VC Photo Competition

The University boasts campuses and centres in some of the most beautiful cities in the UK and Europe. The Vice-Chancellor is launching a competition for black and white photos of these cities, centres and campuses which will be displayed in her office.

Who is the competition open to?
The competition is open to University students, staff and alumni and participants are encouraged to submit black and white photos that capture the essence of these locations.

Judging and prizes
A panel of judges will choose the best entries , which will be displayed in the Vice-Chancellor’s office. There will also be a cash prize for the top entry for each location of £50.

When does the competition close?
The competition will close on Monday 4 December 2017.

Please read the competition rules and submit your photo on Flickr.

Postgraduate Open Morning – 25 November

Have you thought about postgraduate study for career progression or personal interest?

If so, come to Kent’s Postgraduate Open Morning on Saturday 25 November, from 10.00-13.00 in Darwin to find out more.

We will have the latest information about funding for research degrees as well as loans for Master’s and you may also be eligible for a staff discount on your fees.

Most of Kent’s programmes are available part-time and there are also some taught online and at weekends. All Kent’s UK and EU locations will be represented.

Park Wood Footpath – Coppicing

From Monday 6 November 2017 to 1 March 2018, coppicing will be taking place alongside the Park Wood footpath.

Coppicing increases the structural and compositional diversity of a woodland by opening up the canopy to provide varying light levels and encouraging a range of different aged trees in the woodland. This encourages growth of different species of flora on the woodland floor which in turn attracts a wider range of fauna increasing the overall biodiversity of the area.

There will be some noise disruption and a footpath adjacent to the main Park Wood footpath will be closed while the works are carried out.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and if there are any queries please contact the Estates Helpdesk on ext 3209.

Chris Wright
Senior Groundsman (Sport), Estates

Aurora @Kent event: Progressing your career

To support the University’s commitment to the LFHE’s (Leadership Foundation for Higher Education) Aurora programme, a number of initiatives, discussions and events are open to ALL members of staff throughout the year.

The next University of Kent Aurora @Kent Event will be on Thursday 23 November, from 13.00 to 14.00, on our Canterbury Campus. This Aurora @Kent event offers informal tips and advice for the promotions process and how to maximise development opportunities. It is timed to run alongside this year’s promotions round, but does not replicate but complement the official briefings run by HR. The panel will be made up of senior staff with experience on promotions committees, experts in professional services development opportunities, plus colleagues with recent success stories and advice. The format will be brief talks followed by informal Q and A.

This is an open event and everyone is most welcome – in the interests of equality, diversity and inclusivity, please note that very few male colleagues have attended in the past. These events support an important initiative for us all in the University community, so can I particularly encourage male colleagues to consider joining us?

To confirm your attendance at the event, please could you kindly email the Learning and Organisational Development team ldev@kent.ac.uk by Wednesday 15 November 2017.
Further details, including room location, will be sent once your attendance has been confirmed.

In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding this Aurora @Kent event or the Aurora Programme, please do not hesitate to contact Jena Dady, Learning and Organisational Development Adviser or a member of the Learning and Organisational Development team.

Tree planting – Canterbury campus

This week (from Monday 6 November until Friday 10 November 2017), a contracting team will be working in different locations planting trees that have been purchased as part of the University’s biodiversity plan.

All native species, the trees listed below will be planted in the following locations:

Stacey – Tillia cordata
Outer Campus University Road – Pinus sylvestris
Registry – Quercus suber
Darwin Rose Garden – Prunis avium
Becket Court – Alnus incanna
Wigoder – Taxus baccata
Rutherford Sothern Slopes – Cedrus atlantica

There may be some noise disruption and some pathway closures whil the works are carried out.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and if there are any queries please contact the Estates Helpdesk on ext 3209.

Chris Wright, Senior Groundsman
Estates

FREE Study Plus courses – Register now for the Spring Term!

Enhance your CV and improve your employability by taking a Study Plus course in something different from your main area of study. Study Plus courses are non-credit bearing and are FREE to all Kent students.

There is a wide variety of courses, which allow you to explore your creative side as well as learning new skills to help you during your studies and when you graduate.

If you have good attendance on a Study Plus course, you will earn Employability Points and the course will appear on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).

You can sign up for a course via Workshops in the Student Data System.

Visit the Study Plus website to view the full range of courses, and find out more.

Bookings Now Open for NEW 10 week Language Courses

The Centre for English and World Language are now taking bookings for the 10 week Language Express courses starting in January 2018. The courses are available in a choice of 4 languages:

French
Japanese
Mandarin
Spanish

Language Express is open to students, staff and members of the public.
Classes take place in the evening from 18.00 -20.00.

People who take the language courses say it not only increased their knowledge of the language of a country, but also its culture, and encouraged them to continue learning the language.

For more information on classes, fees and how to book your place, visit the Language Express webpages.

Kent academic organises anti-corruption training in Nigeria

A Kent international commercial law expert Dr Gbenga Oduntan has organised a series of training conferences in Nigeria on tracing funds transferred as a result of corrupt practices.

The first two-day conference takes place in Lagos on 20/21 November with a second two-day conference following in Abuja on 23/24 November. Each event is targeted at anti-corruption activists, media practitioners, compliance officers, anti-corruption agencies, opinion leaders, bloggers, lawyers and legal advisers.

With the first day entitled Tracking Noxious Funds: Strategies and techniques for whistle blowing and tracing property purchased and the second day entitled Investments from Proceeds of Bribery and Corruption Transferred to the West and Tax Havens, the training offers a practical, doctrinal and procedural introduction to researching company and property ownership using public sources of information. Conference attendees will also learn how to find shell companies and their property and how to identify online resources and sources of information. The training includes practical sessions that will enable participants to conduct their own searches under the supervision of expert facilitators from Europe, the US and Nigeria.

Dr Oduntan was awarded a grant of $50,000 for the training project by the MacArthur Foundation and the Institute of International Education after running a successful one-day conference at Kent Law School in July.

Dr Oduntan said: It has become clear over the last few decades last that the phenomenon of bribery, corruption and stolen funds is one of the principal causes of underdevelopment in the global south. The stolen wealth of Nigeria and other ECOWAS countries has not only found safe haven in the banks and financial institutions of the UK and other western countries but has become a major source of the funds for the purchase of UK properties contributing to housing shortages in London

Music for Remembrance: Friday 10 November

To commemorate the weekend of Remembrance Day, the University Cecilian Choir and Pops Orchestra come together for a short sequence of music, conducted by Deputy Director of Music, Dan Harding on Friday 10 November at 13.00

Music
The Last Post (Simon Morgan, trumpet)
Theme from Schindler’s List (Lydia Cheng, Molly Richetta solo strings)
Hymn to the Fallen – John Williams

The event in the Colyer-Fergusson Music Building will last approximately ten minutes. Admission is FREE.

Academic and research staff promotions and additional salary awards

Members of the academic and research staff are invited to apply for promotion, or an additional salary award*, by means of the procedures which are now available on the Human Resources website.

All applications must be made by 12 noon on Thursday 14 December 2017.

Briefings for staff who may be interested in applying for promotion have been arranged at Canterbury and Medway; for details of dates, times and venues please see the timetable which is published on the Human Resources website (link as above). There is no need to book – just turn up.

Prospective candidates for promotion may also find it useful to view the web feature on staff promoted in the 2016/17 round, which is published here and the case studies based on real candidates who have been successful in promotion in recent years which are published here.

* Professors and probationary staff should not apply for additional salary awards using these procedures as there are separate procedures in place.