Monthly Archives: January 2016

KENT Alumni Magazine has landed!

We are delighted to announce that the Winter 2016 edition of KENT Alumni magazine is now available online (and you can even download it and save it for later!).

This edition of the magazine interviews Kent alumni Susannah Townsend, Olympian at Rio 2016, and Natasha Brennan, GB Rugby World Cup winner. Read about their sporting triumphs, memories of Kent and views on the world of womens sports.

We also consider the impact of Brexit with President Emerius of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, in our review of the first international In Conversations event. You can also read the latest news from the colleges, find out about the latest events and lectures you can now watch online, and hear about the culmination of the Law Campaign and the opening of the Widoger Law Building.

If you have any comments on the magazine, or have stories or photographs which you would like to share, we would love to hear from you so please get in touch by emailing alumni@kent.ac.uk.

Cambridge exam preparation courses

Is English your second language? Cambridge English exams are lifelong qualifications with a worldwide reputation.They are an employability asset, as organisations and companies across the world recognise and trust Cambridge exams as an international benchmark.

The Centre for English and World Languages (CEWL) offers CAE and CPE exam preparation courses which help you to develop all the language and examination skills required.
There are two courses. One is 33 hours and runs on Tuesday evenings from Tuesday 26th January to
Tuesday 5th April. The other is 22 hours and runs from Wednesday 27th January to Wednesday 6th April . You can attend a free taster session which allows you to meet the teacher and ask questions about the courses.

For full details, please see the CEWL website.

Farewell to Bob Eager

After ‘a shade over 45’ years at the University, School of Computing colleagues said goodbye to Bob Eager as he left Kent for the next chapter of his life.

Bob joined the University in 1970 to read Electronics (there was no computing degree in 1970). On graduation, he opted for a Master’s at Essex before being invited back to Kent as a postgraduate student while also starting to do ‘a bit of teaching’.

Bob was part-time system programmer before being appointed lecturer in 1978. He combined teaching responsibilities with managing the operating system for the University’s mainframes. For ten years, he was Master of Darwin College. He then moved back to Computing where he has been an admissions officer for the past 13 years.

Bob said: ‘I’ve worked with some great people over the years. It’s quite weird that I’ve taught so many existing and past staff, mainly but not exclusively in computing… I don’t suppose I ever expected to be here this long! Things have obviously changed a great deal. The number of students has increased by an order of magnitude, and the number of buildings about the same. The eight teletypes that we started with (under the stairs in the foyer, mostly) have now become many, many PCs round campus, not to mention all the other network clients.’

He added: ‘I want to make it quite clear that I am not retiring. I am going to be working for at least one higher education institution, I expect to be working for a small local start-up company and I am going to be representing the BCS in schools, inspiring pupils to consider computing careers. I will also still be involved with the BCS Kent Branch, and with the Kent BCS Student Chapter, as well as the BCS Computer Conservation Society. I would like to thank all my colleagues (in other Schools too) for being so great, and for being so supportive.’

More information, including a copy of Bob’s leaving speech is available on the School of Computing news webpages.

Postgraduate taster courses

If you are considering postgraduate study, or know someone who is, Kent’s Tonbridge Centre are offering three specially designed short postgraduate taster courses.

Running on Wednesdays between January and May you can explore advanced study in Creative Writing, English Literature, and Contemporary Art History and Photography.

Join Ruby Tuesdays 10th Anniversary Celebration!

Tuesday 26 January is a big night for Ruby Tuesdays as they celebrate a monumental ten-year anniversary after entertaining generations of Kent students with a decade of some of the best indie and rock music. With smashing DJ sets, electrifying crowds, an atmosphere to match and memories that will last forever, Ruby’s has never failed to impress over the years .

To mark this occasion, you are invited to rock out for one special night where we will be bringing you music from some of the best artists and bands to date! There will be a raffle on the night giving a lucky winner and runners up some amazing prizes. There will be lots of cake to be eaten! And drinks deals including our legendary Cuban cocktail and Mates Rates!

With Ruby Tuesdays set to rock campus harder than it ever has done in previous years, the 10th anniversary party promises to be their biggest yet. So please join us on Tuesday 26 January 2016, Origins Bar, 21.00 til late.

Fun Fact: Ruby Tuesdays is named after the song ‘Ruby Tuesday’ released by The Rolling Stones in January 1967. The song was a number-one hit in the United States and reached number three in the United Kingdom.