We are delighted to announce that the Student Success Staff Seminars will be taking place throughout the year, both Medway and Canterbury Campuses. The purpose of these events is to update staff on the work of the project and allow colleagues from across the University to have input and exchange ideas. All staff are invited to attend so please do circulate this invitation to colleagues. It would be great to see as many of you as possible, feel free to bring along your lunch and thoughts!

For a full schedule and details of the seminars please visit the Student Success website.

The first seminar “Diversity Mark” will be delivered by colleagues from SECL, SSPSSR, SSES, and the Academic Liaison Service.

 This seminar will take place on:

 Monday 15 October 2018, Canterbury Campus, Templeman Seminar Room 2

Tuesday 16 October 2018, Medway Campus, Pilkington Building Room 127

 The Diversity Mark Pilot Project at the University of Kent is a point of commencement for considering the inclusive curriculum. It is a collaborative project between the Student Success Project, Library Services in Information Services, informed by a cross-disciplinary working group. In consultation with academics and students, we will develop a guide to reviewing reading lists, to demonstrate how people can engage in building and developing representative collections.

 To register attendance at this, or any of the other seminars published online please email through to studentsuccessproject@kent.ac.uk

Monday lunchtimes will never be the same again, after the successful launch of Rock Choir here at the University! Organised by the Music department, Colyer-Fergusson Hall resounded to the sound of nearly 90 voices in a session led by Jonathan Grosberg.

There’s still time to join if you’d like; sessions are from 12.45 – 13.45 every Monday, open to staff and students at the University – and it’s free! Come along to the next rehearsal on Monday 15 October.

Are you registered to vote in this election?

If you are living on the Kent campus or in the Tyler Hill, Harbledown, Blean or Rough Common areas and are eligible to vote in the UK, you can vote in this election, but you must be registered to vote from your term-time address by Tuesday 30 October 2018.

There will be a Polling Station at the Senate Building for registered students living on campus to cast their vote; for all other areas you will receive a Poll card advising you of your Polling Station.

In addition, Kent students could win £100 1st prize or £50 2nd prize just for registering to vote (if eligible) before 11 December 2018 (T’s&C’s apply).

Students from the UK, EU, Commonwealth, British Overseas Territories and British Crown Dependencies are all eligible to register to vote.

As a student, you can be registered to vote from your home address and your term-time address.

In national elections such as a General Election or a Referendum, you must only vote once (from either address) and in local elections you may vote from both addresses (providing that they do not fall within the same local authority).

Register now at gov.uk/register-to-vote or call 01227 862007.  Alternatively, look out for the electoral registration form that will be delivered to you shortly.

HAVE YOUR SAY – YOUR VOTE MATTERS – DON’T LOSE IT!

Helen Curston, Producer and Director of the film, who is also a Senior lecturer at the University for the Creative Arts ( UCA) commented: ‘I am truly thrilled that Untold Stories has been shortlisted… The Black History Live project  is starting to get the recognition it deserves and this nomination recognises the important stories of some of the Black people in Kent and their contribution to the region.’

Winners will be presented with a trophy and prize fund for future projects at a ceremony at BAFTA in November.

The Gulbenkian showing at 19.00 will be followed by a post-film panel discussion. To book tickets and find out more, see Gulbenkian webpages.

HHJ David Griffith-Jones QC, a record-breaking skydiver with considerable expertise in Sports Law, will be offering his personal ‘Reflections on the Law’ for the Tucker Millward Guest Lecture at Kent next month.

The annual lecture, co-hosted by Kent Law Society and Kent Law School, is open to all and will be held in Grimond Lecture Theatre 1 on Kent’s Canterbury campus at 18.30 on Thursday 15 November.

Judge David Griffith-Jones QC was appointed a Circuit Judge at Maidstone Crown Court in 2007. Earlier this year he became Resident Judge and Honorary Recorder for Maidstone. He is a keen sportsman with interests in triathlon and golf and, this summer, was one of a group of skydivers who broke the UK, European and Commonwealth record for the number of skydivers over 60 in a completed formation (at 15,000ft over Lincolnshire). His interest in sport is reflected throughout his long legal career which includes: being a Committee Member of Bar Sports law Group from 1999 – 2007; joining the Sports Disputes Resolution Panel in 2000; and, as a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, serving on the Panel of Sports Arbitrators since 2002. He has also served as Chairman of the International Criminal Court’s Drugs Appeal Tribunal from 2004 – 2007 and was Chairman of the Lawn Tennis Association Appeals Committee from 2004 – 2006. He has been a contributor for Sport: Law and Practice, a major UK textbook on Sports Law, and is the author of Law and the Business of Sport (Butterworts, 1998).

The lecture will be preceded by refreshments, served in Grimond Foyer, from 18.00. All are welcome, and attendance is free, but attendees are asked to register in advance online.

Are you interested in starting your own business?

There is still time to book your place on our free Business Start-Up Workshops in conjunction with Study Plus and the Hub for Innovation and Enterprise at the Medway campus.

The workshops have been structured so that all students who are interested in freelancing or being self-employed can feel confident that they’ll walk away with valuable information. By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Pitch a business idea
• Understand the finances, legalities and processes for starting up a business
• Identify a suitable structure for a business plan
• Generate a business idea
• Test a business idea
• Develop marketing research
• Understand sales processes
• Pricing
• Plan cash flow
• Know tax, insurance and VAT requirements
• Understand the elements of a business plan

To book your place on the course, click here.

For more information, visit the Study Plus website.

Thanks to the generosity of alumni and friends of the University, we’ve been able to alleviate student hardship, undertake pioneering research and provide incredible opportunities over the past year.

 Watch our YouTube video of some of those who have benefitted from sharing their stories.