The Magazine for the University of Kent SPRING 08 ISSUE 50: CREATING OPPORTUNITIES NEWS NEW FRONTIERS ANXIOUS CULTURE THE QUESTIONNAIRE FUNDRAISING UPDATE WHO’S, WHAT, WHERE…
Kent Magazine Interview
Editorial Spring 2008 Welcome to the Spring 2008 edition of KENT, the alumni magazine. Since the last issue, there have been changes in the Development and Alumni Relations team, which is now part of Communications and Development, headed by Director Karen Doyle. Many of you will have met Karen at University events such as Open Lectures, and alumni events such as the House of Lords event in September and reception in Los Angeles in October 2007. Karen is looking forward to meeting many more alumni and, for this issue, we caught up with her to find out what she hopes to achieve in her new role. Our alumni are our best ambassadors and play a key role in ensuring the success of the University. Karen looks forward to learning of the successes of our alumni and finding out what being an alumnus of the University of Kent means to you. Already our alumni help in a variety of ways, by assisting the
International Office when Kent representatives are overseas, by supporting our alumni postgraduate scholars and by helping organise alumni events both in the UK and overseas, amongst other things. Turn to page (16) to find out more about how alumni and friends have supported Kent through legacies and in memoriam giving. We hope you enjoy this issue – thank you to all the alumni who have contributed to this issue and, as always, we appreciate your feedback and look forward to your comments. Best wishes from Kent and thank you for staying in touch. Fiona Jones Alumni Relations Officer Posie Bogan Media & Communications Manager Editors
Dear Editors Just received the latest edition of KENT magazine. Really liked the new design and layout, much more user-friendly than the old ‘big’ style, I thought. Encouraged me to read the whole thing – probably a first as I usually cherry-pick selected highlights! Best wishes and keep up the good work. Paul Wilkinson E83 Special thanks to: Chris Lancaster and Lesley Farr in the University Design & Print Centre; David Clark R82; Karen Bayfield, C&DO. Photographs by: Robert Berry, Simon Jarrett Contact us: Communications & Development Office, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NZ kentmagazine@kent.ac.uk www.kent.ac.uk/alumni Design: Third Eye Design thirdeyedesign.co.uk 020 7608 0180
Issue 50 Contents
Interview Creating Opportunities
03. CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
In February 2006, Karen Doyle joined the University as Director of Communications and Marketing. She has recently been made Director of Communications and Development and, in addition to the areas of marketing, media, special events and the website, Karen is now responsible for Development and Alumni Relations. KENT caught up with Karen to find out more about her new role.
04.NEWS 08.NEW FRONTIERS 10.ANXIOUS CULTURE 12.CLINICALLY PROVEN 14.THE QUESTIONNAIRE 16.A LASTING LEGACY 17.FUNDRAISING UPDATE 18.IN BUSINESS 19.KENT BOOKS 20.WHO’S WHAT WHERE 22.OBITUARIES 23.KENT UNION NEWS 24.EVENTS
Front Cover: Invitation to Terror; by Frank Furedi With thanks to Stuart Tolley www.stuarttolley.co.uk and Continuum Books
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Where do you see Kent in five years? The University has a strong research focus and it is planned to increase this further with the new Virginia Woolf College which will be for postgraduate students. The University’s Internationalisation Strategy also has big implications with its objectives to increase the opportunities for students to study abroad and to enrich all aspects of University life.
How do you think alumni can be involved and support the University as it changes and progresses? There are many things that alumni can do to support us, but one of the most important is to be advocates for Kent; talking to prospective students, employing Kent graduates and also by offering work placements and internship opportunities. Our alumni are our best ambassadors.
Most alumni are keen to give something back. I’ve met so many who tell Why is it important for What do you think are me that they wouldn’t be universities, and for the strengths of the where they are without Kent in particular, to University? What makes Kent and are keen to help undertake development Kent special? and fundraising activities? current students have I have been struck by the the opportunities that Firstly, because incredible friendliness of they had. universities are looking Kent – the staff, students to grow in both size and and alumni – and by Meanwhile, looking scope and to work in new the very many fond at the year ahead, are ways, by collaborating memories that alumni you planning any new have of studying here. Our with industry, for initiatives? students have given a very example. Fundraising, whether from individuals, Our Alumni Relations clear indication of how Officer, Fiona Jones, corporations or trusts, they feel about Kent by has set up a group now has a much larger voting us No 1 in London on Facebook called role to play in ensuring and the south-east in the University of Kent that this growth can National Student Survey Alumni that already has occur. 2007. The locations are over 2,000 members. Also, also a great asset. I don’t by the time this issue goes Secondly, because it just mean Canterbury; out we will have had our is hoped that the new the University of Kent at first London Pub Night government initiative Medway has a fantastic for young alumni. For the of Matched Funding, campus with beautiful first time, we have done a which will begin in historic buildings and lot of the event promotion August and last for the campus at Brussels using Facebook, which three years, will build a is ideally located. As has been very successful, culture of giving in the the UK’s European and we’re keen to use new UK similar to that of the University, Kent is a ways to communicate US, where fundraising partner in the University with alumni. is a core activity in of the Transmanche universities. and has exchange To this end, we will programmes with over 90 also soon be relaunching European universities. the Alumni website The ‘internationalism’ www.kent.ac.uk/alumni. makes Kent a great place We are planning some to work and study. exciting new additions to the site which will allow you to update your details online and see more information about your fellow alumni, amongst
other things. We will also shortly be launching a termly alumni e-newsletter for alumni who prefer to receive their Kent news online! We welcome feedback from alumni on all aspects of our work and look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions. Do you think there is such a typical Kent alumnus? Definitely not. One of the things that makes Kent special is the diversity in the student and the alumni population. I’ve met so many fascinating alumni who are working in all sorts of different fields, some of whom only came to Kent on a year or semester abroad but still have a great connection to the University. In 2015 the University will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary. How are you planning to mark the occasion? We’re so excited about this – it will be a huge milestone in the University’s history and, of course, the opportunity to look forward to another successful 50 years. Of course, we want to involve current and former students and staff in the celebrations and we will keep everyone updated on developments.
Karen Doyle (l) with Jo Brand at a University event.
Kent Magazine News
Kent Magazine News
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01. Boat Race 02. Cotyer-Fergusson Concert 03. Nitin Sawhney 04. Diane Houston 05. Madame Fu and Professor John Groom 06. Golden Ark Award
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Kent Magazine News
Kent Magazine News
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News Continued… Chinese Ambassador at Kent The University recently welcomed Her Excellency Madame Fu Ying, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, to its Canterbury campus. During her visit, Madam Fu Ying, an alumna of the University, met with some of her former lecturers as well as ViceChancellor Professor Julia Goodfellow and Chancellor Sir Robert Worcester. In the evening, Ambassador Fu gave a lecture, titled Changing China in the Evolving World, to staff and students. Professor Goodfellow said: ‘We were extremely honoured by Ambassador Fu’s visit and very proud to welcome her back to the University. We already have strong relationships with a number of universities in China and were pleased to be able to introduce her to staff involved in these projects.’ Ambassador Fu, studied for an MA in International Relations at the University 1985-86.
Dean appointed for new Graduate School Professor Diane Houston is to be Dean of the new Graduate School. Professor Houston, who is currently Head of the Department of Psychology at Kent, will take up her appointment from 1st July 2008. The plan for a graduate school is designed to build on Kent’s success in attracting high quality students to its postgraduate programmes. Each year nearly one in five of Kent’s student registrations is a graduate student (18.6% in 2007-08). Currently we have 1,460 students studying for a postgraduate taught award and 612 students preparing for research degrees. Kent has an excellent record in winning studentship support from the research councils and, last year, announced the creation of its own 90 fully-funded research studentships at a cost of nearly £1.5m a year. These studentships are available to both home and overseas applicants. August 2008 will see the completion of the new Virginia Woolf Graduate College. This attractive building at the heart of the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus will offer ensuite accommodation for
544 graduate students, together with a 500 seater lecture theatre and state-of-the-art seminar rooms. Each year 36% of new graduate students come from overseas, the remainder from the UK and EU countries. The new Dean and Graduate School will build on these successes to offer postgraduates at Kent a distinct graduate experience, both intellectually and socially. It is increasingly important that students receive not only the best levels of support from within their chosen subjects, but that they develop knowledge and skills across disciplines. An interdisciplinary experience is one of the key aims of the Graduate School. Professor Diane Houston is a social psychologist. She has published widely, particularly on culture and cognition, the psychological dimensions of social diversity and on psychological perspectives on work, employment and parenthood. She is Chair of the Social Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and member of the Academy of Social Sciences. In 2003-7 she worked as an adviser in the Department of
Trade and Industry. Race to the top Lord (David) Sainsbury of Turville recently gave a Special Guest Lecture at the Canterbury campus. Based on his review for the government, he looked to the future on how the UK can continue to be successful both in scientific research and innovation. Lord Sainsbury was the Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Science from 1998 to 2006. He has had a long and distinguished career as a businessman and is also a well known philanthropist. Quality of life at Kent among the best The quality of life for staff at the University is among the best in the country, according to a new survey. The University has been ranked 13 out of 121 in the first ever Halifax Times Higher Education university quality-of-life index. The survey has been specially designed to help academic staff looking for new jobs, and considers aspects such as the price of local housing, local crime rates and the quality of the schools in the area. In addition, it factors in two further aspects specific to individual universities – the average salary and the proportion of staff on
permanent contracts. Medway inspires government plans Universities at Medway (UaM) is a shining example to the country of how higher education can help transform a region’s economy and workforce, according to the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, John Denham. During a visit to the Medway campus, he revealed his plans for a huge expansion of higher education by creating 20 or more new campuses over the next six years at a cost of £150 million. Under the UaM partnership, the Medway campus is shared between the universities of Greenwich, Kent and Canterbury Christ Church, plus Mid-Kent College. The minister highlighted the success of the partnership as an inspiration for the new government project. ‘I want to build on the successes of the last few years, which have seen new centres of higher education - such as the Medway campus - transforming local economies and the lives of local people,’ he said. As well as meeting with Vice-Chancellor Professor Julia Goodfellow and other senior representatives of the Universities at Medway partnership, John Denham took part
Kent ‘can claim to be Britain’s only international University’ ~Sunday Times 2007 University Guide
Centre. Golden Ark Award Patrícia Medici, a PhD student in Biodiversity Teaching the teachers Management at the Durrell Institute of Kent’s Institute of Conservation and Mathematics, Statistics Ecology (DICE), has been and Actuarial Science awarded a 2008 Golden has joined forces with Ark Award by the Golden the Department of Ark Foundation in the Postgraduate Initial Netherlands for her work Teacher Education with lowland tapirs in at Canterbury Christ Brazil. Church University to Patrícia received develop a unique course offering a shorter route to her €50,000 award at a ceremony in the a teaching qualification Netherlands. The in mathematics. Golden Ark Award The three-year course, honours creativity, which commences in leadership, innovation September, will ensure and entrepreneurship graduates are fully in the field of species prepared to teach conservation, and aims to mathematics up to stimulate award winners A level by offering a BSc to sustain their dedicated (Hons) Mathematics work. with Secondary Education (Qualified Concert success Teacher Status). Two composers and two Cathedrals provided the MBE for Kent unifying theme for this physicist year’s Colyer-Fergusson Dr Cyril Isenberg, a Concert, with over 250 key figure in the School University musicians of Physical Science, performing in the has been awarded the magnificent setting of MBE in the New Year’s Honours List. A physicist Canterbury Cathedral’s Nave. The evening began with a national and international reputation, with a performance of Schumann’s Third he was awarded the Symphony, with its Institute of Physics’ Bragg Medal and Prize in solemn fourth movement 1994. Although he retired inspired by the awesome Gothic architecture of in 2002, as honorary Cologne Cathedral. That lecturer he continues composer’s suicide was to play an active role in the initial catalyst for his the School, including close friend, Johannes the management of the University’s Kent Physics Brahms, to compose his in a discussion with university students and local employers.
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German Requiem, one of the great masterpieces of choral music. The conductor was Susan Wanless. Boat race challenge Kent students are getting ready to renew their sporting rivalry as they prepare for the second annual Universities at Medway Boat Race. The date for the race now an annual fixture in Medway’s sporting calendar - has been set for 3 May. Student rowers from three universities Kent, Canterbury Christ Church and Greenwich - will battle it out for the right to call themselves heads of the river in Medway. Honorary degrees Last autumn, during the degree and award ceremonies held at Canterbury Cathedral, honorary degrees were awarded to Polly Toynbee, Guardian columnist and president of the Social Policy Association, and Richard Holmes, the celebrated military historian. An honorary degree was also awarded to Nitin Sawhney, one of the UK’s leading composers for film and TV.
The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas has been longlisted for the 2008 Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction
Kent Magazine New Frontiers
Kent Magazine New Frontiers
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New Frontiers Research at Kent Young Researcher of the Year Dr Jon Williamson, Reader in Philosophy, was named as winner of the Young Researcher of the Year award by the Times Higher Education (THE). Dr Williamson uses an interdisciplinary approach, working with social and biomedical scientists, to build on developments in science and philosophy over the last 20 years by applying traditional philosophical approaches to formal scientific methodology in such a way that it is mutually enriching. His work has attracted an unprecedented level of research funding for a young philosopher. He has recently launched The Reasoner, a monthly online publication highlighting new developments in reasoning, and has established the UK’s first Centre for Reasoning.
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01. NHS Mistrusted 02. Indonesian Conservation 03. Dark Glass 04. John Williamson 05. Richard Sakwa
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Dark Glass at MoMA Clio Barnard, artist and lecturer in Film Studies, was the only UK artist to have work included in a collection of films screened earlier this year at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Dark Glass, which visually recreates a spoken description of family photographs recalled under hypnosis, was shown as part of CELLuloid: Cell Phone-
Number of fully-funded research studentships: Ninety
Made Documentaries, an event exploring the boundaries of personal, political, and documentary art with work produced on mobile phones. Clio Barnard’s work deals with the relationship between documentary and fiction. Last year, she was one of only two artists to receive funding from the Jerwood/Artangel Open, the new £1m commissioning arts fund. The Yukos impact Professor Richard Sakwa, an expert on Russian and European politics in the Department of Politics and International Relations, has been funded by the British Academy to conduct research on the Yukos ‘affair’. The affair marked a watershed in Vladimir Putin’s presidency when, in 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the head of the Yukos company, one of the world’s largest oil majors, was accused of fraud and tax evasion, and in the following months his company was effectively dismantled and its assets redistributed to state-dominated companies. Professor Sakwa, the only British academic to be part of last year’s Valdai Discussion Club meeting with President Putin in Sochi, said: ‘As Russia
has the world’s largest reserves of gas and the second highest of oil, it is important that consumer countries understand the impact of the Yukos affair on both Russian domestic politics and the global energy market.’ Scrooge or samaritan? A research collaboration involving Mark Van Vugt, Professor of Social Psychology, has revealed that peoples’ personality types predict their donations to charities and noble causes. The researchers found that people with a pro-social personality gave more money to charities and other noble causes – the only exception being donations to local community and church groups For instance, with donations to ‘third world organisations’, 52% of people with a pro-social personality gave money, compared to 42% of people with an individualistic personality and only 21% of people with a competitive personality. NHS still mistrusted Research carried out by Professor Peter Taylor-Gooby and Dr Andrew Wallace at the Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, shows that many people mistrust the NHS even though spending has increased
hugely, waiting lists have fallen rapidly and death rates in the priority areas have improved sharply. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Professor Taylor-Gooby’s and Dr Wallace’s research also shows that most people think that recent NHS reforms are at best irrelevant and at worst damaging. They also made a sharp distinction between front-line staff and managers. Black African experiences in Britain Researchers at Kent have been awarded almost £100,000 by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to investigate ‘Black Africans in Britain: Integration or Segregation’. This oneyear study by Lavinia Mitton, Lecturer at the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, and Peter Aspinall, Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Health Services Studies, has been funded under the Understanding Population Trends and Processes programme. Black Africans are an increasingly important group in terms of their numbers and rapid growth rate. The migration channels of black Africans are complex and include those who came to Britain
in the 1950s and 1960s, young black Africans who have migrated for education, economic migrants, and refugees and asylum seekers. Islamic teachings help conservation A unique project from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) is aiming to improve Sumatran biodiversity conservation by raising awareness of Islamic teachings about conservation. Indonesia contains the world’s largest population of Muslims whose religion has a strong influence on their daily life. Islamic philosophies underpin biodiversity conservation in a number of ways principally through the doctrine of Khalifa (stewardship). The project, led by Stuart Harrop, Professor of Wildlife Management Law and Deputy Head of Anthropology, and Matthew Linkie, a researcher at DICE, also aims to improve local livelihoods through sustainable natural resource use in forest-edge communities and to develop an innovative model for Indonesian communitybased conservation.
Understanding giving Kent is at the forefront of a new £2.2million Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy. The Centre will provide the necessary evidence base to better understand charitable giving and philanthropy issues in order to influence policy and practice, and is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office, The Carnegie UK Trust and the Scottish Executive. The partners in the Centre are the Universities of Kent, Edinburgh, Southampton, Strathclyde and City University, London. Co-led by Dr Iain Wilkinson, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR), this research programme will investigate whether charitable activity mitigates or reinforces social and economic inequalities, the relationship between fundraising and the distribution of resources, and the connections between donors and recipients. Exploring ageing through dress A new study by Professor Julia Twigg at the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
aims to understand the changing nature of ageing in modern society by exploring the views and experiences of older women about fashion and dress. The study, which is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, will be based on interviews with older women (aged 55 and over) and aims to learn why, in an era when older people not only represent a significant proportion of the population but also have considerable disposable income, many women in their fifties, sixties and beyond who are interested in clothes claim they have difficulty finding ‘something to wear’ in retail outlets. Major EU grant awarded David Chadwick, Professor of Information Systems Security at the Computing Laboratory, has been awarded €942,534 for his participation in the EC funded project Trusted Architecture for Securely Shared Services (TAS3). The University is one of 18 partners from across Europe being funded on this four-year €9,400,000 project, the main aim of which is to develop and implement a dependable, robust, cost-effective, reliable and cross-domain
Number of students studying for a postgraduate taught award: One thousand four hundred & sixty
trustworthy architecture for web-based services. Two application domains that will be used as exemplars are the e-health and employability sectors. This development will allow users and service providers in these sectors to manage the lifelong generated personal information of the individuals involved within the employability sector, lifelong personal information such as career history and professional interests could be used to propose future career paths that are compatible with an individual’s ambitions. Professor Chadwick’s role in TAS3 is to develop and manage a core technical component titled Identity Management and Authorisation and Authentication. Its function is to ensure that users of the TAS3 infrastructure are properly authenticated and authorised before they are granted access to the personal information they have requested.
Kent Magazine Anxious Culture
Kent Magazine Anxious Culture
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David Clark R82 interviews Frank Furedi. We live in anxious times. We worry about our health, our food, our relationships and our children. We fret over recycling, the size of our carbon footprint and the environmental damage we cause in our daily lives. We are increasingly concerned about potential catastrophes from global warming, natural disasters, superbugs and terrorism. Almost daily, new anxieties and fears are added to the list. There’s not much that we don’t worry about. This increasing sense of anxiety, and the effect it has on our culture, is explored in the work of Frank Furedi, Professor of Sociology at Kent. His recent books have included Paranoid Parenting (2001), Culture of Fear (2002), Therapy Culture: Cultivating Vulnerability in an Anxious Age (2003), Where Have All the Intellectuals Gone? Confronting Twenty-First Century Philistinism (2004) and Politics of Fear (2005). In his latest book, Invitation to Terror: The Expanding Empire of the Unknown, Furedi turns his attention to terrorism, or, more precisely the fear of terrorism that pervades western society today. This new book is part of his ongoing work on examining what he calls ‘manifestations of contemporary risk consciousness’ and the way in which today’s ‘culture of fear’ results in ‘human thought and action being stifled by a regime of uncertainty’ and contributes towards making a society in which ‘almost every human experience comes with a health warning’.
It’s a cultural phenomenon which Furedi sees as damaging to our confidence as individuals and as a species. ‘We have a situation in which our anxieties have increasingly encouraged us to adopt what I call “worst-case thinking”,’ he says. ‘This has become the default position from which we look at things like childhood, health problems, eating disorders, the environment, global issues and crime. It completely distorts the way we make sense of ourselves.’ Furedi’s work engages with a range of contemporary issues. His output is intellectually rigorous and rich in ideas, and he’s not afraid to cause controversy. Attacks on what he calls the ‘dogmatic ideology’ of environmentalism have been matched by acerbic criticisms of individuals including Al Gore (‘a dull provincial politician’), David Cameron (‘a fully paid-up member of the New Malthusians’) and Schools Minister Ed Balls (who, Furedi says, ‘possesses a formidable skill for generating dumb ideas’).
Research shows that he is the most widely cited sociologist in the UK press. His views, with their emphasis on individual freedom, have elements in common with those on the political right. However, he founded and held the chair of the Revolutionary Communist Party of Great Britain in the 1970s and he still describes himself as ‘a man of the left’. ‘I don’t see myself as right-wing,’ he says. ‘Some people on the right have engaged with my ideas because I put forward a fairly robust, almost absolutist liberal standpoint on issues like free speech and individual freedom. I have always felt very strongly about that. For instance, my parents suffered in the Holocaust and half my family was wiped out. However, if somebody wants to say the Holocaust did not exist, I’m happy to take them up on their arguments, intellectually and theoretically, but I’m not going to argue for them to be penalised by the law.
‘Even at Kent, some people have accused me of being right-wing because I was against the ‘no platform for racists’ campaign. I argued that it was very anti-democratic; I think that if you’ve got strong views about racism you should go to the meeting and expose their racist prejudices. That’s the way to proceed. Some of the things that are today called right-wing are to me the defining features of enlightened humanistic thinking.’ Furedi’s synthesis of seemingly opposing political views has been shaped by an unusual set of cultural and political influences. He was born in Hungary in 1947 and his experience of growing up under a Stalinist regime, he says, has given him a life-long suspicion of the state and state intervention in individuals’ lives.
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His family left Hungary after the failed revolution of 1956 and emigrated to Montreal in Canada. He went to university in the city, where he experienced the ‘exhilaration’ of campus life in the 60s. In the early 70s, he moved to London to study for a PhD at the School of African and Oriental Studies. Towards the end of his studies, he was offered a temporary post at Kent. He stayed on, became a professor in the 90s and over thirty years after arriving, he’s still there. Furedi’s output during his time at Kent has been prolific. He has written 14 books and a ceaseless flow of articles on contemporary issues, and taught on a large number of sociology courses. ‘I always teach new courses, to keep my mind alive,’ he says. ‘I really need to talk about and engage with different issues, to make sure I don’t become a caricature of myself.’ He was one of the main figures behind the magazine Living Marxism (later LM), but these days is associated with Spiked, a libertarian web journal. He believes contemporary culture has become very hesitant and fatalistic, and there’s a loss of confidence about what we can achieve. He says we live in a society which has a ‘catastrophist imagination’ and a suspicion of science and technology, where the cultural definition of ‘risk’ has become profoundly negative. For Furedi, we’re living in a society that has ‘lost its way and lacks the intellectual and moral resources to deal with the routine threats that it faces.’
Terrorism is one of the most high-profile threats and one that he believes holds a greater potential for danger – not from acts of terrorism, but from the way we react to them. He says that after 11 September 2001, he wasn’t planning to write a book about the subject because there were so many other books already being written. As time passed, however, he realised that ‘the whole discussion on terror had gradually become very similar to the discussion of all the other things people panic about.’ But he felt that our anxiety about terrorism also had elements that were unique. ‘Terrorism, unlike any other disaster that strikes, is defined by our reaction to it,’ he says. ‘Its effect depends on how much you are terrorised by it. I was worried that the narrative of terror which officials were putting out into the public domain tended to terrorise us, or to inadvertently act as an invitation to be terrorised. And I wanted to draw attention to that situation.’ The resulting book Invitation to Terror examines society’s mood of ‘helplessness, fatalism and defeatism’ in the face of terrorist attacks. Although he believes that governments are to some extent deliberately stoking up fear with a ‘vulnerability-led response’, the way political elites have reacted suggests a genuine alarm and confusion at the highest level about how to deal with this ‘new terrorism’.
The book challenges the idea that the threat is greater than in previous decades. Terrorist tactics haven’t changed, he maintains, it’s simply the perception of terrorism that has changed, and the more dangerous it is perceived, the more dangerous it becomes. Visions of virtually omnipotent superterrorists striking almost at will are, he says, part of a ‘catastrophic vision of the future which has overwhelmed modern society’s optimistic belief in the capacity of human beings to contain future dangers.’ However, in line with his view of the capacity of human beings to shape their own destiny, Furedi suggests ways of approaching the current situation. ‘There’s a very effective way of dealing with terrorism, and that is to refuse to be terrorised,’ he says. ‘Firstly, if you refuse to be terrorised you’re no more likely to be killed than if you are terrorised. Secondly, you spare yourself the hassle of living your life constantly looking over your shoulder. Finally, the fact that you are refusing to be terrorised acts as a good incentive for terrorists to stop what they’re doing. What’s the point, if nobody’s playing the game?’
Furedi, who draws inspiration from the core values of the Age of Enlightenment, believes that we need a good dose of positive thinking to balance the negativity that characterises our times. ‘We’re continually told how human beings are destroying the planet or addicted to all kinds of stuff. But we need a bit of a reality check. ‘For instance, people talk about racism today, but if they want to see what racism is really like, they should look at the situation a century ago, or even half a century ago. Human progress has meant that people living in most parts of the world experience less pain, disease and death than ever before. We really need to stand back, look at what we’ve achieved, and imagine what can be achieved in the future. Invitation to Terror: The Expanding Empire of the Unknown is published by Continuum. To read more of Frank Furedi’s work, visit his website: www.frankfuredi.com
Kent Magazine Clinically Proven
Kent Magazine Clinically Proven
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Clinically Proven The University was recently awarded a prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for the work of the Kent Law Clinic. The presentation was made by the Queen during a special ceremony held at Buckingham Palace in February which was attended by the Director of the Law Clinic, John Fitzpatrick, Vice-Chancellor Professor Julia Goodfellow and Chancellor Sir Robert Worcester. Clinic Solicitors Catherine Carpenter and Lorna Collopy also attended, together with five students. The award was for ‘enriching the academic study of law through a casework service to the community.’ The Clinic’s outstanding outreach activities provide a free legal advice and representation service to the local community in Canterbury and Medway, underpinning its delivery of a first-class legal education to law undergraduates. Professor Goodfellow
‘The award acknowledges the team effort of students and staff in the Clinic, and all the solicitors and barristers locally who give their services. We are all very proud to receive it.’ The award was officially announced last November at St James’s Palace and is the latest in a series of accolades awarded to the Law Clinic. Last year, it received the Times Higher Education Award 2007 for its Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community. Originally set up in the early 1970s, it was the first in-house Law Clinic to be based in a UK Law School. In 1987, a new clinical operation began which, five years later in 1992, developed into the Law Clinic as it is today. Over the years, large numbers of students, academics, solicitors and barristers have worked together to provide a free legal service on a voluntary and collective basis to those people in Kent who cannot afford to pay for legal advice or representation.
Compensation awards totalling over £1 million for clients said: ‘We were extremely delighted to receive this prestigious award from the Queen. It is a great recognition of the hard work and dedication of all those involved with the Clinic, of their academic merit and of the exceptional service they provide to the community.’ John Fitzpatrick, Director of the Law Clinic, added
‘We provide a service if there is no other form of legal provision available, for example through legal aid or a trade union’, explained Clinic Director John Fitzpatrick. ‘Over the years, the numbers of cases we deal with has increased significantly. In 2002, we received 347 enquiries and by 2007 this had increased to over 1,000 a year.
We work on cases right across the board, ranging from employment, consumer contract, immigration and asylum, to mental health, housing, bankruptcy and welfare benefits.’
people of that area. Students I have known who have been involved in the work of the Clinic have always impressed me deeply by their commitment, their hard work and their skill.’
Individual students, closely supervised by legally qualified academic staff, undertake the full conduct of clients’ cases from interviewing to advocacy. They also assist at the Clinic’s weekly advice sessions offered pro bono by about 50 local solicitors and barristers.
The Clinic’s national reputation means it frequently welcomes visitors such as academics, practitioners and public officials including Lord Griffiths, a former law lord, and a delegation from the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Legal Education and Conduct. International visitors have included Professor Maria Szewyck, an eminent lawyer from Jagellonian University in Cracow, and academics from University of Law and Political Science, Beijing, Tokyo University, and Australia and the United States. John has represented the Clinic on a number of international visits, including the Central European University in Budapest. Recently, he introduced the work of the Law Clinic to senior judges and justice department officials from Peru at the British Council in London, and has lectured on clinical legal education at Bermuda College, Bermuda. He has also visited the University of Mauritius to give advice on setting up a law clinic.
Although working in the Clinic is entirely voluntary, around 150 students a year take the opportunity to enhance their legal education by working on live cases and projects. All students working in the Clinic are expected to adhere to its two overarching principles: treat the client with respect and remember the interests of the client are paramount at all times; don’t just practise the law in the clinic: reflect on your work, discuss it, write it up. As John explains: ‘Each student takes full responsibility for her or his own case, working under the guidance of an individual member of staff, replicating real-life legal practice. Working in the Clinic gives them a new perspective on law and society.’ Second and third year students can opt for the Clinical Option module which is assessed towards their degree. Statistics show that clinic students consistently achieve high academic standards, and are significantly
The Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community’ 2007. more likely to gain first class degrees than students who do not choose clinical work. ‘Students working in the Clinic appear as advocates in settings ranging from employment and welfare benefits tribunals to leasehold valuation tribunals,’ explained John. ‘They can also accompany clients to a range of Courts from the Magistrates’ through to the High Court and the Court of Appeal, often attending with counsel, a Clinic solicitor or supervisor.’ Students acquire many valuable legal skills but our primary aim is a better knowledge of law and procedure. Over the past year, the Clinic has been providing a weekly advice session at the County Court to assist unrepresented litigants
Two Attorney General’s Awards presented in 2004
in mortgage repossession proceedings. One of the two Clinic solicitors attends with six students to advise and represent if necessary.
gives a great deal of assistance to local groups, often helping to draft their constitutions, become incorporated or obtain leases.
Much of the Clinic’s casework does not involve obtaining financial compensation, but focuses on cases involving housing, nuisance, immigration and asylum issues. Nevertheless, since 1992 students in the Law Clinic have assisted clients obtain (or in some cases save) by litigation and/or negotiation awards totalling well over £1million. ‘Although the standard of service should not be judged by the amount of compensation obtained, the sums gained provide one indicator of the contribution that the Clinic makes’ said John.
In one case, the Clinic worked with a group of people who, over 15 years, established a little community on a stretch of river wasteland between the River Medway and a railway line. They lived in tents, benders and self-built homes, but eventually the owner moved to evict them. Many students worked on the case, visiting the site, researching the law and attending preliminary Court hearings. John explained: ‘Using the law on adverse possession (squatters’ rights), we eventually persuaded the owners to grant two acres of land to our clients for the princely sum of £100’.
As well as working with individuals, the Clinic
Recently the Clinic acted for an elderly couple who had been subject to undue influence in relation to their purchase of a time share. An approach in Canterbury High Street by a market researcher was followed by a free holiday offer. They were then asked to attend a presentation after which they were persuaded to sign up. The company sued for nearly £15,000 when they cancelled. They were distraught, but second year law student Maddie Power supervised by Clinic solicitor Lorna Collopy represented them in the County Court. The case was dismissed to their enormous relief. There is no doubt that the value of working in the Clinic is very clear to students. Local solicitor and former student
Jan Bird said: ‘My own experience of the Law Clinic was that the practical demonstration clarified the law whilst simultaneously reinforcing my decision to practice law.’ Jan is now a volunteer legal advisor. Outside the university, local councillor and former Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Fred Whitemore, is just one of many people in the region who recognise the contribution made by the Clinic. ‘I have seen many examples of the excellent work that the Clinic has done for our local community and the citizens of our district. I represent one of the wards in the city that is generally considered to be one of the most socially deprived in Canterbury, I have been particularly pleased by the Clinic’s commitment to helping
The future of the Clinic looks bright judging by its past achievements. According to John: ‘The hard work and enthusiasm of staff in the Clinic is one of the key reasons for its success and I would like to pay tribute to the work done
by solicitors Catherine Carpenter, Lorna Collopy and Elaine Heslop, and barrister Francis Wildman; and assistants Lisa Appleyard, Penny Grinter and Rhea Ball. The volunteer support of so many local solicitors and barristers is also crucial, and deeply appreciated. As for the students, well they may be a little green but they do a brilliant job and deliver a first class legal service.’ Over the past few years, the Clinic has been undergoing a period of expansion and it now has an office on the Medway campus where it is bringing the same opportunities to a wider range of students as well as to a wider public.
TheQuestionnaire
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PageFifteen
Alumni and staff talk about their memories & experiences at Kent.
Professor Mark Connelly Professor of Modern British Military History Head of School of History
Dr Rachel Forrester-Jones Lecturer in Community Care, Tizard Centre Master of Rutherford College
Dr Jon Williamson Lecturer in Philosophy School of European Culture and Languages
Karol Steele (nee Ryan) K85 Mathematics (Statistics) Actress
Karen Day D94 Biochemistry with Medical Biosciences Quality Systems Specialist, Wyeth If you would like to feature in The Questionnaire in a future issue of KENT, please email your answers and a high-quality recent photo to: kentmagazine@kent.ac.uk
Favourite book: Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh Place of residence: Barham Favourite bar/pub: The John of Gaunt, Lancaster. A place where students, academics and locals mixed in a very friendly atmosphere. Most embarrassing moment: I was asked to give a lecture about images of Lawrence of Arabia. The lecture contained quite a lot of material about the way his sexuality had been presented. Instead of presenting to an academic audience, I found myself giving this lecture to a room full of very sedate old ladies and I learnt just how many colours a face can produce during the course of that hour. Enduring memory: Winter sunsets on the Somme - the anorak in me is coming out. It can only get worse. Favourite item of clothing: My old brown Barbour – does that count as an anorak? Favourite song: ‘It Happened in Monterrey’ by Frank Sinatra. Biggest influence: My mum and dad - they always encouraged me in my interests. Societies: Plenty of really anoraky ones: Western Front Association, Army Records Society, Queen’s Own Buffs Association. I could go on, but think it best not to. First job: Administrative Assistant at English Heritage HQ, Savile Row. I was 18 and utterly clueless. No one seemed to notice, though, or they were too polite to mention it.
Favourite book: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Place of residence: Canterbury. Favourite bar/pub: Any with a real log fire. Most embarrassing moment: My first job (see below). Enduring memory: Sitting cross legged on a carpet listening to a teacher. Favourite item of clothing: A velvet hat. Favourite music track: ‘Passing Time’ by Clannad. Biggest influence: A man called Jesus, from Nazareth. Societies: Countless. First job: Serving at the till and cleaning floors at a well-known burger bar (it was the first one to open in Wales not that many years ago… but I lasted a very short time!) and as a chamber maid in a hotel in Sidmouth.
Favourite book: The most thumbed book on my shelf is The Uncertain Reasoner’s Companion by J.B. Paris. It’s a text in mathematical logic, so if it doesn’t help you reason, it’ll at least help you sleep. Place of residence: St Dunstan’s, Canterbury. Favourite bar/pub/hangout: The Black Horse, Orchard Street, St Dunstan’s. A real time saver: I can go to the pub, have a curry, and watch the big match all at the same time. Most embarrassing moment: Panting and gasping on a mountain hike in Switzerland, only to have several octagenarians breezily jog past. Enduring memory: Slipping in the bath as a toddler. Favourite item of clothing: I had a leather jacket known as Lord Lucan for its frequent disappearances. Last sighted in India. Favourite song: Currently ‘Tchero Adari Negn’ by Alemayehu Eshete. Biggest influence: Danger Mouse. Societies: British Logic Colloquium, British Society for the Philosophy of Science, The Reasoning Club. First job: My first job was a dream - manning a pickyour-own fruit farm in the summer months. This involved sitting in the sun with a book and a beer, while punters left punnets of strawberries with me while they went off to pick raspberries. Needless to say, few jobs have lived up to the standards set by my first.
Favourite book: It depended on my mood (and it still does). Like Barry Norman, and his top 100 films, my list of favourite books was different every time I was asked. Being a mathematician, I read a lot of novels to act as a counter-balance. Plus, most of my friends at University were English Lit students. Place of residence: 1st Year: Rutherford during the first term, then Keynes for the last two (it’s a long story). 2nd Year: Whitstable. I fell in love with the town and come back for visits frequently with my family. We hope to move there one day. 3rd Year: Parkwood, then back to Whitstable. Favourite bar/hangout: Keynes Bar, The Neptune and The Harbour Lights in Whistable, Ye Olde Beverlie (on the odd occasion when the student body wasn’t banned for one reason or another) and The Oast House bar in Parkwood (as it was then). Most embarrassing moment: 1st Year: Getting up late, being unable to find my shoes and having to walk across campus to the Maths Institute for a lecture in my bare feet. In the snow! 3rd Year: Being asked to present the prizes at the Mathsoc dinner… as Miss Folkestone, a title I had won back home during the Easter vacation. Enduring memory: Walking from the campus down into Canterbury with my friends – particularly in the run-up to Christmas with the Cathedral beautifully lit and shining like a beacon in the distance.
Favourite book: The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Place of residence: First year: Darwin N4-4. Second Year: Bramshaw Road, which mysteriously had a headstone appear in the back garden over the Easter holidays. We ultimately found out it was the land lady’s deceased dog but for a short time it added mystery and intrigue to our student digs. Third year: Hillview Road. Favourite bar/pub: Penny Theatre, Keynes Bar and the Fools and Horses Pub (which no longer exists) for the bands. Most embarrassing moment: On a hot day, fainting in the Biosciences labs at the end of an all-day lab practical. Dr Rooney was very understanding, although coming around on the floor with a cracking headache and all my classmates looking down at me with concerned faces isn’t an experience I’d like to repeat. Enduring memory: That would have to be the birth of my daughter, at home, nearly two years ago with my husband, Gavin (E94, pictured above with Karen) present. Yet another UKC wedding and baby success! My dad (Clive Parish R68) was also a UKC student (both degree and PhD), so the University has had far reaching affects on my family – I remember attending a reunion with my dad at the University when I was still at school, so my relationship with Kent started years before I arrived as an undergraduate. Favourite song: ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen. I particularly like the version by Jeff Buckley. Biggest influence: My mum.
First job: My first job following graduation was in R&D laboratories at Murex Biotech in Dartford. It was a wonderful working environment, both socially and academically. Although I moved companies well over ten years ago, I still regularly meet up with friends made there at that time. Societies: Institute of Biology, National Council for Hypnotherapy - yes, I’m also a qualified and practising (albeit only part-time) cognitive hypnotherapist. www.wishingwellhypnotherapy.co.uk. Favourite item of clothing: Those who remember me will remember the different coloured berets I would wear to lectures. I love hats – people don’t wear enough hats these days. Favourite song: Again it depended on my mood. During my time at University, the LPs (showing my age) I would play the most were ‘Feline’ by The Stranglers, ‘Lexicon of Love’ by ABC, ‘Rio’ by Duran Duran, ‘The Night Fly’ by Donald Fagin, ‘Love Over Gold’ by Dire Straits, ‘Gaucho’ by Steely Dan, ‘Script for a Jester’s Tear’ by Marillion (who I first saw at the University when they played two gigs there – first in Keynes, then in Eliot), ‘Friends’ by Larry Carlton, ‘Can’t Slow Down’ by Lionel Ritchie and ‘Human’s Lib’ by Howard Jones. Societies: Mathsoc (naturally), Sci-Fi Club, The National Union of Students, The Young Socialists, and The Staff-Student Liaison Committee. First job: Nursery School Teacher.
Kent Magazine Fundraising
Kent Magazine Fundraising
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A Lasting Legacy Legacies and in memoriam giving In recent years, the University has been the recipient of a number of very generous bequests and in memoriam gifts from alumni and friends. In this issue, we would like to feature some of the ways that Kent has been helped by these gifts. Alex Brown’s gift to Eliot On 26 November 2007, University staff and family and friends of Kent alumnus Alex Brown E75 gathered in Eliot Courtyard to celebrate the completion of work that has been carried out in memory of Alex, who sadly passed away two years ago. Alex’s brother, sisterin-law and best friend travelled from Merseyside and Rotherham to unveil a commemorative plaque and to see the work that had been carried out in his name. Eliot Junior College Committee made the decision to use the money to renovate Eliot Courtyard and install new seating and LED lighting in a space that is in constant use by students and staff. Master of Eliot, Dr Michael Hughes, said: “Alex ‘Sandy’ Brown was the first in his family to attend university and he gained a great deal from his experience at the University of Kent and from his time at Eliot College in particular. He was a feisty, principled, people-centred individual who was well liked by all who met him. It is a moving tribute and an indication of his priorities and nature that at the end
PageSeventeen
Fundraising Update How to give: www.kent.ac.uk/alumni/donate
For a copy of the University’s legacy brochure, please email giving@kent.ac.uk
of his life he remembered the College and those who live and work here.” Sasha Roberts Scholarship Fund On 15 January 2008, a ceremony was held to unveil a scholarship in memory of Dr Sasha Roberts, a Lecturer in English and American Literature, who tragically died in a road accident in September 2006. Sasha worked in the School of English at Kent for nine years, specialising in early modern literature and Shakespeare. The scholarship is intended to help Masters students studying English Literature and has been swelled by generous donations not only from students and staff at Kent but also the people of Lewes in East Sussex, where Sasha and her husband lived. The first award of £2,000 was made to Sascha Klement, a Masters student in English and American Literature. A bench was unveiled and a tree was planted near to the School of English in Rutherford garden by Sasha’s husband Martin and son Lio, who attended the event. Professor Rod Edmond, Head of the School of
English, said: “Sasha’s tragic death is still keenly felt by colleagues and students. She was a fine scholar, a brilliant teacher and a vibrant presence in the School of English. This scholarship is a poignant memory of a much-loved colleague.” If you would like to make a donation to the Sasha Roberts Scholarship Fund, donations can be sent to: Planned Giving Officer, Communications and Development Office, The Registry, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ. Please make cheques payable to UNIKENT – Sasha Roberts Scholarship Fund.
established in 2001 by David Humphreys K95 in memory of his wife Julia. It also sponsors the annual Chamber Choir Concert in Canterbury Cathedral Crypt, which this year was conducted by Luke de Pulford, a final year Politics and International Relations student. Thanks to the Fund, not only was Luke able to conduct in the glorious surroundings of the Cathedral Crypt, he was also sent on a course with the Association of British Choral Conductors over the summer.
Director of Music, Susan Wanless, said: “We are very proud of the fact that at Kent all students have the chance to make music. The Fund enables us to be Julia Humphreys even more adventurous Memorial Fund in our programming, and First-year Economics student and Music Scholar to give our students the opportunity to develop Toby Lucas-Smith is and flourish as musicians, already a talented tenor alongside their academic horn player, but thanks studies.” to a generous gift from the Julia Humphreys Christine Bolt Memorial Fund he Scholarship Fund will now also be able to In 2005, Ian Bolt learn the French horn, funded the creation a versatile instrument of the Christine Bolt which will allow him to Scholarship, in memory participate in the full range of musical activities of his late wife Professor Christine Bolt, who first at Kent and to widen his came to Kent in 1966 as repertoire as a musician. a lecturer and became Pro-Vice Chancellor in The Julia Humphreys 1988. A popular and Memorial Fund was
long-standing member of staff, she had a genuine interest in the welfare of students and the Christine Bolt Scholarship Fund offers scholarships to postgraduate students in Humanities and Social Sciences who need to undertake research in the United States. On 26 February, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between benefactor Ian Bolt and the University of Kent. The Memorandum will ensure the continued future of the Christine Bolt Scholarship Fund and records the University’s gratitude to Ian Bolt for his commitment to academic research at Kent.
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S o far, an impressive total of £42,000 has been raised for the Annual Fund
Thank you Donations received from the carrier sheet of the last issue of KENT totalled an impressive £3,733. Thank you for this very generous contribution – all donations will go to the University’s Annual Fund and will help support a diverse range of studentcentred projects. The magazine donation form can be found on the reverse of the carrier sheet enclosed with this issue.
This year, grants have been awarded to a number of projects including:
1. Endowment fund for the Centre for the History of Archaeology 2. 2008 exhibition of the Kent Print Collection 3. Kent Chamber Choir Concert tour to Paris 4. Student Enterprise Information Points 5. Upgrading of microphones in the Gulbenkian Theatre 6. Electronic casework management system for the Student Advice Centre Phonathon 7. Creation of a cycle At the time of writing, hire project donations from the 2007 8. Attendance at the Annual Fund Phonathon Edinburgh Festival are still coming in but by the Gulbenkian so far an impressive Theatre total of £42,000 has 9. Implementation been raised for studentof ‘Stand Out’ – centred projects across the development and University. training for students. The Annual Fund is administered by the University of Kent Development Trust, a Board of alumni and University staff who meet annually and allocate funding to a variety of initiatives across the University.
Kent Magazine In Business
PageEighteen
In Business Enterprise & development Regional business support A University centre is playing a key role in enhancing the business performance of local companies throughout the region. One particular project run by the Centre for Regional Business Productivity (CRBP), which is one of the five key research centres of the Kent Business School, is Promoting Sustainable Performance. Director of the CRBP, Dr Mark Gilman, explained that the project will provide unrivalled research into, and analysis of, a company’s strengths and weaknesses. He said he hoped that the project would eventually extend beyond Kent and Medway and be taken up as a business model for a range of national and international companies. In addition, the Centre recently ran a series of practical workshops for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Entitled Leadership for Growth, the workshops – designed jointly by CRBP and consultancy Telos Partners - provided an opportunity for business executives to learn about different leadership models, in order to drive growth and change within their organisations. The workshops were one of the outcomes of an 18-month, EU-funded comparative research study between British and French partners.
Competition finals for Kent spin-out UltraSoC Technologies Ltd, a spin-out company from the University, reached the finals of Running the Gauntlet, an investment competition and education programme for entrepreneurs and SMEs, organised by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA). Since its inception in 2005, Running the Gauntlet has assisted more than 1,000 companies in the region, many in the technology sector. Over 300 companies entered the 2007 competition with 50 being short-listed and ten going through to the final. Dr Gary Robinson, Technology Transfer Manager at the University said: ‘We are very pleased that one of our early spin-out companies has made such progress in this highly competitive investment programme and, as a stakeholder, the University looks forward to supporting the company’s progress.’
Inspiring students University staff, postgraduate students, MBA students and members of the Kent Business Society attended a lunchtime seminar presented by Patricia Vaz, former Managing Director of BT’s UK Customer Service. During her time with BT, she initiated and drove through to implementation a huge transformation programme in the call centre world, reducing the number of centres from 104 to 32 and reducing the running costs by £150m per annum. She also introduced significant improvements in quality and people motivation, launching an innovative reward scheme which will dramatically change the culture and motivation of the workforce for the future.
IT Clinic wins enterprise award The Kent IT Clinic (KITC) at the University has been awarded Technology Enterprise Kent’s ‘Enterprise and Training Award for excellence’ under the category of IT Support. The award, which was presented to David Soud, Co-ordinator of KITC, is in recognition of the considerable achievement of KITC consultants in Medway. Launched in October 2005 and with branches at the University’s Canterbury and Medway campuses, KITC provides high quality, low cost IT support, services and consultancy to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and micro-enterprises in the Canterbury, East Kent and Medway area.
Did you know: Canterbury Enterprise Hub offers start-up opportunities www.canterburyhub.co.uk
Kent Magazine In Books
PageNineteen
Kent Books University authors Against the Mafia This year marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Peppino Impastato, violently murdered as result of his opposition to the Sicilian Mafia in his hometown of Cinisi. In his new book, Defiance, Dr Tom Behan tells the story of this unusual man who dedicated his life to opposing the ‘Mafiopoli’. Peppino Impastato was born into a family with strong Mafia affiliations. However, after his uncle was brutally murdered in 1963, he took a very public stand against the Mafia which he maintained until his death. According to Dr Behan, Senior Lecturer in the School of European Culture and Languages and an expert on Italian organised crime, what was unusual about Peppino Impastato was that his family had Mafia connections. Despite that background, he led a people’s movement against the Mafia, launching a national radio programme on which he pilloried both the organisation and its allies in the Catholic Church.
Refugee Children Refugee Children: Towards the Next Horizon (Routledge) Dr Charles Watters, Director of the European Centre for the Study of Migration and Social Care The last 20 years have seen unprecedented numbers of refugee children entering Western countries. Many of these children will have experienced the atrocities of war, and issues concerning their care and treatment are high on the agenda of research bodies, policy makers and service providers. This is the first book to offer a wide ranging analysis of the context of care and the measures taken by nation states and intergovernmental bodies to address perceived problems.
The Archaeology of Ritual The Archaeology of Ritual (Cotsen Institute of Archaeology UCLA Publications) ed. Dr Evangelos Kyriakidis, Lecturer in Classical and Archaeological Studies, SECL This book is the culmination of a Cotsen Advanced Seminar at UCLA and includes contributions by a wide range of scholars including historians, art historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, cognitive scientists and linguists. Topics include: sacrifice and ritualisation in inner Mongolia; problems encountered by archaeologists in identifying ritual; the need for a definition of ritual; its political dimensions in Aegean archaeology as well as in Africa; Indian Odissi classical dances; Andean and Mesoamerican Rituals and their identification; and ritual and technology.
Autism & Loss Autism and Loss (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) Dr Rachel ForresterJones, Senior Lecturer in Community Care, Tizard Centre, and Sarah Broadhurst, Oxford Brookes University. People with autism often experience difficulty in understanding and expressing their emotions and react to losses in different ways or in ways that carers do not understand. In order to provide effective support, carers need to have the understanding, the skills and appropriate resources to work through these emotional reactions with them. This book is a complete resource that covers a variety of kinds of loss, including bereavement, loss of friends or staff, loss of home or possessions and loss of health.
Kent Magazine Who’s what where
Kent Magazine Who’s what where
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PageTwenty One
Who’s what where The complete Who’s, what, where is updated online at: www.kent.ac.uk/alumni Key: D Darwin, E Eliot, K Keynes, R Rutherford Location: The location at the end of each entry is from the mailing addresses we hold for each individual. Please let us know if any corrections are required.
This is a selection of the submissions we have received since the last issue of KENT. The complete Who’s what where is available online at www.kent.ac.uk/ alumni. To contact any of the individuals listed here, email: alumni@kent.ac.uk.
1960s
Cottrill, Mary (E) Still making the most of our comparative health to travel the world as much as possible, thereby escaping the troubles at home, which contine to mount. Proud grandparents of two and our third wedding next summer. Despite the crumbling state of our house, we are conveniently close to the M6, with plenty of unused if junk-filled bedrooms, and would love to put up any old UKC friends who are passing. Contact us via the Alumni Office. Cheshire. (12/11/2007) Davies, Anthony (K) Semi-retired with time split ‘twixt directorships of a variety of Australian public companies and agricultural labouring on own farm. Represented Western Australia in National skeet championships last year. Delighted to meet several UKC friends at John Covell’s silver wedding in 2004. Western Australia. (18/12/2007)
of Faculty at at large comprehensive school in 1977 and retired, for the first time, in 2005. Then I taught exam classes part-time for a year. In 2003 did a crash course in Mandarin at Yunnan University in Sunming, SW China. After I retired for the second time, I was given the opportunity to teach Chinese children in Kunming so I came on a year’s contract in September 2006. Lincolnshire. (17/09/2007) Simpson, Peter (R) Still living in the USA, on the banks of the Niagara River. Keeping very busy with our medical market research company - visit us at www.segmedica. com. Enjoying village life with Donna. I would love to hear from any and all old friends and acquaintances. Contact me via the Alumni Office. Lewiston, USA. (12/11/2007)
1970s
Angus, Kate (D) Working in Her Majesty’s Prisons as a tutor and advisor. Married James Angus R74 in 1977 but now living on my own. Children Hazel (1984) and Michael (1988). Would love to hear from old friends from Kent. North Yorkshire. (07/02/2008)
in London, with partner, two teenage daughters and a ginger tom cat. London. (18/09/2007) Gates, Richard (E) I will be celebrating my 60th birthday at Simple Simons in Canterbury in December 2008. Anyone wishing to attend, please contact me via the Alumni Office. Kent. (23/01/2008) Hancock, Trevor (R) I am now designing database systems. Happily married to Alison since July 1992. Greetings to all UKC Christian Union members of 1971/74. Also ‘Hi’ to the amazing denizens of S4N opposite in 1971/72. All these and others are welcome to ring me (at home or work, via the alumni office) and maybe we can arrange to meet up. Wiltshire. (04/12/2007)
1980s
Clayton, Edward (R) Edward and Janet Clayton (K85 née Kandilis) moved from Dusseldorf, Germany to Janet’s home country of Malaysia in December 2007. Edward continues to work in aviation consulting as a Principal with Booz Allen Hamilton, but from a new office. Janet is planning to re-enter working life after a ten year break. Selangor, Malaysia. (18/02/2008)
Mason, Sarah (E) Have been back in the UK for five years and am building my own business focussing on career profiling and organisational development and basically helping clients measure and make the most of their ‘people resource’. Enjoying living near Cardiff. Married with 4 children. South Glamorgan. (10/09/2007) Myers Webb, Melanie (R) I am production manager for a group of six radio stations in the South Bend, Indiana market and I am interested in connecting with others in broadcasting. I would like to trade voice talent with other radio and television announcers. Granger, USA. (07/01/2008) Newman, Robert (K) Hello to the football, cricket and rowing teams of 1984-90 and anyone who remembers me. Fond memories of my Latin/French study days. Have been living in Japan by the beach and surfing for 17 years now since graduating. Still single and not planning on growing up. Chiba, Japan. (14/01/2008)
Rowland, Louise (R) (née Cochrane). After a few years of working abroad, now living in Bournemouth, married with three great children, although starting Edye, David (D) I am to think about life a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Kerr, Claire (R) I have set overseas again. Dorset. (04/02/2008) up my own business as Relations at the London Metropolitan University, a marketing consultant Bob (K) Left UKC in 1970 concentrating mainly www.kerrmunications. did some teaching then co.uk and it’s fitting on issues concerning went to Birbeck College, in nicely with looking migration and refugees. Buck, Rhys (E) I am University of London, after my son. Surrey. Also a visiting lecturer currently working in and obtained a degree in (13/09/2007) at the Universite Koblenz, a very nice History. Became Head Montpellier III. Living town in Germany
1990s
Forsyth, Alan (E) Living in the Czech Republic for the last 12 years. Married with a five year old daughter called Bara. Just started a new job as a Product Market Manager for a Czech/ American start-up (Good Data Corp). Before this, held positions as IT/ Telecoms trainer, web Camilletti, Mark (K) developer and IT Analyst After graduating in in companies including 2000 I lived in Perugia Cisco Systems. Together (Italy) and studied for with my wife, we run an Italian language a small web design certificate. I spent most consultancy in our of 2001 backpacking around the USA, Canada, spare time (such as we have!). Kolovraty, Czech Fiji, Australia, New Republic. (10/01/2008) Zealand and Japan. After returning in 2002, Haunit, Konrad (R) In I joined the then Lord Chancellor’s Department, December, I will be best man at the wedding which has since evolved of my best friend Ben into the Ministry of Maher. We met at UKC Justice (MOJ). I took in 1996 and graduated a career break in 2006 together in 1999. We and, with my partner were both captains of the Sarah, travelled to New Hockey Club and both did Zealand to experience Economics. Boston, USA. living abroad. Now I (29/02/2008) am back working as a Policy Advisor at the MOJ and living in North Levett, Peter (K) I’m now married to Angela Pithey London. Hertfordshire. (K98) and it’s been (14/02/2008) over six years since we graduated. We’re moving Chambers, Lesley (K) to Queensland, Australia After teaching English in 2008 to start our new as a foreign language life together. Queensland. in France, I trained as (02/12/2007) a French and Spanish secondary school Smith, Warren (R) teacher and taught Working for Rohm in three schools. I am & Haas in Chemical now working in Beira, Sales. Married with two Mozambique on a VSO children who keep us placement. Berkshire. busy. Look forward to (12/09/2007) catching up with others soon. Buckinghamshire. Cusimano, Paul (K) I (08/11/2007) was year abroad student from the USA in 1990/91, studying History. Still in Sundaram, Vanita (D) Currently Lecturer touch with many UKC friends and two years ago in Education at the University of York. crashed the Keynes pub Moved back to the UK in and saw it was upgraded 2006 after completing a mightily. Chicago, USA. PhD in Public Health at (06/12/2007) where the River Rhine meets the River Mosel. Trying to learn German and making frequent use of easyJet’s cheap flights back to Nottingham to see my long-term girlfriend. Nottinghamshire. (10/09/2007)
Copenhagen University. Would love to hear from more old Kent friends. North Yorkshire. North Yorkshire. (10/12/2007)
2000s
Peracha, Shuaib (E) Currently a hotel owner in Blackpool so if you knew me, feel free to pop down and visit. Lancashire. (19/12/2007) Only Connect Lost touch with an old friend? The Kent alumni database may be able to help. If we have a current address for them, we would be happy to forward a message from you. If we too have lost touch, Only Connect, which is printed in KENT twice a year and broadcast on the Web monthly, may get a response. And please, if you do connect, let us know. The entries below have been submitted within the last six months. A complete listing is available online at www. kent.ac.uk/alumni/intouch. 1960s Steve Crampton (R66) wltf Kingsley Bolton (K66); Jo Freeborough (de Clive-Lowe) (K68) wltf Jennifer Gait (K1969) 1970s Javed Ali Shafi-Baig (D70) wltf Simon Lord (R72) and John Doris (E71) and Anne Westwood (R71) and Joanna Knatchbull (R73) and Myrette Greenhalgh (D69) and Sarah Bruce Lockhart (R73) and Anne Cordingley (D71); Richard Gates (E72)
wltf Antoni Olszewski (E72) and Lindsey Oliver (E72) and Derek Turner (E70) and MarieMadeleine Moore (D72) and Suzanne Swales (McClure) (D72) and John Wilson (K72); Peter Bertram (R74) wltf Julia Lewandowski (R75); Nick Gilmore (R77) wltf George Malanowicz (R76) 1980s Andrew Turner (K82) wltf Gerald Mitchell (K82); Fintan Supple (R84) wltf Gregory Loudon (E84) 1990s Stephanie Bamberg (D92) wltf Ben Harris (R94); Laura Snoxell (E92) wltf Stephanie Guihard Brand (D93); Annette Muller (E95) wltf Cindy Bullock (R95); Paul Anderson (R98) wltf Nigel Ward (R98) and Laura Pia (D99)
Doncaster Reunion (above) Doncaster was the venue for a recent reunion of friends who met as undergraduates at Kent 25 years ago. Those attending were (l-r) David Clark R82, Sarah Lanham (née Brewster) E82, Gill Jones (née Langdon-Davies) E82, Julie Brabazon (née Richards) R82, Andy Sully R82, Antonia Clark (née Mitchell) D82 and Colin Brabazon R82.
Kent Magazine Obituaries
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Obituaries
Dr David Shrimpton 1954~2007
Deaths: Since the last issue of KENT went to press, we have learned of the deaths of the following alumni, staff and friends. If you would like to be put in touch with the families or friends of anyone listed here, please let us know. We may be able to help.
It is with great sadness that the Computing Laboratory mourns the death of David Shrimpton, who died on Saturday 29 December 2007 in the Kent and Canterbury Hospital. David was diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas and bile duct in January 2007 and, throughout his illness, was remarkably positive about his condition and his circumstances, and was very much helped in this by his wife, Terry, and his children Ian and Hannah.
Alumni: Sara Cristina Aires Alves R04 Helen Blackwell K96 Karen Boddy (née Morris) R70 Peggy Brunt R96 James Carter K99 Simon Carter E77 Natasha Collins D95 Brian Crook K98 Martyn Dryden K66 Jordan Farrara D04 Paul Harris E67 Katie Hayes K99 Valerie Journet E92 Robert Kempson K74 Annabel Kinnear D00 Ralph Lownie D83 Christopher McCarten R67 John Milner R86 Gillian Smith R88 Felicity Warnock (née Edge) K76. Staff and friends: Daniel Boucher, honorary graduate 2004. David Shrimpton, Computing. Douglas Wood, Honorary Senior Member of Rutherford.
After a first career in mental health nursing, David studied Computer Science at Oxford Brookes University, remaining there to complete his PhD and subsequently as a member of staff. In 1998, David joined the Computing Laboratory at Kent as a Lecturer, and, in his nine years in the department, he contributed hugely to its life and work. In his most recent role as Head of Teaching, it was David’s role to negotiate and agree staff teaching loads, and he always accomplished this onerous task smoothly and with great good humour. The reason that it ran so well - and this was something that he brought to all his interactions with students and staff - was his uncanny ability to understand other people, and what made them tick. This empathy made David an excellent teacher, on both undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as an outstanding PhD supervisor, who will be very much missed by his present and past research students.
When David joined the Lab his main research interests were in distributed systems and support for multimedia applications, particularly the convergence of digital television and internet technologies. This led more recently to interest in many aspects of the World Wide Web. David played a key role as evangelist for new web technologies, and had taught a number of tutorials for the World Organization of Webmasters. Its Executive Director, Bill Cullifer, said: “David was an amazing man and he’ll be missed.” David was also the Computing Lab’s representative on the World Wide Web Consortium; the Chief Executive of the W3C, Steve Bratt, also extended his condolences to David’s friends and family. In tribute to David’s life and work, the Computing Laboratory will be planting a tree on the campus later in the spring. Professor Simon Thompson Head of the Computing Laboratory
Kent Magazine Kent Union
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KentUnion
Student newspaper InQuire is available online at www.inquirelive.co.uk It has been a busy start to the year for Kent Union, beginning with the refurbishment of Rutherford Bar. The old bar was in desperate need of a makeover, and during the Christmas vacation, it has been transformed into a beautiful, stylish and comfortable space. We’ve also introduced a fantastic new Mediterranean style menu. In addition to this, you might not know that Woody’s was rejuvenated over last summer putting the ‘pub feel’ back into a campus favourite.
www.inquirelive.co.uk, aims to be the most up to date source of student news and provide a forum for views at Kent. It also means that alumni can now read every issue.
As Kent is now a multisite university, with students at a number of campuses across Kent and also in continental Europe, Kent Union tries to make sure that students at our associate and partner colleges get the same representation and experiences of university life as those Canterbury Student Radio at the main Canterbury campus. We have just (CSR), the UK’s first recruited a new Advice student led community and Outreach worker to FM radio station had its first birthday in January. help Kent Union interact with students at other The first year has been campuses and to ensure fantastic with input from that they can get advice hundreds of Kent and from a qualified student Christ Church students adviser on the site where as well as students they study. from local schools and colleges. The radio This year’s Varsity has station broadcasts across just ended, seeing Kent Canterbury on 97.4FM reign victorious over with a mix of music, talk Christchurch once again. shows, live events and Over 30 sports teams more recently coverage competed to beat the of the Kent Union AGM. friendly rivals with a We are currently looking final score of 21-6. Our for External Directors BUSA teams are having for Canterbury Youth a fantastic year with 13 and Student Media (the company that oversees the teams going through to knockout rounds. The running of CSR) so if you first three weeks of this are interested in taking year have been dedicated part, please email Joe to a ‘Fresh Start’ Cooper at J.R.Cooper@ campaign, trying to get kent.ac.uk for more all students on campus information. active and thinking about their overall health. The InQuire (which you may campaign, run by Sports remember in its previous Sabbatical Tom Marsh, incarnations as KRED and InCant) has just been has been highly successful launched online thanks to with a charity fun-run which raised over £300, a grant from the Annual workshops on stress Fund. The InQuire reduction and access to team wanted to create sports for students with electronic, interactive, disabilities on campus. informative space for students and the website,
Louise Shaw R02 Marketing Communications Co-ordinator Kent Union
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02 01. Student life 02. Gulbenkian café bar 03. Rutherford bar
KENT Events Here are some of the events planned for the next few months. A full calendar of University events is available at www.kent.ac.uk/whatson
3 May 2008 Universities at Medway Boat Race The Esplanade Rochester 15 May 2008 First 500 Dinner National Liberal Club London 16 May 2008 Open Lecture: Launch of the Centre for Gender, Sexuality and Writing Professor Rachel Bowlby, UCL 6pm Brabourne Lecture Theatre Canterbury campus
4 June 2008 Renaissance Lecture Gary Taylor on Middleton – ‘Our other Shakespeare’ 6pm Brabourne Lecture Theatre Canterbury campus 7 June 2008 ArtsFest A day of music, arts and drama on the Canterbury campus. www.kent.ac.uk/music 21 June 2008 Open Day, Medway campus www.kent.ac.uk/openday
30 May 2008 Open Lecture: Early discoveries in microscopy Professor Brian Ford, 6pm Brabourne Lecture Theatre Canterbury campus
ONLINE Giftshop
Created exclusively for Kent students, alumni and friends • Jewellery • Ties and scarves • Classic memorabilia
www.kent.ac.uk/giftshop
5 July 2008 Open Day, Canterbury campus www.kent.ac.uk/openday 8, 9, 10 July 2008 Degree Congregations Canterbury Cathedral 11 July 2008 Medway School of Pharmacy Graduation Ceremony Medway Campus 11 July 2008 Benefactors’ Garden Party, by special invitation Vice-Chancellor’s Residence Canterbury
2 October 2008 Brussels alumni reception Time TBC 4 October 2008 Open Day, Canterbury campus www.kent.ac.uk/openday 11 October 2008 Open Day, Medway campus www.kent.ac.uk/openday 19 November 2008 Degree Congregations Rochester Cathedral 21 November 2008 Degree Congregations Canterbury Cathedral