Kent Law School’s postgraduate office team has been praised for its warmth and efficiency in a nomination for the University’s Administration Excellence Award.
Together, the team comprising Lynn Risbridger, Postgraduate Office Manager; Stephen McLaughlin, Postgraduate Admissions Officer; Karen Finch, Postgraduate Clerical and Admissions Assistant; and Siân Robertson, Clerical Assistant were also credited with ensuring that postgraduate students at the Law School have an excellent experience during their studies.
The annual award for professional services departments at Kent serves to highlight good practice and achievements over the year. Although the team from the Law School didn’t win, they were praised for their outstanding contribution to the School’s strategic aims.
As well as managing the student journey for both postgraduate taught (PGT) and postgraduate research (PGR) students, the team also oversees marketing and recruitment, the registration process and organises ongoing support for students throughout their studies. More recently the team have successfully implemented a new progress review system for PGR scholars.
Co-Director of Graduate Studies Professor Judy Fudge said: ‘The PGR team is the first contact for all PGR research students, from admission to defence. Each member of the team provides excellent and timely advice to applicants, students and staff. The entire team goes the extra mile to make students feel welcome and informed. They all troubleshoot and problem-solve, and provide a welcoming port of entry and hub for the PGR program.‘
The team’s work in supporting and guiding PGT students was also recognised, including strong collaborations established with colleagues at Kent’s centre in Brussels and efficient management of studentship applications. Initiatives such as the pre-LLM Summer School in Paris, Skype sessions with LLM ambassadors and a new Law School ‘Open House‘ event were picked out as offering potential students excellent opportunities to both discuss postgraduate study and gain an insight into what life is like at the School.
Head of School Professor Toni Williams said: ‘Despite the intense and varied demands on the office the postgraduate office team is known for warmth as well as the efficiency of their dealings with staff and students. In my view the Law School’s postgraduate office epitomizes administrative excellence.’
Since the nomination, Stephen has joined Kent’s Scholarships Office as the Postgraduate Funding Officer and Pauline Rogers has joined the team at Kent Law School as Postgraduate Admissions Officer.
