A Bake and Book sale is being held at the Colyer Fergusson on the Canterbury campus on Tuesday 15 March 12:00-15:00 in aid of the British Red Cross Emergency Appeal for Ukrainian refugees.

Any donations of books and baked goods would be gratefully received. Please take these donations to Lucie Maslin in the Rutherford Extension entrance on Monday 14 March by 5pm, or before 11am on Tuesday 15 March.

All proceeds will go to the British Red Cross DEC Ukraine Appeal.

Please find our latest Continuing Support for Ukraine news story. 

As we continue to view the unfolding events in Ukraine with horror, our thoughts go out to the many bereaved and wounded, those suffering bombardment, homelessness and the destruction of their lives in the region. We express our solidarity with Ukrainian students and colleagues, along with all of those affected by the invasion, and we stand united in unequivocally condemning violence against civilians, hoping that peace can be restored as quickly as possible.  

We also look to how we can help as the humanitarian situation escalates in the country and the wider region. As Dr Olena Nizalova, Senior Lecturer in Economics and a member of our staff of Ukrainian origin, has said in a blog post earlier this week, there are practical ways to help, the critical means being the donation of money. 

National efforts are focussing on the work of the Disasters Emergency Committee which coordinates efforts across a range of agencies working in the region and we would urge students and staff who wish to donate to contribute to DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. 

At the University, we are already engaged in a number of practical steps to support those impacted by the conflict in Ukraine.  

For many years we have provided the Council for At Risk Academics (CARA) funding to support refugee and displaced academics with opportunities for study and research at Kent. We have been in touch with them this week to confirm that this funding is available for Ukrainian academics and to explore ways in which we might extend our contribution via this route. We have also been in touch with the worldwide #ScienceForUkraine initiative to ensure that they are aware of our support through CARA and to publicise it through that venue. 

As communicated last week, we have identified several staff and students from Ukraine and Russia and have taken immediate steps to support these individuals. Additionally, we have been supporting students based in both countries to ensure we can get them to a safe place as quickly as possible. Teams are also tracing any further staff or students who have travelled to the regions to make sure they can access the help they need. 

We are working with our students and with Kent Union to organise and promote a range of fundraising activities and would urge all staff to consider supporting these. Further details on this will be shared shortly. 

We are also exploring how our hardship mechanisms can be utilised by Ukrainian students, and whether or not we can enable specific donations to support this provision. We will be communicating with students, staff and alumni about this as soon as we have worked through the practical details.  

After the wide support offered by Kent staff and students at Kent’s Solidarity with Ukraine event, the next opportunity to feedback on our activity will be held within our forthcoming Global Showcase. This will take place on 16 March from 14.30 to 16.00.  

We would very much like to hear about further ideas as to how the university community can support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people at this extremely difficult time for the country, and if you have any thoughts, please do let us know by emailing ukraine-support@kent.ac.uk. 

My thanks to all of our community who have pulled together to coordinate our response to this. 

Yours sincerely, 

Karen 

Professor Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President

From Gemma Blackman | Centre for the Study of Higher Education

Universities have a responsibility to serve their societies and communities through access to education, resources, expertise, and consultancy.  Yet within a hypercompetitive global higher education sector that champions internationalisation, local needs can be neglected or deprioritised. This series of seminars from the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE) showcases a range of projects exploring higher education institutions’ civic responsibilities towards their wider societies and communities.

Becoming a University of Sanctuary: Lessons from the University of South Wales
9th March 2022 – 15:00-17:00 GMT
Venue: Online – Microsoft Teams

Sign up via Eventbrite.

The University of Sanctuary movement is a national network of university staff, lecturers, academics and students working to make Higher Education institutions places of safety, solidarity and empowerment for people seeking sanctuary. University of Sanctuary status is awarded to institutions that can demonstrate their commitment to creating a culture of welcome for people seeking sanctuary within, and beyond, their campuses.  In this seminar, Dr Cath Camps will reflect on the University of South Wales’ journey towards University of Sanctuary status, and outline number of associated ventures and initiatives at USW that are helping people displaced by war or persecution.  Attendees are invited to join in discussions concerning the University of Kent’s own application for University of Sanctuary status, planned for 2023.

With Dr Cath Camps, Deputy Director of the Centre for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching at University of South Wales.

For more details, see here.

Please note: this seminar is only open to University of Kent staff and students.

Reimagining Women Leadership Through Inclusive Community Engagement: Higher Education Resource Services – East Africa (HERS-EA)
23rd March 2022 – 13:00-14:00 GMT
Venue: Online – Microsoft Teams

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Higher Education Resource Services -East Africa (HERS-EA) is a women-centred leadership program for women in 7 African countries: Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania. In this seminar, the founders will outline how low-resource, engaged scholarship has mobilised researchers in Higher Education to engage with women-specific issues in the community and produce publishable manuscripts, for the benefit of researchers, communities, and policy makers.

With Naomi Lumutenga, mobiliser, activist and public speaker; and Prof. Margaret Khaitsa, Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, USA.

For more details, see here.

Problematizing dominant research commitments in Northern Ireland: Underserved local minority ethnic and migrant peoples
11th May 2022 – 13:00-14:00 BST
Venue: Online – Microsoft Teams

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In this research seminar, two academic citizens in Northern Ireland will share and reflect on their recent work with a newly formed think tank, the Migrant and Minority Ethnic Council (MME) and problematize the dominant research commitment of Northern Ireland research-intensive universities which underserve local minority ethnic and migrant peoples. They will share stories and insights from their different perspectives, professional positions, social locations and realms of influence. Their praxes are underpinned by a concern for how universities serve the local good, and the aim of raise consciousness about the (re)productions of inequality, marginalisation, and methodological nationalism and whiteness by UK universities.

With Dr Dina Zoe Belluigi, Senior Lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast; and Dr Maurice Macartney, Public Affairs and Campaigns Office at Queen’s University Belfast.

For more details, see here.

Applications are invited for an exciting collaboration between the University of Kent, School of Arts and National Youth Jazz Collective.

The project addresses the changing profile of UK women jazz musicians in the 21st century, barriers to progression (educational and professional) and the relationship between artistic voice, gender and professional identity.

This is a unique opportunity to work closely with a prestigious national music education portfolio organization (NPO) and its network of partner arts organisations. Applicants will have an interest in women performer-composers, contemporary jazz, inclusive practices and socio-cultural issues. Relevant professional experience is also welcome.

The successful applicant will have autonomy to shape the project based on their interests. They will receive research training, benefit from academic knowledge exchange and gain public engagement experience. They will also benefit from first-hand experience of arts management, invaluable for those aiming to develop a career in the creative arts sector.

Project supervisors will be Dr Ruth Herbert (Dept of Music & Audio Technology), Professor Nicola Shaughnessy (Arts) and Issie Barratt, (Artistic Director of the National Youth Jazz Collective), identified by BBC Radio 4’s Women in Power List in 2018 as one of the 40 most influential women in the music industry.

Applications for this studentship must be made via the University of Kent’s application form for a PhD in Music. Informal enquiries to Dr Ruth Herbert (Music and Audio Technology) r.herbert@kent.ac.uk

Written by Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura

Every year for over a century 8 March has marked International Women’s Day. The day has a political foundation, to promote collective action for the advancement of gender equality. Over the years the reach has expanded, and the day provides global opportunities for celebration, reflection, and challenge.

A theme this year is to #BreakTheBias. This is a powerful call to action and across the world, people will be hosting events, ceremonies, speakers, conferences, and protests to highlight the ways to break the bias, and why urgent action is still needed. Bias is at the core of inequality; it is conscious and unconscious and results in stereotypes and discrimination which are mostly systemically ingrained. Yet change feels sluggish, and progress is slow. How can we accelerate work to #BreakTheBias? I think part of the puzzle is to think of meaningful change as a journey which is effortful, collective, and requires leadership.

The bias women experience is not unidimensional. To break the bias, we need to take individual accountability and to spend the time and energy to understand lived experiences. This means providing safe and open spaces for sharing, with kindness and humility. It means keeping informed, updating our knowledge and skills, and continuous communication. It means recognising and addressing the intersectional structural discrimination that members of our community face, including ableism, transphobia, racism and homophobia. It takes effort. We can be more confident we are still on the right journey when we make the effort to understand what equality means for all women.

The collective and effortful nature of our journey towards gender equality will be advanced with leadership. To fast-track progress to break the bias will take distributed shared leadership, empowering individuals and teams, and recognising

leadership practise in day-to-day activities and collaborations. For example, this might be the leadership of a network event, organising a celebration of women’s work, publishing a report, calling someone out, developing a new call to action. It is the practise of leadership in everyday life, meaning wherever we are on the journey we are aiming to get further along but reaching out to hold the hands of those behind us, hopefully bringing new people in to join us. Especially in times of wider change and uncertainty shared leadership – and the recognition of this leadership – will be essential to drive change.

Every chip to #BreakTheBias matters. On the 8 March I will cross my arms to symbolise we need to break the bias as per the IWD call to action. But I will do so with an energy that means I can open them even wider ready to listen, collaborate, take action, lead and follow. I encourage you to join me.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day on the 8 March, we want to highlight some of the amazing and inspirational stories of our female staff, students, and alumni. We are proud of all our women at Kent and wish we could mention them all, but here’s a glimpse into just some of their wonderful achievements and where they all #BreakTheBias.

Dr Beth Breeze receives OBE

Dr Beth Breeze

Dr Beth Breeze, Director of our Centre for Philanthropy, was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) “For services to Philanthropic Research and Fundraising”.

Dr Albena Azmanova wins book award

Dr Albena Azmanova

Dr Albena Azmanova, in our Brussels School of International Studies, received the Michael Harrington Book Award for her book Capitalism on Edge: How Fighting Precarity Can Achieve Radical Change Without Crisis or Utopia.

Glory Oluwaseun is honoured for her work

Glory Oluwaseun

Kent student, Glory Oluwaseun was recognised for her contribution to citizenship by winning a Young Black Achievers Award from Medway African and Caribbean Association (MACA).

Professor Emily Grabham awarded Philip Leverhulme Prize

Professor Emily Grabham

Kent Law School Professor Emily Grabham achieved international recognition for her research over the last ten years, gaining multiple national prizes, including a £100k Philip Leverhulme Prize in Law.

Filipa Paes created Consent. Get It. Full Stop.’ campaign

Filipa Paes

As part of our new Kent Star campaign, Law student Filipa was recognised for her inspiring work on the ‘Consent. Get It. Full Stop.’ campaign.

Dr YolanDa Brown – award-winning saxophonist

Dr YolanDa Brown

Our alum YolanDa Brown is truly an inspiration – from being a double MOBO award-winning saxophonist to a broadcaster and author, YolanDa’s talents have no bounds.

Susannah Townsend – Olympic-winning field hockey play

Susannah Townsend

Our alum Susannah Townsend who still regularly trains on University campus, has previously been named Hockey Writers’ Club Women’s Player of the Year and achieved a gold medal in her first Olympic Games.

We love to hear about our amazing people at Kent, so if you have any inspirational stories you’d like to share email us at stories@kent.ac.uk!

Mental health support at work
It is recognised that people need a healthy level of both mental and physical health to underpin a positive sense of overall wellbeing. It is also known that there are many factors in our lives which can affect our mental health and wellbeing. Our experience at work can be a major influence. Additionally, if we are experiencing problems with our mental health which are not intrinsically related to our work, the support available in our workplaces can be a big positive or negative factor.

41% of people reported experiencing mental health symptoms caused or worsened by work in the past year
A joint report by Business in the Community & BUPA in 2021 produced statistics related to mental ill health and work. It stated that 41% of people reported experiencing mental health symptoms caused or worsened by work in the past year. Also, 51% of those surveyed reported that the poor mental health they felt related to work was due to pressure. However, the good news was that 76% of people said that their colleagues were supportive of their mental health needs and 69% of managers were the same.

Support available at Kent 
We have a great deal of support in place for colleagues who feel affected by symptoms of poor mental health and for those who are diagnosed with mental health problems. There is a

• Thriving @ Work group which has worked on implementing the recommendations of the Stephenson-Farmer government review; its work has built on counselling and support provisions implemented by University and Occupational Health (OH), like the Employee Assistance Programme and funded psychotherapy.
• The Thriving @ Work group work has underpinned training available through Talent & Organisational Development (T&OD) in various areas of mental health support and understanding; the training is available for individuals and managers.
• When it carried out its needs assessment, the Thriving @ Work group could see problems with communicating available support for staff, so the the Mental Health Support One Stop Shop webpages were created. The information on all support available for staff is accessible there plus advice on how to access it.

Training on mental health subjects can be viewed and accessed on the T&OD webpages. Courses scheduled are:

• ‘Understanding Depression’ on 02/03/22
• ‘Understanding Stress & Anxiety’ on 23/03
• ‘Introduction to Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing’ on 11/05
• ‘Mental Health Training for Line Managers’ on 25/05

Mental Health Allies
Another important development was setting a Mental Health Allies network. This is someone who seeks out opportunities to learn more about mental health, advocates for people with mental health problems and looks for ways to support them while modelling behaviour which supports positive mental health. T&OD is offering training to staff who want to fulfil the role of a Mental Health Ally at the University. The first cohort of trainees went through the course last year. Contact T&OD to find out when the next course will be running.

OH Rehabilitation Programme
Finally, it is worth a reminder that staff who need time away from work due to mental health problems can be supported back to work gradually and safely by an OH rehabilitation programme. Management need to be essentially involved in this; they have to initiate OH involvement by completing a Management Referral. This process ensures that the individual being referred has sight of any paperwork before it is sent to OH; signatures of both parties are required for this purpose.

It’s really important that all staff know how much there is available to support their mental health needs. When you read this article, please make others aware by passing it on.

Resources:

University of Kent Staff Mental Health One Stop Shop

University of Kent Employee Assistance Programme, (USERNAME: uokent |PASSWORD: university. The Freephone number for the service is 0808 168 2143)

University of Kent Staff Health and Wellbeing webpages

University of Kent Staff Occupational Health webpages

University of Kent Training & Organisational Development webpages

‘Mental Health at Work: building back responsibly’: joint report by Business in the Community & BUPA