Monthly Archives: April 2018

Professor Nick Grief recognised as Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy

Professor Nick Grief has been recognised as a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

The award of a Senior Fellowship reflects his considerable leadership experience and sustained effectiveness in teaching and support for learning, both as Dean for Kent’s Medway campus, where the University has over 3000 students, and as a senior academic at Kent Law School teaching International Law and EU Law.

The Higher Education Academy (HEA) is an independent organisation, with a global network of 100,000 HEA Fellows. The HEA champions teaching excellence in higher education to improve student outcomes. HEA Senior Fellows must demonstrate a thorough understanding of effective approaches to teaching and learning support as a key contribution to high quality student learning. They must also demonstrate impact and influence through their leadership, management and mentoring.

Professor Grief is an expert on the legal status of nuclear weapons. His other research interests include air and space law and human rights, especially the right to protest, conscientious objection to the payment of taxes for military purposes and the use of international law by protesters in UK courts. Last November, in collaboration with Dr Shona Illingworth of the School of Music and Fine Art, he was awarded £1,500 from the University’s Public Engagement with Research Fund for a project entitled ‘The Airspace Tribunal’, which is advocating recognition of a new human right to protect the freedom to exist without physical or psychological threat from above​.

Professor Grief also practises at the Bar from Doughty Street Chambers, London. He was recently part of a team which represented the Marshall Islands in cases before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Rome centre celebration 2018

Annual Kent in Rome event a success

The annual event celebrating the University of Kent’s Rome School of Classical and Renaissance Studies took place at the British Ambassador’s residence in the Villa Wolkonsky on 4 April.

The evening opened with the hosting of the European Innovation in Academia Awards by Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, David Nightingale. The awards recognise individuals who have made a difference in higher education in Europe or North America and celebrate academic creativity and innovation.

This was followed by a lecture from Dr Thomas P Campbell, former Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from 2008-2017 who spoke about Raphael’s Tapestry Designs for Pope Leo X and their legacy at the Court of Charles I.

Academic Director of the Rome centre, Professor Tom Henry and several of our Rome centre MA students later continued to discuss the Mortlake tapestries based on Raphael’s Cartoons (three of which hang on the walls of the Villa Wolkonsky).

Jill Morris CMG, British Ambassador to Italy celebrated the performance of our students and the University of Kent on her Twitter feed. We are looking forward to celebrating at the residence again next year.

Centre for Professional Practice

The Centre for Professional Practice hosts The British Society of Dental Hygiene & Therapy Conference

The Centre for Professional Practice (CPP) hosted a study event for the South East branch of The British Society of Dental Hygiene & Therapy on Saturday 7 April at the University of Kent Medway campus.

Over 30 specialists attended the event to discuss the latest professional development news in the dental hygiene and therapy sector.

The Centre for Professional Practice is very proud to announce that Laura McClune, current a Stage 1 student on CPP’s Master’s level programme MSc in Advanced and Specialist Healthcare, has become the new Chair of the BSDHT South East Group. Laura praises the high standard of the education at the University and says that studying for the Master’s has given her credibility and the confidence that is needed to lead and direct dental professionals.

The Centre for Professional Practice offers part-time, flexible work-related programmes. Our BA/BSc Top-up in Professional Practice or MA/MSc in Professional Practice programmes and short courses, including  Introduction to Masters-Level Study have been specifically designed to meet the needs of working professionals who wish to develop their academic ability while maintaining their professional role. Loans for both undergraduate and postgraduate study are available (subject to eligibility criteria).

For any queries, please email cppmedway@kent.ac.uk or call 01634 888929, or visit: www.kent.ac.uk/cpp

Congratulations to our Senior Fellows

The Centre for the Study of Higher Education and UELT are delighted to congratulate eight colleagues who have recently achieved professional recognition from the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

These colleagues are the first to apply for Senior Fellow recognition via the Route to Recognition for Experienced Staff (RRES), accredited by the HEA in September 2017 and in gaining HEA Fellowship status provides them with national recognition of their excellence, expertise and commitment to professionalism in teaching and learning.

The successful applicants were:

  • Dr Caroline Chatwin – Reader in Criminology, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
  • Rebecca Coleman – EAP Tutor, Centre for English and World Languages
  • Chloe Courtenay – EAP Tutor, Centre for English and World Languages
  • Charlene Earl – International Pathways Manager, Centre for English and World Languages
  • Prof Nick Grief – Dean for Medway and Professor, Kent Law School
  • Dr Sarah Johns – Senior Lecturer in Evolutionary Anthropology, School of Anthropology and Conservation
  • Dr Stefan Rossbach – Senior Lecturer in Politics, School of Politics and International Relations
  • Dr Anna Stepanova – Lecturer in Economics, School of Economics

Prof April McMahon (DVC, Education) commented  ‘I am pleased that experienced colleagues who have taken leadership roles in the support and enhancement of learning and teaching can now be recognised in this way with their excellent work being promoted through our ongoing New Approaches to Teaching for Experienced Staff at Kent and achievements celebrated at the University Teaching Prizes ceremony later this year.

We are currently supporting 25 academic and professional support staff through this programme. If you are interested in gaining recognition from the HEA, you can find further information about the application process here Individual queries should be addressed to Dr Julia Hope recognition@kent.ac.uk

Historic Dockyard Chatham

Remains of a Revolution lecture by Sir Neil Cossons – 11 April

Remains of a Revolution is the title of a Distinguished Visitor Lecture by Sir Neil Cossons OBE FSA at the Royal Dockyard Church, Chatham, on Wednesday 11 April at 19.00.

In the 18th century, Britain was widely recognised as the first industrial nation and in the 19th century as the ‘workshop of the world’.  What we now call the Industrial Revolution defined this momentous episode in the nation’s history and the dramatic changes in society and the landscape that ensued, not only in Britain herself but across the globe.  And, of the great industrial endeavours that distinguished this revolution the Royal Dockyards were the world’s largest.  Chatham was one of these.

In this lecture, Neil Cossons will consider the legitimacy of these revolutionary assertions, explores the surviving evidence and addresses the conservation challenges it presents.  As a former Director of London’s Science Museum, and Chairman of English Heritage, he draws on a wide palette of international examples to demonstrate how for some a future has been assured, for others their legacy will be little more than a footnote to history.

This event is brought to you by The Historic Dockyard Chatham in partnership with the University of Kent. It is free and open to all.

 

Dr Simon Elliott

Competition: Win ‘Sea Eagles of Empire’ book by Dr Simon Elliott

The School of European Culture and Languages (SECL) is offering you the chance to get your hands on a signed copy of Dr Simon Elliott’s book Sea Eagles of Empire: The Classis Britannica and the Battles for Britain (History Press, 2016).

Sea Eagles of Empire was Dr Elliott’s first book and won Military History Monthly‘s Book of the Year Award. It tells the story of the Classis Britannica; the British Roman Navy.

Dr Elliott is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies. He talked about the process of research, writing, submitting and getting published at SECL’s Writing History and Getting Published event, held on 15 March. He was joined at the event by published author and fellow SECL alum, Amanda Thomas. you can see photographs of the event at the  Classical & Archaeological Studies at Kent Facebook page.

To enter the competition and win a signed copy of the book, simply answer the following question:

Which Roman Governor of Britain fought the battle of Mons Graupius in AD 83?

Send your answers to secl@kent.ac.uk with ‘SECL book competition’ as the subject of your email. The competition is open until midnight on Friday 25 May 2018.

Dr Arvind Madan

Dr Arvind Madan to give Distinguished Visitor Lecture on the future of primary care

Dr Arvind Madan, Director of Primary Care and Deputy National Medical Director for NHS England, will give a Distinguished Visitor Lecture on our Canterbury campus on Wednesday 18 April.

With more than 20 years of experience as a General Practitioner (GP) and having provided clinical leadership for the transformation of healthcare in the county of Kent, Dr Madan will speak on the topic: General Practice Forward View and a Vision for the Future of Primary Care.

Dr Madan will address questions including why healthcare in the UK is a contentious issue, what challenges the NHS faces, and how we can improve primary care in the future. His lecture will conclude with a Q&A session. Get involved in the discussion via Twitter using #CHSSopen18

The event takes place from 18.30 to 19.30 in Grimond Lecture Theatre 1. Entry is free and open to students, staff and visitors. For more information or to book visit the event page.

Dr Madan is part of the Hurley Group, a large multi-site general practice and urgent care provider, and also the Kings Fund Advisory Board. He also works on his own Community Interest Company, Healthy Minds, which is a peer-mediation service for children, operating in 30 schools in London.

His lecture is brought to you by the Centre for Health Services Studies (CHSS) at the University of Kent.

Templeman atrium interior

Pop-Up library study spaces for revision and exam period

From 9 April until the end of the Summer Term, we are excited to bring you over 280 pop-up study spaces on the ground floor of the Templeman Library.

We are also making some spaces on Floor 2 Silent during the same period. This will give you over 200 more silent spaces.

For full details of where the study spaces are please see the Library and IT News blog post.

David Cooper TUCO winner

K-Bar Supervisor Wins ‘Best Signature Cocktail’ at TUCO Competitions

It was with great excitement that K-Bar supervisor, David Cooper (pictured third from left), was announced as winner of the ‘Best Signature Cocktail’ award at the TUCO (The University Caterers Organisation) Competitions in Warwick last week.

David, who took part in the Bar Skills Competition, won the judges over with his signature coffee-based cocktail, the Café Noisette. Inspired by the French hazelnut coloured coffee, the drink featured whiskey, coffee liqueur and hazelnut syrup. In addition, David also had to create a sharing drink, a beer or cider based cocktail, and as many gin and tonics as he could in one minute.

However, David was not the only competitor representing Kent at the Competitions this year. Katy Webb from Dolche Vita wowed the judges with her coffee expertise in the Barista Skills Challenge. Sam Ranger from The Street Kitchen showed off his talent for fast food in the Campus Speed Cook Challenge. And Chefs de Cuisine Ben Elsbury and Rob Grimer plated up a delicate three course meal in the Chefs’ Challenge.

The TUCO Competitions is an annual contest which sees over 150 delegates from 50 universities compete against each other in a wide range of culinary and aristological activities.