‘We know that as you leave us at Kent, each and every one of you will ‘write the future’ in so many different ways and have an impact for the good on the world around you. After three years with us, you have gained the knowledge, understanding and skills to help you in this. We know you will go on to do great things!’ It’s been an extraordinary year for Politics and our School. Here is a summary of the the most impactful moments.
We welcomed…
- Dr Nadine Ansorg as our new Head of School!
- The Politics & International Relations Society welcomed Jess Phillips MP for a far-reaching conversation covering everything from violence against women and girls, to the significance of the Hartlepool by-election. Watch here.
- We watched the US inaugurate President Biden – a bittersweet moment for our US Politics expert Andy Wroe, author of The Ordinary Life of Donald J Trump …because Trump has just been so fascinating to study. What will his legacy be? Listen here.
- Boris Johnson hosted the G7 Leaders in Cornwall. Professor Richard Whitman, summarised what a vital moment this was for the UK, to re-establish itself on the international stage post-Brexit. Read here.
Want to know what it is really like to be a student at Kent?
- Fourth year undergraduate student Freddie Mallinson’s year abroad led him directly to the heart of the US government and he will commence his MA in Security Studies at Georgetown University, Washington DC, in August 2021. Find out more.
- Our alumni continue to ‘write the future’ and do great things with the knowledge and skills they learned while at Kent. Read their stories here.
- POLIR student Ben Treacy was among a team of four Kent students competing as ‘Kentish Cyber’ in the finals of the UK Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge.
- Student Alistair Brady stood as the Labour Candidate for Canterbury City North in this year’s Kent County Council elections, and won!
We Dared to Ask: Brexit 100 Days
- A panel of professors and alumni from Kent, hosted by University of Kent alumnus and Chancellor, Gavin Esler, discussed how Boris Johnson was getting along with his determination to forge Britain as a ‘re-energised science super-power’ and the ‘greatest place on earth’ 100 days into Brexit.
The year ended in Celebration!
- We said goodbye to a whole cohort of finalists – not in our usual grand style in Canterbury Cathedral, but in a live stream from The Gulbenkian arts centre on campus, which made for a different, perhaps more personal kind of celebration, sharing students’ memories and stories of their time with us here. Watch here.
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