The University’s academic staff are leading the way in outstanding research and teaching, and this has been recognised in our latest promotions.

Seventy members of Kent’s academic staff have been promoted to professor, reader, senior lecturer or senior research fellow across our Faculties of Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences, with effect from 1 October 2017.

The new professors include: Dr David Stirrup, School of English; Dr Natalia Sobrevilla Perea, School of European Culture and Languages; Dr Julio Hernandez Castro, School of computing; Dr Farzin Deravi and Dr Gareth Howells, School of Engineering and Digital Arts; Dr Donatella Alessandrini, Dr Kate Bedford and Dr Emily Grabham, Kent Law School; Dr Zoe Davies and Dr Tracy Kivell, School of Anthropology and Conservation; Dr Georgina Randsley de Moura, Dr David Wilkinson and Dr David Williams, School of Psychology; Dr Peter Langdon, Dr Ellie Lee and Dr Iain Wilkinson, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research.

Alison Ross-Green, Director of HR and Organisational Development, said: ‘The University is dependent upon the personal growth and career attainment of its academic staff to refresh, develop and strengthen the organisation. Our successes in league tables and surveys are in no small part a reflection of the number of individuals whose hard work has been reflected in our promotion figures.’

Further information on all the newly-promoted academics is available at https://www.kent.ac.uk/campusonline/promotions

You are invited to make nominations for two representatives of non-union members of staff to join the Joint Staff Negotiating and Consultation Committee (JSNCC); one position to represent staff in grades 7 and above, and one position to represent staff in grades 1 to 6. All University staff are eligible to nominate themselves.

If you wish to nominate yourself as a candidate for one of these positions, please complete the nomination entry form. You will be asked to provide a personal statement and the details of two people who support your nomination.

If you do not have time to complete the form now, it will remember your answers and you can pick it up again later on by clicking on the link above.

The deadline for completed nominations is 12 noon on Friday 17 November 2017.

If you have any difficulty accessing the form, please email KentSurveys@kent.ac.uk

What is the JSNCC?

The committee is the main forum for consultation between the University and its staff and is one of the most important and influential committees in the University. Its membership includes management, union and staff representatives who meet each term. The current non-union staff members are Stephen Rowlstone and Mark Ellis.

Find out more about the JSNCC

Why join the JSNCC?
Acting as a staff representative is interesting and rewarding. It provides the opportunity to discuss and comment on University plans and policies, to meet a wide range of new people and to gain valuable personal development. Training and support will be provided to the successful candidates.

Further information about the JSNCC and the nomination and election processes can be found on the JSNCC website or by contacting Martin Atkinson: m.atkinson@kent.ac.uk or ext 6599.

Kent’s annual ’25 Year Lunch’ was held in the Beagle Restaurant on Monday 23 October, with Professor Karen Cox, Vice-Chancellor and President, hosting and Alison Ross-Green, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, accompanying her.

The lunch celebrates and recognises the contribution each staff member has made over the years at the University. Eleven members of staff attended to celebrate their 25 years at the University and were presented with gifts that they had chosen by the Vice-Chancellor in recognition of their contribution over the years. The Beagle Restaurant was the perfect venue and a thoroughly enjoyable time was had by all.

Photograph (from left to right)
Back row: Janice Tuite (Finance Division), Robert Akerman (Biosciences), Wendy Brunwin (Finance Division), Alan Hollister (Estates), Rob Springett (IS Campus Support)

Front row: Professor Karen Cox (Vice-Chancellor and President), Kevin Stevens (Estates), Sue Prout (Research Services), Mary Hughes (Academic Division), Barbara Smith (Kent Hospitality), Beryl Barnes (Biosciences), Alison Ross-Green (Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development).

An event to help demystify and explain family court proceedings for people unable to afford legal representation will be hosted by Kent Law Clinic on Wednesday 1 November.

‘Demystifying the Family Court’ aims to give anyone expecting to be a litigant in person a better understanding of how the family court works. It will also help to explain what is likely to happen at a family hearing. It will be held in a replica court room (pictured) in the Wigoder Law Building on Kent’s Canterbury campus.

The Clinic’s Family Law Solicitor Philippa Bruce has enlisted the help of a local district judge and barrister to offer general advice on how the court works. The panel will also include a member of the public who has personal experience of both children and family proceedings.

Although it won’t be possible to offer individual legal advice on specific cases, the event aims to address a broad spectrum of questions ranging from when to arrive at court and where to sit, to how to prepare, organise and present a case in the family court.

Philippa said: ‘Representing yourself in family court proceedings can be very stressful and the court itself can feel like an intimidating place if you are unsure what to expect. Our aim is to take away the mystery and enable people who are representing themselves to feel more confident and capable of putting forward their case in court.’

Taking place from 18.00 to 19.30, the event is open to all.

People in the local community seeking advice on specific cases can book an appointment to attend a Monday evening Clinic Advice Session staffed by volunteer legal advisors. Please contact the Law Clinic on 01227 823311 to find out more or to book an appointment.

Are you interested in encouraging and enabling teaching and learning innovation? Do you have a great idea that would improve the quality of teaching, teaching-related activity, support for teaching, or the student learning experience at Kent?

If so, you need to meet TESSA!

We already have University Teaching Prizes, which reward colleagues on their achievements. But sometimes what’s needed is funding to try something new, to test out an idea or a different way of working. That’s where TESSA comes in; the Teaching Enhancement Small Support Award.

We’re piloting this small grants scheme during 2017/18. You can apply for funding between £500 and £3,000, with up to £5,000 on offer for large, high-impact, collaborative projects across schools in more than one faculty, or across schools and professional service departments.

There will be two rounds of funding available this year, and the closing date for the first is 20 November 2017. All colleagues who contribute to teaching, learning or teaching support are eligible to apply – you don’t have to be an academic, or based in a school. We hope to see a wide range of applications from around the University.

Professor April McMahon, Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Education, says ‘I am delighted we are able to launch this new awards scheme. Every application will show how committed we are at Kent to enhancing the quality, innovation and enjoyment of teaching and learning for students and colleagues.’

Find out more and download the short application form

Portable appliance testing is scheduled to take place from Monday 16 October until Friday 20 October 2017 in Jennison Building.

Please ensure all equipment is available for testing.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and we will endeavour to keep any distruption to a minimum. If there are any queries please call the Estates Helpdesk on extn 3209.

International festival, 51zero, brings together established and emerging artists, students, graduates, curators and critics for a week-long celebration, from Friday 27 October to Thursday 2 November in Rochester and Chatham.

51zero, which takes its name from the geographical coordinates of Medway, focuses international collaboration, artistic production and exhibition of film, video and digital art. Working from within Medway, 51zero partners with cultural organisations in the UK and overseas to commission, curate and present contemporary moving image work.

The programme features contemporary artists and established musicians, alongside emerging practitioners and students from the School of Music and Fine Art.

The festival opens on Friday 27 October with an eclectic evening of silent short films, animations and heritage moving-image, screened alongside live music performances at Rochester Cathedral.

Events continue at the Cathedral Crypt and the Guildhall Museum presents exhibitions, installations, participatory performances and a strand curated by students of the University of Kent, until the following Thursday.

On Thursday 2 November, a final showcase of films by emerging artists, as part of Open Projector, will be hosted by the University of Kent, as well as a final discussion forum, bringing together a mix of international and emerging artists, local students and graduates, curators, critics and musicians.

Open Projector takes place in The Royal Dockyard Church, 17.00 – 18.30, providing an important opportunity for emerging artists, graduates, and students to screen and discuss their work in a peer group environment. The public is invited to participate in this closing strand of the festival, which will precede a closing discussion forum, accompanied by a communal supper from 18.30 – 21.30

All events are FREE and open to all. Find out more

Learning and Organisational Development are running a Recruitment and Selection Training Session on Monday 23 October, 09.30 – 12.30

Find out more and book a place via the Activities Calendar.

Year 3 School of Music and Fine Art Event and Experience Design students present a live event from 11.00 – 16.00 on Tuesday 12 December. The multimedia installations and performances are an explorative response to the physical, historical and social contexts of one of Medway’s historic sites – Eastgate House, Rochester.

This innovative event, which is free* and open to the public produces an interpretive and immersive tour of the buildings.

Says Programmes Director, Peter Hatton: “It is a great privilege and pleasure to work again with the officers at Medway Council’s Sports, Leisure Tourism and Heritage Department and a wonderful opportunity for the students to work with a client in a real-world environment.”

* While the event is free, there is an admission charge to enter Eastgate House.