Monthly Archives: May 2019

Man presenting to an audience

SECL Student Success Project Initiatives: tackling attainment and retention gaps

The next in a series of Student Success (EDI) Project Staff Seminars will look at a portfolio of interventions and consider which have worked well to bring about change.

Dr Laura Bailey, Student Success Lecturer and Philippa Moreton, Student Success Co-ordinator from the School of European Culture and Languages, will present SECL’s multi-pronged approach to tackling attainment and retention gaps.

Having “thrown a whole bag” of different interventions at the school “to see what sticks”, Laura and Philippa will highlight a range of interventions, from short-term, one-off instances of specific assistance to more wide-reaching, long-term institutional change in the running of the school.

The seminar takes place on Friday 7 June in Keynes Seminar Room 4, Canterbury Campus from 13.00- 14.00.

The seminar is open to all staff and registering to attend couldn’t be easier. Simply email studentsuccessproject@kent.ac.uk to reserve your place.

Toxxic performance

Gulbenkian to showcase highlights from Drama and Theatre student work

We are delighted to announce the Gulbenkian Picks from our Drama and Theatre students’ summer festival of student work, to be performed in the Gulbenkian theatre on Tuesday 4 June 2019.

Two performances have been chosen, one representing the Stage 1 students taking DR339: Making Performance 2, and one from the Stage 3 students as the culmination of the module DR678: Creative Project.

Adam’s Birthday Party, by The Bald Sopranos, is the first chosen performance from our Stage 1 students. The ensemble have been experimenting with various performance practices and plays chosen from different moments in the 20th Century (including Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, Susan Glaspell’s The Verge, Eugene Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano and Caryl Churchill’s Cloud Nine).

From Stage 3, the Gulbenkian has chosen the show Toxxicc, by ensemble Britney’s Peers. Having graduated from University, Ally, Em, Shan and Josie reunite in their hometown. After getting kicked out of a party for drunken behaviour, the girls plonk themselves on a bus stop bench. In 40 minutes, the girls tackle sex, body image, infidelity, and last, and definitely least, BOYS!

The Gulbenkian is open to the public and seats 340. The show will be free, beginning at 7.30pm. For further details, please see the page here.

George Turner

Congratulations to Film student George Turner

George Turner, who is currently studying on the BA (Hons) in Film, was nominated as a semi-finalist for the Best Experimental UK Short Film in the London International Motion Pictures Awards (LIMPA) 2019.

The film follows the journey of a young photographer, asking are our passions always worth pursuing? When does enthusiasm become obsession? Is independence an asset or a hindrance?

George explained the background to the film: ‘The project was a joint effort between myself and Lee Reynolds – a friend and colleague for many years; our film collaborations began at our Sixth Form College (now known as USP). It was shot back in January 2017.

‘What is most interesting is LIMPA’s recognition of our film; I submitted the film for competition in August 2018. It was the only competition that the film was submitted to. In early May I received a notification that we had been shortlisted for Official Selection and, a week later, Semi-Finals. We were honoured to have been selected.’

Seclusion received a screening last week, 24 May 2019, at Regent’s University in London, as part of the awards festival. However you may view the film via the YouTube link here.

The Gulbenkian

FilmTalk series: ‘The Future is X-Rated’

Lawrence Jackson, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Film and Head of Film Practice, has curated a season of films, ‘The Future is X-Rated’, to be screened in the Gulbenkian, Kent’s on-campus commercial cinema.

The season consists of three mainstream films from 1969 that were originally certificated X for their content. As well as celebrating each film’s fiftieth anniversary, the screenings aim to capture a moment that, culturally, anticipated the greater freedoms of the 1970s and beyond. Just a few years later lay X-rated arthouse and studio smash hits such as Last Tango in Paris and The Exorcist were released. Before that, in 1969, these films blazed a trail and foretold the future.

The series begins on Monday 3 June with The Wild Bunch (dir. Sam Peckinpah). The film is considered a masterpiece by, among others, western expert Ed Buscombe, and demands to be seen on the big screen. Its handling of extreme violence arguably influenced later mainstream American cinema from The Deer Hunter to Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, and it was memorably lampooned by Monty Python as Sam Peckinpah’s Salad Days. The screening will feature an introduction by Professor Peter Stanfield from the School of Arts. For more details, please see the page here.

Monday 10 June sees the screening of Midnight Cowboy (dir. John Schlesinger). Another modern American classic underpinned by a sensitive Oscar-winning screenplay by Waldo Salt and complemented by a great John Barry score and powerful performances from Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. What’s also astonishing is the trajectory of its British director John Schlesinger, who went from British New Wave hits such as Billy Liar and Far From the Madding Crowd to winning a Best Director Oscar for this New York tale of heartbreak. The film will be introduced by Alaina Schempp, a PhD in Film student from the Department of Film. For more details, please see the page here.

Finally, the final film in the series, Taste the Blood of Dracula (dir. Peter Sasdy), will screen on Thursday 13 June. Fairly late in Hammer’s Dracula cycle, this is nonetheless an impressive entry in the studio’s roster, featuring Christopher Lee returning in his signature role and, in Anthony Hinds’ sophisticated screenplay, a satire of the hypocrisy of Victorian patriarchal society. The film will be will be introduced by Professor Julian Petley, Brunel University, London. For more details, please see the page here.

Tickets cost £8.70 with concessions available. For full details, please see the Gulbenkian’s website.

people doing sit ups

Exercise your pains away with free app Injurymap

University of Kent staff and students can now get a year of free access to the physiotherapy app Injurymap. The proven path to reducing muscle and joint pain is through exercise. Injurymap makes it easy to perform the most effective exercises with a personalised training program. The app adapts each exercise to your strengths and weaknesses and provides you with the safest and shortest path to recovery.

We all experience pain in our muscles and joints from time to time, be it back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, knee pain or one of the many other areas that can lead to discomfort and impact your quality of life. So just download the app  and experience the benefit of tailored guidance at your fingertips. To conduct some of the exercises referred to by the app visit Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic in the Sports Centre to collect your free exercise band.

Injurymap is made available to you through a collaboration between Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic, Kent Business School and Injurymap. After creating an account within the app, Injurymap will send you an invitation to join a research project administered by Professor Ben Lowe and Dr Des Laffey from the University of Kent.

Why not book an appointment with Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic to compliment your use of Injurymap. For details to our limited time incentive offer please visit www.kent.ac.uk/sports/physio or email physio@kent.ac.uk.

Kent Digital Accessibility Conference

Book your place at Digital Accessibility Conference on 6 June

Is your work digitally inclusive? Make sure it is by attending the first Kent Digital Accessibility Conference, at the University’s Canterbury campus, on Thursday 6 June.

The conference marks an exciting new link-up between the University and Kent Connects, an innovative IT partnership of public sector providers including Kent County Council (KCC).

Working alongside Kent Connects will help us create a high accessibility baseline for the county and meet under our obligations under the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations (2018).

The ‘Creating a Digitally Inclusive County’ conference is being jointly hosted by the University’s Student Support and Wellbeing team and Kent Connects to celebrate our shared vision for the county. It’s also your opportunity to get involved in a countywide network of excellence, and share best practice with the experts.

Plenary topics will include:

  • The Government Digital Service on new regulations
  • Experts who are affected by these issues every day
  • Microsoft Accessibility
  • Kent authorities on countywide support
  • The University of Kent on tools for enhanced digital experience

And practical workshops will be hosted by:

  • Accessibility auditors
  • Plain English professionals
  • Microsoft accessibility advisors
  • Assistive technology experts

The conference takes place in Woolf College from 09.30-16.00 and refreshments, including lunch will be provided. Book your FREE place now on Eventbrite.

Information about arrival, parking and specific agenda timings will be sent after registration.

To find out more, email AccessibilityEvents@kent.ac.uk.

Students in class

Find out why Kent is a great place for postgraduate study

Open Day 6 July 2019, Canterbury

Whether you are thinking of returning to study to develop or change your career, or perhaps to pursue a subject purely for pleasure, we would like to invite you to ‘Coffee and Cake with the Dean’ to find out how we can help you to achieve your ambitions.

Professor Paul Allain is hosting the event in the Templeman Library, SR1, between 10.00 and 12.00  on Saturday 6 July and will be joined by current postgraduate students and staff from the Graduate School and Scholarships Unit to answer questions about studying at Kent and the wide range of opportunities on offer. In addition, the schools and centres will be available in the Sports Hall between 09.00 and 15.00 to discuss your particular academic discipline.

  • Kent has a £12m postgraduate scholarship fund and there are awards and discounts for alumni and new graduates.
  • We have a wide range of subjects, most of which are available full or part-time and some by distance and blended learning.
  • The event will cover all Kent’s programmes offered at our locations in Canterbury, Medway, Athens, Brussels, Paris and Rome.

Book today on our Courses webpages.

Everyone is welcome to attend so please share this invitation with your friends, family and colleagues, whether they are studying now or if they would like to return to study in the future.

Staff Guide May 2019

Our new Staff Guide – what do you think?

Our Staff Guide webpages were launched last December. And to mark their six-month anniversary, we’d like to hear what you like, and don’t like so much, about the new guide.

During June, we will be holding focus groups on the Staff Guide at our Canterbury and Medway campuses. They will be taking place on

  • Monday 10 June, 14.30-15.30 – Darwin Board Room, Canterbury
  • Thursday 13 June,  15.30-16.30 – Darwin Board Room, Canterbury
  • Wednesday 19 June, 14.30-15.30 – Medway Building (M2.04), Medway

The sessions will be led by Etienne Donzelot and Wendy Raeside from Corporate Communications who created the guide, with help from colleagues in other key teams such as WebDev and HR.

The Staff Guide aims to cover everything you need to know about working at Kent – with essential staff information in easy-to-search categories, such as:

  • Getting Started
  • Employment and Benefits
  • Professional and Personal Development
  • Day-to-Day Support
  • Teaching and Research
  • Safety and Wellbeing
  • On Campus

Although six months old, the Staff Guide is very much a work in progress and we are keen to hear your feedback so we ensure it works for you.

Sign-up for a focus group now – ideally by Friday 31 May – by emailing us at communications@kent.ac.uk with your preferred day, time and venue.

Cecilian Choir

A milestone for the University Cecilian Choir: Choral Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral

Congratulations to all the students, staff and alumni who were a part of the University Cecilian Choir‘s service of Choral Evensong, directed by Deputy Director of Music, Dan Harding, at Canterbury Cathedral yesterday.

Comprising students, staff and alumni from across the University community, it was the first time the Cecilian Choir has sung at Canterbury Cathedral, and as seasoned choral evensong singers will know, it’s quite a discipline to learn; the pointing and flexibility of psalm-singing, the need for security in delivering the unaccompanied Responses, and the constant having-to-be-on-your-toes throughout the service so you are ready for what comes next, with the right music in the right order, able to pluck the note of your chord from the intoned sentence from the Precentor. Not withstanding the additional challenge of singing in split formation across an extremely wide aisle in the Cathedral Quire, in mixed-voice arrangement without the security of singing amongst others of your voice-part. And all in front of an expectant congregation, fitting your contribution flawlessly into the well-oiled machinery of the Liturgy…

The Choir rose the occasion marvellously, particularly in Stanford’s Canticles in C and Elgar’s ‘Ave Verum Corpus,’ a heady blend of lyricism and stirring ensemble singing.

It was lovely to welcome back some former members of the Choir and University alumni to take part.