From Professor Jeremy Carrette, Dean for Europe

The University of Kent has a long-term legacy in Europe with its European Centres in Brussels and Paris, its foundational piloting of the Erasmus scheme and its historical positioning as the ‘UK’s European university’, as well as its long-standing partnerships and dual-award programmes with key Universities across Europe.

As the new Kent in Europe strategy shows, our commitment to Europe remains vital to our regional and international relationships. The recent decision to locate the European Centres into the Divisional structures – the Brussels School of International Studies into HSS/LSSJ and Paris School of Arts and Cultures into A&H – shows the commitment to a sustainable delivery of postgraduate programmes for the future and also offers new opportunities for wider University engagements.

While the European legacy will always remain a valued part of the tradition of a University connected across the English Channel and situated in the European gateway county of Kent, the new global context of higher education and the importance of reaching a wider world requires a new integrated vision for the University of Kent. There is a need for a greater inclusive global perspective and a recognition that Europe is part of the wider strategy of global outreach. This inclusivity is part of welcoming students from diverse cultures and continents and embracing a wider understanding of global outreach and education.

As the European Centre become integrated in Divisions and the Dean for Europe role evolves in the coming years into supporting a new Global Outreach Project within the Global Engagement team and their development of a new Global Engagement Strategy, a new focus is emerging for the University identity. There will be new developments that link regional, European and global outlooks in one vision for the University of Kent.

In the next few weeks, we will see a new brand emerge that opens a new direction and those familiar European university powerpoint presentations and tag lines will evolve to show our new place for Kent in its new global context.

While Europe becomes part of the new global strategy and while the future will continue our commitment to the European Centres, the 3i Network (with Lille, Ghent and LU Leuven) and our key partnerships in Europe, these engagements will stand alongside a newly emerging Global Outreach Project. The new global outreach will support new income generation with projects in Asia, Africa and the Americas and our long-standing commitment in Europe will become part of our global university vision.

Together we are making a new future for Kent – embracing new opportunities to make a better world.