Alan Le Grys, a Student Learning Adviser at Medway, and also Associate Lecturer in SECL for Theology and Religious Studies, completed the London Marathon on Sunday 24 April with a provisional time of 4 hours 58 minutes.

Thank you to everyone who donated sponsorship money to Christian Aid, which has currently reached the spectacular total of £2,928!

The University of Kent Players are looking for people to join them, either on stage or back stage, in their next production – Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

This well-loved novel has been adapted for the stage by Leila Sangtabi, Marketing and Events Coordinator in the School of Arts. Leila said: ‘Pride and Prejudice is a timeless classic and as 2017 will be the 200^th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death, it was a great opportunity to put her most famous story on stage.’

Auditions take place in May, with the production taking to the Gulbenkian stage 13-15 October 2016. If you are interested in being involved in this production in any way, please email players@kent.ac.uk for further information.

A new £35 million building to house the schools of business and mathematics at the University has moved a step nearer completion with its topping out ceremony.

University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Denise Everitt joined Richard Poulter, Deputy Managing Director of contractors Willmott Dixon, on 20 April to perform the ancient ceremony to mark the building reaching its highest point.

The development, to house Kent Business School and the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science, is the single biggest building ever built by the University.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor said it would ‘offer students an excellent learning experience and staff a fit-for-purpose home for research activities’.

Willmott Dixon expect to complete the building in November, with the University aiming to begin using it early in 2017. It will provide 7,900 sq m of new academic space, include three lecture theatres, numerous seminar rooms, social learning spaces, a café, breakout spaces and a staff terrace. Designed by architects Penoyre and Prasad, the distinctive ‘W’ shape presents an impressive visual impact and the design makes the most of its woodland setting.

This development follows on from the recent completion of the new West Wing of the Templeman Library, marking the end of the first phase of its £40m redevelopment. The Wing provides 4,000 sq m of flexible space, including an exhibition gallery, seminar rooms and 250-seat lecture theatre. Work has now begun on Phase 2 of the project to reconfigure the central area of the existing building, followed by a final phase to redevelop the upper area

Ground-breaking research across the University has been celebrated at a presentation of Kent’s annual Research Prizes.

Twelve prizes were presented for exceptional achievements over the past year – from publications in top-ranked journals to high citation rates, significant funding awards and impact through public engagement and policy development.

The prizes were presented by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation Professor Philippe De Wilde during a gala dinner in Darwin Conference Centre on 1 April. Guests at the ceremony, compered by Professor of Genetics Darren Griffin, included Deans, Heads of School, nominators and the winners themselves.

The Research Prizes scheme has generated considerable interest across the University since its launch in 2014. This year, more than 35 applications from 15 of the University’s Schools were received.

Professor De Wilde said that the Prizes ‘act as a showcase for the extraordinary range of ground-breaking research that is being undertaken across the University. The applications this year highlighted the diversity of research and the impressive achievements by Kent academics and students.’

Overall research prizes this year included:

• The University Prize for Research – awarded to Dr Heather Ferguson (School of Psychology), in recognition of ‘going far beyond the expectation of those still establishing their careers’ and attracting over £1.6m external research funding.
• The University Prize for Early Career Research – Dr Ben Goult (School of Biosciences) for achievements including a prestigious BBSRC New Investigator Award and patent for a new tool to study pharmo-mechanobiology.
• The University Prize for Postgraduate Research – Eske van Gils (School of Politics and International Relations), in recognition of her external policy engagement and involvement in internal initiatives such as membership for the Global Europe Centre.

Further details of all the prize-winners are available on the Research webpages.

The University Council, Kent’s governing body, has been recognised as a leading example of gender diversity, with its 48% women membership.

The University’s high ranking among the top tier of UK Universities has been highlighted in the recent Women Count: Leaders in Higher Education 2016 report.

The Council is ‘the supreme governing body of the University’ and its responsibilities include oversight of the management and administration of the University’s revenue and property and conduct of its affairs.

Currently, 12 of the 25 Council members are women, many of them lay members highly regarded for their roles outside the University. They include former head of the Ministry of Justice Dame Ursula Brennan, City lawyer Elaine Colville and portfolio director, investor and adviser Stevie Spring.

All three are vocal in their support for diversity in the Council and across the University. They are also unanimous in their belief that Kent is a special place to be and have clear ideas on the difference they hope to make to the University through their Council role.

You can find out more in this Kent Life feature.

If you already have a Foundation Degree, Undergraduate Diploma or professional qualification why not find out if you could advance your career with the BA or BSc Top-up award in Professional Practice. Programme starts in October 2016 and is delivered in Medway part-time at weekends over 2 years.

This work-related learning programme is suitable for those working in a wide range of areas in the public and private sectors: health and social care, education, local government, public services, human resources, administrative services, cultural industries, retail, hospitality, financial and legal services and more.

Key outlines:

• Broaden your work-related expertise while gaining a recognised qualification
• Study with like-minded people through part-time and blended learning delivered part-time at weekends over 2 years
• Taught by leading academics and practitioners at the University of Kent’s Medway campus

The programme offers an opportunity to attain academic recognition for the skills, knowledge and experience you have developed in the workplace. It focuses on a specific area of practice relevant to your work and enhances your career progression. You can explore your profession further and consider the professional challenges associated within your specific area of practice. The modules have been designed to help you review and analyse the current debates relevant to the professional context in which you are working.

If you have already studied at university level, this may count towards your Top-up qualification reducing the number of modules you need to study. It is not only study completed at a university that can be considered, you can also transfer study from a wide range of professional qualifications.

For more information please email cppmedway@kent.ac.uk , call 01634 88 8929 or visit https://wvw.kent.ac.uk/cpp or
https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/1395/professional-practice-top-up

The second wave of Course Rep elections are now open. If possible, please could you promote with your students, as these are the reps who will provide the voice for your courses.

Nominations open: 9am 10th May and close 4pm 17th May
Voting Opens: 12noon 178th May and close 4pm 24th May