St Mary's Road, Ealing Campus.
Like many of us across the country, we at the University of West London were deeply saddened to hear of the death Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. As a nation, we are mourning a Monarch who provided calm and steadfast leadership over decades through sometimes challenging and turbulent periods. As a University, we are also mourning a Monarch who supported our mission to enable everyone to meet their full potential.
I was privileged to see just how many of our students reach that potential when, after two years of delays, I attended this year’s Alumni Reception at the House of Lords. Seeing so many of our graduates making a name for themselves in many fields, I was reminded that we have much to be proud of in our vibrant, engaged Alumni Community.
A degree from the University of West London opens doors, as is clear from the success stories contained in this magazine. From nurses on the frontline of healthcare, to world renowned chefs, writers, rappers, rock stars, engineers and politicians; there’s a little bit of UWL wherever you look.
Each of you is an ambassador for a university going from strength to strength. For the first time, UWL has been included in the top 100 UK Universities for research quality. We became the number one university in the UK for student experience according to the National Student Survey 2022. Furthermore, we were named ‘University of the Year’ for both Student Experience and Teaching Quality in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023, rising to an impressive 40th place in the national rankings. We were also delighted to be ranked number 23 nationwide in The Guardian University Guide 2023.
Our research on dementia from the newly established Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory was featured on BBC Radio 4 in the summer, we played host to film crews for both The Apprentice and popular classics professor Mary Beard. HRH King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) even discussed sustainability in aviation with our academics!
It’s a wonderful time for UWL, a time of growth and innovation. As we look to the future, we are grateful to those who came before and who have already helped to build our reputation as a university where students can achieve their goals. Thank you for all your continued support, whether you’re donating, giving your time to current students, or rooting for us in the background and representing us out in the world.
You will have noticed that this year's edition of Your University looks a little different. We are committed to sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint and have created this digital magazine to support our ambition to become a net-zero campus by 2030. We’ve also taken this opportunity to create exciting, interactive digital content to bring our alumni community alive.
Enjoy your magazine, and we hope to see you around campus soon!
Professor Peter John CBE Vice-Chancellor and CEO University of West London
Almost 80 percent of research undertaken by the University of West London (UWL) has been rated as world-leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*) in the latest Government assessment of research in higher education.
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. It aims to secure the continuation of a world-class, dynamic and responsive research base across the full academic spectrum.
UWL secured the biggest percentage increase of any university in the UK for achieving the two highest ratings, and excitingly, for the first time ever, we entered the top 100 UK universities for the overall quality of our research.
A university education is a life-changing experience, but for many University of West London students, the path here is not a conventional one: our students come at different times in their lives, from a wide range of backgrounds, and may be facing financial hardship.
In early 2022, we were proud to launch our Help to Achieve Fund, which brings
together donors passionate about helping students unlock their true potential. The fund provides scholarships to those struggling to fund their time at UWL. ■
Our success in the REF will have a transformative impact upon UWL. It demonstrates that the quality of our research is increasingly world-leading and shows that the work we do is helping to transform lives across the globe. ■
Ruskin College in Oxford joined the UWL family last year. UWL Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter John CBE declared Ruskin College ‘ready to step-up to tackle inequality.’
The comments from Professor John were made at an event at Ruskin to launch a new research colloquium programme that saw influential speakers discuss ‘Can Levelling Up really make a difference to
inequality?’ to an audience of academics, policy makers and local residents.
Professor John also added: “This was a fascinating event with many viewpoints and insights from some of the country’s best minds. Ruskin College, with its long history of free-thinking and empowerment of people who wouldn’t ordinarily set foot on a university campus, was the perfect venue. ■
UWL
The recent National Student Survey has ranked UWL no. 1 in the UK for Student Satisfaction, for Student Voice, and for Academic Support. We were also in the top 10 for all survey themes across England.
The National Student Survey is a major poll of final year students across the country assessing everything from teaching quality to resources and equipment.
We are delighted that we also received an overall satisfaction score of over 84% from students, and over 82% on the average of all questions. This is an outstanding result and we are very proud, although we are always looking at ways to further improve and help our students.
Watch this video to hear from our Senior Pro Vice-Chancellor, Sara Raybould. ■
Throughout 2022, the University of West London featured in a wide range of British media: on radio, TV documentaries or popular reality shows – our prominence is testimony to the quality of research and innovation taking place within our schools.
In January, Pillar’s Restaurant featured on BBC1’s The Apprentice, where contestants were taught to prepare freshly caught fish.
In June, Channel 5 News reporter Ruth Liptrot stopped by UWL to talk to London College of Music (LCM) music students about the renewed success of Kate Bush’s
classic song Running Up That Hill after its inclusion in the Netflix hit Stranger Things
Also in June, research from the Geller Institute for Ageing and Memory’s Professor Katie Featherstone was featured on BBC Radio 4’s File on 4. The research looks into the continence care provided for dementia patients in England and Wales.
Finally, UWL Senior Criminology Lecturer Dr Maya Flax was interviewed for Sky Crime documentary What the Killer Did Next, during which she discussed some of the most shocking murders of the last decade. ■
Our alumni are lending their expertise and guidance to final year students as part of our new Alumni mentoring service.
First trialled in 2021, the Alumni Mentoring service pairs an experienced UWL graduate with a final year student to offer advice on everything from final projects, facing exams, and starting out on a post-university career.
Mentor Adiel Mambara said: "Mentoring gives me the chance to engage with university students who may see things differently in a changing world, but most importantly offering my services to add value, introducing new ways of thinking, challenging assumptions, and giving back to my ecosystem (the aviation industry), the same way my mentors in my career helped me when I first started out."
If you are interested in mentoring a final year student, consider signing up as an Alumni Mentor. All we ask is that you commit to six sessions across the academic year. ■
Find out more here.
University celebrates NSS results
We at the University of West London were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. For over seventy years, Her Majesty was a guiding light and source of inspiration for our nation, the realms and the commonwealth. In honour of a life dedicated to service, we took a look back at all the times UWL was privileged to interact with Her Majesty.
As part of Ealing College of Higher Education’s Rag Week, Her Majesty the Queen met members of the College’s Students Union at the opening of the Ealing Broadway Centre.
In 2002, UWL alumnus Mark Flanagan became Assistant to the Master of the Household in The Royal Household, and Royal Chef. In that time, he has overseen key dinners including the Wedding Breakfast of William and Kate, Prince and Princess of Wales in 2011 and the 2016 state dinner in honour of President Barack Obama. Mark has written several books on royal cuisine and judged the Platinum Pudding Competition in honour of Her Majesty’s Jubilee in 2022.
On 20 February 2009, we were thrilled to welcome Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh to the official opening of Paragon House, UWL’s campus in Brentford. The Royal visitors were shown around the new facilities, introduced to Arts, Health and Human Sciences, and Professional Studies students and greeted by distinguished members of the University community.
2010
The London School of Hospitality and Tourism at Thames Valley University (now UWL), was recognised with the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary prize for their outstanding achievement and excellence in hospitality education. Then Head of the School Professor David Foskett MBE, and Vice-Chancellor Peter John CBE, attended Buckingham Palace to accept the prize, awarded biennially by the Queen to a select group of Universities for significant global and national contributions.
2020 – Professor Peter John awarded CBE Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter John was included in the Queen’s 2020 New Year Honours list, in recognition of his outstanding work and service to higher education.
Our sincere condolences are with King Charles III and his family at this time. ■
Bestselling author and academic, Jung Chang, is known for her deeply personal family memoir Wild Swans, detailing her journey from Communist China, to Ealing Technical College, and beyond. Your Magazine was privileged to sit down with her and hear her story first-hand.
In 1978, Jung Chang walked into a pub opposite campus, as many students have done over the years, but getting there that night had been a great struggle. Wearing make up for the first time ever, she snuck out of her rented accommodation. It was a risky choice, especially as she had to rely on her fellow students not to expose her to the Chinese Embassy. But to Jung, who had grown up under the strict control of Chairman Mao’s communist regime, the risk was worth taking simply to experience a completely different world to the one she knew.
The pub turned out to be a let-down.
“I was finding excuses to sneak out. We were under strict instructions not to
go to the pub because Chinese people viewed them as indecent, filled with nude women gyrating. But I was full of curiosity. I saw nothing of the kind, only some old men drinking beer, and actually I was rather disappointed.”
Born in Sichuan in the Southwest of China, in 1952, Jung was the daughter of two local communist officials. Both her mother and father had earned themselves comfortable positions in Mao’s new revolutionary government. Originally named Er-Hong, which roughly translates as “second swan,” Jung asked her father to change her name to something more in line with communist ideals. Her original name sounded close to the Chinese word for ‘faded red,’ so they settled on Jung, which means ‘martial affairs.’
Despite this relatively comfortable position, Jung faced many hardships as a child. She grew up during the Great Famine, then her education was cut short to make steel in the schoolyard as part of Mao’s ‘Great Leap Forward’. Later, during the Cultural Revolution (a brutal attempt to purge capitalist and traditional sentiments from Communist China) her father came under suspicion from his own party.
The Cultural Revolution saw Jung Chang and her family separated and put to work around the country. Jung was sent to the edge of the Himalayas, where she worked as a peasant, a barefoot doctor, a steelworker, and an electrician. Only when universities were finally reopened in 1973 was Jung able to continue her education, studying at Sichuan University.
Chairman Mao died in 1976, and as the strict control over the Chinese people began to loosen, an opportunity arose for Jung to travel to the UK and study at Ealing College of Higher Education, which is now part of the University of West London.
“I felt immediately at home. London was full of things I naturally liked but which were forbidden in China. Mao was so extreme in his destruction even of flowers and grass. As a schoolchild we had to remove the grass from the school lawn. There weren’t parks or gardens. So, when I was in London I was immediately in love with the parks, and the flowers! My first letter home was about the window boxes on the way from Heathrow.”
Since then, she has completed a PhD at York University, enjoyed a successful academic career at SOAS University of London, and become the bestselling author of five books detailing the history of modern China.
While Jung always wanted to be a writer, as a child the very act of writing was simply too dangerous. She wrote her first poem at 16, but a sudden raid on her home resulted in the young girl tearing up the poem and flushing it down a toilet to protect her family from persecution.
“At that time, it was very difficult to be a writer. They were being persecuted, sent to gulags, driven away. But inside I had always wanted to write. No matter where I was, even when I was working as an engineer, I was writing inside my head with an invisible pen.”
Yet even when it was finally safe to write, Jung was not thinking much about writing. She was too busy trying to live all the experiences suddenly open to her and spent all her time devising schemes to sneak out of her student accommodation and discover the world around her. More than this, Jung didn’t want to look back on her childhood and the culture she’d left behind. What Jung wanted to do, more than anything else, was to pursue her education:
“I had been brought up to value knowledge and going to university was the ultimate way to gain that knowledge. When the universities finally reopened, I so wanted to go, not to get a good job because at that point everything was assigned by the government. But the University was a magic garden from which I could only imagine all the knowledge available. That’s why I worked so hard to get there.”
It was not until she started studying for her doctorate at York University that Jung began considering writing her experiences down. Everything finally changed in 1988 when her mother first visited England.
“For the first time, my mother told me the stories of her life, about my grandmother and her relationship with my father. Once she started talking, she couldn’t stop. When I was out working, she talked into a tape recorder and by the time she left, I had sixty hours of tape recordings. I knew I had to write it all down, and I realised how
much I had always wanted to be a writer. It struck me that my mother must know I had cherished this unspoken dream, and she helped me by leaving me this material to write.”
The result was Wild Swans, a sprawling family epic detailing the experiences of Jung, her mother, and her grandmother, in a rapidly changing world. Just two years after she started writing, Wild Swans was published to great acclaim, winning British Book of the Year in 1993 and selling over 13 million copies worldwide. All of this came as a surprise to Jung, who wasn’t writing the book to chase fame and fortune.
“All that didn’t matter. My mother wrote to me saying ‘All I want is for you to understand me.’ I realised that writing this book helped me do that and she said to me ‘You have made me a happy woman.’ That mattered.”
Wild Swans has continued to capture the imagination and is heralded as an extremely important book. It has been translated into 37 languages, including Chinese, though the book was banned in Mainland China for its unfavourable representation of the nation’s history.
By this point, Jung Chang had married her historian husband Jon Halliday. The success of Wild Swans opened doors for her and Jon to embark on a 12-year research project on the topic of Chairman Mao himself. Jung found herself with access to everyone from Henry Kissinger, to George Bush, to Mao’s inner circle.
“This was a monumental work of research. When I look back it is quite extraordinary the kind of access I had. Bear in mind Wild Swans was banned in China. But even with Tiananmen, China was much freer in terms of research back then than it is today. People, even Mao’s most intimate friends, were waiting for someone to come and interview them.”
Jung continues to write, telling stories she believes will change people’s minds about the history of modern China. Her chosen topics include revising the cultural impression of Empress Dowager Cixi and researching the famous Three Sisters from Shanghai, both fascinating stories about a turbulent time in world history.
All these books detail an extensive period of change in East Asia. We couldn’t help but ask Jung’s opinion on the changes she’s seen since moving to London.
“Oh, it’s changed tremendously. Attitude, architecturally, it’s changed a lot. But the essence, the spirit of London, hasn’t changed at all.”
This softly spoken, good natured writer has such an incredible story to tell and is full of enthusiasm and praise for Ealing, The University of West London and our students. She had this advice to pass on after a remarkable life of exploration, curiosity and perseverance:
“I think just follow your passions, figure out what you want to do, and just go after that.” ■
Chloe Hammond studied to be a children’s nurse at UWL, but living with Behçet’s disease has resulted in her using a wheelchair. Determined not to let this prevent her from chasing her dreams, Chloe changed disciplines and began working at a care home. This required extensive training as adult nursing was a totally new skillset, but she was aided by her managers and eventually headhunted by another, nearby care home in recognition of her talents. Moving from activities manager to onsite nurse, Chloe has gone from strength to strength despite the challenges she has faced. Chloe is aided in her job and her day-to-day life by her assistance dog Ocho, whom she is training herself.
Rachel is the CEO and founder of My Yard – a charity in Harrow tackling food poverty by using surplus food and addressing inequalities and empowerment, especially within the social housing sector. Rachel studied her MSc in Digital Marketing at UWL and started her own lifestyle magazine called Lifescape. After leading a revamp of the Asian House and Home magazine for Asian Voice newspaper, she became interested in working with her local community and listening to the issues affecting them. This led to her founding My Yard, which registered as a charity, in 2014.
Sunil is a lawyer and one of the founders of the Society of Asian Lawyers, Chair of Sense International, Chair of Anti-Slavery International, and a dedicated friend of UWL. Born at Lake Victoria in Kenya, Sunil studied Law at Ealing Technical College (now part of University of West London) before becoming a senior partner at Fladgate law firm. A firm champion of social justice, Sunil fights for equality and representation within the legal profession. Sunil funds an annual scholarship at UWL and engages with the university to provide work experience placements to students.
In March 2022, we were excited to hold the first in-person University of West London Alumni Awards. We received 80 nominations from which a shortlist of 10 candidates was chosen, and four winners announced during an elegant ceremony at our own Pillar’s Restaurant. Our four winners were: The Alumni Awards are an annual
In this new award specially chosen by your Alumni Relations team, oncology nurse Lesi Nayuoh was honoured for her continuous support of the University through panel events, speaking to students and helping to launch the UWL Alumni Mentoring Scheme. Lesi first studied adult nursing at UWL and became an oncology nurse due to her own mother’s experience with breast cancer. She returned to complete her Master's in Public Health a few years later. She is also known for hosting the successful social media public health discussion Lesi Nay Talks, where she encourages members of the BAME community to overcome the taboos of speaking openly about health issues.
Originally from The Bahamas, Donovan came to London to pursue a career in hospitality and to gain key work experience within the sector.
He was supported by the Geoffrey Harrison Foundation. This foundation was established by Geoffrey Harrison, following a lifelong career in the Hospitality industry, with the aim of helping young people with an interest in catering to benefit from the kinds of opportunities that were afforded to him.
Donovan made great use of the help afforded by this scholarship: “ Due to the global pandemic and multiple
lockdowns, I was really struggling financially. The Geoffrey Harrison Scholarship came at the perfect time, it gave me the financial freedom to focus on the final year of my studies and move up the ranks in my industry.”
Since graduating, Donovan has been working in both 5-Star Hotels and Michelin restaurants such as the Savoy Hotel, No. 50 Cheyenne and the Royal Lancaster Hotel.
He has also been entering competitions, including the Foie Royal competition, which he won with his Duck Breast and Foie Royale Wellington dish.
We asked Donovan to show off his skills and talk us through one of his signature dishes, a Salt Baked Celeriac with Courgette and Feta Cheese Cannelloni, and Apple Pearls.
Check out his video above, and if you’re interested in sponsoring a scholarship or making a transformative difference in a student’s life, please contact: development@uwl.ac.uk
Over the last decade, the landscape of policing has changed dramatically; cyber-enabled and cyber-dependent crime introduced new dimensions to policing, bringing fresh challenges. Police education needed to evolve, aiming to reflect the increasing ’social’ role that the police play in dealing with victims in local communities.
Last year, the University of West London launched the Institute for Policing Studies (IPS), which has now grown to a cohort of 1,400 Student Police Officers (SPOs) with the Metropolitan Police.
The IPS is part of a consortium of four London universities dedicated to training new recruits for the Metropolitan police force and overseen by Babcock International, with the syllabus being directed by the College of Policing, a nationwide body responsible for the education of police recruits.
To find out more, Your University sat down with Dr Mark Roycroft, Head of IPS.
“I was a police officer for 30 years in the Metropolitan Police in London. A detective for most of my career, I had postings in criminal intelligence, counter terrorism and the homicide squad. In the last six years of service, I did my PhD and I’ve written three books on policing, which are available in all good charity shops!”
Mark’s PhD examined 166 murder cases and the ways in which they were solved, which he whittled down to 42 ‘solving factors.’ Now he oversees a team of academic officers educating SPOs, alongside BSc and MSc courses for anyone interested in policing in general.
“I wanted to teach students because I didn’t want 30 years of experience to go to waste. You know, there’s so many television shows about the police. There’s one or two I enjoy but most drive me bananas because they misrepresent the job, suggesting a crime can be solved in forty-minutes.”
The establishment of institutes like the IPS also helps with recruitment, reaching people who might not have considered joining the police. Reflecting the diversity of London’s population, the first ever cohort of the IPS includes many people of colour, a larger female cohort and older students looking to enhance their careers. Attracting recruits from a diverse range of backgrounds is essential, not just for representation but also because London has become bigger and more sophisticated, with a demand for many different skills.
There is a thorough process for training student police officers, so the IPS is equipped with ‘crime scene houses’ which provide practical training and
teach students in realistic environments. These houses train recruits on dealing with forensics and making the most of the ’golden hour’ – the first 60 minutes after a crime has been committed. The SPOs are also trained in how to deal with vulnerable victims and their families.
“So really we’re focusing on both the mechanical side and the social side of policing. It’s quite comprehensive, but that’s because it’s a vocation, you wouldn’t do it if you didn’t want to do it. You are there to make a difference. It’s important to remember that you’re seeing people at the worst point in their lives but at least you can help them. It’s important to teach students how to handle that situation.”
Finally, we asked Mark why people should join the police.
“I think it’s a great career. You have several professions in one, especially in London. You can have a hugely satisfying career where you make a difference, where you affect people’s lives in a very positive way and derive a great deal of personal satisfaction from what you’re doing.” ■
Click here to find out more about the courses on offer at UWL
2022 saw the introduction of a new course at our School of Human and Social Sciences: the MA in Global Black Studies, Decolonisation and Social Justice.
This Master’s degree unites global perspectives, investigating the underlying historical, cultural, and contemporary patterns of social change. Modules across the course consider topics such as the Windrush generations, black social activism, Black Lives Matter (BLM), policing and issues in education, while exploring the wide range of positive contributions made by the black diaspora around the world.
For current student Jane, this course wasn’t necessarily the obvious next step, as she came to UWL as a mature student in 2018 to study Voice and Performance at London College of Music.
While working as a student ambassador, Jane had a conversation with Professor Lez Henry, course leader for the MA in Global Black studies. He told her about a module he was running about global culture.
“It appealed to me because my heritage is Scottish, South Asian, and African, but we never knew much about the African side of the family. It was a sort of hidden secret. When
my grandfather left Mauritius to live in France, he kept it quiet to provide better opportunities to his family.”
Jane knew she had a great-grandmother of African ancestry but didn’t know anything about what that meant. She thought the MA might allow her to discover more about her family and her identity.
Studying at UWL provided her with an opportunity to explore the process of othering that lighter skinned ‘mixedrace’ people experience, and investigate the ways that art activism can expose the misogyny and racism which is still prevalent in parts of the performance industry. As a London-based student, she was quick to head to the West End, to immerse herself in the culture available.
Since beginning the course, Jane has found that her future plans have changed remarkably.
“I’d always intended to go down the performance route, but during lockdown I discovered that I really enjoy the process of writing and creating. The MA course has shed light on a lot of things, from the past of African chattel enslavement to modern day issues like the Black Lives Matter
movement. Being exposed to all of that is really informing what I do now.”
One of the key aspects of the MA is bringing together students from different academic backgrounds and perspectives. Alongside performers like Jane, the 2022 cohort is populated by philosophers, civil servants, youth workers, key workers and entrepreneurs all bringing their expertise to the debates.
“The ethos is all about letting the individual choose the areas they want to study and specialise in, but keeping it relevant to their own discipline. But there’s people from so many backgrounds, you really are learning from each other.”
Jane is now considering further research, creating performances, and pursuing her doctoral studies. She also wants to work on her poetry, which has blossomed since encountering so many stories through her course.
The MA in Global Black Studies, Decolonisation and Social Justice is just one example of the expanding options available at UWL. The University aims to offers courses which prepare our students to make a difference in the world and have a real impact on their chosen field. ■
From St Mary’s Road to Brentford and Reading; the presence of UWL can be felt all over West London and beyond.
In April 2022 our campus grew a little larger with the purchase of two new interlinked buildings: Century House and Cavendish House.
The 40,000 square feet of new space has replaced an old university property, Villiers House, which stood by Ealing Broadway Station. Not only are we moving from a leasehold to a more secure freehold, but the new site provides us with more car parking space and contributes to our strategic aim of creating a ‘precinct university’, with many sites forming a ’creative corridor’ leading up St Mary’s Road and into Ealing.
Once the Penguin Random House building, the property used to feature several offices and a reading room for the public. Now Century House provides a home for our new Institute for Policing Studies (see the article in this issue of Your University).
Century House is situated just down the road from Ealing Police Station, and is equipped with seven 32-seat general teaching classrooms and a brand-new crime suite. These will be joined by state-of-theart performance spaces for use by London College of Music and Drama Studio London.
Cavendish House, meanwhile, has been refurbished with three floors of office space for many of our University support staff, and a PhD Research Centre for the Graduate School.
The refurbishment took place between April and October 2022 and was focused on adding the same thermo-heating and renovations to match the decarbonisation project aimed at making UWL a zeroemissions institution by 2030.
Claire Willets, Director of Property Services, discussed the challenges of completing a purchase of this scale:
“We knew we needed or could always make use of more estate because we’re a growing university, but actually working out how best to use the building, what the fire office would allow us to do, what the board wanted, happened very quickly.” ■
At the University of West London, we’re committed to helping our students achieve their dreams, whatever they may be. However, there are times when chasing those dreams can be daunting, and many students are held back by financial difficulties and other external pressures.
This year, thanks to our generous donors, we have been able to provide 68 financial awards to students whose experience at UWL would have been very different without this support. One such student is Yoanita Dharmawan, who is studying for her Master’s degree in classical piano at London College of Music (LCM).
Yoanita came to London from Indonesia to study at LCM after completing a first degree in Food Management. She knew her true passion was music and was encouraged by her aunt to study the thing she loved most.
During her four-year Bachelor’s music degree, Yoanita never lost sight of how
hard her mother was working to pay her tuition fees. This motivated her to work hard, and she went on to win the Mona Blackman piano award twice, and finish with a first-class degree.
Yoanita always knew that she wanted to continue to postgraduate study. During her undergraduate studies, she took a job and put aside savings to fund her ambition to continue studying piano at UWL.
Now completing her Master’s, Yoanita is the recipient of the Mona Blackman Scholarship. Mona Blackman generously donated a percentage of her estate to support UWL students in her will.
“I don’t have to worry about finding work to finance my studies. I can set aside money to invest in books and materials that aren’t found in the library, and I can invest in a piano to develop my skills as a pianist.
I want to learn and continue developing in my knowledge and skills even after university, and I want to become a piano teacher that not only teaches at school, but also provides tuition at home.”
Yoanita recently provided a moving performance at our 2022 Donors and Scholars event, an afternoon tea that celebrates the generosity and support given by donors to our students. ■
If you are moved by Yoanita’s story, you too can make a life changing gift in your will. After you have looked after family and friends, please consider gifting a small percentage of your estate to help the next generation. Click here to find out more
The University of West London is determined to offer opportunities for the advancement of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) staff in academia.
In 2022, UWL was proud to host the 6th BME Early Career Researcher conference. Below, Dr Bernadine Idowu tells us more.
The under-representation of Black and Minority Ethnic staff in academia is noticeable; the student body is not reflected in the staff teaching them. One issue is that Black academics often leave the profession early in their careers, meaning the postdoctoral researchers are unable to make the transition to become lecturers and therefore have no means to progress up the academic ladder and eventually apply for professorships. Their absence has the knock-on effect of leaving potential future Black academics without role models to inspire them to aim high.
The mission of the BME Early Career Researcher conference is to empower BME academics starting out in their careers helping them to remain positive and pragmatic, and encouraging them not to leave academia. It provides practical tools and resources to support them and , also creates a forum to meet and be inspired by prominent BME academics working in the UK.
For the past six years this conference has been held in London, in person, then online due to the pandemic. This year the first hybrid conference was held at our St Mary’s Road Campus, co-hosted with King’s College London, and sponsored by Wellcome, Royal Society of Biology, Wellcome Sanger, Perrett Laver RISE, and Wellcome Connecting Science. It was a massive success, with over 400 people joining in person or online, the highest attendance the conference has ever enjoyed.
The opening address was by Professor Anthony Woodman (Deputy Vice Chancellor, UWL), who spoke passionately about the need for and importance of the conference. There were two keynote speakers, our own Professor Lez Henry (Professor of Criminology and Sociology) and Professor Funmi Olonisakin (VicePresident Global Engagement, King’s College London) who gave a review of the conference over the past five years. Professor Olonisakin has supported the conference throughout this time and demonstrated the impact it is making on people’s lives.
A discussion panel talked about what the theme ‘Making the Invisible Visible’ means to them and workshop sessions provided short but powerful tips on wellbeing, diversifying leadership, mentoring/sponsorship and applying for fellowships, all delivered by academics and professional staff.
There were several short talks with powerful themes such as starting up networks, providing a fellowship exclusively for Black postdoctoral staff, and the benefits of joining societies.
UWL’s undergraduate students from the School of Biomedical Science helped on the day. It was important for them to be exposed to such an environment, seeing people that look like them in various positions: “The event was mind blowing and inspirational, it felt like being with our own people, thank you for making us part of the event, we have gotten so much out of it.”
One delegate said: “If you ask me what I took from the conference it will be the tenacity of our people, their strength, and their determination not to be held back. To continue to rise and shine despite all the challenges they face. I was so happy to see so many of our accomplished people in one place. It was nourishing.”
We were pleased to see the success of the 6th BME ECR hybrid conference and we look forward to the 7th conference.
BME Early Career Researcher Hybrid Conferences (uwl.ac.uk)
We were thrilled to welcome rock legend and cover star of our last magazine, Pete Townshend, for a visit to UWL in March. Pete is the guitarist and principal songwriter for band The Who, and author of rock operas like Tommy and Quadrophenia.
Our annual Alumni dinner for the School of Law finally returned to Pillars restaurant in March, celebrating its 15th year. Guests enjoyed canapes and a delicious three-course meal while celebrating the achievements of the School of Law throughout the last year
They were also privileged to hear from Deputy Senior District Judge Tanweer Ikram CBE, who spoke about the importance of learning from failure and the place of justice in a confusing world. Judge Ikram is a committed friend of the School of Law, frequently returning to deliver lectures and to talk to students along with taking part in our Law Taster Days for prospective applicants.
Philip Ells, Head of the School of Law, said:
“The 15th Law School dinner was a splendid opportunity for alumni, students and staff to connect with one another and celebrate the achievements of graduates and current students. It was especially poignant this year after two years of intermittent lockdown when the event had to be held online. Exceptionally good food and company are the norm at these dinners, and this held to that high standard.” ■
Whilst touring the University’s industrystandard recording studios, immersive labs and inspiring collaboration spaces, the iconic musician shared his insights into developments in the multi-media world of performance and reflected on lessons learned during lockdown. Pete also pledged to support the next generation
of budding musical talent after meeting current students during the visit.
Speaking after the visit, Sara Raybould, Senior Pro Vice-Chancellor for Student Experience, said:
“One of the things that is unique about UWL is the way we encourage our graduates to come back and share their industry knowledge with the students studying today. And we are really privileged that someone of Pete Townshend’s musical pedigree is so willing to give-back to our students on an on-going basis.” ■
Rock legend Pete Townshend visits UWL
The Annual Donors and Scholars event is a wonderful opportunity for everyone at UWL to thank all the generous donors who have provided essential, life-changing support to our students during the past year.
Over a sophisticated afternoon tea, our donors met the scholarship students who their donations are helping, enjoyed live music from current LCM students and heard an inspirational speech on the impact their contribution has on the lives of the scholars.
Professor Peter John CBE, Vice-Chancellor of UWL, said: “This is such an important occasion in the University calendar. We cannot overemphasise the crucial impact our donors have on improving the lives of our students, allowing them to chase their dreams and achieve in the face of financial difficulties that might otherwise prevent them from completing their studies.” ■
In May, we were pleased to welcome a group of Alumni, who studied Modern European Studies in the 1970s, back to campus for lunch. The six friends were celebrating their 42nd anniversary since starting at Ealing, having missed the 40th anniversary due to the pandemic.
As well as enjoying their lunch at our iconic Pillars restaurant, the friends were given a tour of the campus by Alumni Relations Officer Markus Beeken, shown into the library and taken to see the area that used
On Wednesday 18 May 2022, 160 members of the UWL Alumni community gathered at the House of Lords to celebrate the ongoing success of the University.
The sunny reception was hosted by Baroness Angela Harris of Richmond DL, who studied at the Hospitality School in the 1960s. She gave an impassioned speech on how much the university has grown since her time. You can find out more about Baroness Harris on page 24.
Helen Pidgeon, Chair of the Alumni Board, also gave a speech about how important
the alumni community is for the growth and health of the university. She said:
“We have a lot to be proud of here at UWL. So many people leave this university and go on to do remarkable things in all sorts of industries. These events are a great opportunity not only to celebrate what we have achieved but connect with people that can help us achieve more in the future. It’s important to remember where we came from and help however we can by donating our time and resources through volunteering, scholarships and offering mentoring to students.” ■
to house their school’s classrooms. They were also very keen to see the bar and were shocked to discover that the carparkbased haunt they used to frequent has now been turned into a sports centre! ■
If you are interested in organising an informal reunion at Pillars, please don’t hesitate to let us know by calling, emailing or dropping by, and we’ll be sure to offer you support and a tour.
Alumni Reunions at UWLAnyone living or studying in West London might think of Richmond as ‘that neighbouring borough with the giant park’. What they might not know is that there’s another Richmond in North Yorkshire, home to alumna and Peer of the House of Lords, Baroness Angela Harris.
Long before becoming a Baroness, Angela grew up as the daughter of a vicar in Lancashire. When considering her further education, she decided to pursue a career involving flower arranging, which led her to the Receptionist course at Acton Hotel and Catering School, one of UWL’s predecessor institutions.
“Of course, it wasn’t just flower arranging. It included languages, how to look after a hotel, we did housekeeping, reception, management, and cooking. I remember Victor Ceserani got us lined up in one of the kitchens. We were all girls on my course, and he lined us up with chickens in front of us. He said, ‘Right girls, put your hands inside the chicken and draw it.’”
Angela had never drawn the innards from a chicken before, and while some of her classmates fainted, renowned lecturer and giant of the catering world Victor Ceserani took no prisoners and demanded they simply get on with it.
The Baroness made UWL history as one of the first students to be sent on a placement to a local hotel, a practice now common for Hospitality students currently studying at the university. She was also honoured at the end of her first year with the ‘most likely to succeed’ award.
Not taken with hotel work, Angela applied to be a flight attendant with Air Canada, although she didn’t get this job because the chief flight attendant didn’t approve of her hair! After college, she found airline work at what she describes as “a really grotty company.”
A few years later, Angela left the airline with a young son from her first marriage. Needing to support him, she took a job as a career assistant with Oxfordshire
County Council careers service. The council wanted her to take a degree at Reading University to become a careers officer.
“Unfortunately, I had met my current husband at that time, and he wanted to get married. So, it was a real dilemma, do I go and get a degree, or do I get married? A difficult choice. So, I got married, and ended up moving to Richmond which involved, as a Lancastrian, moving to Yorkshire!”
Angela very quickly set about establishing a political base. She had already joined the Liberal Party in Oxfordshire, which is how she met her current husband. Beginning as a town councillor, she eventually became Mayor years later.
“We led the council on a local level. But in my day, we had district councils which looked after things like leisure centres, clearing up litter bins and that sort of thing. You know, fairly basic but still important to people.”
It was during her work with the Richmond County Council that Baroness Harris found herself specialising in policing. Angela hadn’t specifically sought this out, she wanted to work in libraries, but the leader of her council redirected her towards police authority.
Continuing to make history, Angela became the first woman to chair a police authority, and the first woman ever to chair North Yorkshire’s County Council. Asked if this was a struggle, Angela laughed.
“Not really, I’m quite a determined person. But there was a lot of resistance. The senior officers were fairly dismissive. It was alright when I was simply a member of the committee but not when I became chair. There were a lot of difficult things to deal with, some of which became national news. But I’d had good schooling, which kept me fairly on the straight and narrow.”
Despite receiving death threats and media attention, Angela stuck to the work she loved. More than anything else, she loved looking after her local people. Perhaps this is why she got a phone call one day from Paddy Ashdown, then leader of the Liberal Democrats, offering her a position at the House of Lords.
“I had never, ever expected that. You don’t aspire to be a member of the House of Lords. There’s only eight hundred of them in the whole country,
and the Liberal Democrats get very few. I was absolutely dumbstruck, but I turned it down.”
She turned it down because she had started the process of being a candidate for the European parliament. Though she never became an MEP, Ashdown still wanted her for the Lords and a year later she was invited to become a Peer by then Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Joining the House of Lords, Baroness Harris had to balance continuing work in her local council with learning how to read bills and trying to figure out Norman French, an archaic language which Parliament still uses to write bills and laws on certain formal occasions. Then politics took over and a Conservative win ended her time in the local council. Staying on at the Lords, the Baroness embedded herself as a Whip and has dealt with every police bill in the last 23 years. For eight years, she was Deputy Speaker under Baroness Hayman.
In recognition of her varied and successful career, her tireless support of others and for helping host our Alumni Reception at the House of Lords on multiple occasions, Baroness Harris will be awarded an honorary degree from the University of West London in November 2022.
“Getting an honorary doctorate is one of the proudest achievements of my life. To be offered an honorary
doctorate from a college that set me on my way, that has been incredible, and I was just so overwhelmed to be considered.”
Baroness Harris offered this advice to anyone looking to make a success of themselves:
“Be proud of yourself and what you’ve achieved. Be confident, be self-confident but not overconfident. Always be cheerful and show people your happy face. You must go forward with a positive attitude, and everything will work out for you.” ■
Details of all alumni events and public lectures can be seen at alumni.uwl.ac.uk. Make sure to keep checking your emails for details on how to book.
To ensure you receive your invitation to these or any other future events, please update your contact details at alumni.uwl.ac.uk/ register
Six months after graduation, we welcome you back to campus to reconnect, network and gain valuable advice from industry professionals as you begin your careers.
Taking place in January 2023
School of Law Dinner
Join us for the annual dinner celebrating the School of Law. All Law alumni and their guests are most welcome.
Taking place in February 2023
The Third Annual Alumni Awards
Back and bigger than ever, we celebrate all the achievements that make our alumni community so impressive. Meet fellow alumni, hear their incredible stories and enjoy homegrown UWL entertainment.
Taking place in April 2023
The Annual Donors and Scholars Reception is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the university’s generous donors and talented students.
Taking place in March 2023 –By invitation only
Annual Alumni Reception 2023
After the sell-out success of last year’s reception at the House of Lords, we are back with a brand-new mystery location. Catch up with old friends, make new connections, and check in on the progress of UWL. All alumni and their guests are welcome.
Taking place in June 2023
Details correct at the time of publication.
Office of Development and Alumni Relations University of West London St Mary’s Road Ealing London W5 5RF
+ 44 (0)20 8231 0188 alumni.uwl.ac.uk alumni@uwl.ac.uk University of West London UWLAlumniAssoc uwlalumni