The Executive Group blog is a new platform for staff and students at Kent to learn about the projects that Executive Group members are working on and institutional updates.

Every other week a different member of Executive Group will take control of the blog and share what’s in their in-tray at the moment. The blog will cover a range of topics from the University’s health agenda to an update on our European activities and Brexit.

The blog, posted once a fortnight on a Wednesday, comes in conjunction with a revamped website for the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for easily accessible, clear information.

For all you newbies, here’s a helpful introduction to Kent and some of the fantastic services available to you.

• Your school – is a helpful point of contact for all your studying needs. Whether you need guidance on how to reference or employability advice, your school can help, and if they can’t, they will know who can. Find your school and academic adviser.

• Studying at Kent. There is a wide range of study support available across the University. You can not only go to your school for study advice, but you can also talk to one of our learning advisers from the Student Learning Advisory Service (SLAS).

• Employability support. In an increasingly competitive job market, we want to make sure you have the skills and experience to stand out. From work experience opportunities to support showcasing your skills, we offer a range of services to help you bag that dream job.

• Our Student Finance Team is here to help, whether your student loan is late or you just need help managing your money.

• Kent is a great place to live and study. Here is some useful information to help you while you’re living in Kent over the next few years.

• As a student you have access to a wide range of support and wellbeing services, including help with a disability, child care and a counselling service.

• Kent Union is your students’ union and is there to represent the student voice. They also look after a range of student activities including the Summer Ball and societies at Kent.

• Watch our IT and Library films and read our getting started tips: Hello IT and Library! As well as the fully-equipped Templeman Library, many of the books and resources you’ll need are available through the Library website.

• Both Canterbury and Medway have good transport links, so you don’t necessarily need a car to get around. You can also benefit from a range of discounts on local transport. Discover some of your options for getting around.

• When you join Kent you automatically become part of a college. Joining a college community gives you a support network and your Masters’ Office is somewhere you can go for help and advice.

The University’s 2017 European Summer Schools, at its postgraduate centres in Paris and Brussels, have reported another successful year.

Launched in 2013, the two-week summer school programme is built on Kent’s specialist knowledge and international reputation as the UK’s European university by offering a number of undergraduate students and external applicants the opportunity to participate in academic sessions and cultural activities in these two world-renowned European capitals.

This year, students at the University’s Brussels School of International Studies (BSIS) explored the theme of ‘Europe and the World’, which drew upon the academic strengths of the school. Within this context, various sub-themes were also covered; these included migration and the refugee response, the European Union’s (EU) relationship with emerging powers, and its response to the global economic crisis.

Students also participated in a series of guest lectures, seminars and debates delivered by academics, policy-makers, diplomats and European civil servants. This summer school was designed to allow them to discover how the EU functions, with a particular focus on how it acts as a global organisation and the challenges it faces in today’s world.

Students also benefited from a careers workshop which provided an insight into a range of employment opportunities as well as the transferable skills which are attractive to potential employers.

Students at Kent’s Paris School of Arts and Culture, located in historic Montparnasse, explored the theme of ‘Revolutions’. This allowed them to gain a greater understanding of how French culture has long been at the centre of innovation in the fields of architecture, film, literature, art and philosophy

Students spent two weeks in Paris in an interdisciplinary environment, attending seminars given by expert academics from Kent and visiting important sites and museums related to the programme. These included the Pompidou Centre, the Picasso Museum and the Jardin des Plantes.

Sophie Punt, Summer School Co-ordinator at the University, described this year as ‘one of the best to date’. It was successful in many respects she said but ‘overall this year’s schools have provided students with not only enhanced intercultural and analytical skills, but also provided them with an opportunity to see Europe and its role in the world from a range of different perspectives’. Looking ahead we are hoping to run a summer school at our Rome centre for 2018 which will draw on the expertise in Arts and History-based studies in the eternal city.

We would like to extend our thanks to the generous supporters of the schools including the Student Projects Fund for their generous contribution towards the scholarships.

Currently, researchers in the School of Psychology are studying how social communication skills change as we age and how we may be able to enhance them. This is a significant research project and the team is looking for adults aged between 18 and 80 years old to take part in the study. This will involve a variety of questionnaires and computer tasks.

Sessions can take place at any time of day, evenings, weekdays or weekends and can be carried out at your home or place of work if preferred. As a thank you, you’ll receive £30 cash, a small gift and reasonable travel expenses.

Email cogsocoage@kent.ac.uk or visit the website for more details.

Formerly known as Student Records & Examinations and The Undergraduate Office – Humanities & Social Sciences, our two departments have merged to form Central Student Administration Office (CSAO).

We are responsible for current and alumni document processing, record updates, (online) module registration, operational management of examinations including adapted arrangements, exam result processing, student registration and academic data changes.

Please visit our new website for full information on our services.

Our contact details will change in line with our new identity, with sturec@kent.ac.uk student_records@kent.ac.uk and husgo@kent.ac.uk no longer in use after 1 August 2017

New contact details:
Email: csao@kent.ac.uk
Twitter: @UniKent_CSAO
Tel: 01227 827000
Or visit us – Student Reception, The Registry Building. Canterbury Campus

From Monday 10 July, the Templeman Library’s East Entrance will close as we join up the Library.

If you are on campus over summer, you can purchase the Student Summer Unirider ticket for £70 which is valid until the start of term.  The Unirider is valid for all Stagecoach buses in Kent and East Sussex as well as in Canterbury, so you can explore what the area has to offer.

From 18 June- 16 September 2017 a summer timetable will operate for the Uni1 and Uni2 buses to and from Canterbury campus. The 4 and Triangle services will continue to operate as normal. If you would like a physical timetable you can collect one from the Security and Transport Centre or from other reception areas on campus.

If you need to improve your English language, why not join in the FREE English classes here at the University? The classes run until 20 July and it’s not too late to join in. Family and friends can join, too – you don’t have to be a Kent student.

If you would like to come along, email cewlcelta@kent.ac.uk or call 01227 824401