Promotions celebrate our academics’ excellence

The University’s academic staff continue to lead the way in outstanding research and teaching, and this has been recognised in our latest promotions.

Over 90 members of Kent’s academic staff are celebrating promotion to professor, reader, senior lecturer or senior research fellow across our Faculties of Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences, with effect from 1 October 2018.

The new professors include: Professor Mattias Frey, from the School of Arts; Professor Simon Kirchin, School of European Culture and Languages; Professor Barbara Bombi, School of History; Professor Dan Lloyd , School of Biosciences; Professor Peter Rodgers, School of Computing; Professor Anna Corrias, and Professor Stephen Lowry, School of Physical Sciences; Professor Fragkiskos Filippaios, Professor Zaheer Khan, Professor Ekaterini Panopoulou, Professor Maria Paola Scaparra and Professor Shaomin Wu, Kent Business School; Professor Emilie Cloatre, Kent Law School; Professor Heather Ferguson and Professor Jane Wood, School of Psychology.

Alison Ross-Green, Director of HR and Organisational Development, said: ‘The University is dependent upon the personal growth and career attainment of its academic staff to refresh, develop and strengthen our organisation for the future. Congratulations to all those promoted in 2018, your outstanding performance, hard work and dedication form the bedrock of the University, and the outstanding student experience and research achievement that is so important to our success going forward.’

Taken collectively and individually, these academic promotions give us a great deal to celebrate.

Further information on all the newly-promoted academics is available.

Canterbury campus Masterplan update

Over the last three weeks we have again been running public consultation sessions on our estate Masterplan for the Canterbury campus.

Our final event took place last Thursday in Darwin Conference Centre last Thursday and 130 members of staff, students and members of the local community attended. This follows similar events in Canterbury’s Westgate Hall, Tyler Hill Memorial Hall and Blean Village Hall.

The Masterplan is a requirement of Canterbury City Council’s Local Plan and is a vision for the evolution of the campus, not a set of planning applications. It provides a direction for decisions about the future of the campus and a framework against which future planning applications will be assessed.

A number of projects have been mentioned specifically, however, as being in our short- or medium-term plans. In the short-term (2018-2021) these include academic and administrative facilities including a new building for the Kent and Medway Medical School and a Life Sciences building.

Medium-term priorities (2022-2031) include new student service and Kent Union buildings, new teaching and academic buildings, additional leisure and sports facilities including a swimming pool and the possible development of a conference centre and hotel all of which are subject to funding.

The inclusion of a 150-bed hotel and conference centre our Canterbury campus reflects an aim that is supported by an external consultancy review of its potential market and is a response to the lack of hotel and conferencing facilities in the area. It would provide us with an opportunity to host academic conferences and other University events all year round as well as increasing our vacation time capacity.

It is also based on our need to diversify our future income due to an unprecedented level of challenges facing the university sector. A hotel and conferencing option – one that has already been taken up by other universities – would help us meet the economic challenges we face by generating essential revenue that would be reinvested in education and research, and our students and staff.

There is still time to send us your thoughts on the Masterplan – the deadline for inclusion in the Consultation Statement is this Friday 26 October 2018 – you can read more at www.kent.ac.uk/masterplan and email masterplan@kent.ac.uk.

‘Kent, its Regiments, and the First World War’

The Queen’s Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment Collection was given to the University of Kent by the Regimental Association of The Queen’s Own Buffs in 2017, and is cared for as part of Special Collections & Archives. It consists of mainly printed and published material from the 19th century to the present, along with some archival material.

Over the past year we have undertake a year-long project, funded by the Regimental Association of the Queen’s Own Buffs Royal Kent Regiment, to catalogue the Collection and selectively digitise some of the regimental journals held in the Collection.

To celebrate this project we are launching a new exhibition in the Templeman Gallery, ‘Kent, its Regiments, and the First World War’, and Professor Mark Connelly will give a lecture entitled ‘The East Kent Regiment, Canterbury and the Great War’ to launch the exhibition at 2.30pm on Monday 29th October 2018. The talk will explore the links between Canterbury and the Buffs during the First World War. It will show how the city and surrounding region maintained a great interest in the actions of its local regiment, even after conscription led to great changes in its demographic. Home and Fighting fronts are often thought of as very distinct and separate entities, but this lecture will highlight the degree to which they were inextricably linked and that communication between the two was continual. This lecture is open to all, with tickets bookable via eventbrite. Attendees are welcome to visit the exhibition afterwards, which is held in the Templeman Gallery and will be running from 29 October 2018 to 4 January 2019.

During this event, we will also be launching our new project ‘Diaries of the Here and Now‘, where we are inviting everyone to record their experiences of 11 November 2018 for future generations, and deposit their diary with Special Collections & Archives.

‘Kent, its Regiments, and the First World War’, Templeman Gallery, 29 October 2018 – 4 January 2019.

Diaries of the Here and Now: diaries will be available to collect in the Templeman Library from the 29 October until 11 November, and need to be returned by 25 November 2018.

Department of Modern Languages help run sixth form conference

The Department of Modern Languages recently helped organise a Modern Foreign Language 6th form Conference at Simon Langton School for Girls.

Just some of the highlights included workshops on ‘the relations between the German epistolary novel and digital Social Media’, ‘the poetry of Pablo Neruda’, and ‘Pablo Picasso’s 1937 painting Guernica’, run by Tobias Heinrich (Lecturer in German), and William Rowlandson (senior Lecturer in Hispanic Studies) respectively.

There were also sessions on French language, and an introduction to Russian run by David Hornsby (senior lecturer in French and Linguistics for the Department of English Language and Linguistics) as well as a translation workshop led by William Rowlandson, with the help of a 4th-year Hispanic student.

Two students doing an Erasmus+ traineeship at the University of Kent were also present to moderate a German discussion forum on the 2015 refugee crisis. ‘It really made the day having Kent’s Department of Modern Languages present, and the feedback from the students has been nothing but positive,’ said Mr David Stalley, Head of MFL at Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School, ‘I would also very much like to be able to count on their support for a repeat of the conference next year.’

Staff Connect update – book training and record your appraisal

The new training and appraisal functions are now live on Staff Connect. You can already use Staff Connect to view your payslip and view and change your personal details but the additions of training requests and the recording of appraisals (RPDs) extends the benefit of the system significantly.

You can now request a reservation on a training activity run by the Learning & Organisational Development (L&OD) team, which will be automatically forwarded to your line manager to authorise.

As well as booking on to training courses, you will be able to securely record your Appraisal (RPD) within the system. All staff will have a record made when their Appraisal (RPD) discussion has taken place. Having a clear and agreed organisational record that these discussions have taken place is a significant step forward and will enable managers and leaders to monitor and ensure that high quality appraisal discussions are taking place in line with the University’s commitment to staff. Having the option to save appraisal paperwork within the system will also provide a strong safeguard for this important personal data. More information is available on the RPD website.

Line managers will also be able to set up “delegations” in Staff Connect, enabling other members of staff to approve requests on their behalf. They can nominate different delegates for different people management processes, e.g. their PA for training course requests, and another manager for appraisals (if this reflects what happens in practice). User guides for both managers and staff regarding delegation set up and management are available on the Staff Connect Delegation page. Managers will be able to delegate other people management responsibilities as they become live in the system (eg authorising annual leave from early 2019).

Line managers will now have the ability to view reports on training and appraisals. In addition managers will have access to reports on the organisational hierarchy and post reporting structure, as appropriate to their position. This will help managers to identify any discrepancies in the structure which they should then notify to hrsysplan@kent.ac.uk for correction.

If you have any questions about Staff Connect and the launch of this new module, there is guidance, including a frequently asked questions section, on the Staff Connect website.

To find out more about using Staff Connect to book on to L&OD training courses and to record Appraisals (RPDs), please come to one of the demo and drop-in sessions available for all staff and line managers. Please go to L&OD Staff Connect information to find out more.

This is the latest update in the Staff Connect Phase 2 project. The new staff absence and the recruitment modules will go live in early 2019. If you have any questions about the project, please contact staffconnect@kent.ac.uk

Go Abroad Fortnight 16-31 Oct 2018

Thinking about going abroad but not sure where to start?
Come along to Go Abroad Fortnight! With events, workshops and activities over two weeks – there is a something for everyone!

Over the two weeks there will be a series of events to help you find out about the opportunities available to you. Whether you are considering adding a term or year abroad to your degree, working abroad or would like to know about summer schools available, there is an opportunity that is right for you.

Going abroad is not only for students, we also have an information session for staff to learn about the opportunities available to them through the Erasmus+ programme.

PS: You can gain Employability Points by attending sessions!

KirCCS Public Engagement event on Cyber Security

Kent Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Cyber Security (KirCCS) at the University of Kent will host its first Public Engagement Event in Cyber Security at the Canterbury campus on Wednesday 5th December 2018 from 13.00 to 18.00.

The event will be opened by Professor Karen Cox, the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University, at 14.30 after a buffet lunch reception, together with posters, stands, and demonstrations on various topics in Cyber Security.

The event will also include a talk by Professor Philippe De Wilde, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research & Innovation, on the University’s activities, achievements and future plans in research and innovation. There will be an introduction to KirCCS, followed by a number of invited talks given by external speakers from government, industry and academia.

KirccS is representing the University of Kent as a UK government recognised ACE-CSR (Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research).

Please book your place at this event as places are limited.

Writing with Impact workshop for professional services staff

The Learning and Teaching Network has arranged a Writing Workshop for Professional Services staff on Wednesday 21 November, 13.15-16.15, Cornwallis North West Seminar Room 6. The session will be run by Susan Barker, a novelist with extensive experience as a writing facilitator.

The ability to write well is an indispensable skill that most people wish they could improve. This inspiring workshop will explore techniques you can use to become a more efficient and persuasive writer. The workshop will include many practical tips and fun activities to strengthen and energise your writing.

Whether composing an email, a letter or a report, Writing with Impact will help you tap into your creativity to become a more confident and effective writer.

Places are limited on this workshop. To book a place please use the online booking form.

Engage the public with your research: KMTV and Kent Alumni

For all engagers!

Interested in using KMTV as a platform for your research and to connect with our region? Want to know more about how to connect with our alumni as a potential audience for your research? Fancy a sandwich and a chat with others at Kent who are interested in public engagement with research?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, come along to Keynes Seminar Room 4 at midday on Wednesday 31^st October and talk with:

· KMTV Development Officer Cordelia Mason: discover how to use KMTV as a tool for sharing Kent research and a platform for engagement

· Alumni Relations and Supporter Engagement Manager Julia Baxter: opportunities to connect with our Alumni on Kent research

Please email Maddy Bell at peresearch@kent.ac.uk if you plan to come along. All are welcome but space (and more importantly sandwiches!) will be limited – please pass this to any colleagues you think may like to join us and ask them to get in touch.

This is the first in a new series of lunch sessions for sharing news and best practice, and providing information on how other departments can support offer support or resources for engagement with research practice.

CSHE seminar – Applications of Concept Mapping to Higher Education Research

Colleagues are invited to the Centre for the Study of Higher Education seminar taking place on Thursday 25 October, from 13.00 to 14.00 in the UELT Seminar Room, Canterbury.

The seminar, on ‘Applications of Concept Mapping to Higher Education Research’, will be presented by Professor Ian Kinchin, Department of Higher Education, University of Surrey.

Concept mapping (as developed by Joe Novak) has been used as a student study aid since the 1970s. Applications of concept maps have been shown to help students to understand complex ideas and integrate their learning to build a coherent knowledge structure. Concept mapping has also been used as a research tool as it provides a method to collect and present rich data.

Its origins in science education have resulted in a bias towards quantitative analysis of maps and has resulted in various ways of scoring maps. This seems to mask much of the benefit of producing a map in the first place. Qualitative analysis of maps can reveal unique perspectives that might be lost by other data collection techniques. Whilst the qualitative analysis of maps can be messy, it can be a more effective way of eliciting personal views of research participants.

he application of concept map-mediated interviews can facilitate the visualisation of these personal views. This seminar will introduce participants to the pros and cons of this approach, and initiate discussion about the appropriateness of the tool for academic professional development.

Please confirm your attendance by completing the online booking form.