The University of Kent Players are very pleased to announce that their next production will be Jane Austen’s ‘Sense and Sensibility’ – coming to the Gulbenkian on the 6 – 8 September!

We will be auditioning for the production on 8th and 10th May from 5.30pm-7.30pm in KS4 and all staff are invited to attend – no previous acting experience is required and it is very informal and fun. We would also be interested to hear from anyone who would like to help out backstage.

About the show

When their wealthy half-brother cheats them of their fortune, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood are left penniless. They are forced to leave the comforts of Norland Park and relocate to chilly Barton Cottage in Devonshire, but when John Willoughby, a handsome stranger, arrives one day with a rain-drenched Marianne in his arms, the sisters are convinced that their fortunes are changed forever.

About the University of Kent Players

Founded in 2013 by Neil Hornsey, the University of Kent Players are made up of staff and friends of the University of Kent and currently put on two productions per year at the Gulbenkian Theatre. Our productions always raise money for a charity through ticket and programme sales and our members are from all walks of life with varying levels of experience in theatre. Anyone can join and get involved, not just on stage but also backstage. We hold regular socials and lunches and have loads of fun doing what we love.

If you would like to be involved in ‘Sense & Sensibility’ in any way then please do contact us on players@kent.ac.uk – we would love to hear from you!

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) has awarded the 2018 AFP/Skystone Partners Prize for Research on Fundraising and Philanthropy to Beth Breeze for her book The New Fundraisers: Who Organises Charitable Giving in Contemporary Society?, published by Policy Press, in 2017.

The New Fundraisers provides a global overview on the purpose and history of fundraising, with in-depth data from an extensive study of UK fundraisers. The book is an empirically-based and theoretically-informed account of the makeup and role of fundraisers, how fundraising works in practice and what kinds of skills and training make for an effective fundraising professional.

“Writing this book was a labour of love because I feel strongly that fundraising is a crucial yet overlooked, and often misunderstood, profession,” said Breeze. “I hope that the book helps to challenge the illogical position whereby charities are widely admired, but the people who bring in the funding that enables charitable activity to take place, are not.”

Commenting on Dr Breeze’s award-winning book, the prize jury commented that “this excellent volume was selected because of its value as a research study that centers itself outside of the United States. Dr Breeze’s book argues that fundraising is about much more than simply ‘raising funds’ by asking donors, as the process must also include the complex work of cultivation by the practitioner. Prior to now, most researchers have focused on individual donors, their characteristics and their motivations.  Dr Breeze flips the script and, through empirical research, helps us understand the fundraiser. We commend Dr Breeze for strong research and an accessible book that can forward our field.”

Beth Breeze is a senior lecturer on social policy and director of the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent in the UK. She worked as a fundraiser and charity manager before co-founding the Centre.

Join us at the University of Kent for the 2018 South East Hub, a postgraduate and early career researcher conference with the theme: ‘Victims, Perpetrators, Bystanders and Collaborators as historical concepts: Redundant labels, useful categorisations or somewhere in between?’

The South East Hub 2018 will be held in the Grimond building (University of Kent, Canterbury campus) on 19 June and is co-funded by CHASE and the University of Kent School of History. The conference is an opportunity for research postgraduates and early career researchers to discuss their topics in a friendly and supportive environment. This year, papers will address the conceptual utility of the terms victims, perpetrators, bystanders and collaborators in a variety of historical contexts.

The panels are: ‘Accusation, Collaboration and Resistance’, ‘The Victim Voice’, ‘Simultaneous Categories’, and ‘Regimes and the Right’. The keynote talk will be delivered by Professor Tim Cole and is entitled, ‘Perpetrators, victims and bystanders: Writing integrated histories and geographies’.

The conference is free to attend. Lunch, tea and coffee will also be provided, and a wine reception will follow the event. Please note that there are limited spaces, so places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration closes on 18 May, so register as soon as possible to secure your attendance at the conference.

Register here.

If you have any questions about the event or require any further information, please get in touch with Kate Docking and Ellis Spicer at southeasthub2018@outlook.com

The conference webpage can be viewed here.

Athena SWAN now has a wider reach and includes Professional Services staff in creating a better work environment for everyone.

The Athena SWAN Project Team wants to invite you to a ‘Progressing Together’ event on the 14 May from 12.00-16.00 at Grimond Lecture Theatre, where we can start the conversation; we need your input to make sure we focus on the right things that will make a difference

This event is open for anyone to attend, however, the themes and topics are aimed at University of Kent’s Professional Services and for this reason, we particularly welcome PS members of staff.

Follow the link to register and to learn more: Register here

Dr Simon Elliott, Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies, featured on the podcast Dan Snow’s History Hit earlier in the week, following the publication of his third book Septimius Severus in Scotland (Greenhill Books, 2018).

‘The reason why he was there was for the last major attempt to conquer Scotland,’ explains Simon in the podcast, ‘to try to achieve what no emperor had done before’.

Approximately 57,000 soldiers were involved in two campaigns in 209AD and 201AD. ‘Even though he took this enormous army – if not the largest army compiled on British soil – he still failed.’ As a response to these failures, Severus allegedly ordered the genocide of the Scots, which had lasting effects on the country. ‘This is one of the great, great untold stories of British history.’

To listen to the episode, please go to the webpage here.

Additionally, we are running a book competition to win Simon’s first book Sea Eagles of Empire (History Press, 2016), which may be found here.