The administration team in the School of Engineering & Digital Arts has been shortlisted for the prestigious, national Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards 2016.

This represents the fourth year running that a School administration team from Kent has been shortlisted in the category of Outstanding Departmental Administration Team.

In 2013, Schools across all three Faculties were shortlisted as a group. For the next two years, the School of Arts was on the awards shortlist, receiving a Highly Commended in 2015.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on 23 June.

Congratulations and good luck to the team from EDA!

A one-day forum to launch Refugee Tales 2016 will take place at the University’s Canterbury campus on Sunday 3 July, from 10.00-20.00.

Organised by Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group and Kent’s School of English, the forum will explore how the issue of detention touches on wider human themes and the ways in which the practice of indefinite detention can be brought to an end.

Speakers will include those who have experienced indefinite immigration detention in the UK, support workers, campaigners, writers, academics, journalists and policy makers.

Confirmed speakers include: writers Ali Smith, David Herd, Marina Warner and Ben Okri; journalist Patrick Kingsley; and Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty 2003-16.

Further information and booking details on the one-day forum can be found on the Refugee Tales website.

Staff can benefit from a special ticket price of £20 plus £2.25 booking fee. When booking online, enter the code RT16KENT for the discounted ticket option to appear.

We are delighted to announce that the summer 2016 edition of KENT Alumni magazine is now available online.

This edition looks at how award-winning Kent bioscientists are working to develop a test that could change lives in developing nations, by diagnosing African sleeping sickness in its early, and most treatable, stages.

We also consider the impact that the EU has on life at the University by talking to staff, students and alumni on what being at the UK’s European university has meant to them.

You can also read the latest news from the colleges and find our more about the recently launched Refuge Fund.

If you have any feedback, or ideas for stories to cover in a future edition, please contact Julia Baxter on j.e.baxter@kent.ac.uk – we would love to hear from you!

If you are interested in postgraduate study, come to one of Kent’s next Open Days.

For opportunities at Medway, you can find out more on 18 June or come to Canterbury on 2 July where subjects at all Kent’s locations will be represented.  We will have the latest information about the new £10,000 loans for Master’s and you may be eligible for a staff discount on your fees.

www.kent.ac.uk/opendays

A special lecture to commemorate those who took part in the Battle of the Somme will take place on Friday 3 June at 19.00 in Eliot Lecture Theatre.

‘A Visual Tour of the 1 July 1916 Battlefield’ will be presented by Major and Mrs Holt, two experts on the Battle.

Major and Mrs Holt have researched the Battle of the Somme Battlefield, and led groups to it for over 40 years. Copies of their latest book The Somme will be available to purchase at the event.

The lecture will be followed by a drinks and buffet in Eliot Staff Common Room. Tickets for the lecture only are free, tickets for the lecture and buffet are £5 each.

To reserve a ticket, contact Meredith Johnson, Room W4.8, Eliot College or email: M.L.Johnson@kent.ac.uk

Boost your golf game this summer with some coaching and practice sessions at Boughton Golf Club. Whether you already have some experience at golf or are new to the sport, you can benefit from the expertise of a qualified professional coach. These sessions are available free of charge to Kent Sport Gold and Silver members.

The supervised practice sessions are for everybody from experienced players to complete beginners: this is a great way to practice while getting valuable tips along the way. The beginners session is an ideal opportunity for people to get into the game of golf and the masterclasses are for the more experienced golfers. The sessions are are on the following dates:

Monday 6 June, 5pm – 6pm: Supervised practice
Saturday 11 June, 2pm – 3pm: Masterclass putting – Putt LIke a Pro
Tuesday 14 June, 5pm – 6pm: Beginners
Sunday 19 June, 10am – 11am: Masterclass chipping – Chip Like a Champ
Monday 20 June, 5pm – 6pm: Supervised practice
Sunday 26 June, 2pm – 3pm: Masterclass pitching technique – Pitch Perfect
Monday 27 June, 5pm – 6pm: Beginners
Saturday 2 July, 2pm – 3pm: Masterclass bunker – Save Your Round
Wednesday 6 July, 5pm – 6pm: Supervised practice
Sunday 10 July, 10am – 11am: Masterclass pitching (distance control)- Pitch (more) Perfect
Tuesday 12 July, 5pm – 6.30pm: beginners – On Course
Sunday 17 July, 10am – 11am: Masterclass – Awkward Lies

You can sign up for any or all of these sessions by emailing greg@pentlandgolf.co.uk on a first come first served basis as places are limited. Equipment will be provided for anyone who requires it you will just need some comfortable clothes suitable for swinging golf clubs! The sessions are also open to others, who can contact greg@pentlandgolf.co.uk for pricing. For more information about Kent Sport membership benefits, visit www.kent.ac.uk/sports/membership.

Sent in by: pd209@kent.ac.uk

Distinguished legal historian Professor Christopher Tomlins, from the Berkeley Law faculty at the University of California, will deliver a staff seminar and participate in a legal history workshop during a five-day visit to Kent Law School.

Professor Tomlins has been invited to visit the School from Monday 6 June to Friday 10 June by Law and History Research Group CLIO, part of the Law School’s Centre for Critical Thought. His seminar, sponsored by Kent Law School’s Visiting Scholars programme, will be held on Wednesday 8 June from 16.00 to 18.00 and is entitled ‘The Guilt of Fragile Sovereigns: Tyranny, Intrigue, and Martyrdom in an Unchanging Regime (Virginia, 1829-32)’.

Professor Tomlins, who is also an Affiliated Research Professor at the American Bar Foundation, will be available on Monday 6 June and Tuesday 7 June to meet with staff and postgraduate research students wishing to discuss his or their work. A reading group/workshop on Professor Tomlin’s work (and more general questions of history/legal history) will take place on Thursday 9 June.

Next week, the Green15 team will be celebrating all things Biodiversity with a range of fun activities at Canterbury and Medway.

Monday 6 June – Paint a bug hotel
Decorate and take home your own bug hotel to encourage Biodiversity into your garden (approx. 30 minutes).
Canterbury – 12.30pm (location tbc).
Medway – 12.30pm, Biodiversity garden (East of Gillingham Building).
Spaces are limited so please book your place by emailing green15@kent.ac.uk

Tuesday 7 June – Explore the Nature Trail
A tour of the nature trail guided by Grounds Maintenance Manager Paul Griffiths (approx. 45 minutes).
Canterbury – Leaving from Estates at 12.30pm.

Wednesday 8 June – Discover the Ecotrail
This environmental treasure-hunt takes you all around Canterbury Campus. Hidden around the campus are 33 “eco-points” revealing the area’s sustainability secrets, and your mission is to find them all. Collect your trail card from Estates (or download from https://www.kent.ac.uk/creativecampus/projects/environmental/ecotrail/index.html ). The first 50 people to return a completed trail card will receive a bar of Divine Chocolate.

Staff will be on hand to answer any Biodiversity related questions you might have about the campuses and how we proactively manage the different areas for Biodiversity.

To find out more, email: green15@kent.ac.uk

Gulbenkian are offering University staff the chance to book half price tickets to two of the headline shows at this year’s bOing! International Family Festival (27 and 28 August). This makes tickets only £3 per person.

Pinocchio – A brilliant new version of the dark, classic tale performed by Jasmin Vardimon’s stunning dancers. This is a world premiere for the company’s first ever piece for families. Recommended for ages 7+.

Pop Up Garden – Italian company TPO return with an interactive show which combines performance with beautiful digital projection. Recommended for ages 4+.

The offer is open to staff and families but only until the end of June 2016. There are also a limited number of offer seats available, so book quickly to avoid disappointment.

Bookings can be made over the phone on 01227 769075 or at the Ticket and Information desk in Gulbenkian.

These are only two of many performances in another packed bOing! programme. For details please go to: www.boingfestival.com

Sent in by: d.yard@kent.ac.uk