Emma Pleasant, Sophie Rowland and Luke Shoveller, postgraduate students from the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, hosted an inter-disciplinary conference entitled ‘Heritage and Biography: Narrating Pasts, Imagining Futures’ on 9 and 10 September. The event brought together contemporary research from notable academics and inspiring papers from a number of emerging academics working on topics surrounding issues of heritage and biography.

On the first day, at the Canterbury campus, attendees heard from researchers within the fields of sociology, history, art and geography and took part in panels on remembrance, materiality, immateriality and deindustrialisation. These panels enabled thought provoking and insightful debate and also discussion of how research in the area could evolve.

The second day, at the Medway campus, began with a panel that examined issues of place and identity within narratives of heritage and biography. Professor Patrick Wright, from King’s College London, closed the conference with a talk on his research project on the Isle of Sheppey, focused on the life of Uwe Johnson.

The event welcomed local heritage organisations to showcase their work. These included Bluetown, the Chatham Dockyard Historical Society, the Historic Dockyard Trust and the Elvington and Eythorne heritage group.

Funded by the ESRC and run in conjunction with the South East Doctoral Training Centre and The Centre for Heritage, the conference helped to bridge the gap between academia, heritage organisations and the local community and build contacts for collaborative projects in the future.

For further information see:
Twitter: @Heritage_Kent #
Conference website

Looking for an interesting and challenging job on campus?  

Apply to be a Kent Student Fundraiser today

The Development Office is looking for current University of Kent students to take part in a telephone fundraising campaign to raise money for the Kent Opportunity Fund. This is an exciting and rewarding post; you will be an ambassador for the University of Kent, engaging alumni in conversation to update them on University news and activities, establish a good rapport and ask for donations.

Job advert: https://www.kentunion.co.uk/employability/jobshop/vacancy/1791/

Application deadline: Sunday 09 Oct 2016

Students can apply here using this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScU_pgueT3NTDc4L2mEZMkDZLtMNieVDmRa-CI_rtkote7Ggg/viewform

If you have any questions or require any further information, please contact Eva Chow in the Development Office at W.K.E.Chow@kent.ac.uk or call 01227 824547.

Housekeeping colleagues from Kent Hospitality built a multi-level platform for the bear enclosure at Port Lympne Reserve.

The team building day saw them working collectively to build a multi-level platform with a fire hose, scramble nets to connect it to the floor and a log climbing frame. Once completed the bears started to make quick use of it and seemed to be enjoying their new toy.

Well done to everyone that was involved.

Dr Howard Leicester will be at the University on Wednesday 12 October to deliver a talk about academia and accessibility. He is a very funny and engaging speaker and has done lots of work with the NHS’s Accessible Information Standard so has lots of really interesting things to say about academic life, undertaking research and advocacy in the public sector.

What is particularly extraordinary about Howard is that he has progressive deafblindness and has a very powerful story to tell about potential barriers to access.

It would be great if as many people as possible can attend. He will speak in the Templeman Lecture theatre between 15.00-16.00 on Wednesday 12 October.  No need to book or RSVP.

University of Kent alumna and honorary MA graduate Ruth Bundey spoke to first-year students at Kent Law School about her experiences of the Hillsborough inquests during a visit to the University on Friday 23 September.

Ruth is a member of the First 500 – the University’s first undergraduate cohort in 1965 – and graduated in 1968 with a degree in English. Ruth qualified as a solicitor in 1980 and specialises in inquest law, in particular representing the families of those who have died in custody. She is recognised for her advocacy in this field and is one of the country’s foremost inquest lawyers. Now based in Leeds, Ruth represented three of the bereaved families at the Hillsborough inquests.

Kent Law School lecturer Dr Ed Kirton-Darling, who arranged the visit, said: ‘It was fantastic for the students to hear first-hand from a former Kent student and top inquest lawyer about her work in the recent Hillsborough inquests. The feedback has been excellent – students thanked Ruth for her work and said they were inspired by her example. I am really pleased that the event was such a success, and have thanked Ruth for the open, engaging and illuminating discussion – we hope she will come back next year!’

Ruth’s unique experience is an invaluable contribution to the educational experience of Kent students. She is just one of over 300 former Kent students and staff who currently volunteer their time and expertise to enhance graduate prospects through employability talks, mentoring and networking events, and support students, staff and fellow alumni abroad through our international alumni groups. To find out more about how to utilise our talented alumni community worldwide, contact Kasia Senyszyn in the Development Office.

Colleagues from Kent International Pathways (in the Centre for English and World Languages) travelled to the bustling city of New Dehli in July this year  to teach two 2-Day courses in collaboration with the British Education Centre (BEC). The UK Higher Education: Life Skills in Culture, Education & Leadership courses were delivered to students from many prestigious schools around the capital.  Students enjoyed the more interactive learning experience in the classroom across the two days, and we were very impressed with how enthusiastically they took part in all aspects of the lessons.  They even managed to have time to search for Pokémon during their lunch hour around Cyber City, where BEC is based!  BEC also hosted a School Principal and Counsellor Event, where counsellors visited to discuss best practice and listen to an inspiring talk by Madan Mohan Pant (an internationally renowned expert specialising in pedagogy, technology and the development of tools and curricula for 21st century education). and take part in a discussion led by Usha S. Chaujer (Educator and Consultant – Inclusive and Support Education), Chairperson for AISCAP (Association of Indian School Counsellors and Allied Professionals) who has been a primary figure in support education in India for over 40 years.

The BEC aims to ‘contribute sustainably to building the India-UK partnership by reinforcing the education/knowledge bridge’ between the UK and India. The mission of this new education centre is to work with many British HE/FE institutions and corporate companies to deliver various programmes to Indian students or young executives, providing them with the chance to experience and access British education and training in India. Their mission is already well underway with several corporate and educational partners, including the University of Kent, working closely with them.  

Contact details……..pathways@kent.ac.uk, www.kent.ac.uk/international-pathways

We are pleased to announce that the new cycle shelter at Medway campus now has card access controls. This means that your KentOne card can now be programmed to let you in the cycle shelter, providing a lockable place to store your bicycle.

The new card access cycle shelter is located behind the Rochester building. The cycle shelter design includes wooden panelling to fit in with surrounding structures and clear panels as an added security measure. CCTV is also in operation in this area.

To gain access on your KentOne card, email transport@kent.ac.uk with the number on the back of your KentOne card and we will arrange for card access to be given.