With a heavy heart, we note the passing of a great friend and colleague Professor Louis Passfield, honorary professor from the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences.

Louis came to the University of Kent in 2007 as a Professor and Head of Department (of the Centre for Sports Studies over on the Medway campus), before overseeing it’s development into the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences (SSES) in 2012.

Current Head of School Professor Glen Davison says:

“Louis was instrumental in shaping the SSES we know now. Indeed, many current SSES staff were appointed by Louis, and others remember him as somebody who helped, or even mentored, them and the School during a key period of development. He left Kent in 2017, and had been working at the University of Calgary as an adjunct Professor, although maintained links with Kent as an honorary Professor in SSES. There are many fond memories of Louis, and he will be missed dearly”

One of his previous students, Dr Ciaran O’Grady, posted on Twitter saying:

“Shocking news of the passing of a great human being who will be missed by so many. I owe so much to Louis, from pushing me in my PhD as my supervisor, to inspiring me to pursue sports science as a career in my first weeks as an undergraduate at Kent. You will not be forgotten”

This is just one example of the many dozens of messages that have been posted over the last few days, showing just how much Louis meant to so many.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Over 90 academic colleagues are celebrating their promotion to professor, reader, senior lecturer or senior research fellow in the 2021-22 academic year!

Our new professors are:

Division of Arts and Humanities

Prof Helen Brooks, Prof Lubomira Radoilska, Prof John Wills

Professor Helen Brooks

Division of Human and Social Sciences

Prof Albena Azmanova, Prof Aleksandra Cichocka, Prof Tim Hopthrow, Prof Zaki Wahhaj

Professor Albena Azmanova

Kent Business School

Prof Kathy Kotiadis, Prof Catherine Robinson

Professor Kathy Kotiadis

Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice

Prof Caroline Chatwin, Prof Ian Reeves, Prof Ann-Marie Towers, Prof John Wightman

Professor Ann-Marie Towers,

Division of Natural Sciences

Prof Alessia Buscaino, Prof Ben Goult, Prof Jennifer Hiscock, Prof Gurprit Lall, Prof Nigel Temperton, Prof Tobias von der Haar

Professor Gurprit Lall

Martin Atkinson, Director of HR and Organisational Development, said: ‘We are pleased and proud to recognise the excellent work of members of our academic community who have been promoted this year. The career development, personal growth and excellence of our academic staff are vital to the continuing success of the University. Congratulations to all those promoted and, on behalf of them and us all, thank you to everyone who has contributed to their success through collaboration and support.’

This week (13-19 November) is Transgender Awareness Week, which aims to:

• raise awareness of the experiences of transgender and gender non-conforming people
• share stories of transgender people in our society
• advance advocacy around the issues of prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affect the transgender community.

The big impact of small actions

At Kent we hope to further our inclusive community, eradicate prejudice, and support one another. Lynne Regan, a senior member of the Student Support and Wellbeing team on the Medway campus and who has completed her Doctorate on the experience of trans students at the University, explains how small actions can have a big impact:

‘Rainbow lanyards are available for staff and students from most college and library receptions at Canterbury and Medway. Wearing the lanyards shows students that they can ‘bring their whole selves’ to you without fear of judgement or an unsupportive reaction. Another thing you can do is to use inclusive language, put pronouns in your email signature and respect pronouns. If someone has told you the pronouns that they use, then respect this.’

Support for staff at Kent

• There is a support group in Canterbury that meets twice a month. It is open to trans, intersex and non-binary people at Kent. The group is run by trans/non-binary people for trans/non-binary people. Family and partners are welcome.
• There are gender-neutral toilet facilities across our Canterbury and Medway campuses.
• Check out our directory of LGBTQ+ self-help resources including details of free, confidential, specialist helplines and support group networks, such as Metro, The Be You Project, and Gendered Intelligence.
• Our LGBTQ+ Staff Network encourages people from all backgrounds, sexual orientations and gender identities to get involved and welcomes any ideas, feedback and advice you have.

Help us create a university community that belongs to all staff and students, and where everyone feels they belong by sharing this information on transgender awareness. #InclusiveKent

This November we will be hosting our graduates from 2022. We have two days of ceremonies with Rochester on the 23 November and Canterbury on the 25 November. Be part of this amazing experience and sign up to get involved.

Celebrating July 2022 Graduates

Watch some of the highlights from the July 2022 Graduation Ceremonies at Canterbury Cathedral.

What roles can you help with?

• Ushering: As an usher, you will be responsible for making sure the guests are seated promptly and safely in the Cathedral prior to, during and post ceremony

Why should you get involved?

• Spend time working in the wonderful locations of Canterbury or Rochester Cathedral.
• Experience the joy of graduation ceremonies
• Get Free refreshments including one or more meals if you work for two or more consecutive ceremonies.
• You can claim TOIL (time off in lieu) or overtime pay for hours worked outside of your normal working pattern if you’re on Grades 1-6.

Here is what a previous staff member has said about being involved in graduation ceremonies:

‘it was such a pleasure to volunteer, and it was so lovely to see all the proud students and supporters! I’m looking forward to more graduation joy at the next graduation ceremonies’.

Be present in a student’s most memorable day sign up to get involved

The second talk in the Universities at Medway Open Lecture Series is taking place on Wednesday 23 November 2022, with Professor Gurprit Lall discussing Sleep and the Biological Clock.

We have entered a time where medical advances have strengthened our healthcare provisions and improved life longevity. This has resulted in an ever-growing ageing population. Understanding how the human body ages is a step closer to developing preventative therapies for improving the quality of life across an individual’s lifespan. In this Talk Professor Lall will discuss how ageing effects the brain’s circadian clock and its impact on our day-to-day routines. We will look at how the clock synchronises our bodily functions, from hormonal fluctuations through to sleeping patterns and why disruption of such rhythms can have a significant impact on our health and wellbeing.

Professor Gurprit Lall is a neuroscientist based at the University of Kent, Medway School of Pharmacy specialising in mammalian circadian rhythms. His research interests focus on how the circadian clock in our brain regulates and synchronises our behavioural and physiological rhythms with our environmental day-night cycle. He has published research on how daylight is able to manipulate the clock and, most recently, how ageing impacts this process.

Tickets can be booked through Eventbrite.

2022 has seen the Centre for Child Protection (CCP) celebrate its 10^th anniversary. To end the celebrations, the CCP introduced an award for child protection professionals engaged in outstanding creative, effective, and collaborative practices across disciplines, with an awards ceremony held on Wednesday 9 November.

Strong collaboration and cooperation is is essential in child safeguarding work to keep children safe. Multidisciplinary collaboration is routinely raised as a concern and is highlighted as a key area for further development and learning. CCP regularly hears good examples of strong practices that should be recognised and celebrated alongside the promotion of learning to promote effective working.

Winner – Vulnerable Adolescent Panel (Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board)

Congratulations to our winners of the Centre for Child Protection Collaboration Award 2022!

The Vulnerable Adolescent Panel was created due to the growing problem of extrafamilial harm, which presents a risk to young people in our communities and creates challenges for professionals. The panel consists of health, police, children’s social care and the youth offending service who have worked together to achieve a shared sense of ownership and responsibility for success.

The panel provides a forum for timely and robust expert guidance, advice to professionals and information sharing between agencies who are working with young people at risk of extrafamilial harm. The time and dedication required to create this show a systemwide commitment to tackling child exploitation.

Highly Commended – Ynys Môn Local Authority

The young carers services deliver specialist support to children and young people ages between 5-18 living in Ynys Môn who have caring responsibilities at home. Ynys Môn local authority prides itself on collaborative working, resulting in greater communication between services, effective information sharing and efficient early intervention. They are also dedicated to offering their services in Welsh and English so they can successfully communicate with all children and young people.

Highly Commended – Joint Agency Group Supervision (JAGS) (Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership)

JAGS was initiated in response to learning which identified a need for ringfenced time to reflect on challenges and barriers to intervention in complex cases. JAGS provides a reflective space for joint analysis to learn together and understand the family’s lived experiences. JAGS works across children’s social care, health, education, and police and has supported collaborators to move from feeling ‘helpless’ and ‘frustrated’, to feeling ‘confident’ and ‘enthusiastic’. This has led to strong multi-agency working, understanding of different roles, improved communication, and advocacy for children.

Yesterday the University & College Union announced national strike action at 150 universities across the country. This will take the form of strikes on the 24, 25 and 30 November, along with ‘Action Short of a Strike’ until further notice. At this stage this does not include a marking and assessment boycott. 

The strikes are part of a national dispute over pay, pensions and working conditions across the university sector. As an individual institution, we don’t have a major influence over the negotiations which take place at national level between UCU and both Universities UK and UCEA. Our hope is that through discussion all parties can come to an agreement that works for everyone – all of us want to work in a sector where staff are well rewarded for their hard work, but the same cost of living squeeze felt by people across the country also has an impact on the finances of universities too. 

Our priority initially will also be ensuring we minimise any impact on students as far as we can. We will shortly be sending an update to students which will set out our principles in responding to industrial action, including that we will do all we can to limit the impact on their studies and that we will never devalue their degree or coursework.  

Alongside this we will shortly publish student and staff information which will be regularly updated throughout. This will include the background to the strikes, what we have been doing at Kent to address the issues being discussed, what happens on strike days, plus links to wider support. These will be regularly updated throughout.  

Working groups are also meeting this week to manage our response to strikes across the University, while there will be a number of opportunities for students to have their say, including via the Strike Forums organised by Kent Union. 

It’s International Stress Awareness Week this week. The theme for this year is ‘Working Together to Build Resilience and Reduce Stress.’

Stress is not new. The stress hormone cortisol has even been found in the hair of ancient Peruvians who were alive between 550-1532 CE/AD. Defined as a state of mental or emotional strain caused by adverse circumstances, stress is a physical and emotional reaction experienced by all of us, with symptoms such as headaches, a pounding heart, sweating, and more. Experiencing long-term stress can lead to the development of health problems such as high blood pressure and mental health problems, as well as a physiological and psychological condition known as ‘burn-out’.

People can experience stress due to many circumstances in their lives. With the current cost of living crisis, many people are struggling with the basic demands of living. Work can also cause stress, with studies suggesting that costs to businesses from poor employee mental health have increased by 25% since the pandemic.

At Kent, we have measures in place to help you. For example, our Employee Assistance Programme can be accessed 24 hours a day and you can reach out to them if you are struggling, feeling overwhelmed or just at your wit’s end! Details on how to contact them and other support available can be found on the University’s Mental Health Support webpages. There’s also the Staff Wellbeing Reading List, a useful Staff Wellbeing Toolkit, and the opportunity to use the Roberston-Cooper i-resilience tool.

Using the available resources and having a toolkit of tips such as working out how to look after your wellbeing, building a support network and finding out how to organise your time effectively can help you manage stress and build your resilience. Although it’s impossible to make all the stress in your life disappear, the help available could make it easier to get through stressful situations.

We return to the Cathedrals of Canterbury and Rochester next month for our winter graduation ceremonies and we invite you all to get involved to help make these special occasions for our graduands.

There is one ceremony in Rochester on Wednesday 23 November and three in Canterbury on Friday 25 November.

You can sign up here.

There are a range of roles to take on and they all give you the opportunity to share in the celebrations and pass on your congratulations. They include:

• Ticket Collection: You will be responsible for helping graduands and guests exchange their ‘E-Receipts’ for graduation tickets.
• Graduand Registration: This role assists with checking in each graduand as they arrive and giving them a number to line them up in processional order around the precinct. You will have an alphabetised list of names to check.
• Ushering: As an usher, you will be responsible for making sure the guests are seated promptly and safely in the Cathedral prior to, during and post ceremony
• Certificate Table: Based inside the Cathedral, this role is responsible for ensuring that all graduates receive their certificate.

Why should you get involved?

• Share in the celebrations of our graduands as they become our graduates and experience the joy of graduation ceremonies.
• Spend time working in the wonderful locations of Canterbury and Rochester Cathedral.
• Get free refreshments (including one or more meals) if you work for two or more consecutive ceremonies.

We will be delighted to have you for any times you are available. We will send you the briefing closer to the ceremonies that confirms your start times and who to report to on the day.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to get in touch or if you are all set to help you can sign up here.