Monthly Archives: January 2016

Staff Connect: Online payslips coming Spring 2016

Staff Connect is the new HR and payroll system which will enable staff to view their payslips and personal details online via any Internet device.

The Staff Connect system will be provided by one of the UK’s leading HR and payroll suppliers used by over 450 UK organisations.

Staff Connect is very easy to access and use, but you will need an active University staff IT account to access the system and your payslips.  If you don’t have an active account, contact your line manager.  Nearer the time of launch, online guidance and drop-in sessions will be provided to ensure staff are confident accessing and using Staff Connect.

Watch out for more information from the Staff Connect team and take a look at the project website for more information, regular updates and answers to common questions.

Please do also contact Su Westerman (Staff Connect Communications and Engagement Manager) if you would like further information about the project.

Student wins award to attend national conference

PhD student Elisabetta Perra has won an award to attend the Association of Hispanists of Great Britain and Ireland (AHGBI) annual conference.

The award follows on from Elisabetta’s success at last year’s conference where she won the Valentina Guevara Prize for the best paper.

The AHGBI is a professional association of academics and researchers working in all areas of Hispanic Studies.

Elisabetta will present a paper entitled ‘Rayuela’s Linguistic Revolution: Some Whys and Wherefores’ at the conference.

For more information email c.buchan@kent.ac.uk.

Skint performance and workshop – 27 Jan

On Wednesday 27 January, from 09.00-13.30, contemporary music trio Skint will be performing and giving a workshop in the School of Music & Fine Art at the Chatham Historic Dockyard.

Launching a project at Jazz Re:Freshed, London on January 28th, Skint consists of saxophone (Phil Meadows, award winning creator of the Engines Orchestra), bass (James Benzies, plays in MIMIKA, Myriad Forest) and drums (Harry Pope, plays in World Service Project) who play intense grooves, rip roaring solos and soaring melodies, all aimed at breaking the jazz tradition and using it to replace DJ’s in nightclubs. Harry plays through Ableton Live, adding lots of electronics and Phil also plays some keyboards/multi-effects. The rhythms come from Africa, South America and Asia and the music has been written collectively.

Says Dr Ruth Herbert, Associate Lecturer in Music Performance in the School of Music & Fine Art, ‘We are delighted to present another workshop/masterclass with cutting edge musicians that really cross style boundaries in their work. Skint are coming to Kent the day before their project launch in London, so the music will be debuted to SMFA students ahead of the launch! Expect lots of improvisation and definitely plenty to talk about.’

Everyone is welcome at this FREE event – to book, contact: mfareception@kent.ac.uk

For more info go to http://www.jazzrefreshed.com/
Preview Skint at http://youtu.be/-mQ8rTJ3uAc

Gordon Lynch talks about Britain’s Child Migrants at Bush Theatre

Professor Gordon Lynch, from the Department of Religious Studies, will be taking part in a panel discussion about the British child migration schemes at the Bush Theatre this evening (Monday 11 January). The discussion is linked to the critically-acclaimed play, Forget Me Not, currently running at the Bush Theatre. Starring Eleanor Bron, the play traces the story of a former British child migrant, Gerry, about to be re-united with his birth-mother in England, having believed for most of his life that he was an orphan.

The play has further raised public awareness of the history and effects of these child migration schemes, following the national publicity already given to the On Their Own exhibition at the V&A Museum of Childhood and the Ballads of Child Migration music project in which Lynch was involved.

Recycling at Kent

From 11.00-15.00 on the 25 of January a waste and recycling event is taking place in the Eliot Hall.

Staff are invited to purchase items from the British Heart Foundation stall in addition to also donate any unwanted items such as clothes, books, dvd’s etc that they may have.

There will also be a number of stalls in the hall all related to waste and recycling.

The Canterbury Food Bank will be attending to answer any questions and to take donations of non-perishable foods. For more information on the types of donations kindly accepted please visit http://www.canterburyfoodbank.org/

There will also be the launch of the next two themes of Green 15; Waste and Recycling and Sustainable Procurement and Food.

The FM team will be launching a new furniture recycling programme called Warpit. Warpit is an online platform where staff can upload unwanted furniture items for another member of staff to claim. All items are free and are for the sole use on campus. The team will be able to answer any questions and demonstrate the system to staff. We would also be happy to help create your logins. We are offering a free fair trade chocolate bar to the first 50 staff members who register and claim the chocolate that will be made available on the 25th of January.

We hope to see you all there!

New Opening Times for Hut8

From Monday 18 January 2016, Hut 8 will have brand new opening hours:

  • Monday – Friday 12.00 – 00.00
  • Saturday – Sunday 17.00 – 00.00

This means that you will now be able to enjoy delicious fish and chips, pizzas or flame-grilled BBQ items during your lunch break. Everything is freshly prepared and cooked, including our scrumptious home-made pizza bases, with an emphasis on high quality ingredients.

Situated in Turing College, Hut 8 has a vibrant and spacious restaurant seating area. It also offers a take-away service across the campus until late, seven days a week.

Come and visit us instore, order online at www.hut8takeaway.co.uk , or call us on 01227 816888.

To view our menu online, please click the following link, http://www.kent.ac.uk/catering/where-to-eat/turing.html .

Celebration of Turkish Film

Saturday 6 February, Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury campus

Come along to a FREE day of screenings, talks and Q&A events to celebrate Turkish cinema and the success of Kent alumni.

Watch the nerve-shredding horror film ‘Baskin’, take part in a Q&A with its director, and Kent alumnus, Can Evrenol, watch the acclaimed drama ‘Winter Sleep’, and attend the talk, ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Turkish Cinema’, by Film lecturer Emre Çağlayan. Individual screenings/sessions can be attended if you’re unable to stay for the whole day.

See http://www.kent.ac.uk/internationalstudent/celebration_turkish_film.html for details and to book your free ticket

Join your local parkrun event

Have you heard about parkrun?

Growing in popularity on a weekly basis and recently described as the “parkrun phenomenon” parkrun organise free, weekly, 5km timed runs around the world. They are open to everyone, free, and are safe and easy to take part in.

Started with support from The University of Kent Sport department nearly two years ago Canterbury parkrun continues to grow from strength to strength. This welcoming and family friendly event welcomes runners, joggers, and walkers of all abilities.

If you have decided 2016 is the year to stick to your resolutions and get fit parkrun can help make exercise a habit. Meeting at 9am every Saturday at the Sports Pavilion on Parkwood Road, parkrun gives you an opportunity to start the weekend on a high.

Find more details on the Canterbury parkrun website www.parkrun.org.uk/canterbury or find them on twitter and Facebook.

Sophia Labadi publishes on urban heritage

Dr Sophia Labadi from the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies has co-edited a new book entitled Urban Heritage, Development, and Sustainability (Routledge, 2016) with Professor William Logan.

The book examines the impact of contemporary challenges such as population growth, mass tourism and unequal access to socio-economic opportunities on urban heritage. This volume analyses in particular current theories and practices in urban heritage, with particular reference to the conflict between, and potential reconciliation of, conservation and development goals. A global range of case studies detail a number of distinct practical approaches to heritage on international, national and local scales.

Contributions from an international group of authors, including practitioners as well as leading academics, deliver a broad and balanced coverage of this topic. Addressing the interests of both urban planners and heritage specialists, urban heritage, development and sustainability is an important addition to the field that will encourage further discourse.

For further details, please see the publisher’s webpage.

MA in Heritage Management ranked 8th best masters

The MA in Heritage Management based in Athens and run by the Department of Classical and Archaeological Studies in partnership with the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), has been ranked the eighth best masters in the Eduniversal best masters ranking 2015/16 in the field of Arts and Cultural Management, with no other MA specialising in heritage above it.

The Eduniversal Best Masters Ranking is an assessment of global masters and MBA programs designed to help prospective students determine the best choice for their graduate studies. It is the only ranking that evaluates individual masters programs worldwide in 30 fields of study.

The MA in Heritage Management is a collaborative dual award from the University of Kent and the AUEB and is overseen by the Initiative for Heritage Conservancy, a dynamic new research and education project with international funding. The programme combines the worlds of archaeology and business and is taught by staff from the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies and the AUEB, at a centre in Eleusina, an Athenian suburb. It focuses on teaching the skills required for the management of heritage sites across the world and how to work effectively with archaeologists, architects, conservators, marketing and education specialists while also fundraising and supervising specific projects.

Full details of the MA in heritage Management are available at http://www.heritage.aueb.gr/