a new amphitheatre which will be situated outside the new academic building overlooking the lake at Newton Park.

Alumni Graduation to Reunions In July the University conferred degrees to another class of graduates. This year graduation was held in Bath Abbey. This was a first for Bath Spa and, in spite of the very hot weather, two very successful days of celebration were had.

The team offered an alternative to the traditional graduation photograph by snapping new graduates with an oversized scroll. The photos were then posted to the Alumni Association’s Facebook page and graduates were encouraged to post theirs too.

This engagement with graduates from the outset will encourage them to become active members of the alumni community.

We welcomed alumni to three summer reunions; the Newton Park College Classes of 1956 and 1963, and members of the Bath College of Higher Education Class of 1986/7.

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Attendees have given us overwhelmingly positive feedback and in some cases have made a personal donation to support the students of today.

Autumn 2013 saw the return of two more groups of Newton Park College alumni; the Classes of 1966 and 1976/7. With alumni engagement increasing, we are already organising 40th, 50th and 60th anniversary reunions for 2014 and 2015, welcoming many more alumni from Newton Park College and Bath College of Higher Education.

We will continue to expand our alumni network in 2013/14, increasing both the number of reunions and the number of alumni attending these special events.

The amphitheatre will provide 150 seats for a variety of performances, including outdoor theatre, acoustic gigs, orchestral concerts and opera. It will make a huge contribution to the creative and cultural development of students and of the city. The first fundraising campaign for the amphitheatre, ‘Play your part, name a seat’, was launched in May. People who purchase a seat will have their donation recognised with a seat plaque. All of the donations will go towards student bursaries and supporting the student experience.

Thank you The University would like to thank Jennifer Skellet whose generous donation has led to the establishment of two awards for alumni of the Department of Music: The Jennifer Skellett Postgraduate Bursary This bursary will be awarded annually to an outstanding student from the department to support them in undertaking a postgraduate degree at Bath Spa. The recipient will be awarded between £500 and £1,000.

Applications are welcomed from alumni up to three years after their graduation.

The University would also like to thank The Leche Trust for its donation towards the ‘Georgian Pleasures’ concert that was held at the Holburne Museum in September.

The concert was a re-enactment of a typical Georgian Gala and was performed in the Museum gardens, the first to take place in this location since the 1900s. The Leche Trust is a charity set up in 1963 to assist academic organisations concerned with music, drama, dance and the arts. The funding was used to ensure the historical accuracy of the performance.

The Jennifer Skellett Junior Fellowship The fellowship will be awarded to alumni a year after they have graduated. The award is aimed at supporting graduates who wish to continue their professional development through short courses or summer schools.

We also support applications for funding towards set-up costs for freelance music related business start-ups. The recipient will be awarded between £500 and £1,000 to cover the cost of fees and travel.

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Academic highlights

Ken Loach

Honorary degrees Howard Hodgkin

Sir Harrison Birtwistle

The University has within its power the authority to award honorary degrees to notable persons deemed to have achieved outstanding success in their respective fields.

In the last year, the following were formally welcomed into the Bath Spa community.

Illustrious artist Howard Hodgkin was awarded an Honorary Doctorate for his outstanding contribution to British painting.

The Vice-Chancellor presented the award at a special ceremony at Corsham Court on 27 September. Howard was first a pupil and then later a tutor at the Bath Academy of Art. While a pupil he was taught by Clifford and Rosemary Ellis who ran the Academy, as well as William Scott and Peter Lanyon. As a tutor he worked alongside fellow painters Michael Craig-Martin, Robyn Denny, John Ernest and Adrian Heath between 1950 and 1954.

Anne Bull

Dr Peter Randall-Page

Hilary Mantel CBE

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Film director Ken Loach was awarded an Honorary Doctorate on Thursday 22 November in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the film industry. Professor Slade presented the award at an event celebrating Loach’s career alongside guests from the film industry and University staff and students at the University Theatre.

Loach has won multiple awards for his work including the Palme D’Or in 2006 for his film ‘The Wind That Shakes The Barley’. He is also well-known for his films ‘Kes’ and ‘Looking for Eric’. His film ‘The Angels’ Share’, which won the Jury Prize at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, was screened at Bath Spa University to raise funds for Community Arts Therapies.

Speaking about his award, Ken Loach said: “This is very generous of the University. I’m looking forward to meeting the staff and, particularly, the students. In response, I hope I can make a small contribution to the University’s work.”

Composer Professor Sir Harrison Birtwistle was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters at the University graduation ceremonies on Friday 19 July. His music has been regularly commissioned and performed by major orchestras and opera houses worldwide. His works recently featured at the Salzburg Festival where his opera Gawain received a new production under Ingo Metzmacher.

Headteacher of Weston All Saints Church of England Primary School Anne Bull OBE was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters at the University graduation ceremonies on Saturday 20 July. She has been headteacher at Weston All Saints for over 25 years and her link with Bath Spa University spans over 30 years. She has fulfilled a number of roles at the University, including teacher tutor, and part-time lecturer in Creative Arts and Dance.

Author Hilary Mantel CBE won the Booker Prize twice for her novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies. She was due to receive an Honorary Doctorate of Letters at the University graduation ceremonies on Saturday 20 July, but was sadly unable to attend due to illness. A ceremony to present her award will be held at a later date.

Artist Dr Peter Randall-Page was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters at the University graduation ceremonies on Friday 19 July. His work has been exhibited around the world and he studied sculpture at Bath Academy of Art, now part of Bath Spa University, from 1973 to 1977.

Teach First collaboration with the University of Bristol The University’s School of Education has teamed up with the University of Bristol and educational charity Teach First to train 40 new trainee teachers in the South West to become outstanding teachers of the future.

The new recruits will teach in low-income areas in Bristol, Gloucester and Swindon, helping to break the link between poverty and low academic attainment. Bath Spa will lead on educating primary teachers and the University of Bristol will lead on educating secondary teachers.

The prospective teachers have begun their two-year journey to becoming outstanding teachers and attended the Regional Summer Institute, an intensive six-week residential where they worked and lived with their fellow Teach First participants. They developed their knowledge gained in their degree so that they can transfer this into teaching, and learn how to prepare and implement lesson plans in their chosen subject. In September, the recruits were placed in schools across the South West region where they began their employment-based training.

At the end of their first year’s training, the trainees will gain their PGCE qualification.

Following a summer project to further develop their leadership skills and experience, they will begin their second year as a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) whilst simultaneously studying towards a Masters qualification. This is specifically designed to develop their ability to be an effective leader in school and demonstrate their skills and knowledge as outstanding teachers.

Teach First is a charity that works to ensure that all children, regardless of their family income, receive a first class education. The charity partners with some of the country’s leading universities to train inspirational primary and secondary school teachers, including Bath Spa University and the University of Bristol. They recruit, train and support graduates as teachers to work in schools in low income communities.

Professor Robert Barratt, Director of Education in the School of Education, commented: “Bath Spa University is delighted to be working with Teach First and the University of Bristol Graduate School on this prestigious route into teaching.

“We offer one of the most sought after teacher training courses in the country and are looking forward to helping train these new participants to become outstanding teachers of the future, who will be doing such important work in areas of poverty and poor achievement.”

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Academic highlights

QAA for Higher Education Award A Group coordinated by Bath Spa won a QAA for Higher Education National Award.

The Western Access Progression Agreement Steering Group (WAPA) is a group of widening participation practitioners from universities in the South West. WAPA members work together to support mature students on Access to Higher Education Diploma programmes, along with their tutors, and bring greater clarity, coherence and certainty to progression opportunities for Access to Higher Education learners in the region.

apply for and preparing for higher education studies. They also wished to commend the attention given to the formulation and publication of entry requirements for Access to HE students in terms specific to the Access to HE Diploma.” *Apt awards, formerly OCNSWR, is the regional licensed Access Validating Agency for Access to Higher Education Diploma Courses

Members of the group support Access Learners in a number of ways including the provision of information, outreach visits to Access Diploma Courses, a joint annual Access to Higher Education Learners’ Conference and pre-entry support activities.

The group was formed in 2006 as a result of HEFCE’s Access Pathways Research Project.

Since 2011 Dr Sally Griffin, Widening Participation and Access Manager at Bath Spa, who is the remaining member of the original project, has received funding from the Western Vocational Progression Consortium to coordinate the continuation of this group.

On June 27, the work of the group was recognised as a national model of good practice by the QAA for Higher Education, when it was awarded a certificate of commendation in the QAA inaugural Access Diploma Awards.

The citation read: “This entry was made by four universities working together in the South West region. The panel were particularly impressed by the close partnership working of the four universities and apt awards*, which enabled them to support a joint regional strategy for providing information about the programme of opportunities, events and activities on offer to Access to HE students making decisions about which courses to

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fieldwork placements which have been part of the programme here for over 35 years and for which we must thank the many colleagues and communities who have been involved over that time.”

Professor Cush added: “We were delighted to hear that our project had received this award from Shap, as the Shap Working Party shares our vision of the importance of learning about the diverse range of religions and beliefs that have such an influence on individuals and societies in the world today.”

The project was funded by the Higher Education Academy and built upon the many decades of experience at Bath Spa in working with religious and belief communities to provide experiential placement learning for students.

Shap Prize Dr Catherine Robinson and Professor Denise Cush from the School of Humanities and Cultural Industries, were presented with an annual award by the Shap Working Party for World Religions in Education.

The award recognises a person or organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to education in religions, including resources for learning in the study of religions at university level and religious education in schools.

Dr Robinson and Professor Cush were awarded this year’s prize for their project and website Living Religion: Promoting Fieldwork Placements in Theology and Religious Studies which has been judged as making a profoundly significant contribution to the field of the study of/education in religions.

Commenting on receiving the award, Dr Robinson said: “This came as a great surprise, but the award acknowledges the value of

Bath Spa remains unique in that it includes a seven day placement with a religious or belief community as a compulsory part of its core curriculum in the Study of Religions course.

The Shap Working Party for World Religions in Education was founded in 1969 by a group of university lecturers in comparative religion, teacher educators and teachers. This group pioneered the non-confessional study of a diverse range of religions and beliefs at all levels of education, from primary schools to universities.

Psychology blogging Dr Pete Etchells, Lecturer in Biological Psychology has launched a new blog in The Guardian along with Chris Chambers from the University of Cardiff, Molly Crockett from University College London and Thalia Gjersoe from the Open University. The blog is called ‘Head Quarters’ and is publishing articles on a weekly basis.

New ‘Troops to Teachers’ consortium The University is making a major contribution to a Government-funded project to train military personnel as teachers once they leave the services. The ‘Troops to Teachers’ programme aims to support a smooth transition into the civilian workforce for those Service members who are exiting their military careers who have the potential to become outstanding teachers.

The University is part of a consortium of six universities, led by the University of Brighton.

It is working with a range of outstanding primary and secondary schools to support the development and delivery of the programme.

The consortium will enable former Service personnel to train to teach by accessing newly created initial teacher training (ITT) routes.

The ‘Troops to Teachers programme’, funded by the Department for Education, aims to recruit the best Service leavers into teaching, including those with the highest qualifications, qualities and experiences, who have the potential to become outstanding

teachers. It has been designed and developed with a group of outstanding schools and ITT providers in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence and the Career Transition Partnership.

Dean of the School of Education, Christine Eden, said: “We offer one of the most sought after teacher training courses in the country with a long tradition of Initial Teacher Education for over 60 years.

“Our expertise in career transition has enabled us to successfully help train students to become teachers from a wide range of backgrounds, including bankers, lawyers and accountants and we look forward to as much success with Service leavers.”

Those Service personnel who are in the two years before discharge or in the two years post discharge from the Armed Forces are eligible to apply.

Graduates interested in undertaking teacher training can apply for a one year, School Direct salaried, School Direct training, Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) or School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programme.

The School Direct salaried route into teaching is available to high-quality graduates with at least three years’ work experience. Trainees are employed as an unqualified teacher by the school. Previous experience in the Armed Forces will count towards meeting the School Direct eligibility criteria.

The School Direct training route into teaching is open to all high-quality graduates and funded by tuition fees paid by the trainee, who may receive a bursary from the Department for Education. PGCE and SCITT programmes are fee-paying routes in partnership with universities and also offer bursaries for eligible graduates.

A two-year non-graduate programme will start in January 2014. It is innovative, has a strong school-led element and is employment based. It will be delivered by a range of outstanding primary and secondary schools.

Service leavers will be able to access training that draws upon and further develops their previous skills, experiences and expertise in the context of teaching.

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Academic highlights

Students’ Union Teaching Awards This year the Students’ Union launched Bath Spa’s first ever Teaching Awards. The idea was that this would be a fantastic way to celebrate the amazing teaching that happens here. They wanted to show the University what students value in teaching and help encourage these techniques and methods to become more widespread.

There was an overwhelming response to the awards with over 700 nominations made. It was a difficult job for the team to narrow these down to 50 and then just three! The judging panel was made up of the Students’ Union School Reps, a number of Department Reps and the SU President. The awards were judged on the quality of the nomination – those that displayed a range of innovative teaching, good quality feedback and inspiring methods.

Student Reps spent the last five weeks of the summer term delivering 50 mugs to shortlisted lecturers and tutors. They also held a hugely successful awards ceremony to award the three final winners. The ceremony was held in Main House at Newton Park with live music, champagne and strawberries!

The SU is currently in the process of analysing all data from the nominations and writing up a report which to be taken the Learning and Teaching Committee as well as disseminated amongst staff and students.

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The final three winners were:

Best Feedback – Richard Riddell, Senior Lecturer in Education Studies Richard was commended by students for the thorough and detailed feedback he gives during assessments. It is this support that has allowed students to identify areas for improvement and continue to increase their grades. As well as constant quick contact, tutorials are offered willingly as well as paper feedback in which essay marks are thoroughly explained and practical ways to improve are suggested, resulting in a huge confidence boost for students.

What made this nomination stand out was both the value he has for students and the reciprocal nature of feedback identified by students. One nomination stated: “I find it motivating when he informs us that he learns from our essays. He does not position himself above us and instead treats us as equals who are learning in the same way as himself.”

Teacher of the Year – Nicola Presley, Lecturer in Digital Publishing Students said: “Working above and beyond what is expected of her, providing support, a careful editorial eye and a kind face to all the students who know her. She helps with job applications, gives advice even if you aren't her student and best of all inspires confidence in those who come to her for help.”

“Nic works tirelessly for her students! Well worth the increased student fees! She went out of her way to ensure I didn't transfer university last year and has really helped me on deciding a career choice. She ensures all her students are happy with the course and enthusiastic with their time spent in and out of class.”

“She is a huge inspiration.”

Most Innovative Teacher - Lisa Thomas, Lecturer in Biology A few examples of her nominations: "Lisa always puts a brilliant amount of effort into making subjects interesting. If a topic can be taught outside, in the field, then with Lisa it will be!"

"One time, we had waded part-way through the many graphs and figures and she just stopped and said 'you know what, let's go and DO this instead of just reading about it.’ So, at every opportunity Lisa will get the class out of the classroom and making use of as much of the department's equipment as possible. This approach is fantastic for the environmental topics in particular."

New integrated Masters Three new integrated Masters courses were introduced for the 2013/14 academic year in Commercial Music, Textile Design for Fashion and Interiors and Creative Technologies and Enterprise. The integrated Masters are four year programmes of study and are specifically designed to prepare students for employment following graduation.

The University already offers undergraduate degrees in Commercial Music and Textile Design for Fashion and Interiors, but the degree in Creative Technologies and Enterprise is entirely new. It has been developed by new Director of Creative Computing, Professor Andrew Hugill.

Commenting on the new course he said: “Creative people are becoming increasingly tech savvy, and there is a clear requirement already in business for creativity that works seamlessly with technology – these jobs are the next step in the direction many companies are already heading in.

“There is no doubt that an ability to flourish in a world of fast changing technology will be essential for future success, both for individuals and the nation as a whole. From Sir Tim Berners Lee to Martha Lane Fox, the UK has a heritage of great creative thinking in technology, and we’ve got a lot to offer the world in terms of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.”

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Research expertise In Care, In School launched at House of Lords A new resource for schools has been developed to help pupils and teachers across the UK better understand and appreciate the needs of children and young people in care.

In Care, In School has been developed by Bath Spa University and Bath & North East Somerset Council working with young people in care and care leavers from the region. It was officially launched at the House of Lords on 29 October, hosted by Baroness Walmsley, as part of National Care Leavers Week.

In Care, In School includes ten films of different scenarios based on the real life experiences of In Care Council members in Bath and North East Somerset which show a range of different interactions between pupils and teachers, and other staff, in and outside the classroom. It is accompanied by a resource pack for use in Personal, Social, Health & Economic (PSHE) lessons to encourage class discussion and learning as well as a training guide for school staff. For older students and staff training purposes there are also three four-minute films of young people talking about their experiences of school, leaving care, and subsequent careers.

Naina Thomas of the Bath and North East Somerset In Care Council said: “When I was in school I found it very difficult to make new friends, and to fit in. This was due to being in foster care and moving schools a lot. When starting a new school I always had to make the teachers aware I was in foster care, just in case I had an appointment with my social worker during school time. Having these appointments during school time was the hardest, they made me different, and no one else had to leave the class for an hour or so.

“This pack is to help (not tell) teachers and pupils to understand, from a young person’s point of view, what it is like being in foster care and having an education. From this pack I hope teachers can take a step back and start thinking about the young person’s needs and feelings. I hope pupils will get a better understanding of something they might not fully understand. Overall, I would like my experiences to make a change within the schools, and to make people more aware about people in foster care.”

The project was jointly funded by Bath Spa University and Bath & North East Somerset Council with support from a number of local and national voluntary organisations. The project team worked with young people in care to create a number of brief everyday scenarios, based on their own experience at school. A local film company and professional and child actors were commissioned to bring these scenarios to life.

Edward Timpson, Minister for Children and Families, said: “I want children in care to have the best possible start in life. These films can play a meaningful part in improving their chances by showing their experiences in a vivid way, as well as make teachers and pupils more aware of the challenges they face.”

The ‘In Care, In School’ materials are already being used in youth work, and with young adults with learning disabilities. The project team are also working with a number of fostering agencies to explore how the materials can be used in training foster carers and other professionals, and developing a self-audit model on attachment awareness for schools.

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Research expertise Nobel Prizewinning poets Bath Spa sponsored the keynote event at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference in America in March.

The University’s Contemporary Writing Research Centre sponsored the event which featured a conversation between Nobel prizewinning poets Seamus Heaney and Derek Walcott. The event attracted an audience of over 4,000 at the Hynes Conference Centre in Boston.

Celebrated poet and translator Seamus Heaney is the author of more than twenty volumes of poetry, essays, and translations, including Opened Ground; District and Circle, winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize; Human Chain; and Finders Keepers: Selected Prose 19712001.

President of AWP, David Fenza, said: “This was a truly historic event which would have been impossible without the support of Bath Spa University.”

Each year, the AWP holds its Annual Conference & Bookfair in a different city to celebrate the authors, teachers, writing programs, literary centres, and independent publishers of that region.

The conference typically features 550 readings, lectures, panel discussions, and forums, as well as hundreds of book signings, receptions, dances, and informal gatherings.

More than 10,000 writers and readers attended the 2012 conference, and 600 exhibitors were represented at the bookfair.

AWP’s is now the largest literary conference in North America.

Cyber bullying PhD project Poet, playwright, and essayist Derek Walcott is the author of eight collections of plays, a book of essays, and fourteen poetry collections, including Omeros, Tiepolo's Hound, and most recently, White Egrets.

Dean of the School of Humanities and Cultural Industries at Bath Spa, and playwright and novelist, Professor Steve May introduced the two Nobel Prize-winning poets and presented readings of their work. A discussion followed which was moderated by the poet and critic Rosanna Warren, author of Ghost in a Red Hat. Professor May said: "It was a privilege and pleasure to be present at this event, where two great poets, and great friends, discussed their work, their influences and the events that shaped their work. The atmosphere was electric, and the audience rapt. A great night.”

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Bath Spa University is supervising an exciting PhD project which aims to identify the nature and scope of the social phenomena of cyberbullying and its victims in the Bath and North East Somerset Council area. The project aims to identify the new police/stakeholder partnership systems and cross-agency social protocols required in order to mitigate its effect. It has already piloted a detailed questionnaire capturing data around cyberbullying in two local schools. Ultimately it aims to encompass 5000 pupils aged 11 to 16 within B&NES schools.

Cyber-bullying is a concept that can mean different things to different people which potentially impacts on how it is measured, understood and combated through preventative strategies. It is linked with the evolution/expansion of IT and increased use by young people, including smart phones and even games consoles.

Current research suggests that between 24 and 45 per cent of 11 to 16 year olds suffer cyber-bullying and that the potential harm resulting exceeds more traditional forms of bullying: The victim can revisit comments re-victimizing themselves, the attacks are often anonymous, they are not fixed to a set location or time of day and they can rapidly result in others joining in.

The questions this project seeks to answer are whether the current ‘official data’ on cyberbullying matches the captured data, how and why any variance may have occurred, the implications from inaccurate knowledge, and recommendations for improvement.

This project has been made possible due to collaboration between the Avon & Somerset Constabulary, Bath and North East Somerset Council, Bath Spa University and local schools.

Prestigious art lecture in Munich Professor Maria Lalic gave a lecture at the Fine Arts Academy in Munich on Thursday 7 February.

The ‘Landscape Paintings’ which link the name of a paint and particular landscape by paintings and places.

Professor Lalic is Principal Lecturer in Fine Art at Bath Spa and an artist of international repute. She was invited to give a lecture as part of the Academy’s ‘Jour Fixe’ series. Jour Fixe is an annual lecture series organised by students of the Academy who invite selected artists to speak on a particular topic.

Speaking about her lecture Professor Lalic said: “It was a tremendous honour to be asked to give this lecture, and significantly for me, in relation to Max Doerner. His seminal text, ‘The Materials of the Artist and their Use in Painting', was hugely influential to me as a student and remains a valuable source of information.”

The event was open to both students and members of the public with a workshop for students being held the following day.

The lecture and related workshop was fully funded by the Akademieverein (a circle of friends and supporters of the Munich Academy of Fine Arts) and the Studentenvertretung (Student Council).

The Academy of Fine Arts in Munich was established in 1770. Notable Alumni include Giorgio de Chirico, Vasily Kandinsky, Josef Albers and Paul Klee.

Professor Lalic’s talk was held on the centenary of the first ever lecture at the Academy and discussed ‘The Material of Colour. The Colour of Material’ in relation to her paintings. These can be broken down into three groups: The ‘Colour and Metal Paintings’ in which certain paints are used with the metals from which they derive; The ‘History Paintings’, in which a Winsor and Newton paint chart is used as a readymade for the categorisation of colour by era, and;

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Research expertise

From the London Games to Greek monasteries Illustration lecturer Tim Vyner received a bursary from the Royal College of Art to travel to Greece to visit the Holy Mountain of Mount Athos and record drawings and paintings.

He made three separate trips to Greece over the year where he recorded in paintings and drawings, the 20 monasteries and a selection of Sketes to form a contemporary record of this unique location.

The culmination of the visits was an exhibition of Tim’s art work at the Mount Athos Centre in Thessaloniki, and in London, as well as a printed portfolio book of the collection.

As part of the award, Tim had the opportunity to live and experience a way of life unchanged for almost 1,000 years.

Commenting on his bursary award and trips, he said: “It is a really exciting bursary to be awarded from the Royal College of Art, and a great privilege to be granted permission to work in such a remarkable place.

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“Over the last decade I have become used to drawing and reporting on major sporting events where the pace of activities is frantic and the pressure to produce work quickly in large crowds is high. This project really appeals as it presents an opportunity to reflect on my current practice by visiting a series of 20 Orthodox Monasteries several times in a year, where the routine of life has changed very little.

“My first visit was over the Easter break. When I returned I enjoyed telling the BA Graphic Communication and Illustration students I teach all about life in the monasteries where I didn’t have access to most of the technology we all take for granted in our work. I still took with me an iPad and used it as a sketchbook alongside traditional drawing, painting and print-making.”

In 2012, Tim was The Times official artist covering the London 2012 Olympic Games and captured the atmosphere of the Games for the newspaper on a daily basis. He used an iPad for his sketches and created illustrations in the lead up to The Games including the torch relay as well as three daily illustrations throughout The Games.

Manifesto for Public Engagement In March the University signed the Manifesto for Public Engagement. The National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) is inviting all UK universities to sign the Manifesto and make a commitment to supporting staff and students in their public engagement efforts.

There is an increasing recognition that universities play an important role in the UK’s intellectual and cultural life. The Manifesto emphasises the positive ways universities can make a different and generate value from engaging with the public.

Bath Spa has a strong focus on creativity, culture and enterprise which results in a large number of publically focused activities on an annual basis including exhibitions, performances, workshops, networking and research events.

Professor Christina Slade said: “The ethos of creativity at Bath Spa University means we are engaged with various public audiences.

The quality of our academic output and research endeavours has a direct impact on the cultural wellbeing of our society. We are pleased to be signatories of the Manifesto for Public Engagement and will continue to be engaged with the public in all aspects of university life.”

Paul Manners, Director of the NCCPE said: “We are really delighted that Bath Spa University has decided to sign up to the Engaged University Manifesto. Bath Spa’s commitment to supporting its graduates to become socially engaged global citizens provides a perfect platform for us to work together to push the boundaries of how a modern university can really make a difference.”

National Virtual Schools Head Teachers conference The University hosted the National Virtual Schools Head Teachers conference, in partnership with Bath and North East Somerset Council in March. A Virtual School Head Teacher is responsible for ensuring the educational progress of every child and young person in care within a local authority. The role was established under the previous government and is being made statutory by the present government, with cross-party support, in the Children and Families Bill which is currently before Parliament.

In a message to the conference, Children’s Minister, Edward Timpson said: “There are only five statutory posts to cover all the responsibilities of local government. This will be the sixth, and shows how important the current Secretary of State and I see the role of the virtual school head is.”

The focus of the conference was how Virtual Schools Head Teachers can work with colleagues in schools, foster carers and other professionals, to improve the educational attainment of children and young people in care.

Over 100 Virtual Schools Head Teachers attended as well as a number of notable speakers including: Dr Maggie Atkinson, Children’s Commissioner for England, Louise Bomber, National trainer and author of What about me? And Inside I’m Hurting, Matthew Brazier HMI, Ofsted lead on ‘The impact of virtual schools on the education of looked after children’, Kate Cairns, National trainer and author of Learn the Child and Attachment, Trauma and Resilience,

Virtual School Head Teacher for Children in Care in Bath and North East Somerset, Michael Gorman, who has been closely involved with planning the conference, added: “This conference is very timely with the government announcing that the post of Head of a Virtual School will become a statutory obligation for local authorities.

“It is an excellent opportunity for current Virtual School Head Teachers to meet, share good ideas and hear from leading experts on how to raise the attainment of children in care.”

In 2012, only 14.6 per cent of children in care achieved five good GCSEs including English and Mathematics, compared with 58.1 per cent for children who are not in care.

Children in care suffer more changes of school, are more likely to be out of school and often do not receive appropriate help and support to enable them to catch up with their studies. Nationally, only six per cent of care leavers go on to university compared with 37 per cent of all young people.

Professor Judy Sebba, Head of Rees Centre for Fostering and Education, University of Oxford.

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Research expertise

UK, is under pressure, so it is more vital than ever that we work together to share expertise and support. The Forum is already a significant networking event in the local heritage sector calendar. We are working to make it a major event regionally and nationally as well.”

Bringing the heritage sector together The Annual Heritage Forum was held on Wednesday 6 March at the Museum of Bath at Work. It was hosted by the School of Humanities and Cultural Industries and brought together local, regional and national heritage practitioners to facilitate debate within the sector in general. It also fosters collaboration and partnerships between the sector and higher education.

This year’s forum was chaired by Adrian Tinniswood, historian and author, trustee and member of the Museums and Education Committee for the Bath Preservation Trust, Holburne Museum Trustee, member of the National Trust Council and Bath Spa University Visiting Fellow in Heritage.

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He was joined by speakers Crispin Truman, Chief Executive of Churches Conservation Trust; Sam Rose, World Heritage Site Coordinator, Jurassic Coast World Heritage Team and Tina Lewis, Director of People and Legal Services at the National Trust.

Topics of discussion varied, but Crispin Truman talked about in particular the need to “tap into people's love of heritage, which is huge in the UK” and about the importance of recognising the mutual benefits of working in partnership. This was echoed by the other speakers and resonated with the attendees.

The overall theme of ‘Sustaining Partnerships’ also reinforced the University’s commitment to community and public engagement through strong partnerships at all levels from local to international.

Dr Kristin Doern, Heritage Subject Leader at Bath Spa said: “This is the sixth Heritage Forum and I am again thrilled with the response from heritage colleagues. In particular we were delighted to welcome so many new attendees from the wider region.

The heritage sector, like many others in the

“But Heritage at Bath Spa also needs to prepare students for the challenges they will face in this diverse and exciting sector, and more broadly in the arts and cultural industries so many of our graduates go into. The Forum is an important part of encouraging our students to build relationships with practitioners and experts.

Our undergraduate Heritage students help run the event, and our Heritage Management MA student attend as full participants, which is a wonderful opportunity for them to make important contacts within the sector.”

The event provides a unique and vitally important networking opportunity for colleagues working within the sector. This year over 70 people attended from organisations including the Holburne Museum, Bath Preservation Trust, Bath and North East Somerset Council Heritage Services, Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives, Somerset Heritage Centre, Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, Avebury World Heritage Site, Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, Association of Independent Museums, Churches Conservation Trust, The National Trust, English Heritage, and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Launch of ResearchSPAce The Vice-Chancellor officially launched the University’s new research repository Research SPAce on 22 April.

ResearchSPAce aims to collate and showcase the University’s research outputs and make them openly accessible to all. There are more than 1,000 records on ResearchSPAce providing useful citations and links to publisher websites where available. Some records also contain the full text, and more material (including art and music material) will be added over the coming months to increase the visibility of research.

At the launch event, the Vice-Chancellor spoke about citation rates for research in the arts and humanities fields which, when compared to research in science based subjects, take longer to gain momentum. There is a strong body of evidence to show that when research is available openly and freely, the greater the impact and higher citation rate it has. She stressed the importance of ResearchSPAce in helping Bath Spa’s research become more readily and easily available and the positive impact this will have in the long-term.

ResearchSPAce will encourage collaboration cross the University by making it easier for academics to access each other’s research.

It is also a way of telling the world about the best of our work. Once the work is freely available, it will help to forge links with prospective staff, researchers, future postgraduate students, and international partners. Research in the repository has already been downloaded by people in Australia, South Africa, USA, Nepal, Greece, France and Norway.

ResearchSPAce

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Research expertise Italian delight for Andrea Medjesi-Jones Painting Lecturer Andrea Medjesi-Jones was awarded an Abbey Fellowship in Painting at the British School at Rome.

Andrea, who teaches at the Sion Hill campus will spend three months in Rome, from January to March 2014.

Established in 1990, the Abbey Fellowship offers mid-career painters the opportunity to spend three months at the British School at Rome. Andrea will spend time working in the studios in Rome giving her a unique opportunity to get away from the pressures of everyday life and work without interruption. She will have the added charm of living in, and becoming familiar, with one of the most fascinating cities of the ancient and modern world.

Artists are encouraged to talk about their work and are given the opportunity to put on studio shows, to which Italian critics and gallerists, among others, are invited.

Commenting on receiving the Fellowship, Andrea said: “I am delighted at the opportunity to have the three months in Rome. It will be a challenge to work in one of the oldest cities in the world and to explore its tradition and history that is so far removed from my current studio environment and circumstances.

“I hope this will influence my thinking and making of the work. I also hope to discover the contemporary Rome and to continue with my research into the largely unexplored context of Italian expressionist painting.”

International Scholarship The Higher Education Academy (HEA) named Joelle Adams as one of the successful recipients of its prestigious International Scholarship funding award.

Joelle is the Deputy Director Library Services (Learning Development) at Bath Spa. She is one of only five recipients of the HEA International Scholarship, which provides opportunities for the Scholars to investigate interesting and innovative learning and teaching in other countries to inform practice in UK higher education institutions.

She will spend three months visiting universities in New York, California and Florida to research assessment and feedback in creative subjects. In particular Joelle will review how these processes affect students’ learning experiences and how students and staff perceive the dual vocations of artist and teacher. Results of the project will inform outputs including publications and consultancy.

Commenting on receiving the Scholarship, Joelle said: “The Scholarship offers a unique and important opportunity to dedicate time to international research in higher education.

I’m honoured to receive this award from the HEA and to be in such esteemed company with the past and present winners. I look forward to visiting colleagues abroad and sharing my findings upon my return.”

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The awards, which mark the second year of the scheme, have this year been renamed the Professor Sir Ron Cooke International Scholarship Awards, in recognition of his distinguished leadership in learning and teaching in higher education.

opened up by interactive platforms and new technologies. They will examine how participation and online collaboration may influence editorial control and authenticity, and adapt techniques of data mining to turn information into stories.

Joelle has been at Bath Spa since 2005 and helped establish the Writing and Learning Centre. Since then she has worked on a number of initiatives including the Feedback and Assessment for Students Using Technology (FASTECH) and Transforming the Experience of Students Through Assessment (TESTA) projects. In the past, she also worked with the Widening Participation team.

The projects will be developed over the course of three months beginning this autumn, with regular project testing at Watershed’s Pervasive Media Studio. The production phase will culminate with each project team developing a working prototype which will be presented at a public showcase.

Her current research focuses on students’ experiences of assessment and feedback, learning and teaching in the creative arts, and personal and organisational development.

Joelle also teaches on the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher and Further Music Education at Bristol Institute of Modern Music. She is also currently establishing a local Water Aid group with Emma Asprey, Senior Lecturer, Primary PGCE in the School of Education.

REACT Future Documentary Sandbox The University is one of six collaborative teams awarded £50,000 to bring storytelling, design and technology together to inspire audiences.

The REACT Future Documentary Sandbox is a nationwide programme to explore the theme of Future Documentary and encourages new forms of storytelling exploring the documentary format, arts and humanities research and digital technologies.

Future Documentary is the third theme explored by the REACT programme, which is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council following sandboxes addressing Books and Print and Heritage over the last two years.

REACT Executive Producer Clare Reddington said: “We are hugely excited about the REACT Future Documentary Sandbox and the different approaches to the theme that the projects have taken. There is so much creative potential for experimentation in the documentary format, which was reflected by the high quality of applications we received.

“The six projects that were finally chosen showed real insight about how digital technologies and storytelling can work together to create something inspiring and new as well as collaborative, accessible and inclusive.”

The selected commission which Bath Spa is involved with is being led by Professor of Music, Amanda Bayley.

Page to Stage Amanda Bayley, Kenneth Hamilton at Cardiff University and producer Sheila Hayman, will develop an app that aims to demystify the world of classical music. The app will enable audiences to explore the invisible history and context of a live music performance by the world-leading Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. By revealing what happens during the rehearsal process with carefully shot documentary videos with timed metadata tags, this app is aiming to engage more people with classical music without distracting from the beauty of the performance itself.

The successful projects will explore new ways of interacting with documentary media, taking advantage of the creative possibilities

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Working with business

Partners in Creative Enterprise Bath Spa’s long-standing relationship with Creative Bath was formalised in a partnership to promote creative enterprise in Bath.

New partnership with The Holburne Museum Students and staff have been working in collaboration with the Holburne Museum in Bath for a number of years. This has included the Holburne contributing to degree courses and Bath Spa curating and sponsoring exhibitions, creating innovative performances and concerts and students’ and graduates’ artwork being exhibited. To further promote and develop this academic and cultural collaboration, the University and the Museum announced a new formal partnership in January.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Slade said: “Bath Spa University is a creative hub of culture and enterprise and we support our students in their endeavours to develop their practice.

Our various project partnerships with the Holburne Museum have continued to expand over the years, so it is fitting that we now work more closely together to further develop our relationship.”

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Dr Alexander Sturgis, Director of the Holburne Museum said: “Education is at the core of what the Holburne is about. We are delighted and proud to be working in partnership with Bath Spa University. I can’t wait to see the ways in which our collaborations will develop and flourish over a wide range of museum activities and academic disciplines.”

To celebrate the announcement, the University sponsored the Holburne’s exhibition: ‘Painted Pomp: Art and Fashion in the Age of Shakespeare’, which opened on 26 January and ran until 6 May. The exhibition featured nine exceptional full-length Jacobean portraits by William Larkin, painted around 1613-18. The Vice-Chancellor addressed an audience at the opening night of the exhibition on 25 January to welcome the new partnership alongside Dr Sturgis.

The University’s degree courses reflect its strong focus on creativity, culture and enterprise. Matched with Creative Bath’s aims to promote the creative industries and support the growth of creative businesses, the result is a powerful partnership to help the economic development of Bath and the growth of the creative industries sector. It will also give local businesses an insight and link to the University and the resources it can offer.

The partnership will provide creative professionals in Bath with access to the University’s creative talent through regular membership events. Speed networking evenings will generate quick introductions and structured discussion. ‘Design Matters’ breakfast sessions will be supported by specialists from the University leading discussion on subjects such as the importance of branding.

Creative Bath members will be contributing to students’ creative showreel and social media projects, as well as welcoming students to Design Matters and keynote events. The partnership will also benefit Bath Spa University students through the Creative Bath Intern Scheme, which aims to retain graduate talent in Bath, a shadowing scheme, and work experience opportunities with members’ companies.

Adam Powell, Head of Enterprise and Local Partnerships at Bath Spa University said: “We’re delighted to be strengthening our partnership with Creative Bath. This two-year initiative will help students and graduates grow their professional networks and portfolios and help us celebrate local creative businesses that have benefitted directly from accessing Bath Spa University’s creative talent.”

Greg Ingham, Chair of Creative Bath said: “It’s tough out there. Tough for graduates seeking work. Tough for businesses aiming to expand.

Bath Spa University’s work in fostering links between the university and local businesses is absolutely essential. Students need opportunity and knowledge of the sector.

Businesses need fresh, bright new talent and so we are delighted to be forging ahead with Bath Spa on this Strategic Partnership.”

Recognition of partnership with Bath Festivals Bath Spa and Bath Festivals were selected as one of the top three partnerships within the Arts & Business (A&B) Long-term Partnership Award category. We were the only university in the UK to have been shortlisted across all the Awards categories.

The A&B Awards in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover are held annually. The Long-term Partnership Award recognises businesses and organisations’ on-going collaboration and their ability to continue to set high standards for arts and business partnerships.

The University has been working in partnership with Bath Festivals for many years, enhancing each other’s profiles and helping to develop a thriving creative and cultural life for this vibrant city.

Bath Festivals benefits from creative, financial and in-kind support from the University. This ranges from contributions to the development of its artistic and outreach programmes, use of university facilities and resources, delivery of events as well as access to a range of staff and student expertise, for example in supporting the Festivals’ social media strategy.

The partnership was formally confirmed in January this year with the University named as Bath Festivals’ ‘Creative Partner’. The relationship has had a positive impact on students, local school children, rural communities, teachers, arts professionals, performers and the diverse festival audiences.

The A&B Awards celebrate the finest partnerships between the commercial and cultural sectors. In 2013, over 100 partnerships entered across the seven award categories.

Attracting audiences from across the UK, Bath International Music Festival, The Independent Bath Literature Festival, The Telegraph Bath Children’s Literature Festival and their yearround Learning and Participation programmes provide exciting and valuable opportunities for Bath Spa students, from delivering performances, workshops and education work to stewarding and placements within the arts administration team.

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Community

LGBT session for teenagers

those people in the world who are not so fortunate. The money raised by the Soup Lunch initiative over the academic year has been matched by the University every year since 2006.

Over £3,000 raised for WaterAid £3,400 was presented to WaterAid as a result of a fundraising initiative at Bath Spa. £1,700 was raised by the Ecumenical Chaplains’ Soup Lunch and presented by final year student Catherine Nagle. This funding was matched by the University and a cheque was presented

by Vice-Chancellor Professor Christina Slade.

The Soup Lunch initiative has been running since 2001 and offers students and staff at the University a chance to replace their usual lunch with a quick lunch of a cup of homemade soup, bread and cheese. It takes place in the Students’ Union every Thursday during term time and aims to remind people how lucky we are to be able to drink clean, unpolluted water from a tap and think of

The Soup Lunch is also a good way for students to have contact time each week with Father Bill, OSM and the Anglican chaplains Jan Knott and Tonya Nixon and the Students’ Union.

Father Bill, OSM, Catholic Chaplain at Bath Spa University said: “The effort of Ecumenical Chaplaincy Soup Lunch is a good example of the concern of Bath Spa students and Bath Spa University for those less fortunate than ourselves. We hope this term will provide another chance to support for WaterAid and the important work they do, bringing help to many.”

WaterAid is an international nongovernmental organisation (NGO) that aims to transform lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world’s poorest communities.

A group of young people from the ‘Group of Gays’ (GoGs) group, facilitated by Wiltshire Services for Young People, joined Laura Green’s Education Studies course on Young People, Identity and Subcultures in November.

Taking the theme ‘it gets better’ they showed some of the films they had made, and talked openly about homophobic bullying and language, stereotyping, depression and coming out to parents, as well as positive images of gay people and President Obama’s direct support for gay teenagers.

Comments from Bath Spa students included: “Unbelievably inspiring. To see and hear the abuse that these and other young people have gone through has shocked me to the core.”

“These youngsters are some of the bravest people I have met in my life.”

“I found the personal experiences very emotional to listen to, but think that everyone could benefit from hearing sessions like this.” “… surprised that school is still the worst place for discrimination/bullying.”

“I hadn’t realised the incidence of suicide and self-harm among this particular group.

I totally agree with the zero tolerance policy [to homophobic bullying] advocated by the group. I hope to share it and apply it in my own school setting.”

“It was a reminder that being gay is just one small aspect of someone’s life, just as being straight is. The video really made this clear.”

“This video should definitely be used within schools.”

“A great message given. Short, sweet and inspirational. Amazing!”

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South West Higher Education conference The Higher Education Liaison Officers Association (HELOA) symposium for the South West of England was held at the University in April.

HELOA is the professional association of Higher Education staff involved in giving guidance and information to prospective students and their advisors. This meeting hosted around 50 teachers and advisors from across the South West of England.

Young Volunteer of the Year Student Sharareh Houshmandyar was named ‘Young Volunteer of the Year’ by Bath & North East Somerset Council Chairman’s Community & Business Awards. Sharareh has taken what she has learned to help others integrate more easily into the university community whilst contributing towards various charities and worthy causes. George Adams-Hynes said: “Sharareh deserves this award in acknowledgment of her hard work and effort.”

The conference featured a number of presentations and sessions, including a talk from the Chief Executive of UCAS, Mary Curnock Cook, who said: “It’s great to see a forward looking university like Bath Spa hosting this event. Those advising young people about their university options need both practical information and inspiring insights to take back to their pupils – both were on offer at this HELOA event.”

A number of Higher Education Institutes throughout the South West region were involved in this conference to enable the sharing of good practice amongst the region.

Supportive sessions were also offered addressing issues relating to the Higher Education process.

Chair of HELOA South West, and Marketing and Events Officer at Bath Spa University, Missy Beal, added: “It is so important for students to be aware of all the university options available to them when they go through, what can be for some, a very difficult process.

“By supporting local teachers and advisors, this conference enabled key messages to be passed on which can only be of benefit to the student.”

The Bath & North East Somerset Council Chairman's Community & Business Awards are given to local people who have made a big difference in their community. The Awards were organised in partnership with, the Volunteer Centre Bath & North East Somerset, CURO (formally Somer Community Housing Trust), the Student Community Partnership and the Quest project.

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Community Helping better educate troops’ children Bath in Fashion 2013 Bath in Fashion is one of the most talked about fashion gatherings outside of London.

This year it ran from 13 to 21 April and provided the city with a week-long showcase of fashion.

Louise Pickles, Head of Bath Spa’s Fashion course is Creative Director of the festival and hosted an event on Saturday 21 April called ‘Fashion Your Future’. This free event was a must for anyone who has ever wanted to work in fashion. The panel of speakers at the event included Bath Spa graduate Chloe Jones who last year won both the Womenswear and Gold Awards at Graduate Fashion Week.

Bath Spa students were involved in many aspects of Bath in Fashion including assisting with the production and styling of fashion shows. One group of textiles students and graduates held an exhibition at the 44AD gallery called ‘Coat, Wrap, Cover’ which featured woven, knitted, embroidered and printed garments and accessories.

The exhibition was managed and curated by Desiree Goodall and featured hand-knitted garments and accessories from her A/W 2013 collection. These were exhibited alongside raincoats by Sandra Doerfel, textile handbags

by Helle Grabow, Natural Fibre scarves by Sian Hurst and woven stoles by Frances Westerduin.

Bath Spa announced a new partnership project with the Service Children Support Network (SCSN) in February. The University’s Widening Participation Team joined forces with the SCSN in an initiative which trialled an educational enrichment and support project for primary and secondary aged Service children in schools across Wiltshire and Somerset in 2013.

The programme geographically extended the current project with the University of Oxford in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

The aims of the project were to: inspire intellectual, global and personal curiosity in pupils, enrich and enhance students’ self-esteem, aspirations and hopes for the future, introduce the language and context of Further and Higher Education and dispel any misconceptions about university study and life and, give students a greater understanding of their progression through school.

These aims were achieved through delivering interesting, informative and relevant programmes to learners between the ages of 10 and 18 both in schools and in universities.

Dr Sally Griffin, Bath Spa Widening Participation and Access Manager, spearheaded Bath Spa’s involvement, working closely with Joy O’Neill, founder of the SCSN and Dr Mel Macer from the University’s School of Education.

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Students take a dive for charity Third year business and management student, Lucy Mitchell, organised a student skydive which raised over £3,000 for dementia research charity, RICE. The Research Institute for the Care Of Older People (RICE) is a registered charity based in Bath.

Lucy and ten students travelled to Old Sarum Airfield in Salisbury where they dived from over 15,000 feet. Lucy also organised a charity skydive in 2012 with five students accepting the challenge and together raising over £1,000 for Alzheimer’s research.

Dr Griffin and Dr Macer already work together on the Education Policy into Practice (EPIP) group and Dr Macer’s involvement with the programme adds additional understanding and experience as she previously worked supporting Service schools in Wiltshire.

Service school children move around a considerable amount during their schooling and can also be under a lot of strain if their mother or father is deployed away from home on a detachment or active service.

Dr Griffin said: “Dr Macer and I are delighted to work with Joy O’Neill on this project and to be able to support the children of service families in this way. We believe that everyone with the potential to benefit from higher education should have the opportunity to do so, and through this programme we hope to inspire these young people to consider university as an option for their future.”

The Reading-born 21 year old has been volunteering at RICE for the last three years, assisting with finance, fundraising and marketing activities as well as running several projects and events, including sponsored skydives. Despite having organised skydives, Lucy had never actually experienced a skydive herself. However, thanks to the other students involved who informed skydiving providers GoSkydive of this, Lucy was given the chance to join them and jump out of the plane.

me a complementary jump! The students of course were not going to allow me to turn this offer down, so 20 minutes later I found myself falling from 15,000ft!

“I’m very glad that I did it, it was fantastic!

I can only describe it as a bizarre and surreal experience and once the parachute had opened, it felt as if I was just hovering in the air.”

Commenting on the amount raised, Lucy added: “I am really pleased with how the event went and also with how much we raised. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day!

“The work that RICE does is amazing. They conduct research and clinical trials into Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and also provide support for those with the disease as well as their families.”

Head of fundraising at RICE, Gina Caddick added: “Lucy has been amazing over the last three years helping out in so many ways, she will be sorely missed. RICE is absolutely delighted with the money raised through the skydives”.

She said: “The ten brave students who had signed up for the challenge spoke to GoSkydive and before I knew what was happening, the company kindly offered

A recent Ofsted report highlighted that the impact of mobility and deployment on the lives of children and young people from armed service families, is an area of concern for a wide range of providers of services to children, young people and their parents.

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Community West of England Carbon Challenge Award

Creative Futures 2013 The Creative Futures 2013 programme of events ran throughout June and showcased the many talents of graduating students.

The festival included exhibitions, films, performances, events and degree shows and ended with a Graphics and Photography Exhibition on Sunday 23 June.

The launch event took place at the Holburne Museum and was a great success with Professor of Art and Design, and world renowned artist Gavin Turk officially opening the Festival.

A variety of events took place across Bath, including networking evenings for businesses and creative professionals and a diverse range of performances open to the city’s residents and the visiting public.

Featuring the work of graduating students from right across the creative and cultural industries, including cultural heritage, design, fashion, film, music, performing arts, photography, textiles and visual arts, Creative Futures 2013 showcased just some of the talent emerging from Bath Spa University this year.

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Professor Christina Slade, Vice-Chancellor, said: “Creative Futures 2013 is shining the spotlight on the wealth of creative talent we have here at Bath Spa University. We are excited to present such a diverse programme of artistic events and very much look forward to sharing with you the extremely high quality of work produced by our enterprising staff and students.”

Some highlights of Creative Futures 2013 included: Illuminate Bath – Creative Director Anthony Head worked with Graphic Communication and Fine Arts students to create a visually exciting projection on Pulteney Bridge.

Hospitality: an exhibition – Bath Spa University and Bath Abbey collaborated to present a new exhibition in Bath Abbey which explored the theme of ‘Hospitality’. The exhibition featured new artworks by 11 Bath Spa University artists, including professional artist alumni, current students and staff from the School of Art and Design.

Bath School of Art and Design degree show Spread over ten days and two venues the Degree Show featured the exciting output from graduating students in a range of Art and Design disciplines.

Graduate Fashion Show - The Graduate Fashion Show was the culmination of work completed on the BA Fashion Design course and showcased the final collections designed, created and made by the students.

Bath Spa won an ‘Outstanding Achievement’ award from Forum for the Future’s West of England Carbon Challenge. This was in recognition of the University’s carbon reduction programme. The Carbon Champion Awards hail from the West of England Carbon Challenge (WECC); a network of businesses, NGOs and public sector organisations with operations in the West of England, all of whom made a voluntary commitment to reduce their carbon emissions by 10 per cent in the period between 2009 and 2012.

Bath Spa was joined as winners in the ‘Outstanding Achievement' category by AtBristol, Arup, Avon Fire and Rescue Service, Buro Happold, Environment Agency, South Gloucestershire Council , Stride Treglown and University of the West of England.

Forum for the Future has been running the WECC since its launch in 2009, and the awards marked the end of an era as they hand over the reins to Low Carbon South West, who are to be the new coordinators of the scheme.

The West of England Carbon Challenge is free to join. In June 2013, there were 132 organisations that had signed up to the WECC, with 75 of this submitting data for 2012/2013. The WECC is the largest voluntary carbon reporting and reduction network in the UK, and puts the West of England region at the forefront of the national aim of cutting carbon and saving energy. This is particularly relevant as Bristol prepares to hold the title of European Green Capital in 2015 and the WECC is a great way for businesses, NGOs and public sector organisations to get involved.

Mind Matters exhibition A group of 12 second year Creative Arts students organised and created an exhibition of their work in Walcot Chapel in aid of Bathbased homeless charity, Julian House.

The exhibition entitled ‘Alive in the Mind’ ran from Wednesday 12 to Sunday 17 March and raised an impressive £888.58. The works created were part of the students’ Professional Practice module which aims to get the students thinking as professionally as possible, enhancing their chances of working successfully within the arts.

The students created a wide range of work including painting, photography, textiles, sculpture and installation. The exhibition’s central theme explored the juxtaposition between Utopia and Dystopia and whether the ideal of Utopia could ever materialise and work, or whether it will always just be an idea ‘Alive in the Mind’.

In order to fund the cost of the exhibition, the students organised several fundraising activities including homemade bake sales, bag packing at Sainsbury’s a pub quiz at The Hop Pole pub in Bath.

Commenting on the students’ efforts, Cathy Adcock, Community Funding Coordinator for Julian House said: “Not only was the standard of artwork produced by the group amazing, but they also organised the exhibition in an incredibly professional manner. Julian House was delighted to be the beneficiary of such a well thought out event.”

The students involved were Phoebe Millard, Abigail Ducharme, Mari Jones, Matt Holland, Jade Fisher, Charlotte Owen, Jasmine Whiteleaf, Meggie Morgan, Ranee Twyford, Becky Doonan, Savhannah Schulz, Maggie Coll.

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HR update

The University is a significant local employer with approximately 820 staff including both academic and professional services staff. In 2012-13 2,800 applications were received for 136 job vacancies.

Equality and diversity

People strategy

Staff survey

On 26 March 2013, the University of Bath welcomed staff and students from Bath Spa, as well as local employers and community groups, to the annual Joint Equality Forum.

This is a key event in the University calendar and encourages lively debate on a range of equality and diversity topics. It is also an important platform for consultation with different groups and stakeholders, and informs future plans. This year’s theme was ‘Fit for Employment? The University as educator and employer’ and included a lively keynote from Eleanor Mills, Associate Editor of The Sunday Times, an interactive audience polling exercise and group workshops on diverse equality topics.

In 2013, the Board of Governors approved the University’s People Strategy. Developed through a consultative process to support the University vision and strategy for 2015, it will drive performance through the development and recognition of staff.

In December 2012, a staff survey was conducted in partnership with Capita. It generated a 62 per cent response rate which is much improved from the 55 per cent response rate in 2008 and is in line with the average responses from other universities in 2012, enabling us to benchmark with the sector. In summary, the results show that overall staff are positive about the University:

During the autumn of 2012 the University conducted its second Equal Pay Review.

There has been a reduction in the percentage of men being paid more than women across the University and the overall pay gap has decreased from 21.23 per cent to 16.08 per cent which compares favourably against the HEI ASHE benchmark data of 21.0 per cent.

The reason why overall men are paid more than women is the current gender distribution of the University which is predominately men in senior roles and more women in lower graded roles. These issues are broader equality issues around gender representation and the University will continue to consider initiatives to increase gender representation across all levels as published in the University Equality Objectives.

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Research support Vitae, the organisation that champions professional and career development of postgraduate researchers and research staff in higher education, published a review of the HR Excellence in Research Award implementation activities across Europe in 2013. Bath Spa University was highlighted as an institution demonstrating good practice in principle 1 of the Concordat, recruitment and selection. The University publishes a full suite of grade profiles for all types of staff on the website, and has also created recruitment guidelines to help managers recruit effectively and promote equality of opportunity throughout the recruitment process.

The HR Team have continued to contribute to the University’s preparation for the REF submission, including confidentially processing Individual Staff Circumstances Disclosure applications in order to comply with the REF2014 Code of Practice. Two equality impact assessments have also been carried out to ensure the exercise does not directly or indirectly disadvantage people with particular protected characteristics.

G

94 per cent say they are interested in the University and to them it is not just a job.

G

90 per cent say the University is a good place to work.

G

86 per cent are proud to work for the University.

In the 22 key questions on employee engagement, nine Bath Spa scores were statistically significantly above the sector norm, and only one was below. Four areas were identified for development (workload and stress, management of change, communication and co-operation between different Schools/ Departments) and a working party, which includes staff representatives, has collated University and department level action plans to ensure improvements are achieved.

Coaching network

Wellbeing

In July 2013, the first cohort of internal coaches received training from the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. They are currently preparing to offer coaching to Bath Spa staff through a coordinated matching and contracting process from academic year 2013/14. The scheme is being developed as a cost effective way to develop and reward staff and enable them to reach their full potential.

Coaching has many benefits for both coach and coachee and will help staff work on current and future goals and challenges.

Internal coaching also helps break down boundaries within organisations, leading to further collaboration and knowledge sharing.

It is intended that a further cohort will be trained in November 2013, resulting in an internal coaching capacity of at least 40 hours per month.

As part of the University’s Wellbeing Strategy, staff have benefited from a number of wellbeing events and campaigns in collaboration with Student Services and the Students’ Union. On National Stress Awareness Day, staff enjoyed Indian Head massages from Bath Stress Angels. The Refectory held a Healthy Living week where staff and students got advice on stopping smoking, how to look after their heart, and enjoyed healthy cooking demonstrations.

Wellbeing charities were supported including Wear It Pink for breast cancer research and Movember for men’s health.

Staff enjoy many opportunities to learn and develop including workshops on academic development, IT skills and personal and management skills, as well as support for jobrelated professional qualifications.

The main event of the year was a full week of wellbeing events in May 2013. The theme was ‘Let’s Get Physical’, highlighting the positive impact physical activity and exercise have on mental health and wellbeing. Many activities were available at multiple sites including reflexology, guided walks, health MOTs, blood and glucose cholesterol testing, Pilates and mental health awareness. In addition, staff were invited to join the Stay Active Challenge during which, competing in teams of five, participants were challenged to increase their activity levels as much as possible during an 11 week activity competition.

An Employee Assistance Programme, Lifeworks, has been in place for several years, and is used to offer additional support to employees and their immediate family.

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Turnover (Year ending July 2012) :

ÂŁ48,686,000

Undergraduate applications to Bath Spa University (to July 2013) :

12,837 (0.86% decrease)

Undergraduate applications: Places ratio (2012):

7.2 : 1

Total student number

8212

Mode of attendance Full-time Part-time

6142 2070

74.79% 25.21%

Level of study Undergraduate students Postgraduate students

5537 2675

67.43% 32.57%

Age on entry Under 25 years 25 years or above

5456 2756

66.44% 33.56%

Gender Female Male

5754 2458

70.07% 29.93%

School breakdown Bath School of Art and Design Education Humanities and Cultural Industries Music and Performing Arts Society, Enterprise and Environment

1123 3012 1540 1230 1307

13.68% 36.68% 18.75% 14.98% 15.92%

Location of study Newton Park/Corsham Court Sion Hill/Circus Partner Institutions

6704 833 675

81.64% 10.14% 8.22%

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Facts and Figures

Governors and senior staff Director of Computing Dave Hassall BSc

Board of Governors

Senior staff

Stella Pirie OBE (Chair)

Vice-Chancellor Professor Christina Slade BA PhD DipEd FRSA

Director of International Relations Jeremy White BA MA

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Operations) Jon Brady BSc

Director of Library Services Alison Baud MA DipLib MCLIP

Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost Professor Neil Sammells BA PhD

Executive Officer to the Vice-Chancellor Rob Armstrong-Haworth BA MA

Director of Student Services and Registrar Christopher Ellicott BA MA (Oxon)

Head of Development and Campaigns Marnie Whiting

Director of Human Resources Arlene Stone FCIPD

Head of Enterprise and Local Partnerships Adam Powell BSc PG Dip

Vice-Provost Learning and Teaching Quality Professor Paul Davies BSc PhD

Head of Estates Richard Jordan MCIOB

Vice-Provost Research and Graduate Affairs Professor Tim Middleton BA MA PGCE PhD

Head of Finance Kevin Wright FCA

Dean of Bath School of Art and Design Professor Anita Taylor BA MA

Head of Learning and Teaching Professor Paul Hyland

Acting Dean of School of Education Christine Eden BA (Hons) PGCE MSc

Head of Marketing and Communications Tessa Griffiths BA DipM

Dean of School of Humanities and Cultural Industries Professor Steve May BA PhD PGCE

Head of Planning Support Jonathan Sebright BA

Professor Christina Slade (Vice-Chancellor) Inderjit Ahluwalia – up to November 2012 Robin Alexander – from November 2012 Julian Amey Paul Bird Paul Davies Amy Dawson Christopher Ellicott (Clerk) Martin Francis Teresa Fisk Andrew Harris – up to November 2012 Jane Henderson Professor Paul Luna Shaun McGall Professor Philip Martin Revd Prebendary Edward Mason Philip Parker David Pester – from November 2012 Ian Phillips – up to November 2012 Michael Roy Mary Toman

Dean of School of Music and Performing Arts Joe Bennett BA NTF FHEA

Head of Strategy Diana Newport-Peace BA, DEA, PhD

Dean of School of Society, Enterprise and Environment Professor Robert Mears BSc MSc PhD PGCE

Newton Park Campus, Newton St Loe, Bath BA2 9BN Telephone 01225 875 875 Sion Hill Campus, Lansdown, Bath BA1 5SF Telephone 01225 875 875 enquiries@bathspa.ac.uk www.bathspa.ac.uk

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