Welcome to the new academic year!
We hope that you have a productive and enjoyable one. Your role as a HPL is a critical role for the university, and we are delighted to have you on board. Not only do you feed into and support our research culture, you are also responsible for part of our teaching delivery and as such are core to our mission to educate students across our European centres and two UK-based campuses.
This handbook has come out of numerous meetings and discussions with academic staff and administrators, and is designed to support your activities and role. Inevitably it will not cover every circumstance you might face, so don’t be afraid to ask: either within your department, centre or school in the first instance, or in the Graduate and Researcher College. Support and help are always available. If there are things that we can do to improve your experience, make things clearer or easier or look after your wellbeing, we will all do our best to do so.
At times the juggling act you face will be tricky. At other moments you will thrive on the benefits of teaching/demonstrating whilst researching and participating in the full life of Kent. At all times please remember that you are not on your own. The body of administrative and academic staff working alongside you will be all the richer for your contribution and engagement. And do make the most of your time with us and seek out and participate in the many training and development possibilities Kent offers, not just in the Graduate and Researcher College.
Finally, good luck and enjoy your contact with undergraduate and Master’s students. After all, for most of you it was probably not that long ago that you were one of them…
Best wishes,
Graduate and Researcher College