Monthly Archives: December 2019

Postgraduate Information Evening, 5 December

You are invited to our Postgraduate Information Event on Thursday 5 December 2019, 17.00-19.00.

This informal event is a great way to find out more about Kent’s wide range of programmes for personal or career development, £12m Postgraduate Scholarship fund, including discounts for Kent graduates, and welcoming and supportive postgraduate community.

You could be eligible for either £1000 Graduate School Scholarship or the 10% loyalty discount. Find out more about postgraduate scholarships.

The event will cover programmes at all our locations in the UK and Europe. The Dean of the Graduate School, Professor Paul Allain, and the Scholarships team will be giving talks

Book your place now

New Studio 3 exhibition: Derek’s Room

The Studio 3 Gallery at the School of Arts will be running a new exhibition, entitled Derek’s Room, from Wednesday 4 to Saturday 7 December 2019, from 10.00 to 17.00.

Derek’s Room is the first juried open submission exhibition in Studio 3 Gallery, and aims to display the rich variety of creative practice blooming in Kent: from painting, sculpture, and photography, to performance, textile, poetry and digital media.The opening night of the exhibition will be held on Tuesday 3 December 2019 from 17.00, and will feature live performances.

This first presentation of Derek’s Room is organised by Dr Eleen M Deprez, Curator of Studio 3 Gallery; Callum Foad and Alice Richardson, currently studying MA History and Philosophy of Art; Yannis Grimm, currently studying BA (Hons) Drama and Theatre; Emily Harman, currently studying BA (Hons) Art History; Debbie Patterson, a Kent alumna; and Kostas Xanthopoulos, currently studying BA (Hons) Multimedia Technology and Design.

The artists whose work features in the exhibition include Kent students, staff and alumni as well as the general public. The artists are: Elaine Almond, Claire Anscomb, Georgiana Barcan, Chris Blunkell, Danny Burrows, Joseph Clarke, Peggy Eagle, Izichi Elenwo, Jonathan Fryer, Elena Hansen, Emily Harman, Melanie Jordan, Hannah Joy King, Daniel Loveday, Euphemia MacTavish, Lorrain Mailer, Joy C Martindale, Kate Matthews, Jane McCourt, Ines Mourato, Rémy Noë, Philip Ofe, Ian Palmer, Marina Panayiotou, Sandra Pearson, Nic Ramsden, Clare Ruddock-West, Corinne Smallman, Clare Smith, Sam Vale, Kristy Widdicombe, Emma Williams, Kostas Xanthopoulos, Jinhao Xie.

More information about Studio 3 Gallery can be found on the Gallery’s blog.

Chorus and Orchestra concert to explore musical legacy

The University Chorus and Orchestra join forces this Saturday (7 December) to explore the musical legacy of three great composers, in a programme including Haydn’s rousing ‘Te Deum’ and Beethoven’s effervescent First Symphony.

Two Music Scholarship pianists also join the performers for two of Brahms’ lyrical ‘Liebesliederwaltzer.’

Tickets for the performance are still available from the Gulbenkian Box Office; join them this Saturday night!

Ben Thomas to chair debate on Leonardo’s ‘Paragone’

Dr Ben Thomas, Reader in the Department of Art History, will be chairing a debate on ‘Leonardo’s “Paragone” and Contemporary Art’ at the Warburg Institute on Monday 2 December 2019, featuring leading contemporary painter Humphrey Ocean and sculptor Phillip King. The event is part of Leonardo 500, a series of events marking the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death.

Leonardo da Vinci argued that ‘the sculptor undertakes his work with greater bodily exertion than the painter’ and that sculpture is ‘an extremely mechanical operation, generally accompanied by great sweat which mingles with dust and becomes converted into mud. His face becomes powdered all over with marble dust, which makes him look like a baker’. By contrast, the painter is a cultured intellectual wearing fine cloths and painting to the accompaniment of music and poetry recitals. Partly made for comic effect in a courtly setting, Leonardo’s arguments for the superiority of painting over sculpture – the so-called Paragone debates – are at the heart of his conception of the visual arts as noble because they required a theoretical understanding of nature.

A deeper reading of Leonardo’s arguments reveals his profound interest in sculptural problems such as lighting and view-point, and an awareness that pictorial challenges like creating the appearance of relief on a flat surface (‘rilievo’) requires a knowledge of sculptural form. To what extent are these questions and concerns relevant to the practice of the visual arts today? Humphrey Ocean and Phillip King will reprise Leonardo’s arguments, relating them to their own practice.

The event has been co-organised by the Warburg Institute; The Italian Cultural Institute; the Centre for Cultural Memory and the Friends of Italian Studies at the Institute for Modern Languages Research, School of Advanced Study, University of London; and the Histories Research Group at the School of Arts, University of Kent.

The event will run from 18.00 to 20.00.

For more details, and to book, please see the Warburg Institute’s page.

Kent Talks – Monday 9 December

After the success of the first event on 11 November, Miray Has and her team have organised the second event in the series, in collaboration with the University of Kent TED Society, which will take place on Monday 9th December, Sibson LT3, 18:00-19:30.

The speakers are:

Libby Kane – The Case Against Detention Centres

Aya Raphael & Riwa Haider – Lebanese Revolution is Women

Nour Barham – What is home?

This is a great opportunity to collaborate with your friends all around campus, meet like-minded people and deepen your educational and social values.

Learn more about Kent Talks online or email Miray Has for more information or if you would like a presentation slot for one of the future events.

Look how far Warp It has come!

Since implementing the furniture reuse and management system, Warp It, back in January 2016 we’ve hit a huge milestone!

Warp It is designed to make it very easy for staff at the University of Kent to loan or give surplus items to other staff. Furthermore, items that aren’t needed within the University can be passed onto partner organisations and charities. This has helped us to achieve savings in time and money and being smarter with our resources.

So far, we’ve saved:

£744,988
120,157KG waste
366,130KG CO2

And we’ve:

donated £49,680 to not for profits organisations
gained 711 members

So, if you have an item that is taking up space that you don’t need, put it on Warp It. Or if you’re looking for an item check Warp It before you buy new!

What items can be reused through Warp It?

Reusable furniture, fixtures and fittings and office consumables (such as stationary and folders) and much more *, if you’re not sure if your item can be listed please contact warpit@kent.ac.uk for advice.

How do I register?

Visit our Warp It homepage. Make sure you bookmark it. Hit the big green button which says ‘register’ now. Once you register you’ll get further instructions. You can browse items on Warp It by hitting the search button.

Learn how to add an item here.
Learn how to claim an item here.

If you want to know more about the system in general, go to www.getwarpit.com where there are examples of how the system is working well in other organisations just like ours. You can also check out the Frequently Asked Questions here.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with warpit@kent.ac.uk

*items remain the property of the University-not for private use

Any claims made by 9 December will be delivered by 19 December. Any items claims after this date will not be delivered until the New Year.

Applications Invited for Student Projects Grant Scheme

The Student Projects Grant Scheme 2020 is now inviting applications from student groups and societies.

Funded by the Kent Opportunity Fund, which was established to increase opportunities for students at Kent, The Student Projects Grant Scheme allows donations given by alumni and friends of the University to reach as many students as possible by enabling groups of students to bid for funds to run their own projects.

The 2020 Student Projects Grant Scheme will be open for applications on 1st December 2019. The maximum grant is £2000 per project. There is £10,000 available to fund Student Projects this year. Applications are welcome from student societies in Kent Union, and students groups representing departments, faculties and schools across the University, including the campuses in Canterbury and Medway, our centre in Tonbridge and the University’s European centres in Brussels, Paris, Athens and Rome. The deadline for the applications will be 17th January 2020.

If you have any questions, please contact Alex Perkins (01227 824547). To find out more please visit the Student Projects page.

“The Students Project Scheme receives a number of varied applications from students each year. Applications for funding are always of a high quality and this year the Panel has to allocate £10k to support projects that will further enhance the student experience and employability of Kent students.”

– James Corbin, Head of Careers and Employability Services

Global Hangout Christmas Special December 2019

All Kent students are invited to the upcoming Global Hangout Christmas Special which will be hosted at the Gulbenkian cafe on 10 December from 5 – 7pm.

There will be an interactive quiz to test student’s knowledge on holiday traditions across the world, as well as other games and activities such as decorating gingerbread people.

Come along for some Christmas cheer, food and networking fun. Mulled wine and mince pies will also be provided!

Book your place and encourage any friends to sign up and celebrate the end of Autumn term.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Hosted by Kent’s Global Officers, c/o International Partnerships.

For more information, please visit Global Hangout page.

Customer Service Pride Award – nomination deadline 4 December

The PRIDE Award recognises members of Kent Hospitality staff who go out of their way to deliver excellent customer service.

Do you know of a Kent Hospitality staff member (permanent or casual) who has shown excellent customer service during the Autumn Term? If so, please take a few minutes to make your nomination online or pick up a paper form next to the red nomination boxes located in Kent Hospitality’s catering outlets and College reception areas – if you prefer you can also email pride@kent.ac.uk.

The nomination deadline is 12.00 on Wednesday 4 December.

Please make your nominations detailed, providing as much information as possible why the nominee should be considered for the award. The panel are looking for staff who achieve more than just what is expected in their role (i.e. hardworking, professional, positive and friendly attitude). Kent staff, students or members of the public can submit nominations.

The award is given out four times a year with each winner receiving £100 of shopping vouchers, a certificate and PRIDE badge.

Winter at Kent

If you are staying over in Kent during the winter break you will be delighted to know that there are many activities for you take part in.

From our campuses at Canterbury and Medway to the town centres, there is everything from visiting Christmas markets, sightseeing, attending the theatre, going Christmas sale shopping or even sledging.

While our campuses have a limited opening hours you will still be able to access the library, IT services, restaurants, bars and sports centre.

With regards to Medway and Canterbury the festive period will be a great chance for you to explore the local area and take part in the many activities.

You can find out about the campus Christmas hours here.

Travel regarding Brexit

If you are a UK National travelling abroad during the Christmas period you will need to head to the UK Government Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) for information where they have a dedicated website with up-to-date travel advice after Brexit.

You can get latest updates from the FCO Travel Advice Twitter feed (@FCOTravel) and via the hashtag #PrepareforEUExit.

The University’s Estates team has information on travel disruption around campus. Many travel providers also have specific Brexit advice relevant to their services on their website, including Eurotunnel and National Express.

If you are not a UK National there will be no change to the rights and status of EU/EEA citizens currently living in the UK until 31 December 2020. This means that if you travel outside of the UK during your studies, you should be able to return as normal.

Students who are non-EU/EEA nationals but are a dependant of an EU/EEA national should ensure that they hold a valid family permit.

For those coming to the UK from outside the EU, you will still be able to travel provided your Tier 4 visa is valid.

There is more information on the potential impact of Brexit on students on the Brexit pages of our website.

If you are staying over in Kent during the winter break you will be delighted to know that there are many activities for you take part in.