Monthly Archives: September 2024

Welcome Week events roundup: 16-20 September

Welcome or welcome back to Kent! This week is Welcome Week, and there’s a ton planned to help you meet new people and settle in.

New students – don’t forget to prioritise your School and Division Welcome events so you’re ready for when teaching begins next week. There are also drop-in library tours each day during Welcome Week and Week 1 (11:00 morning tour and 15:00 afternoon tour) so you can familiarise yourself with Templeman Library.

Monday 16 September: Try new things

Welcome Week kicks off with the Fun House at the Venue with laser tag and games. On the library lawn you can try to be the Last One Standing on the podium, avoiding the big, sweeping arm!

In the evening there’s a Karaoke Night at K-Bar, Drag Bingo at Woody’s and then ChuckleVision Freshers Party at the Venue.

At Medway, there’s a Welcome to Kent event in the Oasis Lounge, plus Try it Out (Sports and Societies) and an International FoodFest. If you’re a new student based at Medway, don’t forget to pop into Medway Building during Welcome Week to pick up your KentOne card (ID) and finish any admin tasks.

Tuesday 17 September: Bubble Football and movie nights

Give Bubble Football a try on Tuesday, or relax at the Crafternoon on the library lawn where you can make friendship bracelets or paint a tote bag. In the evening you can watch Barbie at the Gulbenkian’s free outdoor cinema event! Or head to the Venue for the ACS Freshers Takeover.

At our Medway campus, you can meet some cute animals at the Picnic and Pets event at The Hub. There’s also laser tag and then a movie night at The Hub.

Wednesday 18 September: Medway Welcome Fair and Canterbury Global Hangout

Wednesday is the Medway Welcome Fair at The Hub. Meet all the societies and sports as well as students’ union and university support teams. Plus, there will be lots of freebies on offer. In the evening you can join the popular Music/Karaoke Night at Medway.

At Canterbury, there’s an orientation and welcome for short term and exchange students. Meet new and returning international students at the Global Hangout event in Darwin Conference Suite – enjoy crafts, games and refreshments in a relaxed environment.

On Wednesday afternoon, you can pick up some preloved household items donated by students at the Kent Students’ Union Campus Freecycle in Eliot car park. Items include bags, books, crockery and more.

Thursday 19 September: Canterbury Welcome Fair day 1 and Colour Fun Run

The Canterbury Welcome Fair is across Thursday and Friday and is a chance to meet societies and sports clubs whether you’re a new or returning student. There will be different student groups each day so try to visit both days if you can. Plus, great freebies including Domino’s pizza.

Join a Colour Fun Run on Canterbury campus where you get covered in powdered paint! On Thursday evening it’s Dancing Queen at K-Bar, a DJ night designed especially for Kent’s LGBTQ+ community who want to dance the night away.

At Medway you can enjoy Pancakes and Prosecco at The Deep End. You can also get creative with a Crafternoon at The Hub. Crafts include decorating scrapbooks, photo frames and wooden signs.

Friday 20 September: Canterbury Welcome Fair Day 2 and Medway Bollywood Night

Friday is Day 2 of Canterbury Welcome Fair, another chance to meet societies, sports teams and student groups. There’s also Nerf in the Venue and a Silent Disco at Woody’s in the evening.

At Medway, there’s GlobalFest which is a lively celebration of cultures from around the world with traditional performances, authentic foods and cultural music. Then we continue the celebrations with a Bollywood Night at The Deep End.

This is just a small selection of what’s on! See all Welcome Week events.

Don’t forget you can also travel to and from Canterbury and Medway campuses for free on the Campus Shuttle, so you can attend events at both campuses.

Arrivals Info – food, maps and more

If you are moving to Kent check out our online Arrivals Guides. The guides include what you need to do when you arrive on campus, maps, places to eat and events.

See our Canterbury Arrivals Guide

See our Medway Arrivals Guide

See info. on campus catering outlets – including opening times

Tuition and accommodation fee payments – key dates and information

Welcome or welcome back to Kent!

Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know about when your tuition and accommodation fees are due and how to pay them.

If you are an undergraduate student funded by Student Finance England, they will pay the fees directly to the University.

Key dates for Autumn term: tuition fees

I’m an undergraduate student (not funded by Student Finance England)

50% of your tuition fees are due when you enrol or complete returning registration (by 14 October 2024) and the remaining 50% are due on or before 1 December 2024.

I’m a postgraduate student (in receipt of Student Finance)

33% of your tuition fees are due on 23 September 2024. The remaining tuition fees are due on 13 January (33%) and 5 May (33%).

I’m a postgraduate student (non-funded)

50% of your tuition fees are due when you enrol or complete returning registration (by 14 October 2024) and the remaining 50% are due on or before 1 December 2024.

I’m an international student

If you are an international student whose country limits the movement of cash, we can review your options to pay in smaller amounts, but we do expect your fees to be paid in full within term one. This is particularly important if you have a Student visa as this is a requirement of your visa. 

Failure to pay could result in your student registration being cancelled. If you encounter a delay or problem making payment you must communicate with your Income Office Account Controller, so that they can review your options. 

Key dates for Autumn term: accommodation fees

Your accommodation contract will state the amount due. See options for paying accommodation fees.

I’m an undergraduate student (Canterbury)

Your accommodation fees are due on 23 September 2024.

I’m a postgraduate student (Canterbury)

Your accommodation fees are due on 16 September 2024.

I’m a student living in Pier Quays accommodation (Medway)

Pier Quays accommodation is provided by Unite Students for the University, so your contract is with Unite Students. All accommodation payments should be made to Pier Quays directly and not the University. Unite will tell you how you need to pay. You can go to the reception in Pier Quays to ask any queries about your accommodation fees.

How do I pay my tuition or accommodation fees?

Please see our making a payment webpage for more information.

Need help?

Please see our student finance FAQs which includes lots of questions around fees. You can also view the Income Office’s information sheet (pdf).

If your question is not answered, please get in touch with the Income Office.

Changes to our academic management structure from Jan 2025

Over the summer we’ve made a few changes behind the scenes to how our Academic Schools come together and will be moving to a 10 school structure. These changes won’t come into place until January 2025, so for the Autumn term continue to contact your Divisional support teams as you would’ve last academic year. If you’re unsure who to contact, ask Nexus to be linked up with the right service or team.

We will be in touch ahead of January 2025 with the details of the new academic management structure and what it means for you. If you have any questions or feedback in the meantime, please email kent2030student@kent.ac.uk

What’s an Academic Management Structure?

Our academic management structure sets out how different roles within Schools come together to support with teaching and administration. This includes how our services (IT, finance, student support) are organised so that we can best teach and support you while you’re at Kent.

Go to the Medway Building for Kent services at Medway

Over the summer we have moved all University of Kent services at Medway to the Medway Building.

Here is where you will now find the following services at Medway:

Student Support and Wellbeing – first floor of the Medway Building
Careers and Employability Service – second floor of the Medway Building M2-01
Skills for Academic Success (S.A.S) – second floor of the Medway Building M2-31
Oasis Lounge – first floor of the Medway Building, just next to reception
Medway Engagement Support Team – third floor of the Medway Building M3-13.

You can still use Drill Hall Library and The Hub at Medway as usual. Toni is your Lead Medway Officer from Kent Students’ Union if you have any feedback or need support.

Your timetable will have where your teaching sessions will take place at Medway.

Meet our support teams

As we get ready for the new academic year, here’s a reminder of all the support on offer at Kent and how to find it.

You can visit Nexus in Templeman Library for any support or visit the My Kent website for services, advice and more. Support teams include:

📚 Skills for Academic Success (formerly SLAS)

🌈 Student Support and Wellbeing

💼 Careers and Employability Service

💬 Kent Students’ Union Advice Service

💻IT and Library Support

🎓 Divisional Support Teams

🏠 Student Welfare and Community Life

Don’t forget, your Academic Adviser and School can provide support specific to your course. Check Moodle for your school’s guide and support.

Supporting a programme to save food waste and reduce food poverty in Greece

Article by Kent Business School

Our MBA students tackling real-world challenges faced by an Athens-based NGO

Extraordinary, life changing, transformative, unforgettable … just some of the superlatives used by our MBA students on returning from their week’s International Consultancy Challenge in Athens. In partnership with Alba Graduate Business School, the students were given the opportunity to collaborate with Boroume, an incredible NGO whose mission is to reduce food waste and food insecurity in Greece.

Since 2012, this not-for-profit organisation (whose name means ‘we can’) has saved and offered more than 80 million portions of food with a value of €120 million (€1.5 per portion). Working with over 650 charities across Greece, this currently equates to a staggering 35,000 portions of food per day. They approach the issue of food waste and the fight against food insecurity holistically through a number of programmes, one of which is Boroume at the Farmers’ Market. This involves volunteers visiting the various farmers’ markets each week, collecting the donated produce and then handing it over to a local charity, with all activity coordinated by Boroume.

Following a Design Thinking workshop with Professor Nikos Mylonopoulous, and a workshop entitled ‘Do stakeholders care about Environmental Social Governance (ESG) and CSR?’ with Professor Pavlos Vlachos, the students worked in groups, each visiting a local market so they could experience what is involved first hand. This was followed by a full day’s design thinking sprint, before each group presented their ideas both for expansion and for streamlining current processes to Anna Kabouropoulous, Program Manager at Boroume.

The groups focused on various areas including education, logistics, inventory management and supply chain, technology, data management, people management, community engagement, business collaboration, recognition and reward, and sustainable practices.

‘This hands-on experience enhanced my understanding of design thinking and underscored the power of collaboration and community in tackling real-world issues,’ said Mostafa Elghobashy, an Operations Manager from the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare sector, who is just completing his MBA at Kent. ‘Working in diverse groups, we dove deep into the design thinking process. We created personas to understand the various stakeholders involved, crafted points of view to pinpoint specific needs and generated ‘How might we’ questions to spark creative solutions.’

Full-time MBA student, Siddhi Chavan posted about her experience on social media, saying ‘This experience not only honed our business acumen but also deepened our understanding of the crucial role NGOs like Boroume play in creating a more sustainable world.’

Fellow student, Debarshee Sen agrees, writing (to Boroume) ‘Words cannot express how inspiring your work is.’ The experience appears to have had a profound effect on him, as he continues, ‘This challenge has ignited a passion for creating positive change through ethical business practices. The lessons learned about cultural sensitivity, social responsibility, and innovative problem solving will undoubtably shape my future career and personal growth. I’m deeply thankful for the connections made, the knowledge shared, and the inspiration gained. This experience has reinforced my belief in the power of collaboration and the potential of business to address critical social issues.

But is not all work and no play! As you might expect, the MBA International Challenge also includes some cultural visits, including a trip to the Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis Hill with a professional guide. With the temperature over 30 degrees, the climb up is no mean feat! The previous evening the whole group enjoyed a welcome dinner at a rooftop restaurant with stunning Acropolis views, so they were delighted to get up close.

Two other highlights are the team building cooking experience which takes place in the beautiful Kropias Gi Botanical Park courtesy of Vouryia and the sunset farewell dinner at Flisvos Marina. What a perfect way to end such an action-packed week. Part-time MBA student and Business Development Manager, John Benfield sums the whole experience up perfectly declaring, ‘This trip will stay with me forever.’

The International Challenge is one of four MBA Challenges that make the MBA at Kent Business School so relevant in the current global world. It takes the learning to another level and allows the students to make even more important contacts for their future growth.

For more information on our MBA, why not attend an online MBA briefing. It’s a great way to find out what happens throughout the course and speak to current students about their experiences.