WLVDialogue - January 2010

WLVdialogue January 2010 | Issue 7 | University of Wolverhampton | www.wlv.ac.uk

EAST MEETS WEST University’s relationship with Hong Kong

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WINTER BLUES Beating Seasonal Affective Disorder

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CYBER FRIENDS The rapid growth of social networking

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Welcome

inside

January 2010 | Issue 7 | www.wlv.ac.uk

W

elcome to the first 2010 edition of WLVdialogue.

We’re delighted to be able to announce that we won a silver award in the Best Newspaper/ Magazine category at the Midlands PRide Awards, which recognise excellence in public relations. We always welcome any ideas and feedback to help us improve in the future.

In this month’s issue, we look at how texting is affecting literacy skills and whether it’s having an influence on the language we use.

There’s also news of how we’re preparing students for future employment with our innovative new project Learning Works. Find out more on pages six and seven.

Some pupils struggle with the core subjects of Maths and English. We have news of how our students are successfully working as academic coaches to help improve results and raise aspirations.

During the Winter months, many people suffer from a touch of the blues. For others, more serious symptoms are a sign of Seasonal Affective Disorder. We have expert advice from sport psychologist Professor Andy Lane about how exercise can help on pages 12 and 13.

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On pages 16 and 17 we have the truly inspirational story of former soldier Stuart Trow. His leg was amputated below the knee after he was hit by three bullets while involved in operations with the SAS in Afghanistan.

Despite his injuries, he has still managed to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in order to raise funds for Help the Heroes and is now studying Physical Education with us.

Elsewhere, we have a Q&A with our new Chairman of Governors, Michael Elliott, as well as our Dean of the School of Law, Social Sciences and Communications, Dr Judith Burnett. There’s also an interview with Green and Black’s chocolate founder Jo Fairley who offers an insight into her business success, and news of our Hong Kong graduation and alumni association.

We hope you enjoy this latest issue of WLVdialogue.

If you’d like to send us your views, feedback or comments please email: wlvdialogue@wlv.ac.uk Our next edition will be out in April.

Best wishes Emma Kilvert WLVdialogue Editor

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contents

NEWS The legacy of hope – Annual lecture to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

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Txt Spk: the Gr8 Db8 – How texting is affecting literacy skills

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Preparing for future success – University announces new curriculum

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Rising to the challenge – Mentoring to raise aspirations in schools

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RESEARCH Circle of cyber friends – The growth of social networking websites

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Beating the winter blues – Advice on how to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder

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Txt Spk

PROFILE Making a difference – Q&A with Dean of the School of Law, Social Sciences and Communications, Dr Judith Burnett

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FEATURE Lessons in courage – The inspirational tale of student Stuart Trow

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BUSINESS Career Fair – Green & Black’s founder Jo Fairley offers her tips for success

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Cyber friends

INTERNATIONAL East meets west – A peek at the Hong Kong graduation ceremony and alumni association

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PEOPLE Cultural direction – Q&A with new Chairman of the Board of Governors, Michael Elliott

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Graduate success story – Businessman Everton H. Flemmings

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WHAT’S ON GUIDE Events coming up at the University

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Career Fair

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The le gacy of hop eg of hope

Each year the University of Wolverhampton hosts a Holocaust Memorial Lecture.

The event commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27 and a guest speaker is invited to share their experiences. This year the University welcomed Dr Martin Stern.

He clearly feels strongly that the lessons from that period of history must not be forgotten.

“Despite the ‘never again’ resolve after the Holocaust, genocides and similar mass killings have continued ever since, whilst hate propaganda continues the preparation for others,” he says.

D

uring dark times, there are often glimmers of hope. These can be simple acts of kindness or astonishing acts of bravery for the sake of others. Although a time of torture, death and horror, the Holocaust was a period when instances of human generosity and courage made a real difference to other people’s lives, giving them a reason to believe in the possibility of a future.

The theme of Holocaust Memorial Day 2010 is ‘the legacy of hope’ and this seemed particularly relevant to this year’s University of Wolverhampton lecture. Dr Martin Stern was arrested when he was aged just five, and although he suffered extreme hardship in the concentration camps, he also experienced kindness from fellow inmates and friends.

Martin is now retired from his successful career and is involved in educating others about both good and bad behaviour during the Second World War. The father-of-three has published a booklet, titled Martin and Erica’s Journey, about his own experiences and that of his younger sister during the Holocaust.

Martin was born in the Netherlands in 1938 to a Jewish architect and his non-Jewish German wife, who were refugees from Berlin. His father was forced to go into hiding following the Nazi invasion, and was eventually captured and sent to Auschwitz and then Buchenwald concentration camp, where he died. Martin was hidden by friends of his parents in Amsterdam – near the house where the young Anne Frank penned her diary during the same period.

Martin was arrested at school in 1944 and he and his one-year-old sister Erica were sent to Westerbork transit camp in the Netherlands and then to Theresienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. Conditions were appalling, with many Jewish people dying from starvation or disease, or deportation to an extermination camp. The vast majority of the 15,000 children who entered were gassed in Auschwitz. But again, Martin experienced great kindness, this time from a Dutch lady, who kept him and Erica in the women’s dormitories.

Once liberated, Martin returned to the Netherlands but was refused a Jewish upbringing. Eventually he was transferred to his Jewish family in Manchester. He went to Manchester Grammar School and then to Oxford University to study Medicine, becoming a Clinical Immunologist specialising in asthma and allergies. He is married with three married children and four grand-daughters.

His lecture at the University looked at his own experiences, and the extremes of bad and good behaviour during the Holocaust, and the psychology underlying this. He also talked about the issues of educating children about genocide, which is obviously necessary but not without pitfalls. Martin also considered whether hope was justified, given that there have been more than 50 genocide-like events since the Holocaust.

He says: “Research has taught us a lot about perpetrators, rescuers and causes of genocide. Academia is a vital part of our hope but can be corrupted. University research and open academic debate play a vital role in mankind’s future.”

Professor Dieter Steinert organises the Annual Memorial Day Lecture at the University.

Recent speakers have included Auschwitz survivor Gabor Hirsch and Steven Frank, who, like Martin, spent time in Westerbork and Theresienstadt concentration camps.

The lecture provides an opportunity for students and staff to learn more about this period of history, and remember those who lost their lives.

“University research and open academic debate play a vital role in mankind’s future.”

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news

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Txt Spk - thebGr8 – the Gr8 Db8

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magine a world without text messaging. Would the office be a better place without the annoying beep of a text arriving on a colleague’s phone, and a night out with a friend be more enjoyable if they weren’t checking their handbag or pocket to see if they had any messages? And crucially, is texting harming people’s levels of literacy?

In a recent poll on the University of Wolverhampton’s website, 76% of people said they thought text speak was endangering literacy. More than 2,000 people voted in the poll, illustrating the strength of feeling about the issue.

For Tom Dickins, Course Leader for Linguistics in the School of Law, Social Sciences and Communications, the results are not surprising.

In some quarters, it is a commonly held view that we should protect language and many people instinctively feel there is something sacrosanct about ‘correct’ forms of language.

But it can be seen that language is constantly evolving, and has been changing for centuries.

“In the 15th Century for example, there was a major vowel shift, and many of the long vowel sounds that people use now, especially in standard pronunciation, bear little resemblance to the vowels used in the 1400s. But some of the vowel sounds still found in the Midlands and in other regional dialects are a reflection of older forms of English.

“Every language is changing, all the time, particularly in terms of vocabulary. English currently seems fairly immune to the influences of other languages, except for areas such as food and martial arts, but other languages are borrowing huge numbers of terms from English at the moment,” Tom explains.

Linguistics experts such as David Crystal, author of Txting: the Gr8 Db8, argue that the overall effect of texting on language is pretty negligible.

Tom agrees: “The fact that people text is not going to adversely affect the development of English but there is some evidence that in order to text you need to be able to manipulate language. The process of engaging with the written word may actually contribute to an improvement in children’s cognitive abilities.

Their literacy skills and awareness of how language works may directly benefit as a result of their using the written language more often.

“Texting has quite significant creative possibilities. You can play with words, ideas and language, in a way which may help you to develop a deeper understanding of language.”

The main criticisms of text speak are that it is a lazy form of communication and children who use it do not acquire the skills necessary to develop more ‘sophisticated’ forms of expression. An additional negative levelled at text speak centres on the fact that children use too many abbreviations and this poses a threat to standard usage. Text speak essentially involves using a mixture of single letters, numerals and symbols to represent words or parts of words, known as “rebuses”.

An example would be “Gd 2 c u”. But as Tom observes, abbreviations have been around for decades and are now widely accepted as part of the English language.

“Some people see abbreviations as harmful for the language but forget we use them all the time. Examples include initialisms such as CIA and USA and acronyms like NATO or AIDS, and even commonplace phrases like Man Utd and the telly. It is not as if this use of letters came in as a result of texting – DIY, RIP, RSVP and SOS have existed for years and have nothing to do with texting.

“Quite a lot of text speak is just short forms we use naturally and constitutes a more succinct means of getting a message across. It is easy to see it as a crude bastardisation of language, but if you can save money by using one text instead of two then you will.

The fact that people are using abbreviated forms is fine - as long as the person receiving the message understands, then that is not affecting communication.”

However there are potential problems in the form of punctuation use.

Tom says: “Overall, it is difficult to substantiate the claim that texting is adversely affecting children’s language development, although potential problems may exist in the use of punctuation. It could be argued that texting may be harming their ability to use apostrophes, capital letters, full stops and such, but it must be remembered that they are exposed to correct usage in a wide range of other forums.”

In a broader sense, knowledge of language can be used to solve crimes. Forensic linguistics has been used in high profile cases, for example in the form of voice analysis which can be used to establish where someone is from, their gender, age, social and geographical background and ethnicity.

And even the Queen’s English has changed over the last 30 years. Australian and German linguists have compared recordings of the Queen now with three decades ago and found that nowadays her vowels have become more similar to the norms of standard received pronunciation. Language is changing all the time - most obviously in the last 10 years due to technological advances and popular culture.

Tom argues that language tends to change in quite subtle ways that sometimes people do not necessarily notice.

Texting itself is changing. The new Apple iPhones have a ‘Qwerty’ keyboard format for texts, and Tom thinks it will be interesting to see how this affects people’s approach to messaging. It can also be seen that forms of writing and speaking are changing all the time.

For example, people use different registers and styles of writing for emails than they would in a formal letter.

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As Tom says: “There is an assumption that language does not change and there are right and wrong forms of language. But there is no such thing as a single style of speaking. We all vary the way we speak and write constantly – the vocabulary, the pronunciation, the tone and use of colloquialisms.

“Most linguists would argue that, far from being a reflection of laziness, text speak is a practical and efficient solution to the constraints imposed by mobile phones.”

If you would like to learn more about studying linguistics at the University of Wolverhampton, visit: www.wlv.ac.uk/lssc

“Texting has quite significant creative possibilities. You can play with words, ideas and language.”

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Preparing forb

for future success

Changing times call for a changing curriculum. The University of Wolverhampton has launched a new initiative to prepare students for the world they face when they graduate.

Learning Works will equip them for the challenges ahead.

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hen students embark on their University journey, they have high hopes for the future.

The University of Wolverhampton understands that it takes more than a degree to stand out in a competitive jobs market. And a new project that refocuses the curriculum at the University aims to ensure graduates will have the skills and attributes necessary to achieve their goals.

Learning Works has been developed with a view to giving Wolverhampton graduates the necessary personal and professional skills to help prepare them for a society which is constantly evolving.

Students will be offered a work placement, the opportunity to run their own businesses, volunteering, mentoring, or an international study visit, to prepare them for employment.

There will also be a more diverse range of teaching methods and different blended learning strategies.

The project has received the seal of approval from the Students’ Union (SU), who believe it will strongly resonate with applicants and will benefit students throughout their higher education journey. The SU is continuing to work very closely with the University to ensure that the student experience stays at the heart of the project and that appropriate transitional arrangements are in place for current students.

Will Varnam, Academic Vice-President for the SU, says: “The Students’ Union is enthusiastic about Learning Works and the benefits it will bring to the student experience. We’re really focused on this change and very optimistic.

Learning Works marks a real change about how things are going to be at Wolverhampton.”

Over the last year, all courses were reviewed to make sure that they are suited to student needs and demand and will prepare students for employment. As part of this the University listened to students, employers and professional bodies.

Learning Works includes a shift from 15 to 20 credit modules, which means students will study fewer modules, allowing for better resourcing, a more flexible timetable, fewer assessments and a deeper understanding of course topics. There will also be increased opportunities for blended learning, combining innovative new digital learning with traditional techniques.

Students will have more opportunities than ever to develop skills beyond their academic learning. They will have the chance to become involved with community groups, access business expertise and develop their own company through the SPEED (Student

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news

The Wolverhampton Graduate Through Learning Works, three key attributes have been identified for the Wolverhampton Graduate to ensure that they have the skills they need to develop themselves personally and professionally and to meet the needs of future employers: Placements for Entrepreneurs in Education) scheme, and demonstrate their potential leadership by mentoring international students.

In addition, two new Institutes have been created, bringing together different disciplines which will support new forms of student learning. The new Institutes, in Media Arts and Gaming and Animation, will benefit students and provide vital industry links. They will nurture students in an environment that builds on IT, design and critical skills and is informed by the business needs of those sectors.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Caroline Gipps says: “We aim to produce graduates who are digitally literate, knowledgeable and enterprising – open to new ideas, creative in their thinking and ‘go-getting’ – whatever their course, and with a global outlook on life.

We believe that our new programmes will provide students with the key skills and knowledge they need to equip them for the changing world of business and the professions that they will be entering.

“Wolverhampton has always had a strong focus on employability and in this difficult economic climate it is even more important to provide our graduates with skills that employers value. We’ve taken our existing strengths and built on them.”

For more information see: www.wlv.ac.uk/learningworks.

Digitally Literate Wolverhampton graduates will be confident using advanced technology, understanding the latest professional software and creatively using digital information.

Knowledgeable and Enterprising They will have gained experience through exposure to live projects and placements with businesses. Those with business ideas will have been encouraged through entrepreneurial initiatives.

Global Citizens They will have a truly international outlook.

Having had the opportunity to participate in overseas exchanges or mentor international students, they will have a global perspective which will benefit them personally and professionally.

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Rising to b Ri

the challenge

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ith Maths and English at the heart of the secondary school curriculum, it is important for pupils to achieve success in these core subjects.

Some find it harder than others to reach their academic goals and need additional support.

Now, a new initiative launched by the Black Country Children’s Services Improvement Partnership (BCCSIP), part of the University’s Education Partnerships department, is offering one-to-one mentoring for pupils to help boost their confidence – and their grades.

University of Wolverhampton Maths and English students are trained to go into schools across the region as academic coaches. The main aim is to improve results and academic focus but because of the positive nature of their work, it is proving beneficial in many ways for all involved.

Professor of Education, Mick Waters and Jan Roman, Deputy Director of Education Partnerships, wanted to support schools in the Black Country in improving standards.

Along with Gayle Cosnett, Project Manager for the secondary strand of Black Country Challenge, a partnership to boost regional educational performance, they decided student coaching could have very positive results.

They approached Matt Bates, who works parttime for the University as Student Mentoring Co-ordinator and also independently as an Educational Consultant, about the possibility of using students to work in schools on a parttime basis, with a view to providing additional support with English and Maths.

A pilot scheme was initially set up last year with 13 students. It proved so successful that it has since been expanded. There are now more than 60 academic coaches trained to go into 30 schools across the Black Country.

The initiative is also raising aspirations for youngsters in the region. Students talk about coming to university and encourage pupils to think about their future and consider higher education.

The students undertake training, which takes place at the weekend so they don’t lose valuable lecturing time. It covers areas such as not making assumptions, building rapport and relationships, personality types and profiles, communication, questioning skills and listening skills. They combine these important skills with their subject expertise to offer individual help to pupils.

Once trained, the coaches work with Year 10 and 11 pupils and spend up to 16 hours a week at their placement school.

Matt says: “The coaches are role models to the young people and we’re finding that pupils relate well to them. We’re really pleased with the feedback we have received; all the schools have been really positive. They say it has helped the children and their results were better.”

Gayle has been working closely with the schools involved to devise appropriate programmes for them to ensure the initiative meets their needs. She has been very pleased by the comments from schools who say the coaches are a very valuable asset and teachers are grateful for the additional support.

They have also seen an improvement in their results.

“The biggest impact we’ve had was in one particular school where an academic coach was working with a pupil who was predicted a Grade D. Her positive experience led to her achieving a B Grade, far exceeding early expectations.”

In addition, Matt stresses the benefit to the student coaches themselves, who are able to earn money while gaining experience in schools, as well as developing their life skills.

“They have found it really excellent. The skills they learn are transferable to other areas of their lives.”

He says there is no typical academic coach; a diverse range of students have been keen to take part, aged from 18-50.

“It’s a great experience which is really rewarding, particularly when they can see that they’ve helped someone reach their potential.

The scheme has made some of them consider teaching as a career – some have even been offered permanent jobs within the schools.”

Among those who have benefited is Sadia Shariff, who is extremely enthusiastic about the scheme. She had been passionate about getting into teaching and found her experience as an academic coach very useful.

She says: “I joined BCCSIP half-way through my second year. This really encouraged me and I am continuing at Bristnall Hall Technology College and enjoying my time there very much.

I have come to know the students and staff there and feel free to communicate with them.

I have now decided to take my Graduate Teacher Training Programme at that school.”

The academic coaching scheme is one of many run by the University with the aim of raising aspirations and supporting Maths and English.

Another scheme, Maths Futures, focuses on gifted and talented youngsters, with the hope that they will become mentors themselves in the future.

Matt says another positive aspect of the academic coaching is that it encourages pupils themselves to become coaches or mentors to younger schoolchildren.

“It’s a very positive waterfall effect,” he says.

With role models like Sadia and her fellow academic coaches, pupils are sure to be inspired in more ways than one.

For more information about the work of Education Partnerships see www.wlv. ac.uk/educationpartnerships.

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news

“The coaches are role models to young people”

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C rcle of Ci

cyber friends

S

tephen Fry does it. Jonathan Ross does it. Even Al Gore, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Boris Johnson do it. ‘Tweeting’ has become something of a phenomenon, with stars and politicians writing updates from their exciting days for their friends and fans. And Twitter is not the only social network to make headlines – Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and others have such a large following that it is now quite rare to meet someone who does not have a profile on one of these sites.

The appeal and issues surrounding these sometimes controversial social networks has led to a growth in academic research in this area. The University of Wolverhampton has a number of leading experts working in this field, from perspectives such as the psychology and social behaviour of users and informetrics, which measures the value of web pages. The interest in research is such that the University of Wolverhampton is set to host the first Social Networking and Cyberspace conference in April this year. The conference aims to raise the profile of research at the University and provide an opportunity for researchers to share ideas.

Dr Chris Fullwood is an expert in internet psychology and one of the organisers of the conference. His research focuses on chat room behaviour, the social support offered by the internet and how individuals manage and manipulate people’s impressions of them online.

He says: “Some people behave very similarly online as they do offline, while others create different personas. Certain environments allow people to adopt different personas more easily.

“Some people find their ‘real me’ online – they prefer to be online as they feel they can be themselves. In many ways the online world is more egalitarian, more equal. But as with everything, it depends on the individual.”

In an online world, people have more control over how they present themselves. They can create a favourable impression online, and even tinker with images and manipulate the way their interests and work life is presented.

But this can still cause problems.

“It can be a strain on how people present themselves. When you go on a date, or an interview or are out with friends then you present yourself differently and decide which bits to bring to the forefront for the occasion.

But a site like Facebook puts across one identity and people will be judging you on that information and could make incorrect assessments from that,” Chris explains.

How to have good ‘netiquette’ Damian Ballam is a Visiting Lecturer in Psychology and is also currently doing a PhD focusing on behaviour in social networks. In particular he has investigated the new norms of behaviour online or “netiquette”.

After speaking to focus groups, Damian found that people had concerns about facilities such as ‘tagging’ people in photographs, which means the image appears on the person’s profile, and ‘Top Friends’ lists to rank their pals. Some people felt that uploading pictures and tagging them was poor etiquette as it ignored their right to privacy, while others were offended if they were not tagged. Individuals also have different approaches to who they ‘accept’ as their friends. Some reported accepting requests from strangers, but some were very guarded and only confirmed close friends.

Damian says: “Online, the boundaries between your own and others’ spaces, between private and public, are blurred. We don’t present ourselves in the same way to everyone we know in everyday life; our boundaries of personal space can be very different with close friends, family, acquaintances and colleagues.

The Social Networking in Cyberspace conference is organised by the Wolverhampton Internet and Technology Society (WITS) and the Statistical Cybermetrics Research Group at the University of Wolverhampton. The conference takes place on Friday, 23 April 2010 at the Lighthouse Media Centre and is sponsored by the University’s Research Centre in Applied Sciences (RCAS).

The keynote speakers will be Professor Mike Thelwall, from the University of Wolverhampton, and Dr Monica Whitty from Nottingham Trent University.

For details about the event, please email SNIC@wlv.ac.uk

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research

But as everyone is categorised as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site, we give many people the same access to us online despite the different relationships to us face-to-face.”

There is also an issue of control. People can alter their images and project a favourable impression of themselves, but they have less control about what people write on their profile ‘wall’ and the comments they write on photographs.

“Anything you say in a wall post or comment is visible to all your friends. In everyday life you would not say something that everybody could hear. Everything is publicly visible in a way that it is not in everyday life,” Damian adds.

Online networking as social support One of the most interesting aspects of research into social networks is the support offered by chat rooms or forums. Chris Fullwood has published a paper, Comforting Communication in Online Epilepsy Forum, in the Journal of Cyber Therapy and Rehabilitation looking into the help offered by chat rooms.

Chris says: “The general appeal is that we can connect with someone who has suffered from a similar illness or disease. The online world can be very beneficial for people suffering from a condition that may be stigmatised.

Anonymity seemed to be an important factor in allowing people to discuss their thoughts and feelings. People may feel more able to open up and talk about things that are private

or embarrassing. Certain things are missing from this form of communication, such as physical contact, but there are benefits such as disinhibition.”

But for those of us still left wondering why people feel the need to have lists of friends online and post pictures of themselves on holiday or on a night out, Chris has an answer for the general appeal of these sites.

“There are millions of people who use Facebook and the universal appeal is the human need to feel part of something, part of a social circle. Communities are not as close as they were – people don’t know their neighbours and move away from their families.

But these sites provide a social support network, and that is important for people.”

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Beating the

winter blues

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research

D

ark nights and cold weather give most people a touch of the winter blues, particularly after the festive period comes to an end.

For some, however, the effects are much more serious and long-lasting. An estimated seven per cent of the UK population suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), particularly during the winter months. SAD is thought to be caused by a biochemical imbalance in the brain brought on by a lack of sunlight when days are shorter.

Research has shown that the brain’s chemistry is affected by the amount of light entering the eye, influencing chemicals which control the body’s daily rhythms and mood. Melatonin is a hormone that signals it is night time and causes drowsiness as the body is encouraged to sleep. On dark winter mornings and dull grey days, melatonin levels can stay too high. As a result, some find it difficult to get going, and may experience symptoms of SAD. Another contributing factor is low serotonin levels, which are also a common feature in those with depression. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that responds to levels of light, so when it’s dark, grey and overcast outside, people can be left feeling low.

Symptoms can differ from person to person.

Some find they eat and sleep slightly more and take a general dislike to the dark mornings and short days. These people are likely to be suffering from a milder form of the condition, commonly referred to as the winter blues.

SAD symptoms are more severe and can cause disruption and considerable amounts of distress to a person’s life. These can include depression, sleep problems, over-eating and anxiety which bring misery to sufferers, who often dread the winter.

But the outlook for those who suffer from the condition isn’t all gloomy. There are things they can do to help themselves.

Awareness of SAD is increasing and there are positive steps which can be taken to improve associated problems.

He says those who suffer from SAD may work in offices and spend the whole day in artificial light, which is unnatural.

Professor Andy Lane, from the University’s School of Sport, Performing Arts and Leisure, is one of the country’s leading sport and exercise psychologists whose research includes the effects of exercise on mood changes. He believes physical activity, particularly outdoors, can be very beneficial for sufferers.

“I would suggest to people that they consider some reflection and analysis of what time they do have and when they have a choice over what they do. If there is time in the day they should try to be flexible and if they can’t get out in the morning or evening, try to find some availability during their lunch hours and at weekends.

He was among those whose expertise was called on when light therapy specialist Lumie offered a recent online support network called Blue Monday.

Professor Lane took part in a live Q&A offering advice via an online SAD clinic, held throughout November and December. Many sufferers logged on to find about the benefits of exercise and whether they should try to embark on a regular routine.

He says: “A great deal of evidence shows that exercise is associated with enhanced emotions. People go into an exercise class in an unpleasant mood and report feeling more uplifted at the end.”

He accepts that many people find it much harder to motivate themselves during the winter and advises that they should not put pressure on themselves to follow a set routine.

“The key thing is to be flexible,” he says. “It’s important to make the most of the daylight hours you have and get out when you can.

Any physical activity will have a positive effect but that is greatly enhanced when people exercise outdoors.”

If people can build just 20 minutes of activity into their day it will be beneficial - even if it’s just walking to get a newspaper.”

There’s no easy solution for SAD sufferers but exercise is something they can put in their toolkit to repair their negative moods. Professor Lane advises people to set themselves shortterm goals, be opportunistic about the weather and try to find some form of exercise that they enjoy, come rain or shine.

“Any physical activity will have a positive effect but that is greatly enhanced when people excercise outdoors.”

Professor Lane says many people feel they have to exercise vigorously to feel any benefits but that this is a common misconception. They may also get disheartened if they cannot stick to their schedule.

He believes that a small amount of activity can make a real difference to mood and wellbeing.

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Making Asperati a difference

D

r Judith Burnett is Dean of the School of Law, Social Sciences and Communications.

Dr Burnett joined the University of Wolverhampton from the University of East London in January 2009 and has led the merger of the School of Legal Studies with the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences to form a unique portfolio including Deaf Studies, Policing, Broadcasting, and world leading research strength in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Her background is in Sociology, Politics and the theatre, and she is Vice Chair of the British Sociological Association.

What does your work at the University involve?

I am leading one of the most dynamic and exciting schools in the area of law, social sciences, humanities and communication in a modern British university. My job is to make sure that our students access the highest level of teaching and research expertise in areas such as history, politics and war studies, media, English, Deaf Studies, criminal justice and the social sciences. We teach people from all over the world in law, media and English language and look after our collaborative partnerships in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Poland, Cyprus, Siberia and India. Our job is to promote opportunities to the West Midlands as well, including professional development and courses for all kinds of businesses and services such as West Midlands Police.

What do you enjoy most about the role and find most rewarding?

Seeing students and colleagues growing and learning and knowing that we are really making a difference.

What is your greatest professional achievement?

Teaching and working with a group of unemployed car workers from Dagenham a few years ago. I first taught them at foundation level study, saw them through to graduation and was delighted when one of them went on to study a PhD in the poetry of working class life.

My interests reflect that, so I have researched strategies of community cohesion and empowerment. I have also worked in community theatre and the arts and have developed an academic interest in the sociology of generations, with a particular interest in how different generations develop wisdom, and how they pass their learning on.

The School of Law, Social Sciences and Communications covers a broad range of subjects. How do you think studying a course at the School prepares students for the world of work today?

In order to make headway in the world of work, students have to be opportunistic, with excellent communication skills and the ability to understand what is required. They have to be broad minded, analytical and not only willing to learn, but also very good at managing their own learning. The subjects in this School provide an excellent education for the school of life which follows. Some of the specific skills of higher level literacy and numeracy, and good production and presentation skills will in themselves often secure an interview in the first place. Our students go on to work in a very wide range of sectors from the uniformed services to health education, and from the public sector to media, marketing and law.

You also have an interest in the theatre.

What is your favourite kind of theatre and why?

Depending on my mood I am quite happy to sit through three hours of solid Greek drama, surrounded by people wearing black polonecks! Then again I also enjoy a good old fashioned musical and love physical theatre, the circus and travelling troupes. I don’t much like drawing room dramas, a bit too polite for me...

What advice would you offer to students considering higher education?

Going into higher education will broaden your horizons and change your life. Ask as many questions as you can when you are making your choices and then follow your heart: Go for it!

Your background is in Social Sciences, including Politics and Sociology. What have been your main interests?

I am interested in social change and developing people and communities to reach their full potential. I believe that systems and structures don’t have to be oppressive, although they often are.

If you were at University today, what subject would you like to study or research?

If I had my time again, I would still choose the social sciences but would do it in combination with something like planetary science. I think the universe is fascinating.

Which famous people do you admire and why?

Mo Mowlam, for her contribution to peace in Ireland because she said, like women do, “Let’s talk”. American novelist and essayist Philip K. Dick, for having some great ideas and making me smile, and Eric Hobsbawm for his autobiography, told through the eyes of a critical historian.

Do you have ambitions you still wish to fulfil?

I’d like to see if I can grow a banana tree north of Watford Gap! I’d also like to retire when I’m ready to and see the world.

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profile

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Lessons S

tuart Trow wouldn’t describe himself as a hero, but for those who meet the 33-yearold, it is hard to see him as anything else.

Four weeks into a tour of duty in Afghanistan, Stuart suffered horrific injuries when he was shot three times in a fierce battle with Taliban forces. Hit first in the thigh, then the knee and finally his hip, the young soldier suffered huge internal bleeding. His own quick thinking and the bravery of his army comrades saved his life, but he was faced with a completely different future than he had ever envisaged when he was given the devastating news that he needed an operation to amputate his left leg from below the knee. He was the first casualty of the war in Afghanistan.

“The guys who dragged me to safety and the experience of the doctor on the helicopter saved my life. But my fitness also saved me that day – if I had been slightly overweight or older I would have died.”

A lifelong fitness fanatic and keen footballer, the then 25-year-old had to learn to walk again and was fitted with an artificial leg. Although offered a desk job in the army, Stuart had always been an active person and decided to take a medical discharge.

He says: “Sometimes I do miss the army, but I never dwell on it or let it get me down.”

Determined to keep active, Stuart swims and cycles regularly and would love to qualify for the Paralympic cycling team. And earlier this year, he decided to enrol on a BA (Hons) Physical Education course at the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Education, based in Walsall.

“Sport was a big part of my life, and I had been through quite a lot and thought I had quite a lot to offer as a teacher, so it seemed a logical route to go down.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” he admits. “But I visited and chatted to the lecturers before I started and explained that I was an amputee.

in courage

It was new for them but they were happy to take me on, and it is a well run course. The sports facilities, pitches and track are fantastic and I think it does help being a mature student because you have life experience and don’t have to worry about being accepted.”

Stuart enjoys the practical side of the course, particularly the hands-on aspects of coaching and teaching, as he has done similar things before in his military career.

“The academic side and the coursework is a massive learning curve, but I am enjoying the challenge. When I got my first assignment back I was really looking forward to it. When I was 18 I never thought about doing this – I thought it was not for me without even looking into it. But I would recommend people who are interested in sports come and have a look around.”

Stuart says his priority now is his University degree, and once he has completed his full-time, three-year course he will either do a Masters or a teacher training course. But he was still able to fit in another challenge before knuckling down to his studies, climbing to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in November to raise funds for Help For Heroes. Joined by other injured serviceman, including Craig, who is blind, and John who was told he would never walk again, Stuart reached the top of the tallest mountain in Africa in five gruelling days.

“It had been a number of years since I had been injured and as I got older, I felt lucky to be alive – I was seconds from being pronounced dead. I wanted to do something to help others,” he says.

“It was harder than I thought. The first three days were similar to things I had done in the military, but the last couple of days to the top were really steep and I was suffering from altitude sickness. When we started to come down I realised it was going to be a struggle because of the amputation. But it was good – and every day was different. It was a really good group and an inspiring experience.”

Stuart raised a staggering £20,000 with the challenge, which was featured on local and national TV. Although many things in his life must have felt uncertain at times, his girlfriend, now wife, Lisa, was a constant source of strength. The couple had not been together that long when Stuart was injured, and he initially thought she would be better off without him. But Lisa stuck

by Stuart, putting her own career on hold. The couple now have two daughters, Georgina, three, and 18-month-old Bethany and Lisa is doing an access to health course at Telford College of Art and Technology, with a view to a career in midwifery.

Stuart says: “I am back to some kind of normality now, but it has taken five or six years to reach that. Having my children makes it all worthwhile. To get through all that and then get married and have two children, I feel really lucky.”

But as the war in Afghanistan continues and the death toll rises, Stuart, like many people, can not help but be affected by the images on our television screens almost every night of injured serviceman and grieving families.

“We have been in Afghanistan a long time, and it has taken that long for me as an injured soldier to recover from that, physically and mentally. When I see it on the news, it is really sad and takes me back to the early days of my injury and what my wife and I went through. It is so regular and heartbreaking.”

Stuart has achieved a lot since that awful day in Afghanistan, and looks set to continue to build on this with his university studies. But what is most striking is that he is humble, unassuming and honest, and clearly aware of just how lucky he was.

“I don’t class myself as a hero – I see myself as anyone else. There are guys coming back injured who are 19, 20 or 21 years of age and I hope this shows them that there is light at the end of the tunnel – if we can do things like walk up Kilimanjaro, then there is no reason why they can’t.”

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feature

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Career Fair

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business certified Fairtrade. I would like to think that in the future the majority of products would be Fairtrade but we’re still a long way from that.

Jo’s commitment to ethics and corporate social responsibility has been at the heart of her business.

“For products to be successful they have to be as scrumptious and attractive as the mainstream offering. That’s the best way of converting somebody.”

She also encouraged would-be entrepreneurs not be to deterred by the current financial climate.

And the high cocoa content which gives Green and Black’s chocolate its distinctive taste was the key to converting a nation of chocoholics.

From the beginning, Jo has never advertised her products, preferring to allow people to try the chocolate for themselves through consumer shows, trade fairs and pr, a method that proved highly successful.

A

s a teenager, Jo Fairley bought herself a postcard with a picture of a man on a high diving board.

It was captioned: ‘If you don’t do it, you’ll never know what would have happened if you had.’

Those words inspired Jo to take risks but even she could never have predicted how huge her pioneering Green and Black’s brand would become.

Deemed ‘bigger than Marmite and cooler than Prada’ in an official ‘cool brand’ survey, the world’s first organic chocolate and UK’s first Fairtrade chocolate is a true global phenomenon.

This success is no happy accident; it’s the result of passion, motivation and hard graft. As Jo is fond of quoting: “Luck is what you have left over when you’ve given 100 per cent.”

The entrepreneur and self-confessed chocoholic describes herself as an ‘ecoveggie’ and has always been concerned about environmental issues.

“Even as a 15-year-old girl in the 70s I can remember putting my mother’s Mateus Rose bottles in the recycling bank,” she says.

She believes Fairtrade and organic should be wrapped up in one and is an advocate of shopping for small amounts of food rather than big supermarket shops with groaning carrier bags, which results in 30 per cent waste on average.

Fairtrade is a huge passion but she feels there is much work still to be done. “There’s no reason why any Third World crop could not be

It was the taste that won over Jo after a bar of delicious Fairtrade chocolate was sent to her husband, Craig Sams, founder of Whole Earth Foods. After trying it, she was hooked and decided, with Craig as a partner, to turn her passion into a business.

The initial challenge was to find the right name, which Jo believes was crucial. ‘Eco-choc’ might not have become the huge success story that Green and Black’s has been. The name was chosen to reflect the green issues that are so important to Jo and the darkness of the cocoa-rich product.

“It has had a lot of positive effects; chocolate lovers get great chocolate and cocoa farmers get an entirely new way of life. It’s hard to believe that 15 years ago nobody had really heard of Fairtrade.” Now there are more than 493 million products available.

The first of Jo’s chocolate bars to go on sale was the orange and spice Maya Gold. The fortunes of the Maya Indians in Belize who grow the cocoa have since been transformed, with seven times more village children attending secondary school. Green & Black’s has picked up a host of awards for entrepreneurial and ethical achievement, and was the first UK business to earn the Fairtrade mark.

Jo revealed her business journey to a packed audience when she gave an inspirational leadership seminar at Wolverhampton Science Park as part of the University’s Leadership and Development programme (LEAD).

Dean of Students, Jon Elsmore, was delighted to welcome Jo as one of the pioneers of the Fairtrade movement. The University was granted Fairtrade status in 2008 and is committed to making Fairtrade goods available.

“We actually founded in the last recession in 1991. I think the whole global financial meltdown could bring about a whole new culture of entrepreneurialism.”

She revealed the challenges she has overcome – from hurricanes which felled thousands of cocoa trees, to finances – and how she juggled a journalism career with her business, operating a “one-woman customer service” for eight years.

The Green and Black’s confectionary range is now owned by Cadbury’s, a company which impressed Jo by what it did for its workers and by the work it does for homeless people.

Although some people would be content with early retirement, Jo is still passionate about the brand she founded and is also consumed by her other businesses and interests. She is the author of more than a dozen books, contributing editor to the Mail on Sunday YOU magazine and chair of a Soil Association committee. Along with Craig she now runs an organic bakery and a health centre in Hastings.

All this, from someone who was once told by a teacher at school: “Jo Fairley, if you ever make so much as a Girl Friday, I’ll eat my hat.” If the same teacher was still around today, Jo would relish the chance to insist that headwear was Fairtrade and organic.

Jo’s Tips for Success • Work harder than you ever thought possible.

• Try to do good while you’re doing business.

• Have fun – bring your sense of humour to work.

• Make your staff feel like part of a team.

• Never ask somebody to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.

• Harness the power of publicity.

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East meets R

esidents of Wolverhampton will be familiar with the sight of robed students hastening through the streets in September to collect their degree scrolls. This annual event is one of the highlights in the University calendar, providing a perfect opportunity to celebrate the varied achievements of students. But as people watch the students heading to the city’s Grand Theatre, they may not realise that each year, family and friends gather for the same ceremony 6,000 miles away in Hong Kong.

The University of Wolverhampton has a strong partnership with City University Hong Kong’s School of Continuing and Professional Education (SCOPE). In November, 130 students graduated at the Wei Hing Theatre, watched by proud parents, friends and lecturers. They were joined by Vice Chancellor Professor Caroline Gipps and Director, International Jo Gittens, who travelled from the UK to attend the ceremony.

Professor Gipps said: “Graduation is always a time of celebration for students and their families and our 2009 graduates have a lot to be proud of. We have a strong relationship with City University Hong Kong’s School of Continuing and Professional Education and it gave me great pleasure to celebrate our students achievements.”

Students complete a wide range of programmes in Hong Kong, including Business and Management, Construction Management, International Corporate and Finance Law.

West

These subjects help them progress to a range of exciting careers in various sectors.

Also taking part in the graduation procession were Director of SCOPE, Dr Charles Wong and Mr Henry Tang, Honorary President of the Hong Kong Alumni Association, which continues to support students after they have left the University. The Association was formed by a group of graduates in 2001, with the main aim of encouraging and assisting communication between its members. It enables graduates to maintain an on-going relationship with the University.

The Association also provides opportunities for the continuing professional development of members and provides links for alumni and staff to continue their association with the University. In addition, it organises social events and functions and works with any societies or organisations that have similar interests and goals to the Association. It is certainly a great benefit to the students who complete their studies and move onto the next stage of their career each year.

The Hong Kong graduation and the Alumni Association are part of a wider programme of activity for the University in the region and elsewhere in the world. The University of Wolverhampton has strong partnerships with several overseas universities and student exchanges with 30 countries. Last year 11 students visited Hong Kong and Shenzhen for a study trip, and a similar visit took place in India for School of Art & Design students.

Director, International Jo Gittens, recognises the importance of having a strong presence in Hong Kong. She says: “Hong Kong is an important strategic market for us – in particular for Trans-National Education (TNE) programmes. The Hong Kong Government is aspiring to become a regional centre for TNE so we look forward to supporting them in achieving their objective. We have also had a long standing and successful partnership with SCOPE in Hong Kong and hope to continue to grow this relationship. Looking further into the future, it is important to consider Hong Kong as part of the broader China strategic development.”

And the close links of the University of Wolverhampton and SCOPE are set to grow further, following the launch of an innovative new business and law programme and a BA (Hons) International Business Management.

The University wishes the 2009 graduates and current students the best of luck for the future.

For more information about the University’s International Centre, visit: www.wlv.ac.uk/international

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international

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Cultural M

ichael Elliott has recently been appointed Chairman of the University’s Board of Governors. He is currently Director of Culture at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

Prior to this, he was Chief Executive of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and Associate Cultural Director of Liverpool Culture Company. Mr Elliott, who lives in the West Midlands, led the partnership of the major cultural institutions in Liverpool, which attracted significant new investment of national funding.

Mr Elliott is also a former Chief Executive of the Heart of England Tourist Board, and from 1989 until 1996 was Chief Executive of West Midlands Arts, the regional arts board.

He started his career in higher education working as a research assistant in education management and, after a period as advisor to an MEP, took on the roles of General Manager of the Students’ Union, Assistant to the Principal and then Head of Publicity at Sheffield City Polytechnic before combining his voluntary interests in the arts with a professional career as Assistant Director of Yorkshire Arts. do you find most rewarding Q1 What about your role as a Governor and what are you most looking forward to as Chairman?

Being engaged in making a contribution to higher education and the region.

It is a privilege to be able to serve as a nonexecutive director of any business or institution because, beyond the contribution you make directly to its governance, it also provides unique insights into the work and achievements of others and the opportunity to reflect on leadership in organisations.

The period that we’re going into holds a number of strategic challenges and opportunities for the sector and I am excited by the prospect of helping the University of Wolverhampton navigate its way through what will sometimes be difficult terrain in seeking to achieve its ambitions.

direction

do you think the University of led a successful partnership Q2 How Q4 You Wolverhampton contributes to the of the major cultural institutions of cultural vibrancy of the region?

Through the presence and activities of its students and staff the University has an enormous impact on the cultural landscape of the West Midlands as well as on the regional economy and local communities.

Through the training of artists, creatives, cultural managers and teachers the University has a significant impact on the future of the nation’s cultural wellbeing.

Its support of the Arena Theatre, and its partnerships with local museums and galleries are also very important direct contributions to the region’s cultural offering which will be further enhanced with the building of the Performance Hub on the Walsall Campus.

Higher education institutions are always a key resource and partner for the cultural sector to seek to engage and I know that the University will want to continue to build upon its existing cultural partnerships. The creative, cultural and media sectors will continue to grow in importance to the future of the region and the nation as we emerge from the current recession. would you like to see the Q3 How University developing in future years?

I’m interested in supporting the University’s drive for excellence in teaching and research built upon the widest engagement and participation of its regional communities. As Chairman of Governors, I will be supporting, challenging and encouraging the institution to continue to drive innovation in teaching and learning and to develop a lifelong partnership with its graduates that will assist in their continuing personal and professional development as the needs of society and the economy change ever more rapidly.

Liverpool. Do you believe there is potential to increase partnership working in the Black Country to benefit the region?

The University already has a very successful record of regional partnership working, particularly in its third-stream activities. In challenging times, partnerships become more and more essential to success as we find new ways of working with each other and seek more efficient and effective ways of adding value in whatever business we are engaged.

Delivering continuing professional development and partnerships with employers is important and new models of delivery will be necessary from which the University, employer, entrepreneur and student can benefit when resources are scarcer. New skills, flexible approaches, joint services and new levels of trust will all be necessary to build successful alliances in the next decade.

What do you feel are the major

Q5 challenges in the higher education sector at present?

One of the key challenges will be to maintain a focus on students, employers and the region as customers for our services and to ensure excellence both in the delivery and impact of our teaching, research and knowledge transfer.

The University is already successful in online learning and this is something we need to keep developing as student expectations in this changing area are very high. We will also need to explore how we can further prepare for a digital future which will increasingly have its impact on us as teachers, researchers, students, innovators and consumers. The University is working in the global knowledge industry and it will need to continue to look for more opportunities to deliver, achieve and compete internationally.

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people

There will also be unavoidable challenges that arise from constraints on government investment over the next period that will mean universities have to be smarter in meeting needs and delivering quality.

In terms of my own passions I’d love to have more personal and assisted time to build on my knowledge of the arts and culture and pursue my interest in the interplay of politics, psychology and sociology in policy making.

you were at University today, Q6 Ifwhat would you like to study?

do you feel has been your Q7 What greatest achievement?

There is so much I’d like to do!

It would have to be playing a small part, the larger part having been taken by my wife June, in the raising of my two children. My daughter Chrissie and son Peter are two very successful young people of whom I am very proud. Both of them have benefitted from higher education and have successfully embarked upon careers in accountancy and design engineering, respectively.

If I was starting out on my higher education and career, I would want to look for a rounded education that gave me the highest level of digital, design and social/leadership skills and enhanced my ability to act as a global citizen, whatever my chosen initial choice of profession.

I would want to learn to innovate and how to be entrepreneurial in business development and marketing to prepare me for a career that would evolve and change with great regularity involving periods of self employment, employment and portfolio working.

Professionally, I am fortunate to have played a part in a number of significant achievements in the sectors I have worked and I am content to leave it for others to judge how significant my

particular contribution to these achievements may or may not have been.

Q8

What are your other interests?

My professional life and personal interests fortunately very closely align. I am lucky that I have worked in sectors about which I am passionate. I enjoy theatre, music, art and dance and building my knowledge of current affairs.

Q9

Who do you admire and why?

I always admire those who risk their all to make a difference or seek justice.

Q10

Do you have any more ambitions for the future?

I hope I still have many challenges ahead of me professionally and that when I do start to feel the need to shift my work/life balance in a healthier direction that I might have more opportunity to write and travel for personal pleasure, not to mention the chance to learn how to relax!

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Grraduate G Name: Everton H. Flemmings Course: HNC Business Finance, BA (Hons) Business Administration and MBA. Year of Graduation: 2007

“I knew the route that I must take in order to achieve the necessary skills and learning tools.

Having completed the first stage of my HND in Business Finance, I entered my first degree on a path towards my academic goals,” he explains.

Not everyone has a set career plan when they enroll at University – but successful businessman Everton Flemmings knew exactly what he wanted to do and where he wanted to be in 10 years time.

Everton completed three courses at the University of Wolverhampton Business School, culminating in a Master in Business Administration (MBA). He drafted a programme of academic study, eventually leading to a PhD in Management.

“I spoke with my tutors at the University of Wolverhampton about my career plans, and that I would not want to do straight management, but a mixture of Business Administration modules that would widen my academic capacity. I selected all the modules and subjects that I knew would help me to build the right mix of skills that I now use.”

After graduating, Everton established the West Midlands based Ethnic & European Enterprise Network. The aim of the organisation was to develop, implement and encourage UK small and medium enterprise best practices within emerging Slovakian, Kurdish, Polish, Lithuanian, Bosnian, Persian, Iranian and Iraqi businesses. This was then developed into a policy framework which was used as an advisory to Advantage West Midlands.

Eventually he sat on the European Regional Development Fund’s (ERDF) advisory committee to assist with the West Midlands’ regional strategic framework budgetary controls and spend for 2007-2013.

He is currently the Director of Global Strategy to one of China’s largest solar energy firms.

This involves developing and implementing global energy management strategies and advising on energy policies with global country leaders in the Caribbean, Middle East, Australia, Seychelles and Nigeria.

success story He also advises on corporate management design, energy investment portfolio within China and the global alternative energy sector.

Everton says: “I am very strategic in my approach to any project that I am involved in. I enjoy seeing progressive success throughout my administration of any project, whether it is an in-country project or one that involves regional and global partnership. The ultimate goal of my projects is success based on evidence through performance. I am not a perfectionist, only a strategist.”

Having studied three courses at the University, Everton is extremely positive about his experience at Wolverhampton.

“The University of Wolverhampton is a truly inspiring, motivating and academically prosperous institution. As an institution of change, it embodies the exacting academic ingredients that were necessary to spur my career.

“The courses were also true to the changing national and regional market environment. I thought it was a truly academically inspiring institution of the 21st Century.”

“I selected all the modules and subjects that I knew would help me to build the right mix of skills that I now use.”

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What’s on Wh February

Free public lecture – A quest for identity – Architecture as symbolism in Dubai by Professor Sabah Mushatat, University of Wolverhampton

Free public lecture – Computational aspects of robotics: novel sensory processing techniques by Professor Ian Sillitoe, University of Wolverhampton

Date: Wednesday, 24 February 2010

Date: Wednesday, 17 March 2010

Time: 6pm

Time: 6pm

Location: MC001, Millennium City Building, City Campus

Location: MC001, Millennium City Building, City Campus

Contact: The Graduate School on 01902 32 3317 or email: gradschool@wlv.ac.uk

Contact: The Graduate School on 01902 32 3317 or email: gradschool@wlv.ac.uk

March

April

University of Wolverhampton Open Day – Find out about a range of courses, meet the lecturers and current students and tour the excellent facilities

Free public lecture – The relationship between anti-laundering laws and civil liberties by Professor Andrew Haynes, University of Wolverhampton

Contact: Book online: www.it-futures.com alternatively contact Randeep Nagra on 01902 518587 or email: r.nagra@wlv.ac.uk

Date: Saturday, 6 March 2010

Date: Wednesday, 14 April 2010

Time: 10am to 3pm

Time: 6pm

Location: Wolverhampton City and Walsall Campuses

Location: MC001, Millennium City Building, City Campus

Social Media Marketing – Free seminar on how to use the tools of social networking to improve marketing effectiveness

Contact: Enquiries team on 0800 953 3222* or visit: www.wlv.ac.uk/opendays

Contact: The Graduate School on 01902 32 3317 or email: gradschool@wlv.ac.uk

Improve your profit over breakfast – Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) event Date: Wednesday, 3 February 2010 Time: 7.30am – 10am Location: Banks’s Stadium, Bescott, Walsall Contact: Lynne Hewitt on 01902 824295 or email: lynne.hewitt@wlv.ac.uk Transform your business with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology – a free event for small and medium sized enterprises Date: Tuesday, 16 February 2010 Time: 8.30am – 11am Location: Wolverhampton Science Park

Date: Wednesday, 17 February 2010 Time: 5pm – 7pm Location: Wolverhampton Science Park Contact: The Competitiveness Centre on 01902 518960 or email: businessmatters @wlv.ac.uk Postgraduate Open Day – Find out about a range of postgraduate courses, meet academics and current students, and view the facilities Lunchtime event aimed at current University of Wolverhampton students Date: Wednesday, 24 February 2010 Time: 11am – 2pm

Free public lecture – Dispute resolution as the engineering of settlement by Professor Issaka Ndekugri, University of Wolverhampton Date: Wednesday, 10 March 2010

Take control of your Website with a Content Management System (CMS) - a free event for small and medium sized enterprises

Time: 6pm

Date: Wednesday, 14 April 2010

Location: MC001, Millennium City Building, City Campus

Time: 9.30am – 12.30pm

Contact: The Graduate School on 01902 32 3317 or email: gradschool@wlv.ac.uk Google your way to business success – a free event for small and medium sized enterprises

Location: Students’ Union Lounge, City Campus

Date: Wednesday, 24 March 2010

Evening event aimed at visitors to the University

Location: Hilton Coventry Hotel

Time: 5.30pm – 8pm

Contact: Book online: www.it-futures.com alternatively contact Randeep Nagra on 01902 518587 or email: r.nagra@wlv.ac.uk

Location: MX Building, City Campus Contact: Enquiries team on 0800 953 3222* or visit: www.wlv.ac.uk/opendays

Time: 9.30am – 1pm

Location: Best Western, Stoke-on-Trent Moat House Contact: Book online: www.it-futures.com alternatively contact Randeep Nagra on 01902 518587 or email: r.nagra@wlv.ac.uk Free public lecture – Towards inclusive learning and teaching in higher education

by Professor Christine Hockings, University of Wolverhampton Date: Wednesday, 28 April 2010 Time: 6pm Location: MC001, Millennium City Building, City Campus Contact: The Graduate School on 01902 32 3317 or email: gradschool@wlv.ac.uk

* If you are calling from a mobile phone you may incur a charge. The charge may vary depending on your network provider.

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WLV

dialogue

University of Wolverhampton Wulfruna Street Wolverhampton West Midlands WV1 1LY tel: 0800 953 3222* fax: 01902 32 25 17 web: www.wlv.ac.uk/dialogue

Printed on paper from sustainable forests with FSC mixed source credit HR0202 (3)

HR0202 WLV Dialogue Jan 10 (3).indd 1

*If you are calling from a mobile phone you may incur a charge. The charge will vary depending on your network provider

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