The 2019 Talis Aspire User Group Award for Creativity has been awarded to a group including Student Success Project Lecturer Dr Laura Bailey (also a Lecturer in the Department of English Language and Linguistics) and two first year undergraduate student researchers: BA Philosophy and Religious Studies student Wayne Laviniere, and BA Religious Studies student Miriam Jeyasingh.

This award connects to a recent collaborative project between the School of European Culture and Languages and Academic Liaison Librarians working in the University’s Templeman Library. The aim of the project was to make the case that as reading lists are the mechanism for developing library collections that support teaching and learning, they are therefore an ideal starting point for diversifying the curriculum.

Laura Bailey said: “We’re reviewing the diversity of reading lists as part of our goal to diversify and decolonise the curriculum in connection with the brilliant work done by Kent students as part of the Decolonise UKC project. Reading lists are a starting point for us to see where we can begin to make some changes, be more inclusive, and ultimately provide a better academic experience for everyone. I’d love to see more and more staff and students getting involved, evaluating their own modules, and suggesting items to add to lists or topics to cover. This is a really collaborative project, and one that we are sure will spark discussion and long-term change.”

The project produced a ‘diversity dashboard’ for reading lists that provides a point for academics to reflect on their resource choices and kick-start the discussion with students.

Professor April McMahon, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education, said: “This is a measure of all the fantastic work that [the group] have been doing in Library Collections and in the Student Success Project in partnership with students and the wider University. We are absolutely delighted that they all have been awarded the 2019 award for their work to diversify library collections and support the development of a more inclusive learning experience. It is great for this innovative, first-class and highly collaborative project to receive national recognition in this way – it is very richly deserved.”

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to undertake a pilgrimage?  More than just a long-distance walk, a pilgrimage typically follows a historic route to a destination of particular significance.  In our frenetic world, more and more people are choosing to slow life down by taking only their necessary possessions and embarking on a journey on foot or bicycle.  The Camino de Santiago in Spain saw 300,000 such pilgrims walk its five routes in 2018.  Motivations for these pilgrims range from a physical challenge to a search for spiritual fulfilment.

15 June, 2019 at Canterbury Cathedral, a full-day pilgrims workshop will explore the pilgrimage routes of Canterbury, including the Via Francigena to Rome.  The programme includes a mini-pilgrimage in the Cathedral grounds, talks on engaging with the history and heritage of pilgrimage and a practical session with a panel of experienced pilgrims who can answer all of your questions on how to undertake your own pilgrim

Student bursaries are being offered by the Centre for Heritage and are open to all UKC students.  To learn more about the workshop visit: https://www.kent.ac.uk/events/event/38280/pilgrim-workshop .

To apply for a bursary, please send a short statement of interest to organiser Julia Lewis: jep35@kent.ac.uk.  Bursaries will be issued on a first come, first served basis.

Monty the cockapoo will be returning to the Canterbury campus to offer hugs to students during the busy revision and exam period.

Monty, who is a regular visitor to the School, will be in The Shed in Cornwallis quad on Friday 17 May from 10.00-12.00.

Orla Garratt, Marketing and Communications Manager for the School said, ‘Monty loves the attention that he gets when he visits our students. He is especially popular with students who have pets at their family home and are missing their own animals.’

The University offers other tools are available to help students through the stresses of the exam period which can be found on the student wellbeing website.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to undertake a pilgrimage? More than just a long-distance walk, a pilgrimage typically follows a historic route to a destination of particular significance. Motivations for these pilgrims range from a physical challenge to a search for spiritual fulfilment.

On Saturday 15 June, a full-day pilgrims workshop at Canterbury Cathedral will explore the pilgrimage routes of Canterbury, including the Via Francigena to Rome. The programme includes a mini-pilgrimage in the Cathedral grounds, talks on engaging with the history and heritage of pilgrimage, and a practical session with a panel of experienced pilgrims who can answer all of your questions on how to undertake your own pilgrimage.

Taking place in the beautiful Clagett Auditorium in Canterbury Cathedral Lodge, this workshop will be of interest to ‘armchair’ pilgrims (those whose interests lie in the history and stories of pilgrimage), those who have walked or cycled a pilgrimage route and anyone who has the desire to go on a pilgrimage and would like to learn how to go about it.

Student bursaries are being offered by the Centre for Heritage and are open to all Kent students. To apply for a bursary, please send a short statement of interest to organiser Julia Lewis at jep35@kent.ac.uk. Bursaries will be issued on a first come, first served basis.