Monthly Archives: September 2014

SDS Replacement Project Briefing

The University is undertaking a major project to replace the current student data system – aiming to launch for students in late summer/autumn 2016.

The second project briefing session will take place on Tuesday 16 September at 11am in Grimond Lecture Theatre 2, Canterbury campus, and is open to all.

The briefing will report on the activities of the team, look at some of the strand work currently being undertaken and project approach, plus user involvement and information. There will be a question and answer session at the end of the presentation. The session should end by 11.30am.

During the autumn, there will be a number of talks arranged within individual schools, involving both administrative and academic staff. If you have any questions about these briefings please contact the project team,

 

Mini rides at Lydden raise £400

Mini rides around Lydden race circuit proved popular at the weekend – and raised almost £400 for Variety, the children’s charity.

The rides were offered by Pat King, in Enrolment Management Services, and her husband Stephen, to raise money for their entry in The Italian Job Rally in October.

The Kings’ involvement in the rally, in their 1971 classic rally Mini, is being supported by the University as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations.

This year is the 25th anniversary of the rally which to date has raised more than £2 million for Variety, supporting sick, disabled and disadvantaged children in the UK. With funds from Lydden this weekend, Pat and Stephen have raised already raised around £2,500.

Find out more at: www.facebook.com/Kingsontherun

Stephen said: ‘Thanks to everyone who supported us on the day, especially Lydden Hill race circuit for their support, it is very much appreciated and was a great day!’

Ugandan trek for charity

Maria Centrone, from Information Services, is fundraising for Book Aid International.

The charity works in partnership with libraries in Africa providing books, resources and training to support an environment in which reading for pleasure, study and lifelong learning can flourish.

Maria is raising sponsorship for a nine-day trek in the Bwindi ‘Impenetrable Forest’, Uganda in October. It is going to be a challenging trek, starting in the Mgahinga National Park where she will trek up Mount Sabinyo (3,645m) in search of Golden Monkeys and Mountain Gorillas.

If you are able to support her, a Just Giving page has been set up where all donations will be sent direct to the charity. Or you can text the code BOOK76 and the amount you would like to sponsor (up to £10) to 70070.

For more information, contact Maria Centrone.

UKC Student’s welcome blog

I can’t believe it’s September already, summer, for me has flown past in a hazy mist of interning, decision making, fab ice lollies, sun and cider. But as ever it has been ripped out of my clutches and I am back; back looking at reading lists, terrified of third year, but most importantly writing my welcome blog. So, urm welcome or indeed welcome back…

Read UKC Student’s full welcome message on her blog.

UKM Student’s welcome blog

Let me start by introducing myself before you begin to think who is this random girl from second year? Well… My name is Natasha and I’m currently in my 2nd year studying accounting and management at the Medway campus.

I’m basically your social media representative for the University and throughout the year I will be informing you of social events, advice, etc via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Okay so where to start… The best way to enjoy freshers is to get yourself out there and join clubs and societies. It’s the best way to mingle, make new friends and get comfortable at uni. Also the non-alcohol option!

Read UKM Student’s full welcome message on her blog.

Student shop secures spot in top 100

Essentials has been ranked as one of the Top 100 Independent Retailers in the UK.

The student shop run by Kent Union, the Students’ Union at the University of Kent, has been placed in the Top 100 Independent Retailers 2014 list for four consecutive years.

This follows an assessment by the Independent Achievers Academy. The Academy celebrates excellence and the diversity of independent retailing across the UK.

The on-campus store is the only students’ union shop in the country to achieve such recognition. At present, the team are awaiting the results which will confirm whether they will progress to the awards night.

Stores placed in the Top 100 Independent Retailers list have gone through a rigorous evaluation process, including a comprehensive entry and mystery shop assessment, and have been found to consistently deliver across 12 key retail categories.

Essentials Retailer Manager Trevor Higgs says:

‘We are very excited to have been placed in the top 100 stores in the UK; it’s a huge achievement. Our overall scores were better than the previous year’s too.

‘We would like to thank all of our staff and customers for their continued hard work and feedback.’

Kent Union President Tammy Naidoo says;

‘It’s great that our Union shop has been recognised as one of the best in the UK! We’re excited to see whether we make it into the final, and will continue to improve the Essentials service that we provide for our students.’

The shortlist for the finalists of the Independent Achievers Academy 2014 will be announced on 6 October at betterRetailing.

For further information:

Students in class

Kent shortlisted for Student Experience award

The University has been shortlisted for ‘Most Improved Student Experience’ in the Times Higher Education Awards (THE) 2014.

For this particular THE Awards category, student market research specialists Youthsight asked 20,000 students across the UK to rate the academic reputation, teaching, social life and facilities of their institutions.

This latest endorsement of the University by its students is a further reflection of Kent’s long-standing reputation for ongoing investment in these areas.

This includes:

  • an increase of 12% in academic and research staff, including a 30% increase in professors, in the past three years;
  • an investment of £12.6m over the past three years for new and improved learning and teaching spaces;
  • a new £27m Templeman Library development which will create one of the leading university libraries in the UK, with over 500 new study spaces;
  • an investment of more than £120m in its student residences over the last 5 years.

It also comes less than a month after the most recent National Student Survey (NSS) revealed that Kent’s students are again amongst the UK’s most satisfied with their academic experience.

The Awards winners will be announced at a THE event on Thursday 27 November.

For more information, please contact Gary Hughes.

Want to stop smoking?

Occupational Health are working with the NHS to start another successful stop smoking programme.

Quitters will be given individual appointments with a NHS professional. Or if you prefer you can come with a friend.

The programme starts on Thursday 18 September 2014, the sessions will be held in Occupational Health, Keynes College.

If interested please contact Pat Armstrong on:

Best Paper Award for Computing academic

Dr Peter Rodgers, Director of Research and Enterprise at the School of Computing and his collaborators Dr Peter Chapman and Dr Gem Stapleton, both at the University of Brighton, have been awarded Best Paper.

The award was given at the Visual Languages and Computing Workshop, part of the 20th International Conference on Distributed Multimedia Systems (DMS) for their paper ‘PaL Diagrams: A Linear Diagram-Based Visual Language’.

The DMS conference took place at Wyndham Pittsburgh University Center, Pittsburgh, USA on 27 – 29 August 2014 and the paper will be published in The Journal of Visual Languages and Computing (JVLC).

Mental Health Awareness session at Medway

A Mental Health Awareness session is being held at the Medway campus on Monday 6 October from 9.30am until 12.30pm.

Further information can be found at:
http://www.kent.ac.uk/hr-learninganddevelopment/programmes/courseprog/mentalhealthawareness.html,

To book a place on the session, please book via the Learning and Development website.

If you require any further help, please let us know.

Lucy Fuller & Naomi Dumbrell – Learning and Development Co-ordinators
Kitty Parsonson, Learning and Development Assistant