Professor Paul Allain took on his new role of Dean of the Graduate School on the 1^st December 2016.  Paul is a Professor of Theatre and Performance, with a specialism in Polish theatre and actor training.

Paul says, “I am very excited about taking the Graduate School forward in new directions, working closely with staff and students and building on an already excellent base.  It’s a fantastic team and I feel privileged to be a part of it.  I also look forward to learning more about the great variety of students we welcome to Kent and hearing news of their progress.”

We are delighted to welcome him to the team.

Friends and colleagues of Professor Diane Houston will be gathering at the Colyer Fergusson building this afternoon at 4pm.  Professor Houston is leaving after 28 years of service to the University of Kent, to take up her new position as Pro Vice Master at Birkbeck, University of London.  She established the Graduate School here, and has overseen its development to what we are today.  We wish her all the very best for the future.

Have you got a great idea for a postgraduate event?

Apply for funding through the Postgraduate Experience Awards for a chance to make it happen!

Funding of up to £1500 can be awarded for applications to run events or projects which have an interdisciplinary and/or external focus and will enhance the postgraduate experience at Kent.  All events or projects must tale place at Kent and be held by the end of the academic year it was awarded.

For  more information and to apply please visit https://www.kent.ac.uk/graduateschool/news/pgexperience.html.

The deadline is Friday 25^th November.

The Graduate School is delighted to be working with Dr Fragiskos Filippaios in his new role as Faculty Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.  Dr Filippaios will be in this role for the next three years – welcome to the team!

The new academic year is upon us, and with it comes a new cohort of students.  Everyone in the Graduate School would like to welcome our new Master’s and Doctoral students, we hope you have a smooth induction to the University.  You should all have received information about the range of events organized across the campuses, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

And of course, an equally warm welcome back to our returning students.  We hope you have had a productive, refreshing summer and are looking forward to the opportunities of the coming year.

Keep an eye out for our weekly email bulletins which include lots of useful information about events happening throughout the year.

You can find the Graduate School on the third floor of Cornwallis East, we run training events and offer a range funding opportunities.  Full details of our services are available on our webpage

Over the next two days the University will be hosting an innovative conference on Heritage and Biography, at Canterbury on Friday 9th September and at Medway on Saturday 10th September.

Under the critical recognition that we become who we are by telling stories about our pasts, and living the stories we tell, this two-day interdisciplinary event aims to bring together perspectives on the relationship between heritage and biography from sociology and cultural studies, literary studies, social history, cultural geography and socio-legal studies.

The event has been organised by University of Kent postgraduate students Emma Pleasant, Sophie Rowland and Luke Shoveller (ESRC), supported by Dr David Nettleingham ^[6] (Lecturer in Cultural Sociology, University of Kent) and the Graduate School. The group was awarded funding following an open competition organised by the ESRC South East Doctoral Training Centre (SEDTC).

Keynote speeches will be given by Patrick Wright, Professor of Modern Cultural Studies, King’s College London and Tim Strangleman, Professor of Sociology, University of Kent

The School of Psychology will be hosting a conference on Leadership and Diversity in Keynes College tomorrow.  Fatima Tresh, PhD student, was successful in gaining funding from the SEDTC to hold this event.  Key note speakers include Professor Michelle Ryan from  the University of Exeter, Professor Robin Martin from Manchester Business School and Antonia Sudkaemper, PhD student from the University of Exeter.

The conference will bring together academic researchers, postgraduate researchers and HR professionals for knowledge exchange and research as well as practical advice and collaboration. The aim of the conference is to discuss and highlight current progress and challenges in achieving diversity and addressing potential interventions for success in equality and diversity.

This innovative event is happening today, in the Darwin conference room, from 9am – 6pm.  Participants will engage in a number of interactive activities with an aim of cultivating networking skills, leadership attributes and entrepreneurial expertise.

The day has been organised by Hollie MacKenzie and Conor Heaney, with support from the Postgraduate Experience Awards and Creative Campus

The Crew is a new group for thinkers who want to challenge traditional thinking strategies! For this reason, The Critical Challenge, funded by the Graduate School, promises to deliver a fun and dynamic afternoon at Kent!

The challenge is for Masters and PhD students at the University of Kent, taking place at 2pm on the 19^th of September in Keynes Lecture Theatre 4.

During the event you will be meeting and networking with new creatives, rebels, explorers and well-reasoners, while working in teams and developing your own critical thinking skills – thinking skills that are important not only for your academic success but also for your future career!

During the event there will be free refreshments available, and for those who register and attend the event you will receive a free t-shirt for daring to #JoinTheCrew!

You can register to attend this FREE event by visiting jointhecrewsite.wordpress.com

Special note: There are limited spaces available, so please register to #JoinTheCrew early to avoid disappointment.

Want to write but feeling unmotivated, or have writer’s block?  Come along to Shut Up and Write!  Graduate School Training Room, 2.30 – 4.30, 27th July 2016.

The idea behind Shut Up and Write is that you bring your notes and writing implements (whether pen and paper or laptop), and write in focused, concentrated bursts with short breaks for chats and refreshments.  It’s a great way to get writing!  Even if you edit your words “into oblivion” later (to quote Hannah Perrin, 2014), it’s a great way to be inspired and to feel gratified by the achievement of getting words on paper.

Our rules are:

• Mobile phones must be switched off and stashed away!
• Wifi/Internet access must be switched off.
• Silence during writing.

Come along, get your ideas down on paper, and feel fabulous!  Any queries please contact skills@kent.ac.uk.