Annual Review

Page 1

2010

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autumn


Constitution The University’s constitution is set out in its Royal Charter, Statutes and Ordinances. The Court meets once a year to receive the University’s Annual Review and Accounts and, as appropriate, to appoint a Chancellor of the University. The Court’s membership includes representatives from many sectors of the local and national community as well as staff, student and graduate members. The Council is the executive governing body of the University and comprises lay and staff members and students, with a non-executive, lay majority. The Statutes of the University define the powers and responsibilities of the Council (and of the Court and the Senate, see below). By custom and under the advice of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Council has responsibility for the ongoing strategic direction of the University, approves major projects and receives regular reports from Committees and Executive Officers acting under statutory or delegated powers. The Senate is the academic authority of the University and comprises academic staff and student members. It directs and regulates the teaching and research of the University.

The business of the University is conducted in accordance with the seven principles identified by the Nolan Committee on Standards in Public Life (selflessness; integrity; objectivity; accountability; openness; honesty; leadership) and follows the further advice about governance from the Committee, the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Committee of University Chairs. The Council maintains a Register of Interests of its members and staff of the University. The Government’s response to the Dearing Report on Higher Education (1998) endorsed a recommendation that the Council should be reviewed at least once every five years. The most recent review of the Council’s effectiveness was undertaken during summer/early autumn 2008. The review included a detailed report from an External Adviser, John Lauwerys, formerly Secretary and Registrar at the University of Southampton. The review concluded that overall the Council was effective. Some changes to further enhance its operational effectiveness have been put into effect. The next review of the Council’s effectiveness will be in 2012/2013. Enquiries about the constitution and governance of the University should be directed to the Secretary of the Council.


2010 Contents 2

Introduction

4

Winter 2010

10

Staff profile – Sarah Spurgeon

12

Spring 2010

18

Staff profile – John Fitzpatrick

20

Summer 2010

26

Student profile – Ugandan children’s programme

28

Autumn 2010

34

Faculties

38

Graduate School

40

Hong Kong and China Portal

42

Institutional Plan for 2009-12

44

Books

46

Open Lectures

47

Development and Alumni Relations

48

Summary of financial performance

50

Awards, appointments, promotions and deaths

52

Principal officers

28

5

20

30

5

13

22

31

6

15

23

32

9

16

25

33

UNIVERSITY OF KENT / ANNUAL REVIEW 2010 1


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INTRODUCTION This has been a year of great change. We now have a coalition Government, and are beginning to see cuts in public sector funding. We have also had the outcome of Lord Browne’s long-awaited review of England’s higher education system, which recommends sweeping changes to the university funding system. Despite such a turbulent environment, the University is in a strong position to respond in a positive way. Our finances are in excellent shape, and we had considerable success in the Government’s recent Research Assessment Exercise. In addition, we continue to attract significant research funding as well as record numbers of applications from prospective students. With our strong teaching and research links with Europe, Kent prides itself on being UK’s European university. We not only have a campus in Brussels, but our campus in Paris is now in its second year with a growing range of unique and innovative cross-disciplinary postgraduate programmes in the humanities. This year we made a successful bid for funding from the European Commission under the prestigious and highly competitive Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctoral scheme. The bid was for a transdisciplinary doctoral programme in the humanities entitled ‘TEEME: Text and Event in Early Modern Europe’, and was the only successful humanities application in the 2010 competition, and is the first such programme to be coordinated by a UK institution.

This year, we have seen an increase in our international student numbers, many of whom are from China and Hong Kong. Our alumni association in Hong Kong continues to lead the way in raising funds for scholarships, and we have launched our new China and Hong Kong Portal which will bring together a range of University programmes and initiatives and provide a focus for new links between European and Chinese researchers. This is a particularly exciting development in that it brings together many aspects of our internationalisation agenda. Meanwhile, following a range of fundraising activities in the United States, we have now established a fund which is being endowed entirely by alumni who have either come from, or are resident in, the United States. This reflects the immense enthusiasm and commitment to Kent of our US alumni One implication of the Browne Review is that all universities will need to focus on the student experience. Kent is always rated among the best for student satisfaction in National Student Survey, and this year we saw a number of our schools ranked among the best nationwide including Psychology, Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Economics, Mathematics & Statistics, and Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research. We continue to invest in the University infrastructure and the new School of Arts was completed in January 2010. It is an excellent example of purpose-built accommodation which has allowed the three areas of the school – Film, Drama and Visual Arts – to come together in top quality space. We are also planning to expand our offering of the visual and creative arts in Medway and will be developing the levels of academic provision currently available at Chatham’s Historic Dockyard.

This has also been an extremely good year for graduate study at Kent and the Graduate School has made substantial progress towards achieving its mission. One of the highlights has been the launch of the Global Skills Award in October following a successful bid for Ideas Factory Funding. We now have over 200 postgraduate students accepted for a place on the Award programme which is designed to enhance both global awareness and employability skills.

Professor Dame Julia M Goodfellow DBE, CBE, FMed Sci Vice-Chancellor

UNIVERSITY OF KENT / ANNUAL REVIEW 2010 3


WINTER 2010

Prize-winning renal diagnosis software A joint team from the School of Computing and East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUT) gained second place in the Innovation in Renal Medicine national competition, run by the British Journal of Renal Medicine. The team developed a renal diagnosis system that is currently being used by a large number of GP practices in East Kent, Medway and Salford, Greater Manchester. Known as SEIK (System for Early Intervention in Kidney Disease), the software has resulted in dramatic improvements in identifying early renal referrals which may otherwise have gone undetected due to lack of symptoms. SEIK has also significantly reduced the number of emergency referrals and led to more effective use of hospital resources for scheduling referrals and treatment.

“The team’s success was for its development of a renal diagnosis system that is currently being used by a large number of GP practices”

£3 million for sports in Medway The University signed an official agreement with Medway Council to enhance sports facilities both for students and the wider Medway community. Medway Park, an £11.1 million development, is a regional centre of sporting excellence and one of the most technologically advanced Olympic training grounds in the country, featuring sports science laboratories, a 100-station health and fitness suite, a dance studio, pools, judo centre and eight-lane athletics track. The University contributed £3 million to the scheme and funding was also provided by the Government, Sport England and Medway Council. Professor Louis Passfield, the University’s Director for the Centre for Sports Studies, said Medway Park would help Kent consolidate its position as one of the fastest-growing academic sports departments in the country.

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WINTER 2010

Overnight hospital stays can be cut by half Research from Kent has revealed that a new Department of Health-funded scheme for older people could almost halve overnight stays in hospital and cut accident and emergency attendances by nearly a third. The scheme, known as the Partnership for Older People Projects (POPP), was launched in 2005 and set up 29 local authority-led pilots, working with their health and voluntary sector partners, across England. The aim was to deliver and evaluate locally innovative approaches to help keep older people healthy, well and independent, and prevent or delay high-intensity or institutional care. Dr Karen Windle, from the Personal Social Services Research Unit, presented key findings from her report on the pilot scheme at POPP’s national launch to an audience which included government ministers and Phil Hope, Minister for Care Services, and David Behan, Director General of Social Care, Local Government and Care Partnerships at the Department of Health.

Kent student is one of Britain’s most outstanding black students Yolanda Brown, studying for a PhD at Kent Business School, was named as one of Britain’s most outstanding black students in Future Leaders 2010. The publication honoured 30 of Britain’s most exceptional black students, who balance academic excellence with extraordinary outside achievements. A double MOBO award-winning saxophonist, she has previously completed an MManSci in European Management Science at Kent and recently completed a Master’s in Social Research Methods. As well as touring with The Temptations, she has performed for the Russian President at the Winter Palace, St Petersburg, and has played at Indig02 at London’s 02 Arena. She has already released two critically acclaimed debut EPs and is currently working on her debut album.

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WINTER 2010

Kent alumna appointed Chinese Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Professor Alex Hughes, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Kent, was among the guests at the farewell reception held to mark the departure of Madam Fu Ying, Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the United Kingdom, who was appointed to the post of Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs. Madam Fu has a long-standing link with the University, having studied International Relations at the University from 1985 to 1986. She was also awarded an honorary degree by the University in 2008. The University is currently building on its existing links with China through its research and teaching activities, and has recently welcomed both postgraduate and undergraduate students to its Canterbury campus through a European Commissionfunded scheme. There is also an active scholarship programme and the University currently has over 300 Chinese students on campus, studying a variety of courses, from International Foundation Programmes to PhD level.

National awards commend power station technology Kent was commended at the Rushlight Awards for a technological advancement which reduces the environmental impact of fossil fuel usage. The work, led by Professor Yong Yan, Director of Research and Professor of Electronic Instrumentation at the School of Engineering and Digital Arts, enables power stations to detect the types and grades of fuel they are burning by monitoring the flame characteristics automatically. The automated detection of the types and grades of fuel ensures the combustion conditions are optimised constantly, leading to a considerable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The technology, which has been successfully demonstrated on Didcot and Tilbury power stations, was developed as part of a Technology Strategy Board-funded technology programme in collaboration with RWE npower and several other industrial organisations. The Rushlight Awards promote and celebrate the leading energy, resource and environmental technologies and innovations by organisations throughout the UK and Ireland.

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WINTER 2010

Memories go digital Four students from the University have been involved in a unique project to help senior citizens from Thanet rediscover their teenage past. The Multimedia Technology and Design students from the School of Engineering and Digital Arts worked with Turner Contemporary in Margate and BBC Radio Kent on a project called Time of our Lives which brought together younger and older generations to reflect upon being a teenager, a period of life that is often regarded with fear and suspicion. As part of the project, the group worked with an artist to create art work, record interviews, collect stories, photographs and artifacts of ‘teenage’ life. The Kent students then created an ‘interactive teenage bedroom’, which acted as a digital archive for the content generated during the project, and which formed part of an exhibition at Droit House, Turner Contemporary’s visitor centre in Margate. The project was funded through the Government Transformation Fund.

Graduate internship scheme The University won significant funding from the government’s Graduate Internships 2010 Scheme to place 100 graduates with small businesses in Kent. The scheme aimed to support small businesses in taking a graduate intern by providing financial and administrative assistance. The benefits for participating businesses include having access to new skills and fresh talent, while graduates will receive work experience as well as preemployment and interview training. More than £13 million was made available by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to the 50 universities participating in the Scheme. Partners include the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Regional Development Agencies and Higher Education Regional Associations. The Kent internships were organised by Kent Innovation & Enterprise.

“The benefits for participating businesses include having access to new skills and fresh talent while graduates will receive work experience as well as pre-employment and interview training.”

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WINTER 2010

Kent-Ghent links strengthened The Universities of Kent and Ghent signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during a visit by the Vice-Chancellor to Ghent. Professor Julia Goodfellow was accompanied by Professor Alex Hughes, Pro-Vice-Chancellor External; Professor Roger Vickerman, Dean of the University of Kent at Brussels and Penny Pratt, Head of European Office. The two universities already share a number of common interests across a range of disciplines. The MoU will strengthen the institutional links and provide a strategic framework within which to operate.

Students win University Million Makers regional final A team of Kent students won the regional final of University Million Makers after competing with teams of students across the UK to raise £2,500 for The Prince’s Trust. Luke Eaton, Sinan Assaf, Ben Giambrone and Warren Taggart raised over £2,800 for the Trust by undertaking a range of activities, including bucket collections and raffles and a lecturers’ quiz night. The team were presented with their winning certificates by Tim Campbell, winner of the first series of the BBC programme The Apprentice. University Million Makers is part of a national campaign to raise the £1 million that The Prince’s Trust needs to raise every week to continue its work with some of the most disadvantaged young people across the UK.

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WorldFest celebrations The 2010 WorldFest attracted staff, students and members of the wider community to take part in what has become an annual celebration of the University’s international community. The event launched with a student society and samba band parade, and included a range of exciting activities from around the globe including music, film, drama and sports. A 30-foot high yurt hosted a world market which gave people the chance to sample foods from around the world. There was also an opportunity to learn and develop language skills, with taster sessions in Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, Portuguese and Polish. All proceeds from the festival went to the University’s designated charity, Seeds for Africa.

“The event included a range of exciting activities from around the globe including music, film, drama and sports”


WINTER 2010

Housing Advice Centre to benefit from law lecturer’s award Nick Jackson, Senior Lecturer at Kent Law School, was awarded the Oxford University Press Alistair MacQueen Memorial Grant. His award of £1,000 was used to produce public information and facilitate student training for the benefit of those using the Mortgage Possession Desk run by Canterbury Housing Advice Centre and Kent Law Clinic. The public information included raising awareness of the services offered by the Centre and the Clinic, and of housing problems in Canterbury. The Canterbury Housing Advice Centre, of which Mr Jackson is Chair, is a registered charity providing free, confidential, independent help and advice for Canterbury residents at risk of losing their homes or who are threatened with homelessness. The Kent Law Clinic is a free legal advice service based at the University of Kent, staffed by qualified lawyers and by law students at the University. Between them, they run the regular Mortgage Possession Desk at Canterbury County Court – this is a free service available to people facing mortgage repossession proceedings at the Court.

Medway students get additional £200,000 book spend The University invested an additional £200,000 in new textbooks for students at its Medway campus, of which £75,000 was earmarked for spending by student representatives in consultation with fellow students. The remainder of the £200,000 budget was spent by academic staff. This investment was in addition to Kent’s annual library spend on books of £132,000 at Medway and was spread across several of its longest-standing subject areas at Medway, including sports, law, business, social work, social sciences and computing.

“The Canterbury Housing Advice Centre is a registered charity providing free, confidential, independent help and advice for Canterbury residents at risk of losing their homes or who are threatened with homelessness”

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SARAH SPURGEON Sarah Spurgeon is Professor of Control Engineering and Head of the School of Engineering and Digital Arts. She is internationally renowned for the development of novel control strategies for a range of practical systems, from aircraft to medical applications.

2010 has been a particularly fulfilling year. My recent election to Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering scored great points with my children at least when the corresponding new entry in Who’s Who caused a flurry of publicity linking my name and achievements with those of the other West Midlands’ new entrant, Sam Allardyce, the manager of Blackburn Rovers. Can’t help but wonder if Sam saw the articles and what he made of his fellow entrant from the Black Country. As ever, I was on the lookout for exciting new application areas of control theory and 2010 did not disappoint. I was delighted to obtain funding for a new project developing control algorithms for the Mega Ampère Spherical Tokamak (MAST), the flagship of the UK’s fusion programme. The global energy question is a key area where engineers have an important role to play and nuclear fusion produces energy from readily available fuels in a safe way without producing greenhouse gases or other undesirable environmental side effects. A typical fusion plasma in MAST is at a temperature of a staggering 23,000,000 degrees C and must be contained by magnetic fields that keep the plasma away from physical surfaces. The control system needs to use remote sensors to determine the plasma parameters such as shape and position and maintain it in the correct configuration to achieve optimum performance. A key challenge for my team is to steer the plasma ‘exhaust’ plume appropriately in order to handle the extreme heat load. In June, the usual flurry of examination activities was interspersed by a visit to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) as part of an EU/FONCICYT funded network project looking at control and monitoring for process automation and energy production. As current Chair of the

IEEE Technical Committee on Sliding Mode and Variable Structure Control, I was honoured to speak at the opening ceremony of the biennial workshop as well as present a plenary lecture on control and systems activities at the University of Kent. I was absolutely delighted to receive the news in August that my School had come top of the National Student Survey for the unit of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, with 100% of our students being satisfied with the overall quality of their course. It is so good to have the hard work of the EDA team recognised by the student body. I was thrilled to be awarded the 2010 Honeywell International Medal for my ‘outstanding contribution to control theory and systems engineering’. This medal commemorates the granting of a Royal Charter to the Institute of Measurement and Control (InstMC) and is awarded annually to a chartered measurement and control technologist. I received my Medal at the Royal Society in October and, as always, was humbled by the surroundings, which resonate with history and the trappings of past scientific endeavour. Back in Kent there is more success for EDA, one of the 17 Kent teams participating with 22 other universities in Green Impact, an environmental scheme seeking to empower individuals and departments to reduce their environmental impact by encouraging, rewarding and celebrating practical environmental improvements. Our combined team of staff and students has had great fun seeking to make our workplace more environmentally friendly. I am proud of our Silver Medal and Special Award for best energy saving idea, which represent much of what defines the heart of our school.

UNIVERSITY OF KENT / ANNUAL REVIEW 2010 11


SPRING 2010

Scientists expand potential uses for glass Scientists from the Functional Materials Group at the School of Physical Sciences have expanded the potential uses of glass by developing an experimental technique that reveals more clearly how atoms in glass vibrate. This new technique will make a significant contribution to the Functional Materials Group’s current research into the use of glass as a material for applications such as nuclear waste immobilisation and as a biomaterial. Specific applications for the latter include the development of a biodegradable glass for bone regeneration. The team’s experiment, described in an editor’s choice paper by the journal Physical Review, involved using several types of glass containing different isotopes of oxygen which, due to the difference in mass between the isotopes, vibrate at different speeds. The speed of these vibrations was then measured via a technique known as inelastic neutron scattering. The research was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Law Clinic shortlisted for best law school Kent Law Clinic was shortlisted for two prizes in the Attorney General’s Pro Bono Awards 2010 – in the categories of Best Contribution by a Law School and Best Contribution by a Team of Students (the Immigration and Asylum Team). The Awards recognise the outstanding contribution made by law schools and students to the community through pro bono or the free work that they do. Kent Law Clinic is a partnership between students, academics and solicitors and barristers in practice locally. It has received numerous awards recognising and celebrating its work, most recently having been awarded both a Queen’s Anniversary Prize and the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community’.

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Online ostracism damages children’s self esteem Research by psychologists at Kent has revealed that online ostracism is a threat to children’s self-esteem. The study, which was published in the British Journal of Developmental Psychology, looked at how children, adolescents and adults react to being ostracised by other players during an online computer game. This is the first time the effect of online ostracism on children has been investigated. The study was carried out by a team at the Centre for the Study of Group Processes and was led by Professor Dominic Abrams. Being ostracised in this way had the largest effect on feelings of belonging among the 13 to 14-year-olds, strongly suggesting that adolescents may place a higher value on inclusion in peer networks than do children or adults. However, the good news was that the negative reactions were cancelled out when children were included in a later game.


SPRING 2010

Fashion and the over-50s New research at Kent has exploded the myth of ‘baby boomers’ as a generation that pioneered recent cultural change. For some time it has been argued that baby boomer women have played a significant role in the reconstitution of aged identities, with one of the most widely held assumptions about ‘boomers’ being that their ageing will be ‘different’. In relation to clothing, this means that women will not want to adopt the ‘frumpy’ age-related dress assumed to be the pattern of past generations, but will insist on retaining their ‘youthful’ styles and on maintaining engagement with mainstream fashion.

Seeds for Africa and Kellogg’s team up Special panels about Seeds for Africa were featured on 25 million packs of Kellogg’s Cornflakes, Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cornflakes and Kellogg’s Frosties. The cereal company is helping the charity to provide schools and community groups with the tools, seeds and training they require to start their own gardens. Seeds for Africa will also deliver advice on water management and land preparation, ensuring local people have the skills needed to produce nutritious food which is secure, reliable and sustainable for the future. The donation from Kellogg’s is being used develop a new project in Tigania, an area affected by unreliable rains.

Leadership Trust Foundation Fellowship awarded Professor Dennis Tourish from Kent Business School has been appointed one of the founding fellows of the Leadership Trust Foundation, an educational charitable trust dedicated to the development and enhancement of leadership. To celebrate its 35th anniversary it founded the Fellowship of the Leadership Trust Foundation, to recognise the achievements of a small number of people who have worked with the Trust or made a significant contribution to the study of leadership over the years.

However, new research conducted by Julia Twigg, Professor of Social Policy and Sociology at the University’s School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research shows that while older women are shopping for clothes more often than their equivalents did in the 1960s, their shopping habits and fashion sense are an effect of the times – and not of a generation, or the attitudes of a generation, as previously thought.

Professor Tourish was selected as one of the founding fellows, in recognition of his work in leadership. The fellowship was formally awarded in March at an inaugural dinner for Fellows held at the Trust’s headquarters.

UNIVERSITY OF KENT / ANNUAL REVIEW 2010 13


SPRING 2010

Songbird genome aids understanding of learning and memory Darren Griffin, Professor of Genetics at the School of Biosciences was among an international group of scientists to have sequenced the zebra finch genome. This is only the second bird genome to be sequenced – the first was that of the chicken in 2004 – and will contribute significantly to the understanding of human genetics. The group’s research was published by Nature.

Research identifies barriers to Bangladeshis learning or improving English The Bangladeshi community in London are unable to learn or improve their English because of many barriers to accessing English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services, according to research from the University. Dr Ferhana Hashem, Research Fellow at the University’s Centre for Health Services Research explained that Bangladeshi women in particular encounter opportunities to learn the language pre-migration, but childcare, family responsibilities and the domestic duties of running a household can prevent them from regularly attending ESOL classes. The research, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, also showed while members of the community are more than willing to learn the language the efforts by many ESOL service providers to respond to their needs are undermined by changes in government funding and targeting regimes threatens to undermine their work.

University research reveals Medieval Maundy Thursday The way in which medieval sinners were expelled and subsequently welcomed back into the community on Maundy Thursday has been examined as part of a new research project by a Kent historian. The Arts Humanities and Research Council (AHRC)-funded project focused on the re-enactment of this medieval liturgical rite for the reconciliation of penitents in a medieval parish church located at St Fagan’s National History Museum near Cardiff. This re-enactment was part of a wider study covering how rites such as those for baptism, marriage and funerals would have been conducted. The text and music for the service was originally written for Salisbury cathedral, and became the standard written form for services in most churches in southern England and Wales in the later Middle Ages. However, the way in which such rites were conducted must have differed from the written text in smaller, more local churches. The project is in collaboration with the University of Exeter.

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The zebra finch offers a unique opportunity to understand the genetics behind the wiring and re-wiring of the human brain during learning and memory, as well as many other individual features such as immunity and fertility. It will also reveal the genetics underpinning some of the uniquely fascinating traits of birds such as plumage and song. Teams across the USA, Europe and the Middle East, including seven UKbased research groups, have contributed to this project, which includes funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).


SPRING 2010

Pharmacy lecturer’s mission to improve cancer treatments Medway School of Pharmacy lecturer Dr Nathalie Lavignac has received a grant to improve drug targeting in cancer patients. Dr Lavignac, a Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, works at the interface between chemistry and biology in the field of nanomedicine. She has developed a number of ‘nanocarriers’ to improve drug delivery and target only the cancerous cells – thus minimising the unpleasant sideeffects often associated with cancer treatment. Dr Lavignac received her research grant from the Kent Cancer Trust charity and will use it to fund a PhD studentship, which will focus on this challenge for a period of three years. The project will be carried out in partnership with Dr Mark Hill, a clinical cancer specialist from Kent Oncology Centre at Maidstone Hospital.

Kent artists stage joint exhibition at Canary Wharf A joint exhibition of new paintings by Angus Pryor, Director of Fine Art, and recent sculptures by William Henry, a graduate of the University’s Associate College Fine Art Programme at Ashford, opened at Canary Wharf. The exhibition, titled Post-Conceptual Art Practice: New Directions – Part One, aimed to provide fresh perspectives on how traditional media are being adapted and revised by a new generation of artists. Dr Grant Pooke, Co-Convenor of the University’s Fine Art MA Programme, describes the exhibition as ‘an opportunity to take a fresh look at how some contemporary artists are revising the mediums of painting and sculpture in the light of the history of the readymade and the legacy of Modernism’.

“The exhibition aimed to provide fresh perspectives on how traditional media are being adapted and revised by a new generation of artists”

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SPRING 2010

Digitising Cathedral archives A unique collaboration between the University, Canterbury Cathedral Archives and researchers in Rouen has laid the foundations for a new and exciting project through which Canterbury residents and visitors may, in the future, gain easy access to some of the older and/or more fragile documents held in the Cathedral Archives. Known as DocExplore, the project aims to develop an interactive system which allows digitised versions of valuable historical documents to be explored via a touch-screen, simulating, as far as possible, the experience of accessing the physical object itself. But users can see much more than the document – they can access translations and transcriptions, read more about the period in which it was written, its contents and who would have used it at the time by using the additional text, image, sound and video resources that are a feature of the system. The Kent team included Dr Richard Guest, Professor Michael Fairhurst and Dr Yiqing Liang from the School of Engineering and Digital Arts, together with Dr Catherine Richardson from the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies.

History prize for Kent student Christopher Choy, a War Studies student, was awarded a national essay prize by Field Marshal His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent. The annual Society for Army Historical Research prize-giving ceremony took place at the Cavalry and Guards Club in London. Christopher received first prize for his winning entry, ‘Last Stand on the Imjin River: Could the loss of the 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment have been averted?’ The Society launched the essay competition, which is open to all university undergraduates and sixth-form students, to encourage interest in military research.

“The project aims to develop an interactive system which allows digitised versions of valuable historical documents to be explored via a touch-screen”

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SPRING 2010

Students help design new social and creative hub A new social and creative hub opened on the Canterbury campus. Based in the Marlowe Building, the project was a collaboration between a group of students from the Kent School of Architecture, MELD (an architectural practice involving tutors from KSA) and the University’s Estates and Hospitality departments. The collaboration was the result of a Creative Campus competition. Key elements of the design include: full height individually opening windows connecting the inside and outside of the foyer; an internal social space and ancillary café; a new ceiling and improved acoustics; and an interactive wall that contains a Smart Screen, shelves with lighting and two ceiling mounted projectors. The latter enables projections to be made onto a ceiling mounted retractable screen and/or onto the windows of the foyer to be seen by passersby.

Kent lecturer achieves top ten world ranking A lecturer from Kent Business School, University of Kent, has been ranked as one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of information systems. Des Laffey was placed ninth in the world in a ranking of the top journals recognised by the Association of Information Systems (AIS), an international professional society of more than 4,000 members from 90 countries, including researchers and lecturers. The analysis of research carried out on the AIS-approved journals placed Mr Laffey as the highest-ranked author for information systems outside of North America. The ranking took into account leading-edge research published in the top eight information systems journals between 2007 and 2009, during which time Mr Laffey produced papers on online gambling, comparison websites and search engines.

“Des Laffey was placed ninth in the world in a ranking of more than 4,000 members from 90 countries, including researchers and lecturers”

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JOHN FITZPATRICK Reflecting on a year in the Law Clinic can take many forms. I could mention the statistic that in 2010 the Clinic handled its 10,000th query from members of the public since our (modern) records began in 1991; or herald the success of our Medway office, in its fourth year already a productive rival to Canterbury; or boast of the Clinic being shortlisted in 2010 for two awards at the Attorney-General’s Student Pro Bono Awards reception in the House of Lords and for the ‘Pro Bono Team of the year’ at The Lawyer Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London. I have to acknowledge the amazing partnership that is the Clinic. It comprises practising lawyers on the academic staff of Kent Law School, the 50 plus local solicitors and barristers (and some from London!) who volunteer their time on Monday evenings to give free advice to the public and, of course, the 200 plus students who every year contribute in some capacity (mostly on an extra-curricular basis). Our aim is to teach students through the process of supervising their work in a highly professional and effective legal service, and by maintaining in the Clinic a culture of enthusiastic engagement with, and reflection upon, law and the practice of law. Our new Immigration and Asylum Team did sterling work. It is led by Clinic solicitor Catherine Carpenter working with about 30 students, engaged in case work and project work. The team obtained two dramatic injunctions – in January and September. They were granted on the telephone by a High Court judge, restraining the Home Office from removing clients who had been refused asylum pending a proper consideration of their case. In each case the client was at Heathrow (one was already on the plane) before the injunction was served, and the removal halted. These were very important strikes for due process and the rule of law. The project work of the team is equally important. During 2010 over 30 students have worked (on an extra-curricular basis) with groups such as Kent Refugee Help, Kent Medical Justice and Dover Detainee Visitors Group helping detainees in the Dover Immigration and Removals Centre and in HM Prison Canterbury. Twenty-two students have visited the Centre or Prison to ascertain needs,

make appropriate legal and asylum support referrals, and provide moral support. In addition, students organised very well-attended lectures and discussions which addressed the policy issues arising from the legal framework. I think it would be appropriate to end this summing up with a client’s perspective on our work. Clinic student Chantelle Magrath graduated in the summer of 2010 with a First Class LLB. She obtained a scholarship from the Inner Temple and has now obtained a pupilage in chambers at 2 King’s Bench Walk, Temple, London. I know that she will treasure the note of thanks that she received from her client in her final year which included the following: ‘Although nobody would have been aware of it, we believe we were your first clients in court and we hope you will remember us as being among the most appreciative. ‘We would like to acknowledge the hard work you put into our case. We felt from the beginning, that you had acquainted yourself fully with the history and had a very good grasp of the details. You then prepared the case in painstaking and patient detail and we were in awe, as you commenced your cross examination of the Respondent’s key witness, referencing all of your questions to a range of paragraphs in the witness statements. You showed a calmness of spirit and enterprise in court that probably went ahead of your experience. ‘The preparation of your final submission was again a credit to you in the researching of all case law and the referencing of these into the complexities of the case and the arguments on which it depends.’

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SUMMER 2010

Celebrating student volunteering in Medway The University’s first student volunteering awards ceremony at the Medway campus was a memorable event which celebrated the contribution of students to the local community. In 2009 alone over 2,000 hours of volunteering were undertaken by the Medway-based students. Their activities ranged from working in charity shops to running a maths club at New Brompton College in Gillingham. Twenty-four students were awarded the Kent Student Certificate for Volunteering, which formally recognises those who undertake a minimum of 25 hours of volunteering. A special award was also given to Kent Business School student Alex Jones for completing 611 hours of volunteering.

“In 2009 alone over 2,000 hours of volunteering were undertaken by the Medwaybased students”

Universities Week The University joined over 100 other institutions to take part in Universities Week, a national initiative led by Universities UK to drive recognition of the impact universities have on the local and national economy, culture and society. Among the activities which took place at Kent was the School of Arts first-ever festival featuring some of the best work by its staff, students and graduates in art, drama and film. The University also hosted a one-day conference on Creative Campus, a sectorwide programme funded by the Higher Education Funding Council of England. The conference focused on the artistic, cultural and social issues highlighted by over 100 special commissions, exhibitions, performances and events across the South East.

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Mini-factories’ for biofuels and vaccines Kent scientists joined forces with University College Cork to manipulate simple bacteria to construct internal compartments where biofuels and vaccines can be produced. These micro-compartments eventually occupy almost 70 percent of the available space in a bacteria cell, enabling segregation of metabolic activities and, in the era of synthetic biology, representing an important tool by which defined microenvironments can be created for specific metabolic functions. According to Martin Warren, Professor of Biochemistry in the School of Biosciences, it is envisaged that these micro-compartments could be modified for the synthesis of ethanol or even hydrogen gas, which could reduce the human need for many oil-derived products, including certain medicines. The team is currently working on ways to produce new antibiotics within these compartments. The research was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.


SUMMER 2010

DBE for Vice-Chancellor The University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Julia Goodfellow, was appointed DBE in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours. The award is for her services to science. Dame Julia has been Vice-Chancellor at Kent since 2007. Throughout her career, she has held a number of prestigious positions. She was previously Deputy Master at Birkbeck, University of London, and then Chief Executive of the BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council), where she was responsible for government funding for the biosciences. She was awarded a CBE for services to biophysics in 2001, was made an honorary fellow of the British Science Association in 2008, and in 2009 became the Association’s Chair. She is also a member of STEMnet, the Daphne Jackson Trust, the John Innes Foundation and the East Malling Trust. Dame Julia has long had a key role both as a scientist and in promoting public engagement with science.

How and why donors choose charities A new study from the University revealed that, despite people’s widespread beliefs that charities exist primarily to help the needy, the majority of donors tend to support organisations that promote their own preferences, help people they feel some affinity with and support causes that relate to their own life experiences. Most people also base decisions on their perception of which charities are competent – including their being ‘well-run’, ‘efficient’ and with ‘low overheads’ – and their attempt to have the greatest impact or get the biggest ‘bang for their buck’. The study, which involved in-depth interviews with 60 committed donors, was conducted by Dr Beth Breeze, a researcher within the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council-funded Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy (CGAP) and co-founder of Kent’s Centre for Philanthropy, Humanitarianism and Social Justice.

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SUMMER 2010

Student shortlisted for NUJ award A second-year PhD student at the School of English was shortlisted for a National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Regional Press Award. Tinashe Mushakavanhu, an international student from Zimbabwe, was nominated for the The Felix Dearden Report on Race Award for his story, ‘The Facade of Multiculturalism’. The article was originally published in InQuire, the University’s independent newspaper, which allows students of any discipline to gain journalistic experience. Tinashe has acted as Comments Editor for InQuire and is also one of the editors for The GradPost, a newsletter for postgraduate students at Kent.

“Tinashe Mushakavanhu, an international student from Zimbabwe, was nominated for his story, ‘The Facade of Multiculturalism’.”

New health strategy The University has introduced a new strategy to develop its current health-related teaching, research and enterprise activities, enabling it to become more responsive to the rapidly changing demands of the region’s healthcare services and to strengthen its research activity in those areas where the University already has world-class expertise. The strategy aims to build on existing strengths in social policy, mental health, biomedical sciences, sports sciences, pharmacy, research design and technical innovation. A key element is ‘Kent Health’, an agency which acts as a one-stop shop in terms of promoting, providing and offering the University health activities and its interface with the healthcare profession. The strategy is supported by the appointment of ten new academics and clinicians across the range of health-related disciplines, including biomedical sciences, cognitive neurosciences, pharmacy, and molecular processing.

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SUMMER 2010

New perspective on social policy in the Middle East A major research project into social policy in the Middle East has been launched by a lecturer at the University. Led by Dr Rana Jawad, the three-year project will examine the role of religion in social policy and social welfare in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Lebanon, Iran and Turkey. Dr Jawad, from the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, believes that her research – which will involve up to 300 face-to-face interviews and focus groups across the region – will reveal more about people’s lives in the Middle East, and how religion acts as a force for social welfare, than has generally been reported in the past. The project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and is made up of a team of researchers based in the Middle East and the UK.

Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships awarded

Meat-eaters’ paradox

The University has won three of the 70 Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships awarded annually to academics from all disciplines across the UK. The highly sought after Fellowships this year attracted more than 700 applications. The Fellowships were made to George Darby and Damien Hall from the School of European Culture and Languages and Charlotte Faircloth from the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, who is to undertake a three-year project to explore the relationship between parenting practices and the intimate life of the couple.

A new study has provided direct evidence that people who wish to escape the ‘meat paradox’ (that is simultaneously disliking hurting animals and enjoying eating meat), may do so by denying that the animal they ate had the capacity to suffer. By engaging in denial, those participating in the study also reported a reduced range of animals to which they felt obligated to show moral concern. These ranged from dogs and chimps to snails and fish. The study, the results of which were published in Appetite, was conducted by Dr Steve Loughnan, Research Associate at the University’s School of Psychology, and colleagues in Australia. Prior to this study, it was generally assumed that the only solutions to the meat paradox are for people to simply stop eating meat, a decision taken by many vegetarians, or the ongoing failure to recognise that animals are killed to produce meat. Dr Loughnan is a member of the University’s Leverhulme Trust-funded Centre for Research on Social Climate.

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SUMMER 2010

Enterprising students fly the flag for UK Two Kent students represented the UK in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style international challenge designed to highlight the important contribution university students make to the global economy. Sinan Assaf and Ben Giambrone qualified for the VT KnowledgeWorks Global Student Business Concept Challenge in the USA by winning the University’s business concept competition in June. The international challenge, organised by Virginia Tech University and VT KnowledgeWorks, aims to celebrate the energy and ingenuity of university students. As well as Kent, there were teams from University of Virginia Darden School of Business, USA; Ruppin Academic Center, Israel; Aalto University School, Finland; Telecom Business School, France; University of Trento, Italy; and Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico.

“An international challenge designed to highlight the important contribution university students make to the global economy”

Honorary degrees Actors Orlando Bloom and David Suchet received honorary degrees this summer. Awards were also made to constitutional expert Professor Vernon Bogdanor; telecommunications entrepreneur Charles Wigoder; poet and critic Molly Mahood; Professor Robert Freedman, a leading researcher in biological sciences; Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe, Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford; leading philosopher Professor Colin McGinn; Professor Ruth Farwell, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive at Buckinghamshire New University; and Professor John Harris, Director of the Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation at University of Manchester. In the autumn, awards went to internationally acclaimed ballet dancer and broadcaster Deborah Bull; veteran Middle East correspondent and author Patrick Cockburn; distinguished architect David Chipperfield and well-known Kent choral musical director Richard Cooke.

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SUMMER 2010

Psychologist to develop treatment programme for arsonists Dr Theresa Gannon, a Chartered Forensic Psychologist and Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology, has been awarded £563,311 by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for the development, implementation and evaluation of a specialist treatment programme for arsonists.

Learning new words not easy for children

Each week in England and Wales, it is estimated that arson costs society in excess of £42 million and results in 65 casualties who are either killed or injured (Arson Prevention Bureau, 2009). Astonishingly, professionals hold very little knowledge of the types of arsonists who exist, or of their key characteristics and treatment needs. Dr Gannon, who has a long-held academic interest in arson and firesetting, is to fully examine types of male arsonists and their treatment needs. Using this information, she will then develop, implement and evaluate the very first specialised standardised treatment programme for arsonists worldwide with the aim of cutting the levels of re-offending.

A new study from the recently launched Kent Child Development Unit (KCDU) has shown that, contrary to the expectations of many parents, learning new words is not always easy for children. Quite often parents marvel at how quickly their young children learn new words, and frequently wish that they could learn a foreign language as easily as their offspring. However, the study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, showed that five-year-olds often make mistakes when learning the meanings of new words in situations in which the intended meanings appear obvious to adults. According to Dr Kirsten Abbot-Smith, a Lecturer in Developmental Psychology with a particular interest in child language development, most adults assume that five-year-olds are learning words in much the same way an adult would. These results indicate that children have some biases which make language learning easier for them – most of the time. Occasionally these biases will actually mislead them into making mistakes that an older child or adult would not make.

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STUDENT ASSISTS UGANDAN CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME Social Policy student Emily Bachelor made a significant contribution to a children’s holiday programme in Namuwongo, an urban slum in Uganda. She spent three weeks assisting with the development and running of the programme, which provides two meals a day and a safe haven away from the dangers of the slum for some of the poorest children. The programme is part of Uganda Hands for Hope, a not-for-profit non-governmental grass roots organisation.

Emily also donated £342, which she raised during Welcome Week activities at the University’s Canterbury campus. These invaluable funds were used for additional children’s activities and trips, and medical treatment for an orphan with malaria, a child with an ear infection and a child with suspected HIV, plus essential office equipment. The remainder of the funds were pledged for medical treatment for those in desperate need. According to Emily, ‘One of the most incredible things about the slum is the warmth of the people. They are so welcoming and inspiring despite the extreme poverty and conditions they have endured. When I arrived, I was overwhelmed by the real level of poverty within the slum, but then

I started to adjust and see the positive in the community; the effect the organisation is having on individual children and families. I’m looking to return in the future, for a longer period, and hopefully link it with my dissertation so that my studies can directly benefit those who need it most.’ Julia Twigg, Professor of Social Policy and Sociology, said: ‘We are delighted that student volunteers such as Emily are getting involved in projects that benefit local communities in different parts of the world. Their involvement also enhances their general education. We encourage as many students as possible to participate in such worthwhile projects at home or abroad.’

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AUTUMN 2010

Broadway debut for drama lecturer A production of the award-winning The Pitmen Painters featuring set and costume designs by Gary McCann, Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Studies at the School of Arts, had a three-month run at the historic Samuel J Friedman Theatre on Broadway. The play, written by Lee Hall and directed by Max Roberts, has already been performed to capacity audiences in Ireland and the UK. Gary McCann also designed a separate production, which opened in Vienna. With more than ten years’ experience as a freelance designer, Gary McCann has worked in opera, TV production and corporate event design. Recent designs include Guys and Dolls for Theater Bielefeld in Germany, Beethoven’s Fidelio for Garsington Opera, and Norma for the National Opera of Moldova. He has worked as associate and assistant designer on projects at the Royal Opera House, The Met (New York) and for K Ballet in Tokyo. Two of his designs were used by the V&A Museum as part of their Collaborators Exhibition, organised by the Society of British Theatre Designers.

In Elysium: Prints by James Barry An exhibition of original prints by ‘the great historical painter’ James Barry and his contemporaries, was held in the Jarman Building’s new Studio 3 Gallery. In Elysium was co-curated by Jon Kear and Ben Thomas of the School of Arts. The exhibition was organised in association with the Centre for Studies in the Long Eighteenth Century, which organised a related dayconference, The Visual and the Verbal in the Eighteenth Century. Drawing on private collections, and the Kent Print Collection, this exhibition brought together a group of 16 original prints by James Barry, together with reproductive prints after his paintings. These works were displayed along with prints by and after Barry’s contemporaries, including Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, Richard Wilson, John Hamilton Mortimer and Henry Fuseli.

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Unrealistic goals and standards make teachers stressed Research from the University of Kent, in association with the Teacher Support Network, found that teachers who want to be happier should not try to please everyone and should have a greater say in setting targets. The research, which was conducted by Julian Childs and Dr Joachim Stoeber from the University’s School of Psychology, also showed that teachers with career aspirations and a goal to learn are happier than those facing unrealistic standards. Other findings included teachers who set high performance standards for themselves having, in contrast, higher levels of wellbeing. Similarly, teachers with a goal to advance their professional development have higher levels of mental energy and are more invested in their work than those who are focused on outperforming others.


AUTUMN 2010

University shortlisted for two Times Higher Education Awards The University was shortlisted for two of this year’s Times Higher Education Awards – Research Project of the Year and Excellence and Innovation in the Arts. The awards, now in their sixth year, celebrate the excellence and achievements of the UK’s higher education institutions. Shortlisted for Research Project of the Year, Professor Darren Griffin’s team collaborated with the universities of Cambridge and Leeds, the Genetics and IVF Institute in Fairfax, Virginia (USA), and the London Bridge Fertility, Gynaecology and Genetics Centre to develop a test to screen an embryo for any of the 15,000 known genetic diseases. The test, called ‘Karyomapping’, has been dubbed the ‘genetic MOT’ in the press. The research was published in the Journal of Medical Genetics (October 2009).

National diary project requires HE teaching professionals A project funded by the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme and led by Kent’s Sally Fincher has asked teaching professionals involved in higher education to keep an anonymous diary on the 15th of every month for one year, starting 15 September 2010. Known as the Share Project Day Surveys, the aim of these diaries is to learn more about the lives, beliefs, conditions of work, important issues and habits of ‘the everyday academic’.

Like Professor Griffin, Professor Paul Allain has a global reputation for his research activities. An expert in Polish Theatre, he coordinated the British celebrations of the 2009 UNESCO Year of Jerzy Grotowski as part of a wider Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project. The celebrations marked the life and work of the experimental Polish theatre director ten years after his death and included a collection of director Peter Brook’s writings on Grotowski and an exhibition of performance photographs at the Royal National Theatre. Professor Allain’s work was shortlisted for the award of Excellence and Innovation in the Arts.

Information obtained from the diaries will contribute to the Share Project, which is officially titled ‘To see ourselves as others see us: sharing and representing disciplinary classroom practice’. The aim of this project is to examine disciplinary teaching practice and its relationship to student achievement. Specifically, the project’s three focal areas are: sharing teaching practices across institutional (but within disciplinary) boundaries; evaluating representations of practice so they are effective in documenting practice, making it available for future use and development by others; and investigating how (and why, and with what evidence) practitioners change their practice. The Share Project partner is Janet Finlay from Leeds Metropolitan University. Consultants include: Isobel Falconer, Glasgow Caledonian University; Helen Sharp, Open University and Josh Tenenberg, University of Washington, Tacoma.

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AUTUMN 2010

A new way to manage conservation A best practice framework employed by thousands of successful businesses worldwide has been adapted by two members of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology to help conservation managers improve their consideration, analysis and management of the programs for which they are responsible. In a paper published by the international journal Conservation Biology, Dr Simon Black and Dr Jim Groombridge have proposed that an understanding and application of their adapted framework, now known as the Conservation Excellence Model, will enable: greater clarity in goal setting; more-effective identification of job roles within programs; better links between technical approaches and measures of biological success; and more-effective use of resources. The model could also improve how a conservation program’s effectiveness is evaluated and may be used to compare different programs – for example, during reviews of project performance by sponsoring organisations.

Takeaway a great meal deal, thanks to Kent graduates Enterprising graduates from the University have cooked up a great way for people to save money on their favourite meals. Antony Chia, Pritesh Patel and Rishi Ghose have launched FatMoose.com, a website that provides information on discounts and special offers at local restaurants and takeaways. The trio came up with their recipe for cheap eating after spending many hours as students looking for good menu deals and discount vouchers. The School of Computing graduates realised how helpful it would be to have all the information in one place and in doing so won the University’s business planning competition. As a result they received a week-long business training course and support from RoundOne, the University student enterprise initiative. The enterprising group are now based at the Kent Enterprise Hub, the University’s dedicated facilities for student and graduate start-up businesses.

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AUTUMN 2010

Arts Council Chair opens Kent’s Jarman Building The University’s award-winning School of Arts building – named after iconic artist Derek Jarman – was opened officially by Dame Liz Forgan, Chair of Arts Council England. Liz Forgan – a former managing director of BBC network radio – unveiled a plaque at the £6.6 million Jarman Building which opened in January at the University’s Canterbury campus. Describing Derek Jarman as one of the most creative and original UK artists of his generation, she said it was fitting that ‘this marvellous building is dedicated to him’. Housing state-ofthe-art facilities including drama and film studios, computing and editing suites, a large art gallery and teaching rooms, the Jarman Building received a RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Award in May. Speaking at the event, film producer James Mackay, who worked closely with Derek Jarman, spoke of the cultural vision of Jarman the artist. ‘Derek gave the UK a radical vision. I hope this building can also nurture some radical vision,’ he said.

New Daily Mail scholarship at the Centre for Journalism A new annual scholarship funded by Associated Newspapers for a gifted postgraduate multimedia journalism student at Kent was announced as being launched next year. Those winning places on the MA in Multimedia Journalism have an opportunity to compete for the Daily Mail Scholarship, worth £10,000 a year. The scholarship winner will have their annual tuition fees covered – and enjoy a valuable work placement at what is generally considered to be the UK’s most successful news-gathering business. Tim Luckhurst, Professor of Journalism and Head of the Centre for Journalism, said: ‘This is a huge opportunity for a postgraduate journalism student to have their tuition fees covered on this premium course by the Daily Mail’. The new Daily Mail Scholarship will sit alongside the Bob Friend Memorial Scholarship for undergraduates at Kent’s Centre for Journalism which was launched in 2009.

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AUTUMN 2010

New research to shed light on rendition and secret detention A new research project from the University is to explore how extraordinary rendition and secret detention of terror suspects has developed and whether they are a US-led phenomena. Led by Dr Ruth Blakeley from the University’s School of Politics and International Relations, the research team will explore three key questions: is the global system of rendition and secret detention US-led, or is it a more diffuse system with distinct and partly autonomous regional sub-systems that serve specific local as well as US interests; are there any regional differences in the ways in which rendition and secret detention have developed and are operated; and can any specific evolutionary moments or shifts in the development and operation of rendition and secret detention be identified. Sources will include databases of detention facilities and detainees, and the case histories of victims of rendition. The project is being funded by the Economic Social and Research Council’s Small Grants scheme. Dr Sam Raphael from the University of Kingston is co-investigator.

Multiracial identification and experience Research from the University has revealed that while there is evidence of a growing consciousness and interest in mixed-race identities among 18 to 25-year-olds in Britain today, Britain cannot yet speak of a coherent or unified mixed group or experience. The research, which was conducted by Peter Aspinall, Dr Miri Song and Dr Ferhana Hashem from the University’s School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, set out to explore the ways in which mixed-race young adults thought about and understood their ethnic and racial identifications. It also examined how mixed-race young adults make choices about the way they identify, in racial/ethnic terms, across a variety of social contexts and different situations, and what these choices mean in terms of friendship networks, membership in groups, and possible political and other affiliations. It also explored the kinds of strategies different kinds of ‘mixed’ people adopt in their efforts to assert their desired identities. The study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, is the largest and most detailed of its kind ever undertaken in the UK.

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AUTUMN 2010

Rare bat found in oil palm plantation’s oasis The discovery of a rare bat species in a tiny fragment of rainforest surrounded by an oil palm plantation has demonstrated that even small areas of forest are worth saving. This first record of the Ridley’s leaf-nosed bat in Sumatra follows the publication of a paper in Conservation Letters that suggests retaining forest fragments within oil palm plantations is not an effective strategy for protecting wildlife.

HE remains the preferred cause of million-pound donors

First academic study of Portuguese drugs policy

The third edition of the Coutts Million Pound Donors Report, written by Dr Beth Breeze from the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, has revealed that higher education (HE) continues to dominate as the preferred cause of million-pound donors in the UK. The Report identifies that this is partly due to wealthy donors’ understanding of the wide-ranging roles that universities play in improving society, in terms of both educating the next generation and researching solutions to pressing scientific and social problems.

The first independent academic study of Portugal’s 2001 decriminalisation of all illicit drugs showed it led to a decrease in many drug-related problems, says University criminologist Professor Alex Stevens.

The Report, released in November, also confirms that despite economic crises, major philanthropy in the UK continues to prove resilient. Launched in 2008, the Coutts Million Pound Donors Report is an annual report that collates and analyses data on the largest charitable donations made in the UK each year. The 2010 edition describes and discusses 201 donations of at least £1 million that were made by UK donors or to UK charities in 2008/09, with a combined value of just over £1.5 billion.

In a new study on the Portuguese decriminalisation policy, published in the British Journal of Criminology, Professor Stevens and Dr Caitlin Hughes, of the University of New South Wales, showed that, contrary to predictions, the change has led to reductions in problematic use, drugrelated harms and criminal justice overcrowding. Among the trends identified in the report, was a rise in drug use equivalent only to other southern European countries; a reduction in drug use reported by school pupils; a reduction in drug related deaths; a reduction in HIV and AIDS and an increase in the amount of drugs seized by the authorities.

Conservationists from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, Queen Mary, University of London and the Zoological Society of London discovered the Ridley’s leaf-nosed bat in a 300-hectare fragment of forest during a biodiversity survey in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Amongst many other species found by the biodiversity survey were sunbear, tapir, agile gibbon and banded langur, all of which are also of conservation concern.

“Conservationists discovered the Ridley’s leaf-nosed bat in a 300-hectare fragment of forest during a biodiversity survey in West Sumatra”

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FACULTY UPDATE 2010 The Faculty of Humanities 2010 has been an exciting year for the Faculty. The beginning of the year saw the successful launch of University of Kent at Paris, with the first cohort of Master’s students spending the spring term studying in Paris, taught at Reid Hall in Montparnasse by staff. The Faculty now offers six MA programmes with a term in Paris, and this will rise to eight in 2011/12. In January the School of Arts moved into the stunning, RIBA award-winning Jarman Building, named in honour of the artist and film maker Derek Jarman, the building being officially opened by Dame Liz Forgan, Chair of Arts Council England. Further success for the School came with announcement that Paul Allain, Professor of Theatre and Performance, who featured in the 2009 Annual Review, was shortlisted for the Times Higher Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Arts, designed to recognise the collaborative and interdisciplinary work that is taking place in universities to promote the arts. Meanwhile plans are well under way for the expansion of the School of Arts on the Medway campus, led by new professors Amanda Beech (Fine Art) and Tim Howle (Music) who joined us for the new academic year. Undergraduate satisfaction as measured by the National Student Survey remains very high, with seven subject areas in the Faculty coming in the top ten nationally for overall satisfaction. As part of the continuing pursuit of excellence in teaching, the Faculty held its inaugural Learning and Teaching Forum in September, bringing together over 100 teaching staff from across the Faculty to showcase best practice. At postgraduate level, the highlight was the successful bid led by Professor Bernhard Klein, Head of the School of English, for a grant of around 3 million Euros from the European Union under the highly prestigious Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctoral scheme for

a PhD programme in Text and Event in Early Modern Studies (TEEME). TEEME is the first such award to be coordinated by a UK university, and only the second Humanities programme, and will support up to ten generously funded studentships per annum for five years. The Faculty is also working hard to stay in touch with its former students, with the School of History holding a very successful Alumni Day, attended by over 250 alumni from all five decades of History students at Kent, as well as many of the former members of staff who taught them. The Faculty has successfully launched a new series of cross-Faculty open lectures sponsored by the Kent Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, thereby bringing together staff and postgraduates across the Faculty on a regular basis throughout the year to promote interdisciplinarity. The Faculty’s policy of seeking to host major national conferences saw the School of European Culture and Languages host the British Comparative Literature Association Conference, and the School of Architecture the Architectural Humanities Research Association Conference. In the sphere of innovation and enterprise, the Faculty is playing a major role in Kent Innovation and Enterprise’s ICE (Innovation, Creativity, Enterprise) initiative, launched in 2010, which offers a range of bespoke training to businesses and other organisations in the development of creativity and innovation in the workplace. We are also establishing a Centre for Heritage and Innovation to connect the University of Kent’s expertise to providers of heritage (including museums) within Kent, the UK and the Transmanche region, led by Ray Laurence, Professor of Roman History and Archaeology, who joined the Faculty this year. Professor Karl Leydecker Dean

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FACULTY UPDATE 2010

Faculty of Sciences The sciences at Kent continue to grow, providing high-quality teaching and research at both the Canterbury and Medway campuses. Research remains strong, with major new grants being awarded. For example, Professor Adrian Podoleanu (School of Physical Sciences) won a new grant for over 2 million Euros from the European Research Council, to fund his work in optical imaging. These grants include a requirement that you are an acknowledged international leader in your field, so winning one is a significant achievement. Outreach to schools across the county continues to be a major activity in the Faculty and staff see thousands of young people each year. The mobile planetarium introduced last year has proved highly popular with schools, and at peak times is fully booked day after day. Indeed two other South East universities have followed Kent’s lead and now placed orders for similar planetaria. Not coincidentally, undergraduate student recruitment for the 2009 entry proved stronger than ever. Several subjects saw applications up by 25%. The University took advantage of Government schemes to increase numbers in strategic subjects, so at a time when pressure on places was greater than ever, at Kent we were able to take more students in the sciences. Our new students also performed so well at A level (or equivalent) that they raised the entry standard compared to previous years. Our existing undergraduates showed their approval of the teaching they receive via the National Student Survey. This is organised external to the University and we can compare what our students think of us, with what students elsewhere think of their institutions. Of particular note this year, was that when asked about the overall quality of the course, Electronic and Electrical Engineering students at Kent gave a 100% satisfaction rating, the highest rating in that discipline in the country.

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At postgraduate level, several years of planning are now paying off as some schools record rapid and impressive growth in their taught MSc programmes. Actuarial Science is expanding rapidly, as is Computing which in a single year has almost tripled it numbers from 34 to 98. This is being accompanied by significant increases in overseas admissions to these programmes, emphasising Kent’s growing international reputation. One research highlight (of many) this year was in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science, which, during the summer, hosted the International Statistical Ecology Conference with over 170 delegates. The meeting was welcomed by the Vice-Chancellor, and Lord May was the opening speaker. This meeting was organised as part of the activities of the National Centre for Statistical Ecology (NCSE), a joint research centre, originally between Kent, Cambridge and St Andrews. In 2010, it has expanded to include Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Glasgow and Sheffield (although Cambridge dropped out, following departure of staff). This expansion was achieved with the aid of a new joint EPSRC/NERC grant, which has just been announced. The total grant support for the NCSE over ten years amounts to more than £2 million and currently at Kent the NCSE grant supports six research students, one post-doctoral research associate, and a scientific administrator. A new development this year is that in April I took over as Acting Dean of Sciences whilst Professor Peter Jeffries took over as Dean of Health in order to develop a new Health strategy at Kent. The new strategy is almost ready to roll out and aims to integrate research, enterprise and teaching/training provision in health related areas at Kent with the needs of health care providers in the region. Health at Kent will be one of the big, cross-faculty initiatives in the next few years, so watch this space...... Professor Mark Burchell Dean (Acting)


FACULTY UPDATE 2010

Faculty of Social Sciences The Faculty’s academic performance in teaching, research and enterprise has continued to be impressive. The National Student Survey results were especially pleasing, the highlights being national rankings in their subjects of first for Psychology, second for Business Studies at Medway, and third for Economics. New investment included £3 million in the creation of the Medway Park facility for Sports Studies, and the School of Anthropology and Conservation welcomed the first cohort of International Master’s students studying conservation funded by a £100,000 donation from the Garfield Weston Foundation. The Faculty’s engagement in Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, through which businesses directly benefit from the expertise of academic schools, continues to grow. A highlight this year has been a major project involving Pfizer and the Schools of Psychology, and Anthropology and Conservation; Kent Business School has also embarked on a KTP with Erlang Solutions. In addition to the usual range of academic visitors to the Faculty, the Centre of Journalism’s Bob Friend Memorial Lecture was delivered by the Director General of the BBC, Mark Thompson. Research grants won by the Faculty have seen another increase. Especially notable are the successes of Dr Theresa Gannon (Psychology), who has been awarded £563,311 by the Economic and Social Research Council for the development of a specialist treatment programme for arsonists, and Professor Hugh Miall (Politics and International Relations) who was awarded (with Professor Jeremy Carrette of the School of European Culture and Language) £427,736 by Arts and Humanities Research Council to explore the interaction between religious non-governmental organisations and the United Nations.

Following Professor Peter Taylor-Gooby’s appointment as a Fellow of the British Academy last year, individuals in the Faculty continue to receive recognition for contribution to their subjects including Jan Pahl, Professor Emeritus of Social Policy, who was been presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Social Policy Association and Professor Sophia Davidova (Economics) who was nominated as President Elect of the UK Agricultural Economics Society for 2011/12, only the second female president in the Society’s 85 year history. Professor Dennis Tourish (Kent Business School) has been appointed one of the founding fellows of the Leadership Trust Foundation and Nick Jackson (Kent Law School), as well being shortlisted for Law Teacher of the Year, was awarded of the Oxford University Press Alistair MacQueen Memorial Grant for a charitable project or pro bono initiative linked to a law school; it is being spent on developing links between the University’s Law Clinic and the Canterbury Housing Advice Centre. This is a time of uncertainty for universities, but the Faculty is well placed to sustain and develop its overall academic profile. In addition to the positive trends in terms of student admissions, the performance in the RAE 2008 has resulted in an additional £1.4 million per annum funding for research, which is now being invested in research equipment, doctoral and post-doctoral positions, as well as lectureships. Similarly, the University’s investment in Medway has enabled our schools and centres there to make new senior appointments who are already making a difference to the development of teaching and research. John Wightman Dean

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UNIVERSITY OF KENT, BRUSSELS The University’s Brussels campus is the flagship for its European and wider international commitment. With just under 200 postgraduate students coming in 2009/10 from 46 different countries, it provides a truly international experience. The Brussels School of International Studies (BSIS) enables students studying a mix of political science, international relations, law and economics to gain practical experience as well as highquality academic study as all the programmes exploit the proximity to international institutions to enrich the offer. 2009 saw the introduction of a new MA programme in International Development which has already proved itself to be very popular. In the tradition of student-organised events at BSIS, a workshop on The Future of Microfinance was held in February 2010 with speakers from a range of international and consultancy organisations working on microfinance in development. The International Conflict Analysis programme was revised into a new programme, International Conflict and Security, better reflecting its content and the expertise of two newly appointed staff, Dr Elsie Feron and Dr Tugba Basaran. As well as contributions to the regular programmes from officials in the European Commission, NATO etc, the weekly guest lecture slots have attracted speakers from organisations such as the Open Society Institute, International Organisation of Migration and the German Marshall Fund of the US. The high point of the 2009/10 series was a lecture by Igor Ivanov, former Russian Foreign Minister who spoke on ‘A New World Order’. Dr Jamie Shea, Director of Policy and Planning at NATO, and a regular external contributor to BSIS programmes, led a workshop on ‘Crisis Communication’. The annual student conference in April explored issues in conflict and development under the title ‘Developing Peace’. Speakers included representatives from the World Food Program, International Crisis Group, UN Development Programme and the European Commission, as well as academics from Kent and elsewhere. The keynote address was given by Lord Hannay of Chiswick, former UK Ambassador to the EU and the UN.

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China has become a major focus of activity during the year. Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing, an exchange programme was inaugurated. The first two students from BSIS spent the spring semester in Beijing, with the first two Chinese students arriving with us in the autumn 2010. Contacts were also established with other institutions in Hong Kong and mainland China, with a view to establishing a research network in comparative integration. In Brussels we collaborated with the Brussels Institute of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, to host the spring series of lectures by eminent Chinese and European scholars on China’s changing relations with the rest of the world. We also continued to develop links with institutions in the US, hosting visits by student groups from the University of Wyoming, Laramie and George Mason University, Virginia. BSIS staff continued to make an impression with their research. Highlights of the year included the publication of Dr Tugba Basaran’s monograph Security, Law and Borders: At the Limits of Liberties; Dr Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels was a visiting professor at the University of Vienna’s Institute for Political Science and I continued to advise the European Commission on the ex-post evaluation of cohesion and structural funds expenditure and HS2 Ltd, the UK company charged with promoting the case for a new high-speed rail line. Professor Roger Vickerman Dean


THE GRADUATE SCHOOL 2010 has been an extremely successful year for graduate study at the University of Kent. The Graduate School, established in 2008, has made substantial progress towards achieving its mission to “lead and champion the strategic development for graduate education at Kent” and is set to build on this success in 2011. Following my appointment in July 2008, a University-wide consultation involving staff and students led to the creation of an institutional-level Graduate School Board and Graduate Studies Committees at school and faculty levels. The 2009/10 academic year saw this structure implemented for the first time. This framework ensures a clear focus on graduate study, both taught and research, and the enhancement of the postgraduate experience within the University. We also introduced a Directors of Graduate Studies’ Network Group and Postgraduate Administration Network Group to disseminate information and create opportunities for staff in similar roles to network, discuss issues and share good practice. This year we reviewed and expanded our Transferable Skills Training Programme for Postgraduate Researchers, which provides training in line with key areas of the Research Councils UK Joint Skills Statement. We now offer a suite of 16 online skills training workshops through award-winning provider Epigeum and these will be of particular benefit to part-time research students and those based in Brussels and Medway. All new PhD students now attend a first-year skills review workshop which encourages them to consider their existing portfolio of skills, as well as those they need to acquire while doing their doctoral research. The workshops have received positive feedback and are proving an important opportunity for interdisciplinary networking. We also introduced an online system for transferable skills training which enables students to update their skills assessments online and build a personal record of their training progress.

Following a successful bid for Ideas Factory Funding, the Graduate School launched a Global Skills Award in October 2010. Over 200 postgraduate students have been accepted for a place on the Award programme which is designed to enhance both global awareness and employability skills. The programme opened with a lecture entitled ‘Is the Cold War over?’ by Professor Richard Sakwa from the School of Politics and International Relations, We continue to support student-driven activities such as The GradPost, the postgraduate newsletter, which published its seventh edition this autumn term. I also work closely with Nancy Gaffield, the Master of Woolf College, Kent’s only graduate college, and the Graduate Student Association to ensure that students’ needs are being met. In addition to our new student common room, we are also looking at ways to improve the networking and social space available to our postgraduate community. We introduced a new competition in November to allow postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers to apply for funding to run events with an interdisciplinary and/or external focus. Surveys for both taught and research students indicate there has already been a notable increase in satisfaction, with 88% of respondents to the postgraduate taught survey confirming that the overall experience of the course met or exceeded their expectations. We will be using feedback from these surveys to make further improvements. The Graduate School oversees the development of strategy and policy in relation to all aspects of graduate education at Kent from advertising, marketing, admissions, induction, progression monitoring, skills training, academic

and personal support through to examination and graduation. This means we work with the central services, faculties and academic schools who have the responsibility for the delivery and development of these activities. This year has seen a significant project to rebrand the Graduate Prospectus, as part of an on-going project to improve applications and admissions processes, and there has been considerable progress made in the online presentation of our postgraduate programme information. There have also been some exciting successes in graduate studies across the University ranging from the ErasmusMundus Joint Doctorate bid for the programme Text and Event in Early Modern Europe with the Universities of Porto, Berlin and Prague, one of only nine successful applications out of the 148 submitted. Within Social Sciences there was a very positive outcome in the ESRC Research Studentship Competition Awards with four of our eight applications being funded; a 50% success rate against a national rate of 18%. We have also submitted a bid for a collaborative ESRC Doctoral Training Centre with the Universities of Surrey, Royal Holloway and Reading. Professor Diane Houston Dean

UNIVERSITY OF KENT / ANNUAL REVIEW 2010 39


HONG KONG AND CHINA PORTAL The University has launched a fiveyear fundraising project aimed at generating £1 million to support new scholarship, student exchange and research initiatives involving Hong Kong and China. The exciting project, known as the Hong Kong and China Portal, was announced by Kent Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Julia M Goodfellow at a reception in Hong Kong in October. Around 60 leading community, government and business leaders as well as academics and Kent alumni met at Hong Kong’s Dynasty Club to hear Dame Julia explain how the University hopes to increase its activity in the region. ‘The Portal will bring together a range of University programmes and initiatives and provide a focus for new links between European and Chinese researchers,’ she said. She reiterated the importance of student exchange and said that there was a dual value in sending UK students to Hong Kong and China and admitting students from these regions to Kent. These new, ‘unparalleled exchange opportunities’ would help those students taking part to develop cultural understanding as well as providing an excellent learning opportunity. The launch attracted widespread media coverage in Hong Kong. Dame Julia’s speech was reported and there were interviews with three of the University’s alumni: Sir David Akers-Jones, who was Secretary for the New Territories, Hong Kong from 1973-83; Eddy Fong, Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission, Hong Kong; and Kennedy Wong, managing partner in his family’s Hong Kong law firm. Among the daily papers covering the launch were the Oriental Daily News, Wen Wei Po and Ta Kung Pao. There are currently around 400 Hong Kong and Chinese students at Kent, studying a variety of courses, from international foundation programmes to PhD-level research. Alongside existing partner

institutions such as the University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Baptist University, Kent will continue to strengthen collaborative relationships with internationally renowned institutions in the region. ‘Our new Hong Kong and China Portal will provide a focal point for student, staff and research interaction between Kent and our university partners in Hong Kong and China,’ said Dame Julia. ‘The fundraising side of the project will enable us to strengthen our range of scholarship and study opportunities for students in the region as well as providing a firm underpinning for new areas of research collaboration, geared to economic, social and cultural interaction between Hong Kong, China and Europe.’ During the event, a panel discussion entitled Hong Kong/China/Europe: Intercultural Connections and Cultural Challenge was hosted by Dame Julia, with prominent speakers Dr Peter Qiu, Phoenix TV Commentator; Ms Maria Castillo Fernandez, Head of the Office of the European Union in Hong Kong and Macao; Professor Anthony

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Cheung, President of the Hong Kong Institute of Education; Dr William Lo, Chairman of Strategenes Ltd and Mr Peter Upton, Director of the British Council in Hong Kong taking part. Alumnus Dr William Lo said he was a ‘product’ of the intercultural connection between Hong Kong, China and Europe. Born in Hong Kong, he studied at the University of Kent and is now working partly in China. He advised students to develop a global perspective in order to ‘stay competitive in an ever-changing world’. Speaking after the event, Professor Alex Hughes, the University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for External Relations, said that future developments in the region included new research links. Among these are a new research network, led by Professor Roger Vickerman but involving researchers from around the world, which will focus on research exploring the parallels between social, economic and political integration in Europe and between mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.


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INSTITUTIONAL PLAN FOR 2009-12 The period of the last Plan – 2006-09 – saw an increasingly competitive period in the history of universities in the UK, and indeed the global higher education system. It was also one of the most successful periods in the University’s recent history, during which the University attracted increasing numbers of good students, achieved a strong performance in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, won the 2007 Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education, and opened a new College – the first in 35 years specifically for postgraduate students, and maintained its sound financial position with annual surpluses. All this establishes Kent firmly as one of the UK’s leading universities.

This year has seen an increasingly buoyant and confident University of Kent operating in an economic climate that is increasingly volatile and depressed – perhaps even in crisis. The University’s Plan for 2009-12 maintains its commitment to quality (whether in teaching and learning, in research or in our wider partnerships). It also aims to balance the pragmatic reality of needing to generate sufficient income to sustain the University’s long-term future with an ambition to continue the outstanding successes of recent years. It aims to steer a careful course between the dangers and the opportunities, while preparing the University for the return of more stable, and perhaps leaner, economic times. The Plan is based around six key messages: • a leading UK university Based in Canterbury, Medway and Brussels, the University of Kent is a leading UK university that makes a major economic, social, and cultural contribution: by providing excellent opportunities in higher education for the most able students, regardless of social and educational disadvantage, by undertaking innovative world-leading research, and by leading innovation, enterprise and creative activities • making a strong international impact The University has a strong international impact based on its external networks and partnerships with leading universities in Europe and around the world

• offering an inspiring student experience that prepares students for the future We offer an inspiring student experience that prepares students for the future, based on excellent research-led teaching in a lively, stimulating and effective learning community, and supported by a broad range of extracurricular opportunities • producing innovative world-leading research Our academic staff produce innovative world-leading research, forging new knowledge and creating change • enabling and valuing innovation, enterprise and creativity We promote and value innovation, enterprise and creativity in all areas of our activity • while operating in an effective, efficient, sustainable and professional manner We operate in an effective, efficient, sustainable and professional manner, based on partnerships between staff and students in academic schools, staff in professional service departments and the Kent Union. Finally, the University’s Plan for 2009-12 reaffirms the University’s commitment to equality and diversity, to maintaining a healthy and safe environment for its staff and students, and reducing further its carbon footprint. The complete Plan, including 31 institutional objectives, can be found at www.kent.ac.uk/about/plan/index.html

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BOOKS 2010: A SELECTION

Female Sexual Offenders: Theory, Assessment and Treatment (Wiley-Blackwell)

Drugs, Crime and Public Health: The Political Economy of Drug Policy (Routledge-Cavendish)

Dr Theresa Gannon, School of Psychology

Professor Alex Stevens, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research

Sexual offences committed by women, while often unrecognised and underreported, are the subject of this new book edited by Dr Theresa Gannon, a Chartered Forensic Psychologist and Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology. It is the first volume of its kind to provide an overview of female-perpetrated sexual abuse, statistics on the crime (including the rates of criminal recidivism among female sexual offenders), as well as treatment options for offenders. It also compares the modus operandi of male to female sexual offenders and explores the emerging research on polygraph testing of female sexual offenders. Dr Gannon is one of the world’s leading authorities in both male and female sexual offending, having written over 70 book chapters and journals, as well as editing books on these topics. She also has an academic interest in arson and treats convicted arsonists and sexual offenders on a weekly basis. She is part of the University’s Forensic Psychology team that was recently awarded £324,000 by the Ministry of Justice for Evaluating Offender Supervision Strategies. She was also recently awarded £563,311 by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for the development, implementation and evaluation of a specialist treatment programme for arsonists. Female Sexual Offenders: Theory, Assessment and Treatment was co-edited by Dr Franca Cortoni, a Clinical Forensic Psychologist at the School of Criminology at the Université de Montréal, Canada.

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The criminalisation of drug users has failed to reduce the illicit use of drugs and the poor are likely to suffer more from drugrelated harms, such as imprisonment and death, than richer people despite lower usage. These are among the key findings of this new book that fundamentally challenges current UK government drugs policy. Based on 15 years of research in the field, it shows how criminalisation of drug users has not reduced drug-related harms, either in the UK or internationally. It shows that illicit drug use is now widespread, and is actually more common among richer people than the socio-economically deprived. However, it is the poor who suffer most from drug-related harms, including arrest, imprisonment, illness and death. Among the findings presented in the book are that drug prohibition is not an even-handed response to drug problems, but an ideological attack on less privileged groups who use certain types of drugs, and that the current policy-focus on drugs as a cause of crime is based on a significant overestimation of the causal link from drug use to crime.


BOOKS 2010: A SELECTION

Feminist Judgments: From Theory to Practice (Hart Publishing) Professor Rosemary Hunter, Kent Law School, with Professor Clare McGlynn and Dr Erika Rackley of Durham Law School, Durham University Legal judgments could end in different outcomes if more senior feminist judges are appointed to the UK’s courts, according to this new study. The book is the result of The Feminist Judgments Project, led by the University of Kent and Durham University in which 23 judgments in key English cases were re-examined, including rape trials, child custody in divorce, same-sex marriage, asylum and wearing headscarves in schools. This Economic and Social Research Council-funded project found that different outcomes might have been achieved in some cases by applying a feminist perspective to the judgments. There is currently only one woman, Supreme Court Justice Baroness Brenda Hale, on the UK Supreme Court, and only six women have ever sat in the Court of Appeal or House of Lords (now the Supreme Court). Women make up 20 per cent of the judiciary as a whole and in the senior judiciary there are 21 women and 161 men, the researchers said. Baroness Hale said: ‘Reading this book ought to be a chastening experience for any judge who believes himself or herself to be both true to their judicial oath and a neutral observer of the world. If lawyers and judges like me have so much to learn from reading this book, then surely other, more sceptical judges, lawyers and judges have even more to learn.’

London Bridge (Salt Modern Poets) Simon Smith, School of English The experience of living in London amidst everyday confusions is the subject of a new book of poetry by Simon Smith, who lectures in Creative Writing. This book is a new development for Smith, explicitly locating the poems in the geography and history of an almost bypassed corner of the capital, taking in the ghost traces of Blitz bomb damage; the everyday life of the Old Kent Road and A2 grafted over the first arrival of tramping Roman legions; the ghost of Robert Browning; and Telegraph Hill, the navigation point for airliners, holidaymakers, terrorists and business people into Gatwick and Heathrow. This collection continues too the humour and wit of Reverdy Road and Mercury with a nod towards the New York School, via the world of virtual reality and the vogue for poetry anthologies, as well as the incisive precisions of e e cummings or William Carlos Williams. London Bridge is Smith’s fourth collection of poetry. His previous titles include Fifteen Exits, Reverdy Road and Mercury and he has written reviews and essays on poetry for Poetry Review and PN Review, and his translations of poems by Pierre Reverdy, Martial and Catullus, have appeared in Poetry Review, PN Review and Stand. From 1991 to 2007, Simon Smith worked at the Poetry Library in London. He was a judge of the National Poetry Competition in 2004, and in 2009 was chair of the judging panel for the Canterbury Festival Poetry Competition. In 2009, he was also a Hawthornden Writing Fellow.

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OPEN LECTURES 2010

Michael Wood

Jonathan Kestenbaum

Professor Christopher Frayling

Wednesday 20 January

Wednesday 10 March Rutherford Lecture

Wednesday 13 October Kent Law Society Lecture

An English Renegade, John Piper’s pivotal role within high modernism Professor Frances Spalding

Do we need a diverse judiciary? Professor Joanne Conaghan, Professor of Law and Head of Kent Law School

Friday 30 April Vice-Chancellor’s Special Lecture

Wednesday 27 October Vice-Chancellor’s Lecture

Looted art 1933-45 and its restitution Professor Richard J Evans, Regius Professor of Modern History and Chairman of the History Faculty University of Cambridge

Transforming the UK’s capacity for innovation Jonathan Kestenbaum, Chief Executive of NESTA, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts

Wednesday 9 June Vice-Chancellor’s Special Lecture

Wednesday 8 December Rutherford Lecture in conjunction with the ESU

Japan: A new political era David Warren, HM Ambassador to Japan Friday 22 January Vice-Chancellor’s Special Lecture Perspectives on global health Dr Tadataka Yamada, President of Global Health Program at the Gates Foundation Friday 29 January Chancellor’s Lecture The law today Lord Bingham of Cornhill KG, PC, QC, FBA, Lord Bingham of Cornhill, formerly the Senior Law Lord Wednesday 3 February Better healthcare in a cold financial climate – how volunteers, communities and charities can take the lead when money is short Thomas Hughes-Hallett, Chief Executive of Marie Curie Cancer Care Wednesday 3 March Bob Friend Memorial Lecture

Challenges for the 21st Century Professor John Beddington, Government Chief Scientific Adviser Monday 26 July Vice-Chancellor’s Lecture The legacy of textus Michael Wood, television presenter and historian

Hosted by the Centre for Journalism and sponsored by Sky News Journalism and the public space Mark Thompson, the Director-General of the BBC

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Horace Walpole’s Cat Professor Christopher Frayling, former Rector of the Royal College of Art, Chairman of Arts Council England and Chairman of the Design Council and currently Professor Emeritus of Cultural History at the RCA


DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS IN BRIEF

Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Alison Coles, joined Kent in June 2010. Since her arrival a number of ambitious and student-focussed projects have been launched. During this last year the University has received a number of gifts from alumni, parents, staff, ex-staff and friends of the University whose gifts enrich the lives of our students through the funding of many projects, scholarships and other activities.

Student media centre

The Colyer-Fergusson Building

Kent Scholarships Campaign

Last year we showcased our plans for a new music building. Although the majority of the capital was provided by the ColyerFergusson Trust, we have benefitted from the Government’s matched funding scheme and have attracted donations from alumni, staff and local music lovers. Construction work will commence in early 2011. The strength of the building is its flexible performance space, accommodating a diverse range of performing ensembles, from full symphony orchestra and chorus to chamber choirs, big bands, string and brass ensembles.

The last 12 months has seen a real focus on the Kent Scholarships Campaign which embraces a broad range of scholarships including The Alumni Postgraduate Research Scholarships, hardship bursaries, music scholarships, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) scholarships, Brussels scholarships, the Postgraduate History Research Scholarships and a number of benefactor named scholarships.

Kent Law Clinic and mooting chamber The University is embarking on a substantial fundraising campaign for a greatly expanded law clinic and a dedicated mooting chamber. The clinic and the mooting programme are integral to the success of the Law School which has long been a pioneer of clinical legal education in the UK.

Hong Kong and China Portal The University launched a five-year fundraising project aimed at generating £1 million to support new scholarship, student exchange and research initiatives involving Hong Kong and China. Kent Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Julia M Goodfellow announced the University’s new Hong Kong and China Portal at a reception in Hong Kong in October.

A £500,000 fundraising campaign is underway to equip the University with a new student media centre boosting Kent Union’s standing as one of the most innovative student unions in the country and giving students new skills. Kent Union has always provided students with many ways to get involved in a range of media opportunities and CSRfm engages students with all aspects of running a radio station from technical setup to presenting a show.

Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) The Development Office is working closely with DICE on an ambitious campaign to double DICE’s impact on global conservation in order to keep pace with emerging conservation challenges as the threats to the world’s species and ecosystems are immense and growing.

Fundraising in the United States The University has set up a new fund, entirely endowed by alumni who either come from, or are resident in, the United States. The enthusiasm and commitment to Kent of many US alumni ensures a whole range of activities including networking events and the creation of chapters in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.

Special thanks go to John Covell, who has recently stepped down as Chairman of the UKA Board after many years of loyal support. Along with his fellow directors, John has laid a firm structural foundation for our alumni activities in the US, and has pledged a substantial personal gift towards the Scholarship Fund.

Annual Fund During the annual telephone campaign, current students were able to share stories and news with alumni. Generous donations to the University’s Annual Fund provides vital unrestricted income, supporting a range of projects and scholarships, where the greatest need lies.

The Bob Friend Scholarship Sky News and the BBC celebrated outstanding journalism at a special event held on the Medway campus in March 2010. The Bob Friend Scholarship is the product of a unique agreement between Sky News, the University and the Friend family and was created in memory of Sky presenter Bob Friend. The annual scholarship is awarded to a first-year undergraduate in the Centre for Journalism and covers tuition fees for the first year and offers a four-week work placement at Sky News.

Ostia excavations John Beale has made a significant gift to Luke Lavan, Director of the University’s Centre for Late Antique Archaeology, to fund further excavation at Ostia, the harbour city of ancient Rome. The gift will fund the publication of the post-excavation report and enable Luke and his team to communicate their progress over the web.

Leadership Giving Circles As a response to the generosity of benefactors on so many different levels, the University is to launch its Leadership Giving Circles next year. This will serve to engender a new donor recognition culture across the institution.

UNIVERSITY OF KENT / ANNUAL REVIEW 2010 47


FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE Summary for the year to 31 July 2010

Financial Highlights for the Year to 31 July 2010

Income

• Surplus on continuing operations of £15.1m • Tuition fees income up £8.2m (15.2%) as a result of strong recruitment • Funding council recurrent and other grant income up £6.9m (13.8%) • Increase in net current assets of £12.1m to £23.5m and high year-end cash and short-term deposit balances • Capital expenditure of £15.3m • Staff costs fallen to 54% of income

Total income grew by 8.9% to £173.0m with an additional £8.2m fee income and £6.9m additional funding council grant income, largely as a result of increased recurrent research funding following the University’s strong performance in the 2008 RAE. The recurrent grant grew by £7.2m (13.1%), with the recognition of the University’s research expertise resulting in additional block grant of £3.9m, and additional funded student places to facilitate ongoing growth of the University’s Medway campus resulting in £1.5m of additional teaching grant. Overall, it was an excellent year for recruitment, with continued growth in full-time undergraduate and postgraduate student numbers.

Financial summary The University’s consolidated results for the years ended 31 July 2010 and 31 July 2009 are summarised as follows: 2009/10 £000 Income 173,027 Expenditure (157,934) Transfers re: endowment funds 49 Surplus for the year

15,142

2008/09 £000 158,893 (151,862) 78 7,109

Change %age 8.9 4.0 113.0

The results for the 2009/10 year are pleasing and are evidence that the University is continuing to grow its income despite the prevailing difficult economic conditions. The retained surplus for the year of £15.1m represents 8.8% of the University’s turnover and exceeds the targets set within the University’s Financial Framework which is designed to ensure that sufficient cash is generated to fund its ambitious capital programme and enhance the student experience. This also exceeds the budgeted surplus of £4.0m and is largely as a result of strong student recruitment, combined with continued effective budgetary control over expenditure.

Analysis of income 2009/10 (£000) Other Income £9,715

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Expenditure Staff costs rose by 3.2% to £92.8m compared to 8.8% increase in 2008/09. This was mainly due to the 0.5% pay settlement that took effect from August 2009, together with promotions and annual increments and a small increase in the number of University staff.

Other Income £10,638

Investment Income £977

Research Grants and Contracts £14,976

Research Grants and Contracts £13,587

Tuition Fees and Education Contracts £62,098

Income from student residences increased by £0.7m in the year and exceeded budget by the same amount, as a result of continued high student residence occupancy levels and strong levels of conference activity. These funds will be reinvested to maintain the good condition of student residences. However, other non-residential income continued to fall due to the downturn in the economy. Returns on investments and cash balances were also affected by the global economy and the prevailing low interest rates.

Analysis of income 2008/09 (£000)

Investment Income £633

Residences, Catering and Conferences £20,349

Income from research grants and contracts declined in the year by £1.4m to £13.6m due to the increasingly competitive environment. The margins achieved on these projects have however remained at healthy levels.

Funding Council Income £66,645

Residences, Catering and Conferences £19,617

Tuition Fees and Education Contracts £53,877

Funding Council Income £58,808


FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE Summary for the year to 31 July 2010

Academic Schools and Professional Service Departments have been mindful of the need to achieve ongoing revenue savings and have exercised restraint as staff vacancies arise. Notwithstanding this, the University has continued to invest in academic development and research quality in order to ensure that it maintains its high standing and continues to meet the expectations of students and partners, with significant funding approved for new academic and research posts in the year. In many cases these new appointments will be made in 2010/11. Other operating expenses increased by just £2.8m (6.0%) to £48.9m, reflecting good budgetary control. Within this, expenditure by Academic Schools increased by £1.3m as a result of increased investment in internationally recognised research. Administration costs increased overall by £1.1m but this was largely due to £0.8m additional spend on undergraduate bursaries. A total of £4.0m was provided to students by way of bursaries. Premises costs have increased by £1.2m as a result of expansion at the Medway and Brussels campuses, increased spend on updating furniture and fixtures and increased utility prices. Depreciation charged in the year was £0.3m lower than in 2008/09, and was lower than budget, reflecting ongoing delays in bringing capital projects to completion.

Balance sheet and cash flow The University’s Balance Sheet has strengthened over the year with net current assets increasing by £12.1m to £23.5m with a current asset ratio of 1.8. This compares favourably to the targeted 1.0 and reflects the past few years’ positive financial outturns as well as some timing delays in expenditure on planned capital projects.

Analysis of expenditure 2009/10 (£000) Depreciation £10,529

Other Operating Costs £48,944

Restructuring Costs £1,805

Long-term bank loan debt has fallen by a further £2.1m in the year with borrowing levels now reduced to 34% as a percentage of income.

Capital projects Capital expenditure amounted to £15.3m in the year, and included a further £3.9m to complete the new £8.8m Jarman Building, to house the School of Arts at Canterbury, and a £2.6m investment at the Medway campus for sports facilities and teaching and research facilities. The University continued to invest in improving and updating its academic facilities with improvements and refurbishments totalling £1.5m, residence refurbishments costing £2.6m and £0.4m spent on enhancing social spaces to improve the student experience as part of the University’s Creative Campus initiative.

Statement on behalf of the University’s Council The above summary provides an overview of the University’s financial performance during the 2009/10 financial and academic year. It is consistent with the information incorporated in the University’s audited Financial Statements for the year to 31 July 2010 and largely comprises information detailed in the Operating and Financial Review contained within these statements. Full details of the University’s financial results, performance and year-end position can be found in the University of Kent Financial Statements for the Year to 31 July 2010, which can be found on the University’s web site or by writing to the Secretary of the Council, The University of Kent, The Registry, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ.

Analysis of expenditure 2008/09 (£000)

Interest Payable £3,884

Depreciation £10,827

Staff Costs £92,772

Interest Payable £4,093

Staff Costs £89,968

Other Operating Costs £46,154

Restructuring Costs £820

UNIVERSITY OF KENT / ANNUAL REVIEW 2010 49


AWARDS, APPOINTMENTS, PROMOTIONS AND DEATHS 2010

Awards Nick Jackson, Senior Lecturer, Kent Law School, won the Oxford University Press Alistair MacQueen Memorial Grant. Professor Dennis Tourish, Deputy Director of Research, Kent Business School, was appointed as one of the founding fellows of the Leadership Trust Foundation.

University of Kent Honorary Degrees 2010

Professor Richard Sakwa – Head of the School of Politics and International Relations

Thomas Bingham, Baron Bingham of Cornhill, Doctor of Laws

Professor Martin Warren – Head of the School of Biosciences

Orlando Bloom, Doctor of Arts

John Wightman – Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences

Professor Vernon Bogdanor CBE, Doctor of Letters

Clio Barnard, Reader in Film Studies, won the Best New Documentary Filmmaker award at the Tribeca Film Festival, for her film The Arbor. She went on to scoop Best British Newcomer and the Sutherland Award at the BFI London Film Festival.

Sir David Chipperfield, Doctor of Arts

Professor Julia Goodfellow, Vice-Chancellor, was appointed DBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Professor Ruth Farwell, Doctor of the University

Professor Sarah Spurgeon, Head of the School of Engineering and Digital Arts, was awarded the 2010 Honeywell International Medal.

Patrick Cockburn, Doctor of Letters Richard Cooke, Doctor of Music Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe CBE, Doctor of Letters

Professor Robert Freedman, Doctor of Science Professor John Harris, Doctor of Letters Professor Molly Mahood, Doctor of Letters Professor Colin McGinn, Doctor of Letters

Dr Charlotte Faircloth, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, Dr George Darby, Lecturer in Philosophy of Science and Damien Hall, Linguist, both at the School of European Culture and Languages and were awarded Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships. Jan Pahl, Professor Emeritus of Social Policy was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Social Policy Association.

Professor Jan Pahl

Promotions

Deborah Bull CBE, Doctor of Arts

Matin Sheriff, Doctor of the University

The promotions listed below have been approved to take effect from 1 October 2010.

Promotion to Chair Dr Sophia Davidova, School of Economics Dr Andrew Hone, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science Richard Jones, School of Computing Dr Miguel Leon-Ledesma, School of Economics Dr Karl Leydecker, School of European Culture and Languages Dr David Ormrod, School of History Dr Caroline Rooney, School of English

David Suchet OBE, Doctor of Arts

Dr Harm Schepel, Brussels School of International Studies

The Hon Charles Wigoder, Doctor of the University

Dr Shane Weller, School of European Culture and Languages

Appointments

Dr Michael Went, School of Physical Sciences

Alison Coles – Director of Development and Alumni Relations

Richard Cooke

50 UNIVERSITY OF KENT / ANNUAL REVIEW 2010

Alison Coles


AWARDS, APPOINTMENTS, PROMOTIONS AND DEATHS 2010

Promotion to Reader

Dr Richard Guest, School of Engineering and Digital Arts

Dr Yutaka Arai, Kent Law School Dr John Batchelor, School of Engineering and Digital Arts

Deaths Dr Tom Behan – 1957 to 2010 – Senior Lecturer in Italian, School of European Culture and Languages

Dr Sarah Hyde, School of Politics and International Relations

Dr Barbara Bombi, School of History

Dr Tamar Jeffers McDonald, School of Arts

Anne Bottomley, Kent Law School

Mark Johnson, School of Physical Sciences

Dr Lorenzo Chiesa, School of European Culture and Languages

Dr Karen Jones, School of History

Malcolm McLean – 1951 to 2010 – Mechanical Maintenance Fitter, Estates Department

Desmond Laffey, Kent Business School

John Martin – 1932 to 2010 – former director of, and lecturer in, the Institute of Languages and Linguistics

Dr Theresa Gannon, School of Psychology Dr Stéphane Launois, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science

Dr Roger Giner-Sorolla, School of Psychology Robin Mackenzie, Kent Law School Alisoun Milne, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research

Carol Moran – 1962 to 2010 – Research Funding Officer for the Faculty of Sciences, Research Services

Dr Antonio Lazaro-Reboll, School of European Culture and Languages

Dr Marion O'Connor, School of English

Dr Stephen Lycett, School of Anthropology and Conservation

Alan Story, Kent Law School

Dr Jingqi Miao, School of Physical Sciences

Dr Julia Tanney, School of European Culture and Languages

Dr Daniel Mulvihill, School of Biosciences

Promotion to Senior Lecturer

Dr Jing Ping Wang, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science

Dr Gülnur Aybet, School of Politics and International Relations

Dr Alex Staehler, School of European Culture and Languages

Dr Katherine Bedford, Kent Law School

Dr Jawad Syed, Kent Business School

Dr Jinhee Choi, School of Arts

Dr Niaz Wassan, Kent Business School

Dr Rogério de Lemos, School of Computing

Dr Ulrich Weger, School of Psychology

Dr Jim Griffin, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science

Dr Sarah Wood, School of English

Matin Sheriff

Professor Richard Jones

Mark Brennan – 1963 to 2010 – formerly Senior Lecturer in Clinical Education

Professor Ken Stacey – 1927 to 2010 – the founding director of the then Biological Laboratory

Dr Jawad Syed

UNIVERSITY OF KENT / ANNUAL REVIEW 2010 51


PRINCIPAL OFFICERS

Visitor

The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury

Chancellor

Professor Sir Robert Worcester, KBE, DL, BSc (Kansas)

Chair of the Council

Valerie Marshall, MA (Cambridge), MBA (London), MSI LRAM

Vice-Chancellor

Professor Dame Julia M Goodfellow, DBE, CBE, BSc (Bristol), PhD (Open), FMedSci, FIBiol, FInstP

Deputy Chair of the Council

John Simmonds, AIB

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor

David Nightingale, MA (Oxford)

Deputy Vice-Chancellors

Denise Everitt, BA (Kent), ACA Professor Keith Mander, BSc PhD (Nottingham)

Pro-Vice-Chancellors

Professor John Baldock, BA (Oxford), MA (Kent) Professor Alex Hughes, BA PhD (London), Cert Ed (Oxford)

Dean of the Faculty of Humanities

Professor Karl Leydecker, MA DPhil (Oxford)

Acting Dean of the Faculty of Sciences

Professor Mark Burchell, BSc (Birmingham), DIC PhD (London)

Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences

John Wightman, MA LLB (Cambridge)

Dean of the Graduate School

Professor Diane Houston, MA (Dundee), PhD (Kent), AcSS

Dean of Health

Professor Peter Jeffries, BSc PhD (London)

Campus Dean for Brussels

Professor Roger Vickerman, MA (Cambridge), DPhil (Sussex), Dr h c (Marburg), AcSS, FRSA, FCILT

Secretary of the Council

Karen Goffin, BA (Durham), MA (Kent)

Senior Master and Master of Keynes College

Anthony Ward, MA (Cambridge), PhD (Nottingham)

Master of Darwin and Woolf Colleges

Nancy Gaffield, BA MA (Northern Colorado), MA (Kent)

Master of Eliot College

Michael Hughes, MA EdD (Sheffield), BEd Cert Ed (Exeter), Dip RSA

Master of Rutherford College

Rachel Forrester-Jones, BSc (Econ), PhD (Wales), PGCHE (Kent)

College Master for Medway

Jane Glew, BSc (Aston), PG Dip (CIM), MA (Greenwich)

52 UNIVERSITY OF KENT / ANNUAL REVIEW 2010


A review of this length can only indicate very briefly some of the principal achievements and activities which took place during 2010. The University also produces a report relating to finance. If you would like a copies of this, please contact the Communications and Marketing Office, The Registry, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ. Published by the University of Kent. Produced by the Communications and Marketing Office. Designed by the University Design and Print Centre. Photography by Simon Jarratt, Robert Berry, Alison Hollis, Lesley Farr, istockphoto.com. Printed by Quddos Ltd. The information contained in this Review was correct at the time of going to press. The University reserves the right to modify or cancel any statement contained in it and accepts no responsibility for the consequences of any such changes.


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