The UK’s European university
UNIVERSITY OF KENT/ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
CONTENTS 1 2 8 14 20 22 28 32 34 36 38 40
Introduction by the Vice-Chancellor World-leading research Inspiring education Regional and international impact Institutional strategic plan Faculty updates Outstanding people Books Building for our future Financial performance Awards, appointments, promotions, deaths Principal officers
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INTRODUCTION Amongst the well-documented challenges for the higher education sector, the University of Kent has not only survived the year, it has thrived. We have proved our continuing success, coming third amongst comparable institutions in the National Student Survey. This is testament to the dedication of academic and professional service colleagues, and demonstrates the high quality of the student experience across our campuses. Our commitment to student support also led to shortlisting for a prestigious Times Higher Education Award for the Employability Points Scheme, a programme which sees hundreds of students benefit from development activities that enhance their desirability in the jobs market. As the UK’s European university, we have continued to develop partnerships with other institutions across the continent, and have further enhanced our permanent centres in Brussels and Paris. Our programme in Athens is growing and has attracted significant external funding, and other projects are in development which will extend our European reach. Our students and staff benefit enormously from exchange programmes, and from our diverse multinational outlook; a key strength of the University and something which marks us out in the increasingly competitive, and increasingly globalised, world of higher education. The University is a place where Europe and the world meet, and our international activities stretch around the globe. Our alumni networks, as well as our academic partnerships, span the globe and this year I, and colleagues, have visited members of the Kent community in Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Malaysia, and the USA.
Recruiting students from overseas is an ever more difficult challenge for us with a competitive marketplace and visa restrictions, but we continue to be a popular UK university for both undergraduates and postgraduates from around the world. We have invested in our campuses with stateof-the-art teaching and research facilities. For example, we have refurbished a number of buildings at the Chatham Historic Dockyard, part of our Medway campus, for Fine Art and Music. The Colyer-Fergusson Music Building is an exceptional performance space and one which will enable us to offer the highest quality musical experience for our students and staff, and for the local community. Across the campuses the University engages with, and is part of, the community. Not only is it a major employer and economic force in the region, it is a place of intellectual stimulation with a popular Open Lecture programme. This year has seen continued investment for the Research Excellence Framework; in autumn 2013, we will submit our research for a quality assessment which will determine a significant proportion of our income for the next few years. We have recruited new academic staff and promoted existing colleagues to support this work, and you will see profiles of newly-promoted professors in this review. We are rightly proud of the quality of our researchers and the work they produce.
Once again, we have demonstrated that the University is in good financial health and the Summary of Financial Performance shows another significant surplus. This ought not, however, leave us complacent as this country’s, and the world’s economies are not yet on a stable footing. The University is a community, and the success we have achieved this year would not have been possible without staff, students, alumni and our many supporters including members of the University Council. We are not just surviving, we are thriving. Long may that continue.
Professor Dame Julia M Goodfellow DBE, CBE, FMed Sci Vice-Chancellor
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WORLD-LEADING RESEARCH
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WORLD-LEADING RESEARCH/ INTRODUCTION The University of Kent was ranked 24th out of 159 institutions for its world-leading research in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with six subjects in the top ten of their disciplines and five subject areas at Kent in the UK’s top 20. With such a record, it is not surprising that the University’s research findings often receive media coverage. One of the most recent studies to make the headlines was Nina Gurung’s research into Gurhka settlement and integration in the UK. The recent large increases in Gurkha populations in Hampshire
and Kent had initiated anxiety about pressures on local services, and there had been much publicity about the plight of veterans struggling to settle in the UK. Nina’s research found that, in fact, Gurkhas are outward-looking, self-reliant, and the majority consider proficiency in English, education, employment and training to be most important. Employment rates for Gurkhas are high, with over 90 per cent of males and females under 60 in full-time work. Home ownership is at 56 per cent, many rent privately, and reliance on housing benefit is mostly confined to older veterans. The research provided the background for one of the councils concerned to make a case for establishment of the Government’s Gurkha Integration Fund, worth £1.5 million. It has also shown the importance of preparation for large influxes of immigrants, and how working with newly established communities does much to counteract hostility and distrust.
Building on our research successes to date, the University is now preparing for its submission to the Research Excellence Framework (REF) in 2013 – the Government’s new assessment of the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. Throughout 2012, we have been working closely with Schools to prepare their submissions for a pilot exercise covering all aspects of the REF; from research outputs to impact case-studies and staff data. Results of the pilot exercise will be reviewed early in 2013 and our submissions – expected to be made in 24 Units of Assessment and involving almost 600 academic staff members – will be refined in the light of our findings.
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WORLD-LEADING RESEARCH/ NEWS More cutbacks mean more riots Research by Professor Peter Taylor-Gooby at the University’s School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research has shown that across 26 developed welfare states between 1980 and 2005 greater poverty, privatisation of public services and job insecurity has led to increased social disorder. His research provides the strongest possible social science evidence across a range of countries, and for a considerable time period, that the kinds of changes the UK government is pursuing generate social disorder. For the study, Professor Taylor-Gooby, who has previously advised the UK government on public policy reform, analysed the relationship between social disorder and increased poverty, greater job insecurity and privatisation in developed western countries such as France, Germany and the USA. When societies are compared, those with rapid increases in the numbers in poverty are on average in the top third by the number of major incidents of civil unrest. Similar relations are found for job insecurity and reliance on private rather than welfare state services.
Dental discovery will aid forensic practitioners and anthropologists
1.2 million euro research award for Kent law professor
Forensic practitioners and anthropologists will be among those to benefit from Kent research on the dental development of humans. The research, conducted by Dr Patrick Mahoney in the University’s School of Anthropology and Conservation and published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, has established links between tooth eruption and enamel growth in human infants, concluding that milk teeth do not develop in the same way as adult permanent teeth. Such a discovery not only opens up a new way of assessing the dental development of humans through fossils but will also assist in age-at-death determinations in forensic situations.
Professor Anneli Albi, of Kent Law School, has been awarded 1.2 million euros by the European Research Council for a five-year research project titled ‘The Role and Future of National Constitutions in European and Global Governance’. The funding is from the Council’s Independent Starting Grant programme, a highly competitive scheme designed to support frontier research by leading young international scholars. The project aims to revisit the role of national constitutions at a time when decision-making has increasingly shifted to the transnational level. Key examples that the study hopes to explore include defence rights in the European Arrest Warrant system and access to justice in the global fight against terrorism. The project also seeks to analyse the role of constitutional courts in drawing attention to these issues in transnational judicial dialogues.
Dr Mahoney is Lecturer in Biological Anthropology at the University and Director of Kent Osteological Research and Analysis (KORA), an established unit in the School of Anthropology and Conservation offering osteological analyses of human skeletal remains.
University high-speed rail expert advises parliamentary seminar The University’s Professor Roger Vickerman added his expertise on high-speed rail to a panel of academics taking part in a seminar on the subject at the House of Commons. The panel, including Professor Vickerman, took part in a parliamentary seminar in February to examine evidence from the social sciences that can contribute to the debate on the future of high-speed rail in the UK. Chaired by Louise Ellman MP, Chair of the Transport Select Committee of the House of Commons, the seminar was attended by over 70 academics, policy-makers and politicians. Professor Vickerman is Professor of European Economics and Dean of the Brussels School of International Studies.
Centuries-old paradox ‘solved’ by University philosopher It’s been puzzling great thinkers for 2,000 years, but now a University philosophy professor has proposed a novel solution to the famous ancient riddle known as the Sorites paradox. The proposed solution by Professor Laurence Goldstein, Head of the School of European Culture and Languages, breaks the problem into two parts: the first part draws on experimental work and connects with research on choice-making neural mechanisms; the second argues that some traditional reasoning about the Sorites is marred by a fundamental error, or fallacy.
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Kent expert advises BBC’s Great War programmes Professor Mark Connelly, an expert on British military history, has been selected to be part of a panel of distinguished researchers advising the BBC on programmes to mark the centenary of the beginning of the Great War. The BBC is working with the Arts and Humanities Research Council to bring together leading academics to plan a series of programmes to mark the outbreak of World War One in 1914. Professor Connelly, from the University’s School of History, has been selected to be part of the joint advisory body.
Kent scientists lead team researching parrot virus A University-led team of scientists has gained new insight into a virus that is threatening to wipe out the Mauritius parakeet – one of the world’s most endangered species of parrot. The Mauritius parakeet was saved from the brink of extinction 30 years ago, thanks to the work of an international team of conservationists, including scientists from Kent. Now an outbreak of deadly Beak and
Feather Disease is once again raising the spectre of extinction. A team led by Dr Jim Groombridge, of the University’s Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), has been able to make use of its archive of DNA samples from Mauritius parakeets, built up over many years, to identify how the world’s smallest DNA circoviruses have evolved to cause the spread of the disease.
Psychologists propose solution to problems in multiculturalism policy In a ground-breaking paper published by the journal Science in May, psychologists from Kent have claimed a solution to the problems faced by multicultural policy can be found in the study of human evolution. Research has shown that while multiculturalism is a highly enriching characteristic of modern society, policy has generally failed to engage widespread public support for this idea. One of the reasons for this is that people have a psychological tendency to prefer environments low in social complexity. However, in their Science paper, Professor Richard Crisp and Rose Meleady
propose that our human ancestors evolved a specialised cognitive system that enabled them to adapt to complex and diverse tribal environments. They argue that this system is only triggered under certain conditions, which have hitherto been absent from contemporary multicultural policy. Their paper offers a unique multidisciplinary perspective on this issue, drawing together research on evolutionary psychology, cognitive science, sociology and social policy.
Research spotlights ‘mumpreneurs’ Women who combine motherhood with launching their own business often have to overcome many barriers to succeed. Now a new research project at the University has explored the phenomenon of the so-called ‘mumpreneurs’. Dr Patricia Lewis, of Kent Business School, is leading the research to explore the emergence of this new type of entrepreneur. Examples include Chrissie Rucker, founder of The White Company, and Justine Roberts and Carrie Longton, founders of Mumsnet.com. The one-year project, titled ‘Mumpreneurs:
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WORLD-LEADING RESEARCH/ NEWS (CONT)
Reframing Women’s Entrepreneurial Activity?’, is investigating how distinct ideas about being a mum and entrepreneur influence women’s business and mothering activities.
Rendition Project launched online An ongoing project designed to analyse the global system of rendition, secret detention and torture initiated by the George W Bush administration as part of its ‘War on Terror’, has been launched online. The project is led by Dr Ruth Blakeley from the University’s School of Politics and International Relations and Dr Sam Raphael from Kingston University. Working closely with Reprieve, a UK-based legal action charity which has led the way in investigating secret prisons and representing victims of rendition and torture, they aim to collate and analyse the huge amount of open-source data on the global rendition system. Further information is available at: www.therenditionproject.org.uk
University leads study on impact of small island tourism
Vitamin variants could combat cancer
Research, sponsored by the World Bank and led by the University, has for the first time examined the economic impact of tourism – both in sparking growth and on poverty – in small island states such as the Maldives.
In a development that may lead to new drugs to treat cancer, scientists at Kent have discovered the process by which a key vitamin (B12) is made in cells. A team in the School of Biosciences, led by Professor Martin Warren, devised a method that allows them to study how the individual steps for vitamin B12 construction are pieced together. B12 is an essential nutrient that plays an important role in the formation of red blood cells and the maintenance of the nervous system. Deficiencies are associated with anaemia, cardiovascular disorders and dementia.
Although many small island developing states (SIDS) are highly dependent on tourism as measured in GDP and employment, little research has been carried out to date on how tourism fosters growth within the local economy and what impact it has on poverty and local opportunities. Dr Mark Hampton, of the University’s Kent Business School, led a study team, including senior academics from Birmingham and Bournemouth universities, on how tourism may contribute more effectively to inclusive growth within SIDS and what policy changes might promote this.
Using techniques of the new discipline of synthetic biology, researchers engineered a conveyor belt of molecular machines for the construction of the vitamin within bacteria. By varying the length of the assembly line, they were able to unravel how the vitamin is manufactured. Significantly, the team was also able to alter some of the molecular machines on the conveyor belt and change the form of the vitamin that is made. It is hoped that these
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novel variant forms of the vitamin will act as important new drugs to treat diseases such as cancer and infections such as tuberculosis (TB).
found overwhelming evidence to suggest that sex offenders supervised in the pilot polygraph scheme made more disclosures about their risk.
Research on polygraph testing for sex offenders
New Cyber Security Centre launched
Research findings from a team of forensic psychologists at the University could lead to the use of polygraph testing of sex offenders being adopted nationally. Researchers from the Centre of Research and Education in Forensic Psychology (CORE-FP) conducted a two-year evaluation of a pilot scheme involving the use of polygraph testing to increase disclosures made by sex offenders to probation staff.
Greater protection of computer communications is the aim of a newly launched research centre at Kent. The Centre for Cyber Security harnesses expertise across the University to address current and future cyber security challenges. It is working with external organisations to promote cyber security, creating a strategy for wide-ranging multidisciplinary research, developing skills in cyber security, and engaging with the wider community through workshops, visits, lectures and training.
The pilot polygraph scheme took place across the East and West Midlands probation areas from April 2009 to October 2011. Seven other probation areas where polygraph testing was not implemented were also monitored to see if pilot polygraph testing really did increase the admissions made by sex offenders to probation staff. The Kent researchers, led by Professor Theresa Gannon and Dr Jane Wood,
Dr Eerke Boiten, Senior Lecturer in the University’s School of Computing and Director of the new Centre, said: ‘The relevance of cyber security increases with the increased dependence of society on computer network infrastructure, and the sharply rising incidence
and sophistication of attacks… The Centre brings together all aspects of cyber security related research: technical, psychological, social and legal, in order to provide a holistic approach to cyber security.’
Therapies for Acute Kidney Injury The University is undertaking a £0.5 million research project with pharmaceutical company Pfizer to develop new therapies for patients who suffer Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) after kidney surgery. Dr Claire Peppiatt-Wildman, of the Medway School of Pharmacy, is collaborating with Dr Nick Pullen at Pfizer’s US research base on the three-year research project. It is hoped that the research will lead to a better understanding of the precise pathophysiology underlying AKI and aid the development of effective therapies. Jointly run by the universities of Kent and Greenwich, Medway School of Pharmacy is based at the institutions’ shared campus at Chatham Maritime.
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INSPIRING EDUCATION
www.kent.ac.uk
INSPIRING EDUCATION/ INTRODUCTION
Kent has been confirmed as a top university for student satisfaction in the UK. In the 2012 National Student Survey (NSS), Kent was placed third* for overall satisfaction, with Oxford and Cambridge joint second behind the Open University. Kent also achieved a top 10 position for overall student satisfaction in 17 subjects, and was in the top 20 for 26 out of its 36 subject areas. The NSS is a national initiative, conducted annually since 2005. The survey is aimed at all final-year undergraduates in higher education institutions (HEIs) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as those attending 15 out of 19 HEIs in Scotland.
The University of Kent was also ranked 22nd in the 2013 Guardian University Guide, and described by Which? University as one ‘that provides a wealth of European and international opportunities for study, work and travel, a stimulating and effective learning community that focuses on the individual and excellent research-led teaching’. But it’s not just in the classroom that the University is making its mark. Its innovative Employability Points Scheme (EPS), launched in September 2010, was shortlisted for a Times Higher Education Award in November. The Scheme acts as bridge between academic study and practical skills, helping students acquire work experience, and helping businesses find promising, highly motivated employees.
The Scheme, which already has around 2,000 students signed up, encourages them to engage in non-curricular activities and make use of personal development opportunities. Doing this earns them points and points – as everyone knows – mean prizes: training programmes and paid internships with almost 100 EPS sponsors including Tesco, Penguin Books, the National Trust, Kent County Council and Coca-Cola Enterprises. *out of all publicly funded, multi-faculty (ie not single-subject/specialist institutions) universities.
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INSPIRING EDUCATION/ NEWS Kent announces 100 ‘50th anniversary’ doctoral scholarships The University, in preparation for its 50th anniversary in 2015, has established 100 doctoral scholarships for UK, EU and international students. The recipients of the new scholarships will be known as Kent’s 50th Anniversary Scholars. The scholarships, which will be awarded annually from 2012, complement the already significant investment the University makes in its postgraduate community. Kent’s scholarship fund now exceeds £5.5 million and is supplemented by funding from the leading UK research councils and external bodies, bringing the total funds it has to support postgraduate research to over £8 million.
Kent Law Clinic wins Attorney General’s Award 2012 The Kent Law Clinic at the University of Kent was declared joint winner of the Best New Student Pro Bono Activity Award (for its Public Access to Land Project) at the LawWorks & Attorney General Student Awards 2012. At a reception at the House of Commons in March, the Attorney General, the Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP, presented the award to Clinic solicitor Elaine Sherratt accompanied by Kent Law School (KLS) students Rebecca Newman, Samantha Woodley and Vivian Chan, together with barrister David Graham of Francis Taylor Building chambers in the Temple (pictured above right). The Public Access to Land Project has helped hundreds of local people win disputed public rights of way along footpaths through the Kent countryside, and helped hundreds more in their ongoing attempts to register treasured local recreation spaces as ‘village greens’ in Whitstable and Wickhambreaux. In 2010, KLS senior lecturers Donald McGillivray and Nick Jackson developed a new module, Access to Land, which has allowed law students under the supervision of Elaine Sherratt to work on many access to land cases for local residents, several of which have led to lengthy public inquiries. The Awards judges said: ‘The link between pro bono casework in the Clinic and the taught module on the law relating to access to land allows students to see the law in practice and to put their learning into practice by
helping Clinic clients. The project establishes a new collaboration between the students at the Kent Law Clinic and barristers from Francis Taylor Building. This is innovative and important work which deserves to be recognised.’
Canterbury among safest cities to study in A new university guide has shown that Canterbury is still one of the safest places in the south east in which to study. Results published by The Complete University Guide, following a study of student-relevant crime within a three-mile radius of campuses in England and Wales, ranks the University’s Canterbury campus as one of the top 20 safest.
Psychologists prepare students for changing world of work Psychologists at Kent are preparing students for the changing and challenging world of work by helping them develop leadership, enterprise and initiative-taking skills.
Through a new ‘wild’ module available to all students from September 2012, a team from the University’s School of Psychology is helping them gain a greater understanding of how an individual’s skills, knowledge and personal qualities can be related to demands in the world of work. Culminating in the writing of a business plan, the module will also help students to develop project, initiative and business planning; clarify the values and purpose of a project; assess the skills, knowledge and qualities for initiative; develop communication and personal effectiveness skills; identify sources of inspiration and renewal; learn from their biography; and learn from tips and feedback.
Students to benefit from Kent-ICA partnership A new affiliate partnership between the University and the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London will provide extensive educational benefits and opportunities for Kent students and staff. Held jointly between the ICA and the University’s School of Arts and School of English, it is expected that it will lead to a
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range of opportunities such as a joint MA, internships, professional practice projects for PhD students, a student-curated film ‘festival’, and ICA practice-based talks and gallery visits. A major component of the partnership will be, for the School of English, free membership of the ICA for one year for all incoming underand postgraduates, while 500 students at the School of Arts will benefit from the same. The membership will enable Kent students to interact with students from other institutions, attend and network through private views for members, and use the members-only studio facilities.
Sky News correspondent delivers Bob Friend Memorial Lecture Sky News special correspondent Alex Crawford made an impassioned plea for female journalists to continue to be treated equally as war reporters when she delivered the annual Bob Friend Memorial Lecture in February. In her lecture, titled ‘Alex Crawford: A Reporter’s Story’, the three-times winner of the coveted Royal Television Society television journalist of the year award said there were now more female journalists than ever working as foreign correspondents. The event, at Kent’s Medway campus, also saw Rob Kirk, Editorial Development Manager for Sky News, present first-year student Jemma Collins of the Centre for Journalism with the 2012 Sky Bob Friend Memorial Scholarship. Both the lecture and scholarship were established in 2009 in memory of Bob Friend, who was the original face of Sky News as well as a long-serving BBC journalist.
University wins prestigious European funding The University has had its teaching and research quality recognised with two prestigious funding awards from the European Commission (EC). The University’s Brussels School of International Studies (BSIS) has been awarded funding under the EC’s Jean Monnet Programme to establish a Jean Monnet Chair. It has also received a European Module grant from the same programme to fund the development of a new law teaching module on EU Migration Law.
BSIS Senior Lecturer in International Relations Dr Tom Casier has received the Jean Monnet Chair. The successful proposal included the development of two new MA courses as well as a training course on European Studies methodology. The new law module will deliver teaching in EU migration law in the context of a legal aid clinic, which enables students to help provide legal assistance to real clients.
Kent business student is top 100 young entrepreneur Kent business student Amy Brooks has been identified as one of the UK’s top 100 young entrepreneurs. Amy was selected as one to watch by accounting software company Intuit after co-starting her own company, Spark-Ed, to support students with a range of new mobile phone-based learning applications. The 21-year-old, who is studying for a Bachelor of Business Administration (Marketing) at Kent Business School, was identified as having a winning business idea as part of the Intuit100up project. Spark-Ed has already attracted interest from potential investors and Amy and her co-founder Greg Mackelden, who is a Kent alumnus, now hope to develop it further.
Students to benefit from KentSantander partnership A new partnership agreement between the University of Kent and Santander Universities UK will support international scholarships and student mobility, as well as an employability programme designed to enhance student entrepreneurship. The agreement, through which Santander will donate £40,000 for 2012/13, was signed in September by the University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow and Luis Juste, Director of Santander Universities UK (pictured below). Santander has collaborated with universities for more than 15 years. Through its Santander Universities Global Division, the bank supports the higher education sector in such areas as teaching and research, international co-operation, knowledge and technology transfer, entrepreneurial initiatives, student mobility and innovation.
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INSPIRING EDUCATION/ NEWS (CONT)
Billy Childish opens new £5m arts teaching and practice development
main woodworking machine shop. There is also an enclosed outside working space. The old Foundry now houses recording studios.
Internationally acclaimed artist and musician Billy Childish officially opened the University’s new £5 million School of Arts development at Chatham’s Historic Dockyard in October.
Future sports stars celebrated at the University
The Chatham-born artist (pictured below) unveiled a plaque in the new arts facilities, which form part of the University’s Medway campus. The teaching and practice development features flexible work spaces for painting, sculpture, printmaking, film, photography, music and performance projects. It also offers bookable project spaces, an AV suite, a dark room and a digital editing suite. Additionally, the Dockyard’s old Boiler Shop now features a £1 million sculpture workshop. Facilities there include a state-of-the-art 3D laser cutter and vacuum former, as well as plaster casting room, extraction room for glass fibre work, metal work room with welding and cutting facilities and a kiln room as well as the
Potential sports stars of the future were celebrated at the University in March. The University’s 47 Sports Scholars – students who are encouraged to add to their sporting successes while studying for a degree – gathered together for an awards evening at The Pavilion on the Canterbury campus. The evening celebrated achievements by both individual scholars and the University’s sports teams. A highlight was the presentation of the 2011/12 Sports Scholar of the Year Award to boxer Alex Cooper. Alex (23), who is studying Management Science, only started boxing three years ago. His achievements so far include consecutive gold medals at BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) events as well as reaching the semi–finals of the national open competition.
PhD student wins international environment competition University PhD student Diogo Verissimo has seen his article on opportunities to increase sustainability in the financial crisis voted the best in the world in a web-based competition run by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Thomson Reuters. Diogo, of the University’s Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), submitted the article titled ‘Greening the crisis: turning trouble into opportunity’ to the 2012 IUCN Thomson Reuters Media Award. The article received over 5,300 votes on Facebook and Diogo’s prize was an all-expenses-paid trip to the IUCN’s 2012 World Conservation Congress in South Korea in September.
Thai language teaching opportunity for Kent students Eight second-year undergraduates from the University were selected to spend July and August working as English-language teaching assistants at Naresuan University in Thailand.
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The students, drawn from the University’s linguistics, literature, law and accounting/finance programmes, helped Naresuan students with their written and conversational English. In return, the Kent students received free Thai, Chinese and Japanese language courses at Naresuan. Kent has an established relationship with Naresuan based on joint research projects between both institutions’ physical science departments, and in particular the development of high impact image processing, facial recognition and forensic image analysis techniques. The English language teaching project is an important development in this relationship. It is also an ideal way of providing a valuable overseas placement for Kent students, which will equip them with many of the skills necessary for employment in today’s international workplace.
Leading archaeological foundation supports Kent’s heritage MA The A G Leventis Foundation has announced it will support an innovative Master’s degree in Heritage Management, co-run by Kent and the Athens University of Economics and Business. Archaeological and heritage projects in Greece and other ancient centres of civilisation could benefit following the endorsement of the prestigious foundation, established in 1979 to support educational, cultural, artistic and philanthropic causes in Cyprus, Greece and elsewhere. The MA in Heritage Management course, launched in September 2011, is distinctive in offering postgraduates a combination of archaeology and business skills as well an opportunity to be part of a non-governmental project based in Eleusis, near Athens, home of the most famous mysteries of antiquity. The A G Leventis Foundation was established in 1979, to fulfil the wishes of the late Anastasios Leventis. Following his directions, the Foundation’s activities were based on three principles: culture, education, philanthropy; a fourth was later added to these, the environment.
Computing student wins Gold Award for research presentation Thomas Schilling, studying for a PhD in the University’s School of Computing, won a Gold Award from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for a poster and presentation in Copenhagen in September. Thomas’ presentation, titled ‘Lambdachine: a trace-based just-in-time compiler for Haskell’, was judged to be the best of three finalists in the Student Research Competition. His presentation was described as a ‘solid piece of engineering with interesting results’ by Professor Doaitse Swierstra (Utrecht University), head of the competition’s judging panel. Thomas’ prize included an award medal, US$500 cash and ACM membership.
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REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPACT
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REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPACT/ INTRODUCTION The University of Kent has a strong economic impact on the south east region – worth around £0.6 billion per annum. Some of this is obvious: direct spending on salaries, goods and services generates economic activity throughout the region as University suppliers make purchases, and its employees and students also spend money.
Other ways in which we contribute are less obvious. Our local suppliers are able to grow their businesses because of our custom; we attract students to the area who draw in their own visitors, and many graduates remain in Kent; Kent Innovation and Enterprise makes University resources available to businesses and assists in Knowledge Transfer Partnerships; Kent Law Clinic provides free legal advice, obtaining compensation of well over £1 million; and as the largest conference venue in the south east, we help bring highspending delegates to the area. With extensive sports and arts facilities, the University also makes a valuable contribution to arts and recreation regionally. We welcome all abilities to use campus sports facilities – including an over 50s tennis group, pictured below – while the Gulbenkian theatre and cinema provides a lively programme of entertainment. The University’s musicians regularly entertain at concerts on and off campus, and the public are encouraged to participate in the University Chorus, Symphony Orchestra, Concert and Big Bands. But our impact extends well beyond south east England. As the only UK university with
a postgraduate centre in Brussels, as well as long-standing partnerships with more than 100 higher education institutions on the continent, Kent is proud to be able to declare itself the UK’s European university. Underlining this reputation, Kent has won two awards in as many years to co-ordinate joint doctorates under the European Commission’s Erasmus Mundus scheme, which aims to enhance quality in higher education through scholarships and academic co-operation between Europe and the rest of the world. The University also has strong research links with Europe, generating £1.2 to £1.5 million each year in research grants from European sources. Kent looks further afield too. It has been a major partner in the Lotus programme, promoting partnership and co-operation between European and South East Asian universities, and a prominent partner in LiSUM (Linking Sino-European Universities through Mobility). It has partner universities around the world, itself welcomes students from over 120 countries, and maintains these links long after students have graduated – 25 per cent of our 74,000 active alumni are based outside the UK.
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REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPACT/ NEWS
New volunteering record by Kent students
Kent supports computer science teaching in schools
Kent students have dedicated over 80,000 hours to helping others in 2011/12 – almost double their previous year’s total.
The University has announced an extensive programme of teacher CPD (Continuing Professional Development) courses that will strongly support the goal to improve computer science teaching in UK schools. Designed and delivered by the Computing Education Research Group in the University’s School of Computing, the courses started in summer 2012, based at the Canterbury campus, with online support. Content includes programming with Scratch, Greenfoot and other educational tools, the pedagogy of computer science teaching and practical techniques for applying new material in the classroom.
The students’ record contribution to the local community was celebrated at the annual Kent Student Certificate for Volunteering (KSCV) awards ceremony, organised by Kent Union at the University’s Canterbury campus, in May. Over 250 students attended the ceremony to collect their KSCV Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum awards for volunteering on campus, across East Kent, the rest of the UK and internationally. Praising all the student award-winners, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Keith Mander said: ‘University is not just about studying for a degree, but the opportunity to take part in a wider set of activities from music and sport to developing interpersonal skills and help with student societies. Everyone involved has chosen to give their time freely and I think that’s the most fabulous thing to do. Congratulations to all on giving so much to so many local charities and societies.’
School of Arts leads crosscultural project in India Angus Pryor and Dr Grant Pooke from the University’s School of Arts have led a crosscultural project in India to help deepen public engagement with visual art and explore aspects of recent art practice and writing.
The project, titled ‘Critical Narratives in Colour and Form’, displayed Angus Pryor’s own art in an exhibition of seven British artists, while Dr Grant Pooke led critical writing workshops. The project was a collaborative educational initiative between the Visual Arts Gallery of India Habitat Centre and the Fine Art and History and Philosophy of Art Departments, within Kent’s School of Arts. It aimed to engage new audiences with developments within recent British art and writing, while also supporting the exchange of ideas and perspectives in relation to contemporary practice in India.
Dickens experts celebrate bicentennial in Medway Dickens experts from the University were among those gathering at Medway in February to mark the bicentenary of the great author’s birth. They were taking part in a ‘travelling’ conference in four major Dickens sites – including Chatham/Rochester. The conference, titled ‘Dickens and the Idea of ‘Dickensian’: A Tale of Four Cities’, involved academics from all over the world. One of the organisers, Dr Catherine Waters, Reader in Victorian Studies at Kent’s School of English,
www.kent.ac.uk
said: ‘Chatham and Rochester are the places where Dickens spent most of the first part of his childhood, during what seem to have been largely happy years when his convivial father was employed by the Navy as a pay clerk. The focus here, not unnaturally therefore, was the Dickensian ideal of the Child.’
Impact of University underlined at Kent Ambassadors visit The University’s economic and cultural impact on the county was underlined at an informal gathering of the Kent Ambassadors in June. The gathering – which included a tour of the University’s Canterbury campus – was attended by over 30 Ambassadors, including Chairman Bobby Neame, of Kent brewers Shepherd Neame. The Ambassadors were welcomed by University Chancellor Professor Sir Robert Worcester, Chair of the Council John Simmonds, and Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow. Ambassadors were updated on activity at the University and heard how it contributes around £0.6 billion every year to the south east. This was highlighted by
an independent report – ‘The Economic Impact of the University of Kent’, published in December 2011 – showing, for example, that the University supports around 6,800 jobs in the region and its students contribute £211 million to the local economy. The Kent Ambassadors are a group of around 90 highly successful experienced people who either live or work in Kent and come together to promote the county. Both the University’s Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor are among the members.
Gold Medal Olympics success The University of Kent was part of a consortium of 13 universities to win a Gold Medal award for a project to bring together universities, artists, performers and local communities in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics. The Creative Campus Initiative won the Gold Medal Award for the best Creative Cultural project at the Podium Awards ceremony, held to recognise the contribution of higher and further education institutions to the ideals of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Creative Campus Initiative was
also shortlisted for the Coubertin’s Olympic Vision Award, established to recognise the project seen to most embody the ideals of the founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin.
Kent supports national Campaign for Social Science The University has welcomed and lent its support to the Campaign for Social Science (CfSS), a national initiative promoted by the Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS) in association with other leading universities, learned societies, organisations and social science publishers. Kent offered its support to the Campaign by hosting a CfSS roadshow at its Canterbury campus in May and through a financial donation by its Faculty of Social Sciences. The donation will contribute towards CfSS-funded research and public engagement during the next five years. Launched at the House of Lords in January 2011, CfSS aims to promote the benefits of investment in social science education and research, while explaining the discipline’s position as a necessary core ingredient of a successful economy and society.
Helping community groups to think creatively Students from the University are helping community groups to think creatively. Five students, all studying for Master’s degrees in Creative Writing, have been chosen to work on the ‘Wise Words’ project. The project aims to bring together community groups, representing under-18 and over-60 age groups, to produce intergenerational creative writing. The project, launched in May, is being run by Canterbury Festival and Canterbury Laureate Sarah Salway, alongside the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University. Eight community groups, including Canterbury & District Pensioners Forum, Moving Memory Dance Company and the Whitstable-based Desert Island Divas, attended skills workshops during the summer led by students from Kent, together with teacher-trainees from Canterbury Christ Church University. Their resulting words, from poetry to letters or rap lyrics, were showcased during the Herne Bay, Whitstable and Canterbury Festivals, as well as via the Wise Words website – www.wisewordsfestival.co.uk
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REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPACT/ NEWS (CONT)
University visit strengthens Hong Kong links The University has strengthened its links in Hong Kong with a visit by senior figures and a keynote lecture by transport economics expert Professor Roger Vickerman. Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow led a high-level delegation to meet members of the Hong Kong business community and the University’s Hong Kong Alumni Association in April. The visit was part of the University’s £2 million Hong Kong and China Portal fundraising campaign, launched in 2010. Professor Vickerman delivered a keynote lecture to the University of Hong Kong’s influential Institute for Transport Studies. His lecture, titled ‘On the Wider Economic Impacts of Transport Projects’, was part of the Institute’s Distinguished Transport Lecture Series 2012.
Kent welcomes government commitment for businessuniversity collaboration The University has welcomed a government commitment to improving the way businesses collaborate with universities through the use of partnerships and networks. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) responded to the Wilson Review of Business-University collaboration by acknowledging that universities have done much to encourage businesses – particularly small businesses – to engage using various schemes, including those featuring vouchers. The University recently relaunched its successful Innovation Voucher scheme, which provides support for project collaboration involving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The scheme’s re-launch came at a workshop, ‘Business Growth Through Innovation’, organised in conjunction with Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce. The event attracted more than 50 SMEs from the south
east and provided information on funding and other help available to support business growth. Kent’s successful Employability Points Scheme (EPS) was also highlighted in the BIS report as an example of best practice.
Iron Gym project to link Medway heritage sites An exciting project to create an exercise trail linking the University’s Medway campus with some of the area’s most popular heritage sites was launched in February. Organisers of the Iron Gym project received a £17,000 grant from Arts Council England to develop the innovative initiative that will involve linking local heritage attractions such as the Historic Dockyard Chatham, Fort Amherst and the Royal Engineers Museum and Library in Gillingham with the University to form a series of exercise opportunities. Each site will make use of existing features and relevant architectural salvage to form an installation or sculpture that could be used by the local community for exercise. University students from the Schools of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Architecture and Arts are involved in the project, which is being led by Dr Ian Bride, of the School of Anthropology and Conservation.
Kent’s science masterclass for Brompton students Students from Brompton Academy cut short their summer holiday for a science masterclass at Kent. The 24 students are studying A-levels in sciences and maths at the Gillingham-based Academy. A day before the start of term, they took part in a series of labbased experiments led by University staff and postgraduate students in its Ingram Building on the Canterbury campus. Brompton Academy, which specialises in science and arts, is offering A-levels for the first time in 2012/13. The Academy has been sponsored by the University of Kent since 2010. Support includes curriculum development, specialist teaching staff and pupil mentoring by PhD students to enrich student experience.
www.kent.ac.uk
New online game to help train child protection professionals
Improving lives in the region and beyond
Plans for new student accommodation
The Centre for Child Protection at the University has launched Rosie 2, the second part of its groundbreaking and highly acclaimed serious training game. Complementing Rosie 2, the University will also launch a new distance learning MA in Advanced Child Protection in January 2013.
Delegates at a symposium on neurorehabilitation in September heard how recent collaborations between psychologists at the University and clinicians from the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust will help improve the lives of many people in the region and beyond.
Over 100 members of the local community attended the University’s public exhibition in September outlining revised proposals for the development of student accommodation and a conference centre at its Canterbury campus.
As a serious training game, Rosie 2 offers child protection professionals at all stages of their careers a safe new medium in which to explore and reflect upon child protection assessment in a family situation. Among its advantages, Rosie 2 provides those involved in child protection with the opportunity to evaluate and re-evaluate a long-term case without putting children or service users at risk.
The symposium, which was organised and hosted by East Kent Neurorehabilitation Services, a division of the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, took place at Kent and Canterbury Hospital. Among those attending were NHS clinical staff, nurses, therapists, management students, University researchers, and representatives from the pharmaceutical industry and private health care sector. Discussion topics focused on spasticity, its co-morbid impairments, and botulinum toxin therapy.
Following comments received, the University decided to move forward with the new student accommodation, known as Keynes III. A planning application was submitted in October for the 780-bed student residence adjacent to Keynes II. This will address the immediate shortfall of student accommodation and meet demand for good quality student accommodation in Canterbury. Further details are available at www.kent.ac.uk/consultation2012
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INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN
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PLANNING FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS The University’s Institutional Plan for 2012-15 is now available on the University website. The Plan highlights both our vision for 2012-15 and activities that we will pursue in the coming three years. The Executive Group and the University’s Council have also reviewed the activities that took place under the Institutional Plan for 2009-12. While it is almost impossible to condense three years’ work into a few short paragraphs, the 2009-12 Plan guided the University to many successes. The Plan was based around six key messages: being a leading UK university; having a strong international impact; offering an inspiring student experience that prepares students for the future; producing innovative, world-leading research; valuing innovation, enterprise and creativity; and seeking to operate in an effective, efficient, sustainable and professional manner.
Leading UK university 2012 saw our best performance in the National Student Survey since its earliest days, coupled with improved student academic performance and higher entry tariffs, and other league table measures. We strengthened our international profile, growing our provision in Paris, developing new provision in Athens, and establishing new links with carefully targeted partners throughout the world. The University has worked closely with Brompton Academy to deliver a comprehensive enrichment programme across the entire school (with over 1,000 students) and to prepare for a new academic Sixth Form.
Major new estates development included: work to refurbish buildings on the Historic Dockyard at Medway for the School of Arts, new student residences at Keynes College, and the Colyer-Fergusson Music Building, providing a new major artistic venue for Canterbury.
Strong international impact Kent has developed strategic partnerships with universities in the USA, China, Australia, Turkey and South East Asia, in both teaching and research. Each year has seen more overseas students seeking to study at Kent, with 2012 a record year for overseas student registrations.
Innovation and enterprise The University continues to play a leading educational role in the county, supporting the local and regional economy. Innovation, creativity and enterprise continues to be at the heart of Kent’s engagement with businesses. The University has strengthened its relationship with the Chambers of Commerce, and Ideas Factory funding has led to collaborative research. The Creative Campus Initiative won best Creative Cultural Award from Podium for its contribution to the London 2012 games, reaching audiences of over 500,000.
Preparing students for the future
Effective, efficient, sustainable and professional performance
The established Student Ambassador scheme has 3,000 pre-HE students being supported by Kent students, with high levels of satisfaction from both participants and ambassadors.
Customised leadership/management programmes, including workshops, e-learning, and peer and individual coaching, have been developed for mid- to senior management staff.
The University has continued to enhance employability activity at Kent, particularly through the Kent Innovation and Enterprise-led Employability Points Scheme. MyFolio – an online ePortfolio and PDP (Personal Development Planner) tool – was launched institution-wide in September 2011 and has over 4,500 users.
An Environmental Management System has been developed, and the University is working towards ISO 14001 accreditation by the end of 2012.
Students contributed over 80,000 hours of volunteering into the local community in 2011-12.
Innovative, world-leading research All Schools have made significant investments in new research-active staff, in the creation of new research centres, and attracting increased research funding. Systematic support for application training and internal peer review has contributed to higher Research Grant Awards – almost £14 million in 2011-12. Admissions for postgraduate programmes have increased year-on-year since 2008.
The University remains in a sound financial position with sufficient cash reserves to enable further investment in key strategic areas and to provide a buffer against the uncertain times ahead. In the currently turbulent world of higher education, these and many other achievements position the University well to thrive in the coming three years. Professor Keith Mander Deputy Vice-Chancellor The Institutional Strategic Plan 2012-15 is available at www.kent.ac.uk/about/plan/
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FACULTY UPDATES
www.kent.ac.uk
THE FACULTY OF HUMANITIES 2012 has been a remarkably successful year for the Faculty on almost all measures. Perhaps the most striking highlight was the outstanding success in capturing new external research funding awards. In 2011-12, the Faculty was awarded over £2.4 million in new grants, up from historic levels of around £700,000 per annum. Moreover, this remarkable achievement looks set to be sustained in the current financial year, with new awards already totalling well over £1 million in the first three months of the year. Particular congratulations are due to Dr William Pettigrew, of the School of History, who has just secured a five-year grant of over £800,000 from the Leverhulme Trust for an investigation of English overseas trading companies in the 17th century. On the undergraduate teaching side, the Faculty’s results in the 2012 National Student Survey were stronger than ever, with three subjects ranked first nationally (American Studies, Cinematics and Photography, and Iberian Studies), a further five in the top ten nationally, and most subjects achieving over 90% overall satisfaction. The quality of teaching in the Faculty was again recognised by the large number of nominations for Kent Union Teaching Awards, with Olly Double winning the award for fantastic feedback and Scott Miller the prize for best supervision. Ben Martin, in the School of Architecture office, also won the inaugural award for best student support. The quality of teaching is matched by the quality of students entering the Faculty and their degree results, which are both at record highs. Average student entry tariff climbed 25 UCAS points, or the equivalent of more than one A-Level grade to just under 400 points, while 84% of finalists in the Faculty graduated with a First or 2:1 degree in summer 2012. All programmes in the Faculty now include the opportunity to study abroad for a term or a year, or to go on a work placement. In addition, a large number of students in the Faculty benefit each year from the Faculty’s fund to support short study trips abroad. The highlight in 2012 was a joint trip for students of the School of English and the School of
Arts to New York, which will be repeated next year. Those two Schools also signed an agreement with the Institute of Contemporary Arts, which provides free membership for students, internships, and the development of joint workshops. There has been further strong growth in graduate studies in the Faculty. New enrolments for doctoral study jumped by 25 in September 2012 (up 40%), a testimony to the growing attractiveness of our research environment for the next generation of scholars. As part of its strategy for strengthening doctoral training still further, the Faculty entered into a strong consortium comprising the Courtauld Institute of Art, Goldsmiths College, the Open University and the Universities of East Anglia, Essex and Sussex to bid to the Arts and Humanities Research Council for up to 60 PhD scholarships a year for five years. The Consortium’s bid successfully passed the first round, with the final outcome to be announced next year. Meanwhile, the Faculty’s specialist centres for Master’s postgraduates in Paris and Athens continue to expand.
To build on these achievements in research and teaching, there has been large-scale investment in facilities, equipment and new staff. The School of Arts at Medway held a successful launch event in October to mark the opening of new studios for Fine Art and Music, with the School also launching new BMus degrees in Music and in Popular Music. The new Architecture Crit Space designed to facilitate digital presentations was formally opened in November 2012. Over £0.5 million has been invested in new technology and equipment, notably in Archaeology, Architecture, Arts, Linguistics and Music to ensure that they are at the forefront of developments in digital humanities. Most significantly, ten new professors, and over 30 new lecturers will have joined the Faculty by 1 January 2013. Every subject area in the Faculty has benefitted from this investment, which will help us to meet the twin challenges of responding to the rising expectations of students committing to repay fees of £9,000, while also making very strong submissions to the Research Excellence Framework in 2013. Professor Karl Leydecker Dean
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FACULTY OF SCIENCES
The Faculty of Sciences developed further during 2011-12. The teaching laboratory refurbishment in Physical Sciences was opened by the ViceChancellor at the start of the year and has proved a big hit with staff and students. Our excellence in undergraduate teaching has been recognised by outstanding results in the National Student Survey. For example, on the question of overall satisfaction, the Medway School of Pharmacy was ranked fifth in the country for Pharmacy, but if specialist colleges are excluded, it is joint top with Oxbridge. We were also ranked top for Electronic Engineering and second for Physics and Astronomy. Notably, although the student fee system changed enormously this year, the Faculty increased its intake of new students in September 2012. Visitors to the Canterbury campus in summer 2012 cannot have failed to notice the widespread building works. The same was true if you looked inside many buildings. Major work is nearly complete on the entrance lobbies, corridors and stairwells in Stacey and Ingram buildings (Biosciences and Physical Sciences). And when the current rebuild is complete, about half of the interior of the Jennison Building (Engineering and Digital Arts) will have been rebuilt and reconfigured. This expensive work is all about providing the right environment for our staff and students to flourish in. In parallel, administrative staff in the Faculty continue to develop new and improved services for students. They form a vital part of the student experience, seeing students every day. Their continual engagement with new initiatives and a drive for excellence in service is very important in helping support our students. We also increasingly engage locally. For example, Computing students tackle real world problems as part of their course, working with local companies via the Kent Information Technology Clinic. Some 20 to
30% of Computing students do this, on both the Canterbury and Medway campuses, gaining an appreciation of real world problems and helping local businesses in the process. Academics in Computing also run workshops for local teachers, particularly in the field of programming. Improved programming skills is a key aim of the Government for secondary education in IT. Other Schools in the Faculty also maintain close links to secondary education. Biosciences, Computing, Engineering and Digital Arts and Physical Sciences all run onsite courses for schoolchildren. Subjects range from genetic fingerprinting to Lego League computer-controlled robots and Space School. All make science real for schoolchildren. Research in the Faculty also continues to flourish. Links to industry continue. In the Medway School of Pharmacy, a new link to Pfizer (New York) resulted in a £0.5 million grant. Also in Medway, staff in both Pharmacy and Computing are forging new research links with the NHS. At Canterbury, staff in Biosciences started a new £400,000 grant for translation of their research into industry, a key
economic objective for the country. And at the more ‘pure’ end of the spectrum, three recently appointed lecturers in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science all won their first grants. Looking outside the UK, Computing, for example, was part of a consortium that won a 3.4 million euro grant (with £0.3 million coming to Kent) to support their research. And NASA sent a new large vacuum chamber from the US to researchers in solar system science in the School of Physical Sciences as part of a long-term collaboration between NASA staff and Kent. Finally, we welcome a new School to the Faculty. Sport and Exercise Sciences joined us from the Faculty of Social Sciences where it was previously a Centre. We welcome the new School and look forward to its continued growth into a fully fledged academic School in the Sciences. Professor Mark Burchell Dean
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FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
In uncertain times for universities, the most important contribution that Schools within the Faculty can make to Kent’s success is to sustain and build the strength of their academic activity. The activities noted below all evidence this strength, and the University has continued to invest in future strength in teaching and research, with all Schools in the Faculty appointing to new academic positions, at levels from lecturer to chair. Schools have had continued success in winning research grants, including an award of 1.2 million euros to Professor Anneli Albi (Kent Law School) by the European Research Council for a five-year research project, ‘The
Role and Future of National Constitutions in European and Global Governance’; and a grant of £148,000 awarded by the Economic and Social Research Council to Dr Melissa Demian (School of Anthropology and Conservation) for the project ‘Legal Innovation in Papua New Guinea’. The mounting of international conferences is an important part of sustaining and enhancing our reputation, and examples this year have included a conference on terrorism, peace and conflict sponsored by the Conflict Analysis Research Centre (part of the School of Politics and International Relations), in association with the British International Studies Association, which was attended by practitioners and policy-makers as well as academics. In addition, a conference on ‘Parenting Science’ was organised by the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies (part of the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research), and the School of Psychology hosted the annual conference of the Consortium of European Research on Emotion in May 2012.
Postgraduate research has continued to develop strongly within the Faculty, boosted by both a good share of the studentships in the second allocation from the Economic and Social Research Council Doctoral Training Centre, and a tripling of University studentships as a result of the 50th Anniversary Scholarship Programme. Academic expertise within the Faculty continues to be drawn on for policy advice; in particular, Professor Rob Fraser, of the School of Economics, was appointed to the Economic Advisory Panel at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The energy and passion that are put into teaching across the Faculty – and concomitant student achievement – continue to be recognised. Dr Karen Devine, a Lecturer in Law at the Medway Campus (pictured below), won the Oxford University Press Law Teacher of the Year Award in February 2012. The Centre for Journalism’s BA in Journalism and the News Industry has been recognised, as a result of the 2011 examinations, as the best performing undergraduate programme in the country. A number of subjects in the Faculty have appeared at or very near the top of the National Student Survey in 2012, including Anthropology (first), Politics (third) and Economics (fifth). The development and extension of placement opportunities for students has been an important theme in the Faculty’s recent work. Kent Business School has been especially active on this front. Medway is a particular focus as a year’s placement is integral to the programme of all Business Studies students. Events have been held to prepare students for placements and to bring together those who have completed placements with those about to begin them; collaborators have included IBM and the Institute of Directors. John Wightman Dean
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UNIVERSITY OF KENT, BRUSSELS The Brussels School of International Studies has had a successful year achieving a number of milestones. Following the success of gaining recognition by the Flemish Government at the beginning of the academic year 2011-12, and subsequent recognition by US authorities for the receipt of federal loans by Brussels students, we were able to move forward with renewed confidence. This has been reflected in a significant increase in student numbers in both the January and September 2012 intakes, not only from traditionally important markets such as the US, but a significant growth in applications from Asia. As well as in China, aided by our prestigious link with China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing, there has been considerable interest in our programmes in Japan and the Dean attended a number of recruitment fairs in Tokyo to support this.
The innovative Two Capitals programme moved nearer to completion, with detailed agreements being negotiated with the partner institutions in Washington DC and Beijing. This supports our mission not just to provide high quality postgraduate education in Brussels, but to create a School which has a global view of Europe in the world. This mission was rewarded by the achievement of two Jean Monnet awards in 2012, a Jean Monnet Chair to Dr Tom Casier, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, and a Jean Monnet grant for the development of a new law module. Tom’s award will enable him to develop new modules and other activities in the general area of Global Europe. The new law module, developed by Anthony Valcke, one of the external experts contributing to the practical dimension of Brussels programmes, offers an innovative approach to the teaching of EU migration law. This uses aspects of the clinical legal education for which Kent Law School has become renowned, with students spending part of their study working in law firms in Brussels on real cases.
Our students continued to demonstrate their strengths, particularly through the organisation of events such as their own international conference. In 2012, this was aided by a large grant from the Allianz Foundation, sourced by the students, which enabled them to assemble an impressive list of guest speakers on a number of themes under the general heading of ‘Our World in Transition’. We continue to collaborate closely with Kent County Council’s Brussels office, working on a number of European-funded research projects and providing interns for the office in the form of a UKB (University of Kent at Brussels) Scholarship. The School also contributed to celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, organised by the British Ambassador to Belgium, helping to showcase Kentish products. The University 50th Anniversary Scholarships enabled us to bring in three new high-quality research students in addition to those aided by other scholarships and GTA (Graduate Teaching Assistantship) awards. This has significantly increased the critical mass of the research capacity in Brussels. The research by Brussels academics continues to attract attention worldwide. A new book by Dr Albena Azmanova (pictured below left), The Scandal of Reason (see p33), was published to considerable critical praise and resulted in invitations to lecture around the world. Dr Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels won a prestigious Visiting Fellowship to enable her to spend a year at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard and complete her research on Americans abroad. The Dean gave the Distinguished Visiting Lecture at the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Hong Kong in April where he has been collaborating with researchers. He has also been involved in a Foreign Office programme to promote research interaction with researchers in Argentina in the area of transport. As this review was being complied, we heard that we had been shortlisted for a Golden Bridge Award for our contribution to British export success in Belgium, a rewarding end to a year which gives a lot of satisfaction. Professor Roger Vickerman Dean
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THE GRADUATE SCHOOL This has been another very successful year in the development of graduate study at the University of Kent. It is four years since the creation of the Graduate School and recruitment for 2011-12 again demonstrated substantial increases in student numbers. The Graduate School has continued to build upon the achievements it has made toward its mission to lead and champion the development of graduate education at Kent. This year, we have had a particular focus on the procedures and processes that support postgraduate research students. These changes should further strengthen the progress and experience of our growing cohort of postgraduate researchers. A new Postgraduate Research Handbook was created and will be further developed, with input from students, next academic year. The Graduate School’s Global Skills Award Programme once again proved very successful. The programme is designed to offer our Master’s degree students the opportunity to enhance their global awareness and employability skills, through a programme of personal development, skills workshops and lectures on global issues. I am very grateful to the academic staff, alumni and other external friends and colleagues who contribute to the very stimulating lecture programme. Plans to extend the programme to our students in Brussels and Paris are under development and it is anticipated that students will be able to participate in the lecture series using new video capture facilities in the 2012-13 academic year. The Graduate School continues to promote the University’s postgraduate community by working closely with the Graduate Student Association and Kent Union. This year, the Postgraduate Research Festival was well attended by both students and academic staff. Forty students exhibited posters and many more came along to view them and
attend the lectures on a variety of subjects including internships, academic publishing, and working with industry. The Postgraduate Experience Awards Scheme made three awards, including one to create a LatinAmerican network which will bring together staff and students who have a research or cultural interest in this area. In preparation for its 50th anniversary in 2015, the University established 100 doctoral scholarships. The recipients of the new scholarships will be known as Kent’s 50th Anniversary Scholars. The scholarships, which will be awarded annually from 2012, will complement the already significant investment the University makes in its postgraduate community. Kent’s scholarship fund now exceeds £5.5 million and is supplemented by funding from the leading UK research councils and external bodies, bringing the total funds it has to support postgraduate research to over £8 million. Kent’s success in winning funding for Erasmus Mundus Programmes means that we are now collaborating in jointly supervised PhDs with eight key partner institutions. The beginning of the 2012-13 academic year saw the first cohort of students arrive for the Erasmus
Mundus Doctorate in Cultural and Global Criminology (DCGC) programme run with the Universities of ELTE (Budapest), Hamburg and Utrecht, as well as the second cohort for our Doctoral Programme in Text and Event in Early Modern Europe (TEEME). The University now has 27 students supported by Erasmus Mundus funding and welcomes the breadth and strength of partnerships with other European HEIs that underpins these programmes. Kent has also developed an important collaboration with the Courtauld Institute of Art, the Open University, Goldsmiths College and the Universities of East Anglia, Essex and Sussex to form the Consortium for Humanities and Arts in the South East (CHASE). The Consortium will work to promote excellence in research, postgraduate research training and knowledge exchange in the Arts and Humanities. We look forward to further developing graduate study at Kent and to increasing and strengthening our collaborations within the UK and internationally. Professor Diane Houston Dean
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OUTSTANDING PEOPLE
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OUTSTANDING PEOPLE/ ACADEMIC PROMOTIONS The University of Kent is fortunate to attract first-class academic staff – without whom many of the achievements already highlighted in this report would not be possible. Every year, the University recognises the success of individual members of staff and this year was no exception with more than 50 academic staff celebrating promotion to professor, reader, senior research fellow or senior lecturer. Chair of the University Promotions Committee, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow said: ‘I very much value the diversity of activity in which staff are engaged. Excellence in these activities is underpinned by the peer review process involved and I think this demonstrates what a successful university we are. ‘Over the past few years, a lot of work has gone into changing and improving the criteria for promotion – making it broader so we can recognise and reward this diverse contribution in terms of teaching, research, innovation, practice as research and leadership across all subject areas. ‘I would like to congratulate all those who have been promoted this year, and look forward to hearing more about their future achievements.’ This year’s promotions included nine new professors who, below, highlight their key successes during 2012 and plans for the year ahead. For a full listing of academic promotions in 2012, see p39.
New Professors Theresa A Gannon (CORE-FP School of Psychology) (pictured left) I am Director of the newly established Centre of Research and Education in Forensic Psychology (CORE-FP). As a registered Forensic Practitioner, my research interests focus on the treatment needs of offenders. I am currently examing the psychological characteristics of offenders who deliberately set fires (firesetters). I have also begun leading the implementation and evaluation of a new intervention for imprisoned firesetters due for completion in January 2014. Recently, I completed a large Ministry of Justice-funded project with colleagues examining the polygraph as a supervision aid for sexual offenders. The results of this project have prompted government plans for national sexual offender polygraph testing. I have just taken over as Editor of Psychology, Crime and Law, and continue to act as Associate Editor for the Journal of Sexual Aggression.
Lorenzo Chiesa (School of European Culture and Languages) (shown below) My main research interests are in continental philosophy (especially French and Italian), psychoanalytic theory, and biopolitics. Recently, I have published one monograph, two edited collections, and a major translation in these areas. Two further volumes are forthcoming in 2012-13. I am currently supervising eight PhD students, seven of whom have obtained either internal or external funding. Over the past academic year, I have initiated a new interdisciplinary research
seminars series in Italian studies, organised an international conference in Berlin, as well as launched a new Interfaculty Platform in the Theoretical Humanities and Social Sciences together with colleagues from Law and Politics, which we hope will be turned into a research centre before the end of 2013.
Ebrahim Soltani (Kent Business School) I joined Kent Business School as a Lecturer in Operations Management in 2005. My research has considered the management of quality in both the manufacturing and services sector, factors influencing the efficacy of quality and productivity initiatives, the management of supply chain and quality in an era of globalisation, and the peculiarities of management mindset in the Middle East. Recently, I have been working on an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded research project which aims to examine ‘the dynamics of contextual forces, management’s orientations and change management practices in the banking and financial institutions’. I am an academic member of the ESRC Peer Review College and serve as the Chief Examiner for MBA & MSc Management degree programmes within Kent Business School.
Jim Griffin (School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science) I am a Bayesian statistician. My theoretical work has concentrated on flexibly modelling dependence in data, regression modelling with a large number of variables and the development of efficient algorithms for Bayesian inference. I have worked on applications of Bayesian statistics to many problems including forecasting inflation (economics), analysing stock prices (finance) and identifying cancer subtypes (systems biology). I am currently part of a £1.4 million EPSRC-funded cross-disciplinary project with Cambridge, Warwick and Sussex. My current research projects include the use of multiand many-core computing in statistical algorithms and predictive modelling with the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust Renal Unit.
Ben Hutchinson (School of European Culture and Languages) My research ranges broadly across modern European literature, revolving principally around questions of style. Publications in numerous languages include the monographs Rilke’s Poetics of Becoming, W G Sebald –
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UNIVERSITY OF KENT / ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
OUTSTANDING PEOPLE/ ACADEMIC PROMOTIONS (CONT)
Die dialektische Imagination, and Modernism and Style. At Kent, I am Head of German and Co-Founder of the Centre for Modern European Literature; elsewhere, I have lectured at institutions across Europe, including Oxford, Heidelberg, DLA Marbach, and the ENS Paris. I am also a literary critic, writing for the Times Literary Supplement and The Observer. In 2011, I was awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize in recognition of my work. I am spending 2012-13 as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Université de Montpellier III, where I will be writing a book provisionally entitled After Effects: Constructions of Lateness in Modern European Literature.
research interest is the cultural history of American film, with a twin focus on cycles of formulaic movies and the synergy between cinema and other forms of popular culture, particularly music. I’m the author of two studies of the Western, and a singular study of America’s gutter songs and the movies. My most recent book is Maximum Movies – Pulp Fictions: Film Culture and the Worlds of Samuel Fuller, Mickey Spillane, and Jim Thompson (2011).
Anneli Albi (Kent Law School) (pictured below)
Donald McGillivray (Kent Law School) (pictured below) My academic work is mainly in environmental law. My recent work looks at the steps taken to mitigate or compensate for environmental harm, by techniques such as impact assessment and biodiversity offsets. I try to make connections between the protection of the environment and its wider, shared enjoyment in places like village greens. In the last year, I was lucky enough to be part of a team which won the award for ‘Best New Student Pro Bono Activity’ at the Attorney General Student Awards for work on public access to land in conjunction with the wonderful Kent Law Clinic. Nearly all my work is collaborative, both within Kent and with colleagues at other institutions, and I have been hugely fortunate to have enjoyed such creative and fruitful working relationships.
Nicola Shaughnessy (School of Arts) (pictured above) Since my appointment in 1999 as a lecturer in Drama, I have developed research and teaching specialisms in contemporary performance and applied theatre. I am currently Principal Investigator for an interdisciplinary AHRC-funded project: ‘Imagining Autism’, a collaboration between researchers in Drama, the Tizard Centre and Psychology. We create multi-sensory environments using puppetry and interactive performance technologies to facilitate communication, social interaction and imagination. My interests in interdisciplinary research and pedagogic practice in the areas of cognition and performance have led to my latest book: Applying Performance: Live Art, Socially Engaged Theatre and Affective Practice (Palgrave, 2012). I am also cofounder and Director of the Research Centre for Cognition, Kinesthetics and Performance. My future plans include an edited collection on Affective Science and Performance, a joint book publication emerging from my ‘Performing Lives’ module, and continuing my work on the autism project.
Peter Stanfield (School of Arts) I have been at Kent since 2004, having previously taught at institutes in Southampton and Bournemouth. I was Director of Film Studies between 2009-11 and am now the School Director of Research. In 2010, I helped established the Centre for the Interdisciplinary Study of Film and the Moving Image. My own
Over the next five years, I will be working on ‘The Role and Future of National Constitutions in European and Global Governance’, a project funded by a 1.2 million euro grant from the European Research Council. While national constitutions have often been seen as somewhat old-fashioned bulwarks of sovereignty, this project will focus on other constitutional values that seem to have a continued importance in the contemporary globalising world, such as the protection of constitutional rights, the rule of law, legitimacy and democratic checks and balances. Concerns have increasingly been voiced with regard to a certain degree of erosion of classic constitutional safeguards in European and global governance. For example, the study hopes to explore defence rights in the European Arrest Warrant system, and issues around democracy and legitimacy in the policy responses to the global financial crisis.
www.kent.ac.uk
OUTSTANDING PEOPLE/ NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Professional recognition The Association of University Administrators (AUA) is the professional association for higher education administration and management staff. University staff have played an important role in the AUA since its founding in 1961. During the AUA’s 2012 Annual Lecture, the University received the Award for Branch Good Practice for the contribution and commitment made by Kent staff to develop its members and promote the AUA’s profile. Individual successes included Rachel Saint, from the Faculties Support Office, who received the Newcomer Award (following Kent’s Judy Cohen receiving the same award in 2011). Helena Torres, from the School of English, won the Annual Award for Contribution to Career Development, for her work as part of the team on the Academic Division’s Appraisal Project. In addition, Fellowships were awarded to Kent’s Director of Student Services Dr Wayne Campbell (pictured right), Academic Registrar Jon Pink and Faculty Administration Manager Melissa Bradley, for their commitment to continuing professional development in HE.
Key role in new music building Hundreds of guests attended a Grand Gala Opening for the University’s new music building in December 2012. But none of it would have been possible without the initial vision, planning and commitment of our staff, notably Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Keith Mander and Director of University Music Susan Wanless (pictured below on site).
The Colyer-Fergusson Music Building, on the Canterbury campus, is a purpose-built flexible performance space with seating for a 300-person audience, 220-strong chorus and 80-piece orchestra. The building has been funded almost entirely from philanthropic donations: a £1 million posthumous bequest from Kent philanthropist Sir James Colyer-Fergusson and a further grant of £5.2 million from the charitable trust that bears his name, as well as matched funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England and donations from over 200 individuals.
Honorary graduates Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sir Paul Nurse, musician and television presenter Jools Holland, and former world karate champion Wayne Otto were among those receiving honorary degrees from the University in July. At ceremonies in Canterbury and Rochester Cathedrals, the University also awarded honorary degrees to nine other distinguished figures. These were: corporate investment director and former Chair of the University Council Valerie Marshall (pictured right with Chancellor Professor Sir Robert Worcester); archaeologist Brian Philp; health policy analyst Professor
Christopher Ham; playwright and actor Rebecca Lenkiewicz; lawyer Phil Shiner; comedy writer John Lloyd; civil engineer Dr Jean Venables; biochemist Dr Garry Rogerson; and clergyman the Rt Rev Adrian Newman. In November, honorary degrees were presented at Canterbury Cathedral to Governor of the Bank of England Sir Mervyn King, pioneer of dance education Veronica Lewis, and distinguished journalist Peter Williams.
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UNIVERSITY OF KENT / ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
BOOKS
Novel first for University receptionist
Cultural value of Canterbury’s Roman objects
The real-life story of a woman and her first horse is the inspiration behind a new novel by University receptionist Gillian Ware. Gillian wrote the book Horseplay (Melrose Books, March 2012) based on the diaries she kept while recovering from illness with the help of her horse.
New insights into how to look at and reveal the meaning of some of the artefacts in Canterbury’s Roman museum are offered in a new book by a University archaeologist.
‘It’s really a personal story,’ she says. ‘After being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in the year 2000, my life changed completely. I had to give up a job I was happy in and, at first, felt really angry and bitter about it all. But then I bought a horse and my interaction with her took me out of the shell I found myself trapped in by disease.’ Gillian first worked at the University in the early 1970s before travelling and living in Europe for around 15 years. On her return to the UK in 1991, she joined the Home Office as an Immigration Officer. She returned to the University in 2007, firstly working as a notetaker for the Disability and Dyslexia Support Unit and then moving to Keynes College reception, Canterbury campus.
Professor Ray Laurence’s book, Roman Archaeology for Historians (Routledge, June 2012), is aimed at strengthening the links between history and archaeology to gain a better understanding of the past. It includes a chapter that shows the reader how to look at and reveal the meaning of objects on display at the Canterbury Roman Museum. Professor Laurence, of the University’s School of European Culture and Languages, set up The Heritage and Innovation Network at Kent (THINK) two years ago, which links around 70 staff at the University with the county’s museum-based heritage community. He has also established an internship programme for his students which involves them working in museums in East Kent and the English Heritage-backed Alliance to Reduce Crime against Heritage.
The rise of the body Since the 1980s, the ‘rise of the body’ in sociology and related disciplines has developed into an interdisciplinary field that has affected profoundly the study of society, work, identity, culture and technology. Chris Shilling, Professor of Sociology at the University’s School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, published the third edition of his book The Body and Social Theory in September 2012 (Sage Publications Ltd). Few books have been as influential as Chris’ in helping to establish and consolidate this concern with the embodied basis of social action and cultural life. It was first published in 1993 and has been translated widely, reprinted 13 times, cited on well over 2,000 occasions in books and articles, and reviewed as a ‘contemporary classic’. Professor Shilling said: ‘The third edition engages with some of the important developments in the field over the last 20 years.’
www.kent.ac.uk
All about frogs From the metamorphosing fairytale Frog Prince to dissections in science class and television’s Kermit, frogs are ever-present in our childhoods. But while much attention has been paid to the scientific qualities of the frog, little has been said about the important role played by this slippery amphibian in art, literature and popular culture. Frog by the School of History’s Charlotte Sleigh (Reaktion Books, August 2012) provides an entertaining and sometimes shocking account of this much-loved, and much-misunderstood, animal. Dr Sleigh provides answers to many questions, including why frogs have been so prominent in both witchcraft and lab-craft throughout the years, and the places frogs hold in religion. Frog is the 50th publication – Charlotte Sleigh’s Ant was the first – in Reaktion’s Animal series. The pioneering series explores the historical significance and impact on humans of a wide range of animals. A spin-off research project, concerning the use of frogs in early modern science, has also been published in the Royal Society’s historical journal.
Communications for the next generation
On the power of judgment and the fallacies of justice
An important new book co-edited by Dr Nathan Gomes, an expert in radio over fibre communications based in the School of Engineering and Digital Arts, brings together key aspects of different technologies: wireless, mobile networks and photonics (optoelectronics).
Theories of justice are haunted by a paradox: the more ambitious the theory of justice, the less applicable and useful the model is to political practice; yet the more politically realistic the theory, the weaker its moral ambition, rendering it unsound and equally useless. In her new book, The Scandal of Reason: A Critical Theory of Political Judgment, Dr Albena Azmanova, Director of Graduate Studies (Politics) for the Brussels School of International Studies, provides a solution to this ‘judgment paradox’.
The combination of these technologies will be fundamental in achieving the vision of future mobile networks which provide extremely high data-rate capabilities to users, allowing, for example, more video-based services to greater numbers of smart device users. Next Generation Wireless Communications Using Radio Over Fiber (Wiley, October 2012) comes at an important time for future mobile communications with international standardisation activity underway. In particular, the book sets out a vision for the use of distributed antenna systems, which reduce the wireless distance between the mobile user and the network infrastructure and thus allow for increased data rates. As well as Dr Gomes, other University of Kent contributors to the book were Dr David Wake, Dr Huiling Zhu and Luis Vieira.
Tracing the evolution of two major traditions in political philosophy—critical theory and philosophical liberalism—and the way they confront the judgment paradox, Dr Azmanova critiques prevailing models of deliberative democracy. She replaces the reliance on normative models of democracy with an account of the dynamics of reasoned judgment produced in democratic practices of open dialogues. Published by Columbia University Press in April 2012, The Scandal of Reason was nominated for the PROSE award of American Publishers in 2012.
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UNIVERSITY OF KENT / ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
BUILDING FOR OUR FUTURE We would like to thank all the University’s supporters, who have in myriad ways, played their part in the continued success of the University of Kent. In 2012, we successfully closed a £8.2 million campaign to build a new music performance centre and we doubled the amount of funds we raised for scholarships, enabling the most academically gifted and those most in need to be able to access the life-changing opportunities at our University. Kent Law Campaign Giving access to justice a new home ‘Kent has long enjoyed a well-deserved reputation as one of the best university law schools in this country. That is due in part to its long established, hugely successful, and award-winning Law Clinic, of which both the University and Kent alumni are justifiably very proud. ‘That is abundantly clear from the magnificent support which so many students, staff, organisations and alumni have given to the Law Campaign. This will provide new, stateof-the-art facilities to house the Clinic and a Moot Court, both of which will be essential, if Kent Law School is to continue providing its students with the kind of intellectually challenging and practically focused legal education for which it is renowned. ‘As the chair of the Campaign Board, I am very grateful indeed to all those who have donated so generously to the Campaign, which means even at this early stage, we have reached 25% of our target.’ Professor Richard de Friend (Eliot 1967), Chair of Kent Law Campaign
www.kent.ac.uk
Open Lectures The University has a well-established series of Open Lectures that take place throughout the academic year. These form an important part of our community relations and have achieved a considerable reputation. Our audiences are drawn from the local community as well as the University. In 2012, speakers included Baroness Afshar, Lord Dannatt and the Rt Hon Lady Hale of Richmond. The Chancellor’s Lecture in January was given by Sir Cyril Chantler (pictured below left with Chancellor Professor Sir Robert Worcester) on ‘Modern Medicine and the NHS’.
Until recently, the University’s Open Lectures took place exclusively in Canterbury but, in March, we were delighted to introduce a termly event at the University’s Medway Campus at Chatham Maritime – where, in October, Lord Moynihan, former chairman of the British Olympic Association, shared his thoughts on the London 2012 legacy. Following the success of this initiative, we will be extending the series over the coming months. The first London lecture took place in November, and we intend to host events at our campuses in Paris and Brussels in spring 2013. We also have ambitious plans to expand this activity further afield with the introduction of international Open Lectures.
Foundation Day lecture Sir Christopher Meyer, (pictured above left) former Ambassador to the United States during the Bill Clinton and George W Bush presidencies, gave the University’s Foundation Day lecture in November. The lecture, titled ‘The Lessons of History’, explored the importance of history to contemporary foreign policy and the dangers of not learning from the past. Foundation Day celebrates the University’s many achievements since receiving its Royal Charter in 1965.
Alumni engagement This year our international alumni activities have gone from strength to strength and we have held events in Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey and in the USA. We are delighted to have awarded the first scholarships from the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation to two students from Hong Kong studying in the School of Arts, and we have also welcomed our second University of Kent in America Scholar, Elizabeth Eckert, who is studying for a Master’s in Political Communication at our Brussels campus. The scholarship is supported entirely by the University’s alumni association in the US, and we are sincerely grateful for their generosity. ‘Throughout my studies at the University of Kent, I will continue to work tirelessly in order to continue to grow academically and professionally. Additionally, long after I graduate, I will keep the University of Kent in my heart and mind…’ Elizabeth Eckert, 2012 University of Kent in America Scholar This year, we have launched our online community, enabling alumni to access a searchable directory of alumni worldwide. So far, over 1,600 alumni have registered and we look forward to expanding this community and adding new features in the coming year. Perhaps most importantly, we have started planning for the University’s 50th anniversary, and have set a date for the alumni reunion weekend: 4-6 September 2015. We look forward to involving as many alumni as possible in the celebrations, and we are particularly keen to capture the memories of the first alumni and staff for an oral history project.
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UNIVERSITY OF KENT / ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE for the year to 31 July 2012
Financial highlights for the year to 31 July 2012
Income
• Operating surplus of £14.4m (2010/11: £15.4m) representing 7.8% of income; • Income from tuition fees up £8.1m (11.7%) to £77.2m as a result of strong recruitment; • Continued strong residences and catering income at £21.8m (2010/11: £21.7m); • Staff costs representing 52.9% of income (2010/11: 51.9%); • Increase in net current assets by £0.6m to £33.7m and increased liquidity; and • Significant capital expenditure of £24.3m (2010/11: £15.2m).
Total income grew by 1.7% to £185.4m with increased fees partially offset by a fall in funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and a reduction in research income. The fall in HEFCE income mainly reflected a continuation of teaching funding cuts that had been announced in early 2010 but appeared greater due to the receipt in 2010/11 of a one-off funding initiative grant. Whilst growth in Home/EU undergraduates has been constrained through the new entrant student number control limits, Kent has responded well by expanding its postgraduate provision and saw a record year of recruitment in both postgraduate taught and research students. Income from overseas students was also a high growth area, and, benefitting from the previous two years’ high levels of overseas student recruitment, was in total up by 15% when compared to the prior year. This reflects Kent’s strong and increasing reputation both in the UK and internationally.
Financial summary The University’s consolidated results for the years ended 31 July 2012 and 31 July 2011 can be summarised as follows:
Income Expenditure Transfer from accumulated income in endowment funds Surplus for the year
2011/12 £000
2010/11 £000
Change %age
185,394 (171,092)
182,289 (166,932)
1.7 2.5
91
45
14,393
15,402
(6.6)
The results for 2011/12 are once again a strong indication that, even in times of higher education government funding cuts and increased competition, the University has continued growing its income streams and maintained good control over its expenditure. The retained surplus for the year of £14.4m (2010/11: £15.4m) exceeds the budgeted surplus of £4.0m. This surplus represents 7.8% of the University’s turnover and exceeds the target set within the University’s Financial Framework to ensure that sufficient cash is generated for capital investment and estate maintenance.
Analysis of income 2011/12 (£000) Other Income £11,288
Tuition Fees and Education Contracts £77,195
Expenditure Staff costs rose by 3.6% (2010/11: 1.9%) in the year to £98.0m. This reflects the additional investment made across the University to enhance student support, both within the academic schools and in the core student services departments, with a key emphasis being on student welfare and employability. This investment continues into 2012/13 with additional resources being employed in preparation for
Analysis of income 2010/11 (£000)
Investment Income £1,097
Other Income £10,535
Investment Income £816
Research Grants and Contracts £12,655
Research Grants and Contracts £11,465
Residences, Catering and Conferences £21,846
Income from research grants and contracts declined during the year as a result of the competitive environment; however strategies to address this have been implemented and research grants awarded during the year are now at their highest level in three years. Other income generating activities remained strong in the year, with another successful result from the University’s hospitality division due to high occupancy levels in University residential accommodation, a strong catering business and a buoyant conference trade throughout the year.
Funding Council Grants £62,503
Residences, Catering and Conferences £21,728
Tuition Fees and Education Contracts £69,139
Funding Council Grants £67,416
www.kent.ac.uk
the forthcoming Research Excellence Framework. A Voluntary Redundancy Scheme announced at the end of 2010/11 was concluded in December 2011 enabling schools and departments to reorganise activities in line with projected requirements. Overall staff numbers have on average increased during the year by 45 full-time equivalents (2.2%). Other operating expenses increased by £1.6m (2.9%); however taking into account a one-off legal and professional fee incurred in 2010/11, the underlying increase was £4.7m (9.3%). Almost £1.4m of this increase related to the high costs of utilities and as a result of additional campus security and estates upkeep. Investment directly into student support continued, with an additional £0.8m being spent on library and computing facilities. Further expenditure on student guidance and welfare and other non-pay expenditure within schools followed higher student numbers. The University’s commitment to widening access meant that payments to students in the form of bursaries increased by £0.4m and amounted to £4.7m in total. In other areas savings were achieved, and despite an increase in hospitality activities and income, overall costs in this area reduced by £0.7m. Depreciation charged in the year was £0.8m higher than in 2010/11 as a result of the capital expenditure incurred during the year and some major residential refurbishments over the prior year summer vacation.
Balance sheet and cash flow The University’s Balance Sheet continues to look strong with net current assets increasing by £0.6m to £33.7m and a current asset ratio of 1.89 (2011: 1.91). Net assets have grown by £12.9m to £165.1m. Liquidity levels rose once again, with total cash, short-term deposits and current asset investments amounting to £57.9m (2010/11: £53.7m). This financially healthy position largely reflects the cumulative effect of the
Analysis of expenditure 2011/12 (£000) Depreciation £12,554
Other Operating Costs £55,150
Exceptional Restructuring Costs £1,767
high surpluses in recent years and although capital expenditure in the year has increased significantly, delays in major projects have resulted in higher than anticipated cash and short-term deposit holdings. Longterm bank loan debt has fallen by a further £2.6m in the year with borrowing levels now reduced to 29% as a percentage of income.
Capital programme Capital expenditure amounted to £24.3m in the year, including £16.4m on major building projects and refurbishments to enhance existing academic accommodation and provide additional teaching, recreational and social spaces. £5.3m was spent on updating the estate and its infrastructure. Investment into academic school equipment, computing and library technologies and university systems amounted to £3.8m and included the provision of Wi-Fi access to all student accommodation on campus.
Statement on behalf of the University’s Council The above summary provides an overview of the University’s financial performance during the 2011/12 financial and academic year. It is consistent with the information incorporated in the University’s audited Financial Statements for the year to 31 July 2012 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 2012, which can be found on the University’s website or by writing to the Secretary of the Council, The University of Kent, The Registry, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ.
Analysis of expenditure 2010/11 (£000)
Interest Payable £3,593
Depreciation £11,802
Staff Costs £98,028
Other Operating Costs £53,576
Exceptional Restructuring Costs £3,162
Interest Payable £3,746
Staff Costs £94,646
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AWARDS, APPOINTMENTS, PROMOTIONS AND DEATHS 2012 Awards Diane Houston, Professor of Psychology and Dean of the Graduate School, was elected a Fellow of the British Psychological Society for her outstanding contribution to the advancement and dissemination of psychological knowledge. Michael Fairhurst, Professor of Computer Vision, was appointed Editor-in-Chief of IET Biometrics, a new academic journal in the field of biometrics. Adrian Podoleanu, Professor of Biomedical Optics, was made a Fellow of the International Society for Optics and Photonics. Dr Karen Devine, Lecturer in Law, was named Law Teacher of the Year 2012. Kent Law Clinic was declared joint winner of the Best New Student Pro Bono Activity award (for its Public Access to Land Project) at the LawWorks & Attorney General Student Awards 2012. Chefs, Rob Grimer, Will Hooker and Eris Hoxha, won the silver award in the 2012 University Catering Organisation (TUCO) Chefs Competition. The University was voted Group Travel Organiser magazine’s Best University Accommodation for Groups – making it the fifth year in a row it has won the award. Peter Taylor-Gooby, Professor of Social Policy, was awarded an OBE for Services to Social Science. Professor Dominic Abrams, from the School of Psychology, was elected President of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues for 2013-14. Dr Cyril Isenberg, from the School of Engineering and Digital Arts, was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the British Science Association.
Economic Advisory Panel, set up to provide advice, support and new research insights to Defra’s economists and policy-makers. Margaret Ayers, Director of HR, was elected as a member of the Equality Challenge Unit’s Board. Dr Gülnur Aybet, from the School of Politics of International Relations, was invited to join Turkey’s influential Global Relations Forum (GRF). Richard Crisp, Professor of Psychology, was awarded the 2012 Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Gordon Allport Intergroup Relations Prize for a paper on the benefits of living in diverse, multicultural societies. Professor Rosemary Hunter, of Kent Law School, was appointed an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences. Professor Didi Herman, of Kent Law School, was the joint winner of the Socio-Legal Studies Association book prize for her book An Unfortunate Coincidence: Jews, Jewishness and English Law (OUP 2011). The University was awarded the Association of University Administrators (AUA) Award for Branch Good Practice. Rachel Saint, from the Faculties Support Office, received the AUA's Newcomer Award and Helena Torres, from the School of English, won the AUA’s Annual Award for Contribution to Career Development. Dr Wayne Campbell, Jon Pink and Melissa Bradley were awarded Fellowships of the AUA. Carole Barron, Director of Innovation and Enterprise, was appointed Chair of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce.
Professor Rob Fraser, from the School of Economics, joined the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ new
Michael Kölling, Professor of Computer Science, was named winner of the Outstanding Contribution to Computer Science Education Award by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Special Interest Group for Computer Science Education (SIGCSE).
Diane Houston
Debbie Reed
Julian (Jools) Holland
Jim Griffin
University of Kent Honorary Degrees 2012 Professor Christopher Ham CBE, Doctor of Letters Julian (Jools) Holland OBE, Doctor of Music Professor Sir Mervyn King, Doctor of Civil Law Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Doctor of Arts Veronica Lewis MBE, Doctor of the University John Lloyd CBE, Doctor of Arts Valerie Marshall, Doctor of Civil Law Rt Revd Adrian Newman, Doctor of Civil Law Sir Paul Nurse, Doctor of Science Wayne Otto OBE, Doctor of the University Brian Philp, Doctor of Letters Dr Garry Rogerson, Doctor of Science Philip Shiner, Doctor of Laws Dr Jean Venables CBE, Doctor of Science Peter Williams MBE, Doctor of Letters
Appointments Posie Bogan, Director of Corporate Communications Dr Wayne Campbell, Director of Student Services and Senior Master Professor Mark Green, Head of the School of Physical Sciences Professor Nick Grief, Sub-Dean for Medway Professor Didi Herman, Head of the Kent Law School Professor Paddy Ireland, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences Dr Simon Kerridge, Director of Research Services Professor Louis Passfield, Head of the new School of Sport & Exercise Sciences Debbie Reed, Head of the Centre for Professional Practice Sian Stevenson, Master of Keynes College
Charlotte Sleigh
Peter Stanfield
www.kent.ac.uk
Professor Sarah Vickerstaff, Head of the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research. Tony Woodhouse, Head of Internal Audit
Promotions
Senior Lecturer
Deaths
Dr Anne Alwis, School of European Culture and Languages
Professor John Adams –1939 to 2012 – Professor of Law, who played an influential role in the development of Kent Law School as Chair of the School’s Board of Studies.
Dr Clare Birchall, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (left 31/08/12) Dr Alixe Bovey, School of History
Chair
Dr Caroline Chatwin, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
Dr Anneli Albi, Kent Law School
Dr Heather Ferguson, School of Psychology
Dr Lorenzo Chiesa, School of European Culture and Languages
Dr Mattias Frey, School of Arts
Dr Theresa A Gannon, School of Psychology
Dr Helen Frowe, School of European Culture and Languages
Dr Jim Griffin, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science
Nancy Gaffield, School of European Culture and Languages
Dr Benjamin Hutchinson, School of European Culture and Languages
Dr Simone Glanert, Kent Law School Dr Manolo Guerci, Kent School of Architecture
Donald McGillivray, Kent Law School
Dr Kirsty Horsey, Kent Law School
Nicola Shaughnessy, School of Arts
Dr Pak K Lee, School of Politics and International Relations
Dr Ebrahim Soltani, Kent Business School Dr Peter Stanfield, School of Arts
Dr Bas Lemmens, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science
Reader
Dr Neophytos Loizides, School of Politics and International Relations
Glenn Bowman, School of Anthropology and Conservation Dr Peter Boenisch, School of Arts (left 30/09/2012) Dr Christopher Deacy, School of European Culture and Languages Dr Fragkiskos Filippaios, Kent Business School
Dr Matt Loveless, School of Politics and International Relations Dr Gang Lu, School of Engineering and Digital Arts Dr Dawn Lyon, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
Dr Rachel Forrester-Jones, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
Dr Giacomo Macola, School of History
Dr James Groombridge, School of Anthropology and Conservation
Dr Nicholas Newton-Fisher, School of Anthropology and Conservation
Dr Michael Newall, School of Arts
Dr Peter Klappa, School of Biosciences
Dr Jesse O’Hanley, Kent Business School
Dr John Peirson, School of Economics
Dr Dan Petrovici, Kent Business School
Dr Peter Rodgers, School of Computing
Dr Matloob Piracha, School of Economics
Dr Charlotte Sleigh, School of History
Dr David Roberts, School of Anthropology and Conservation
Dr Doug Stokes, School of Politics and International Relations Dr Jawad Syed, Kent Business School
Dr William Rowlandson, School of European Culture and Languages
Dr Dimitrios Theodossopoulos, School of Anthropology and Conservation
Dr Anna Schaffner, School of European Culture and Languages
Dr Aylish Wood, School of Arts
Dr Jeremy Scott, School of European Culture and Languages
Senior Research Fellow
Jane Short, Centre for English and World Languages
Dr Karen Jones, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research Dr Robert Smith, School of Anthropology and Conservation
Paul Sinclair, Kent Business School Dr Tobias von der Haar, School of Biosciences
Professor Frank Cioffi – 1928 to 2012 – Philosopher, who was a founder member of the University of Kent and, after his retirement, an Honorary Research Professor. Sir Robert Horton – 1939 to 2011 – Chancellor of the University from 1990 to 1995. Emeritus Professor Robert Hudson FRS – 1922 to 2012 – Professor of Organic Chemistry from 1967 to 1985. Ernest Kingsman – founding member of the University’s Council and a long-standing member of the University’s Court. Councillor Hazel McCabe MBE – 1930 to 2012 – long-standing member of the University’s Court and an Honorary Senior Member of Keynes College. Emeritus Professor Jim Mansell CBE -1952 to 2012 – Founder of the University’s Tizard Centre in 1983 and Professor of Learning Disablity. The award of a CBE in 2012 was for services to people with intellectual disabilities. Emeritus Professor Mark Noble – 1924 to 2012 – Founding Professor of Mathematics in 1964 and Emeritus Professor on his retirement in 1985. Professor Frank Parkin – 1931 to 2011 – former member of staff and Honorary Professor of Social Theory. Professor Clifford Pearce – 1915 to 2012 – former member of staff, honorary graduate and Honorary Professor of Biometry. Professor Locksley Smaller – 1931 to 2012 – Black Horse Life Chair of Actuarial Science in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science from 1992 to 1995 and visiting academic from 1996 to 2001. Sadly, other deaths reported during the year include a number of distinguished honorary graduates: Dr William Petty, Dr Edwin Boorman, Sir Brandon Gough, Dr John Haynes and Sir Maurice Wilkes.
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PRINCIPAL OFFICERS
Visitor
–
The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury
Chancellor
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Professor Sir Robert Worcester, KBE, DL
Chair of the Council
–
John Simmonds, AIB
Vice-Chancellor
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Professor Dame Julia M Goodfellow, DBE, CBE, BSc (Bristol), PhD (Open), FMedSci, FIBiol, FInstP
Deputy Chair of the Council
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Anthony Quigley, BSc (Eng) (London), CEng, FIEE
Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor
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David Nightingale, MA (Oxford)
Deputy Vice-Chancellors
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Denise Everitt, BA (Kent), ACA
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Professor Keith Mander, BSc PhD (Nottingham)
Pro-Vice-Chancellors
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Professor John Baldock, BA (Oxford), MA (Kent)
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Professor Alex Hughes, BA PhD (London), Cert Ed (Oxford)
Dean of the Faculty of Humanities
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Professor Karl Leydecker, MA DPhil (Oxford)
Dean of the Faculty of Sciences
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Professor Mark Burchell, BSc (Birmingham), DIC, PhD (London)
Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences
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John Wightman, MA LLB (Cambridge)
Dean of the Graduate School
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Professor Diane Houston, MA (Dundee), PhD (Kent), CPsychol, FBPsS, AcSS
Campus Dean for Brussels
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Professor Roger Vickerman, MA (Cambridge), DPhil (Sussex), Dr h c (Marburg) AcSS, FRSA, FCILT
Sub-Dean for Medway
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Professor Nicholas Grief, BA PhD (Kent), Barrister at Law
Secretary of the Council
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Karen Goffin, BA (Durham), MA (Kent)
Senior Master
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Wayne Campbell, BSc (Kent), MSc (Loughborough), MA (Cambridge), PhD (Kent)
Master of Darwin and Woolf Colleges
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To be appointed
Master of Eliot College
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Stephen Burke, BA (Kent)
Master of Keynes College
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Sian Stevenson, BA (London)
Master of Rutherford College
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Peter Klappa, BSc MSc PhD (Munich), PGCHE (Kent)
College Master for Medway
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Jane Glew, BSc (Aston), PG Dip (CIM), MA (Greenwich)
Public Orators
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Professor Peter Brown, BA (Sussex), DPhil (York)
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Farzin Deravi, MA (Oxford), MSc (London), DIC, PhD (Wales)
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Professor Tim Luckhurst, MA (Cambridge)
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Louise Naylor, BSc (Aberdeen), PhD (Calgary)
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Peter Nicholls, BSc (Southampton), PhD (London)
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Marion O’Connor, BA (Toronto), MPhil PhD (London)
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Professor Simon Thompson, MA (Cambridge), DPhil (Oxford)
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Professor Julia Twigg, MA (Durham), MSc PhD (LSE)
Constitution The University’s constitutional arrangements are set out in its Royal Charter, Statutes and Ordinances. The Court’s membership includes representatives from many sectors of the local and national community as well as staff, student and graduate members. An annual general meeting is held once a year at which an annual review of the University and the accounts are presented. The Council is the executive governing body of the University and comprises lay, staff and student members, 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). 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 work 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.
A review of this length can only indicate very briefly some of the principal achievements and activities which took place during 2012.
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 completed 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. A ‘light touch’ review of the Council’s effectiveness was undertaken in summer/early autumn 2012 and the outcome of this will be considered by Council during 2012/2013. Enquiries about the constitution and governance of the University should be directed to the Secretary of the Council.
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The University also produces a report relating to finance. If you would like a copy of this, please contact the Corporate Communications Office, The Registry, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ. Published by the University of Kent. Produced by the Corporate Communications Office. Designed by the University Design and Print Centre. Photography by Matt Wilson, Robert Berry, Alison Hollis, istockphoto.com, Simon Jarrett, Jim Groombridge, Amy Wiggins Photography.
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Corporate Communications University of Kent The Registry, Canterbury Kent CT2 7NZ