Memorial at Canterbury Cathedral for Dr James Appleyard (23 June)

Memorial at Canterbury Cathedral for Dr James Appleyard, 23 June at 14:00.

Dr James Appleyard was awarded an honorary degree by the University in July 1999. Throughout his career as a consultant paediatrician and child health campaigner he was a strong supporter of the University and most recently the new Kent and Medway Medical School. He was also Treasurer of the British Medical Association and President of the World Medical Association.

As a highly respect local doctor and campaigner across the county, his family would welcome being joined at the memorial by University staff who had the opportunity to work with and get to know him.

The memorial for Dr James Appleyard will be held in the Quire of Canterbury Cathedral on Thursday, 23 June at 14:00.

Obituaries:

"Mother" in neon lights.

Birth Rites Collection exhibition at Kent

What is the Birth Rites Collection?

Birth Rites Collection (BRC) is the first and only collection of contemporary artwork dedicated to the subject of childbirth, and is being hosted at the University. It is the first time it is being hosted and exhibited in such an environment, which was chosen to reflect the fact that birth, commonly perceived as a medical affair, is also a social and cultural event.

The collection was established by artist and curator Helen Knowles following a touring exhibition at the Glasgow Science Centre and Manchester Museum in 2008 and has since expanded to over 90 artworks, which include tapestries from the Birth Project (1981-83) by internationally renowned artist Judy Chicago, amongst many others. All artworks are acquired through artist donation or commission and includes multiple art forms, including photography, performance, sculpture, painting, print, wallpaper, drawing, new media and film.

Where to find the exhibition on campus

Thanks to the generous support of the University’s Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries, Division of Arts and Humanities, and Professor Darren Griffin from its School of Biosciences, artworks will be on display at a number of locations across the University campus. These include The Wigoder Building, part of Kent Law School, The Templeman Library, Grimond Building and Gulbenkian Arts Centre.

Professor Catherine Richardson, Director of the Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries, said: ‘The University of Kent is delighted to be hosting The Birth Rites Collection. This fascinating collection of art has the potential to spark debate, learning and awareness around issues as diverse as blockchain and reproductive technologies, the politics and practice of childbirth, and the relationship between art, health and social care.’

BRC has an established record of working within an academic context, having previously been housed at the University of Salford and King’s College, London, where the collection was used as a creative research tool to support interdisciplinary teaching practices.

Helen Knowles said: ‘We are excited to be moving the Birth Rites Collection to the University of Kent and embarking on a new partnership with an innovative and creative institution. It is important that the artworld moves outside of London and connects with wider communities across the UK. This opportunity to be based in the southeast of England is very prescient, in light of maternal health inequalities and the unequal access to contemporary art regionally. We hope to contribute to a wider debate on the subject of birth and engage with the people of Canterbury, Kent and beyond.’

Birth Rites Collection Summer School

As part of the collaboration with Birth Rites, Kent will also host a Birth Rites Collection Summer School this September. The unique programme of lectures, workshops, seminars and one-to-one tutorials will introduce participants to the collection and facilitate a dialogue between them, their practice and the artworks.

Led by Helen Knowles and Hermione Wiltshire, artist and Co-Head of the Photography Programme at the Royal College of Art, the course will appeal to a range of individuals – from midwifes and health professionals to artists and policy advisors. Bursaries this year are offered to staff and students at the University of Kent and KMMS only. See more information about the summer school.

Person on zoom call holding up of tea

Summer vacation support from Student Support and Wellbeing 

Student Support and Wellbeing continues to be open throughout the summer vacation - our offices are only closed on weekends and bank holidays, including Monday 29 August.  

Booking appointments with Student Support and Wellbeing staff 

You can still book online or face to face appointments with specialist support staff from 9.00-13.00 and 14.00-17.00 throughout the summer, both in person and online, as long as you’re a registered student at Kent. Contact us at KentSSW@kent.ac.uk for Canterbury students, and MedwaySSW@kent.ac.uk for Medway students to arrange support during the summer vacation. 

Mental health crisis support 

If you’d like to speak with support staff urgently in office hours, Monday to Friday, 9.00-17.00, please phone on 01227 826573 for the Canterbury campus or 01634 888474 for Medway. 

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or need emergency wellbeing or counselling support outside of office hours, our external partners Spectrum Life can offer you online, text, and telephone support from qualified counsellors and therapists.

Spectrum will work with you in getting initial support and help during your crisis and the University Student Support and Wellbeing teams will contact you on the next working day. Spectrum Life is available on Monday to Friday evenings from 20.00 till 08.00, and on weekends and Bank Holidays. Telephone: 0800 0318227 and press option 1, or Text ‘Hi’ to: 00353 87 369 0010. Search for the Spectrum Life app from your app store and follow the log in instructions 

If you need emergency support on either Canterbury or Medway campus, Campus Security staff are on duty 24 hours per day, 365 days per year and can always be contacted on their emergency number: 01227 82 3333. 

More mental health support providers 

  • For 24/7 free online support from peers and trained professionals, all Kent students can access Togetherall.
     
  • If you’re having a difficult time and want to talk to someone, you can call the Samaritans free on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org. 
     
  • If you would prefer to receive support via text message, Shout is a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope, simply text 85258. 

Together with our partner organisations, we’re here to support you over the summer. 

If you use Instagram, follow @UniKentSSW for information any wellbeing support groups or opportunities over vacation, and inspiring articles and information to help you stay well and connected to yourself and others, whatever you’re doing during vacation. 

Industrial action

Industrial action goodwill payment scheme

From Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience 

Thank you for your continued patience during the periods of industrial action this academic year. We have been working hard to assess the impact of the industrial action on each of you across all our academic Divisions. We appreciate this process has taken some time. However, it was important to ensure that the effect of the industrial action on all our students was assessed fairly and equitably.

Goodwill gesture payments for eligible students 

Based on the information that we have about teaching events impacted by the industrial action from Divisions, and in conjunction with Kent Union, the University’s Executive Group has now approved a goodwill gesture payment scheme. Through this scheme, eligible students whose teaching activities were disrupted will receive payments directly to their bank accounts based on the impact in their areas.

Because the University does not hold students’ bank details, we will work with Western Union to ensure safe, secure payments can be made to students’ bank accounts allowing all eligible students to receive the payment they are entitled to.

When will I find out if I am eligible? 

If you are eligible for an industrial action goodwill payment, we will contact you via your Kent student email by the middle of July to arrange payment.

Final year students’ email accounts will remain active until 12 August 2022* to allow time to complete the payment process. Reminder emails will be sent before Finalist email accounts are closed.

For further information, you can contact industrialaction@kent.ac.uk.

Best wishes,

Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience 

*this date has been extended until 12 September 2022.

Leave Canterbury Clean | Kent Community Litter Pick

At this time of the year, as students move out of their off-campus accommodation, litter can build up in our community. We want to make sure we leave Canterbury clean and as such we are organising a community litter pick!

Clean and green environments can nurture positive mental and physical wellbeing and promote a happier community. A litter-free place reduces damage to local habitats, and by recycling materials that might otherwise become litter, natural resources are also protected.

This links with goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and goal 15: Life on Land on the UN sustainability goals.

Find out more about this community litter pick on our events page here.

You can sign up individually or with your team by emailing communityliaison@kent.ac.uk. All gloves, litter pickers and bags are provided, and you can come along for as long or as little as you want!

We hope you can come with us to protect our local environment and develop the excellent relationship we have with our neighbours off-campus.

Booking Open! Research and Innovation Support Network Conference

Join colleagues from a range of research and innovation roles at the University of Kent for this one-day opportunity to share expertise and experiences.

Time and place

The conference will take place on Tuesday 5 July, Templeman Library, Canterbury campus.

What to expect at the conference

Lunch and refreshments will be provided for all delegates as well as opportunities to meet with colleagues from across the University.

A fascinating range of presentations, workshops and discussions, from our professional and academic colleagues, will help you to discover new opportunities and find out about different ways of working, including:

  • Building a positive research and innovation culture at the University of Kent
  • Understanding the Knowledge Exchange Framework and how this applies to our institution
  • Discovering the expertise that technical, and other professional roles, can bring to funded research projects
  • Attitudes to the role of part time and flexible working in Higher Education, and how this looks at the University of Kent
  • How members of the public, including professional staff, can get involved in designing and carrying out research.

How to book your free place

All staff who support or have an interest in research and innovation across the university are invited, but we particularly welcome staff in professional support roles.

Book your free place via Eventbrite by Tuesday 28 June.

Contact us

Email the organising committee with your comments or questions.

Have your say on our University brand

How we communicate and present ourselves to the outside world is more and more important in the increasingly competitive environment we work in. More than ever, we need to make sure the University stands out, creates impact, and that we way we talk about what we do really shows who we are and what we stand for. 

The imagery we use, the colours and fonts we employ and the design of our marketing materials are all part of how we convey who we are. However, this is also about the identity that’s shared by so many across the University – from student societies to research communications, student recruitment to staff engagement. With it being almost a decade since Kent last refreshed its look and feel, this is time to consolidate our identity with something that all audiences can feel proud of and that brings us all together as one University. 

Your feedback is key! 

Throughout the work to refresh our brand, we have been seeking views from different stakeholders on what most resonates with them – including current and prospective students. The cross-University working group steering this has drawn upon the in-depth research last year into the themes of Connection, Collaboration and Community that run through our work , while also carefully thinking through how our new position fits with our evolving global perspective. 

Now we need to hear from all of you about how our new direction is coming together to help shape things further before we launch our updated look and feel in September.  

We want as many staff and students as possible to come along to our Brand Roadshow, with events in Canterbury and Medway. There is also an online-only version for those who can’t attend in person. 

We want our new direction to work for everyone and celebrate the best of who we are – getting your feedback is key to that so we hope to see as many of you as possible this week! 

Share your views at our Brand Roadshow events 

Canterbury: Templeman Library Foyer between 10:00-15:00 on Thursday 16 June and Friday 17 June. 

Medway: Student Hub social space between 11:00-14:00 on Thursday 16 June.  

Brussels and Paris: Simone Davies, Director of Marketing, Outreach, Recruitment and Admissions will be holding a drop-in on our Brussels campus on Wednesday 15 June and a drop-in on our Paris campus on Thursday 16 June. If you have any questions please visit Simone on these dates. 

 

Registry closure

From Tuesday 31 May, the old part of Registry building has become temporarily closed due to rewiring works.

The Registry extension remains open, including the visitor’s reception, which is staffed by Jenny Overy on Tuesdays, Thursday and Friday. You can contact Jenny at Regreception@kent.ac.uk.  The Registry is expected to fully reopen in the new year.

Departments who have moved out of the Registry are now based in the following buildings:

Darwin

  • Finance

Rutherford

  • Central Student Administration
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity
  • Governance and Assurance
  • Human Resources
  • Office of the Vice-Chancellor
  • University Operations

There are two receptions in Rutherford. The main reception is staffed by the University Operations team and is open 8.30 – 17.00, Monday – Friday.  Staff radios can be collected from this reception. You can communicate with the main reception at Rutherford_reception@kent.ac.uk

The Central Student Administration reception is open from Monday to Friday, 9.00 – 17.00. Students can continue to visit this reception for replacement ID card collection, stamps for official documents, student record queries, (supplementary) status letter collection and to collect their Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs).

Student Lewis Powell smiling with poker chips on table in front of him

Kent Star: Meet Activities Advocate Lewis

This month’s Kent Star is Lewis Powell, who has been involved in a wide range of activities during his time at Kent. From football to esports, President of the Poker Society to Peace Ambassador. Hear from our Activities Advocate Lewis about what he’s been up to:

“I’m Lewis Powell and I’m a final year student studying Economics with Econometrics. I have many hobbies which take up most of my free time. I love football (playing and watching), although Southampton’s end of season form have been testing that love. My other interests include esports and poker as well as travelling. Last September I was a Peace Ambassador for an organisation called Peaceline where we travelled through Germany, Latvia. Lithuania and Poland. A fun fact is that I qualified and played in the €1150 Irish Open Main Event poker tournament in 2019 in Dublin when I was 19.”

Tell us about some of the activities you have been involved with during your time at Kent.

“I have played 6-a-side football with my team every week at Football Frenzy which has been great fun and fuelled my competitive spirit. I had always loved supporting my football team but hadn’t played much during secondary school. Getting involved, improving as a player and having my own team is one of the best things I’ve done during university and it is an activity I look forward to every week.

During the various lookdowns, I decided to fuel my competitive spirit by joining one of the university Counter Strike Global Offensive online teams in my third year at Kent. I hadn’t played hardly at all in the two years prior but soon got super invested in my team and loved competing against other universities twice a week in NUEL and NSE (Esports platforms). As our team evolved through various changes to the roster I decided to step up by becoming the captain and in-game leader. We had a team who were willing to practice, on the same page and whom we had good synergy. Shoutout to Ethan, Max, Tommy and especially Jamie (who I’ve teamed with for 2 years) for all the hard work they put in.

I have also been President of Kent Poker the last two years. I am extremely proud of building back the society after the pandemic to build a loyal community of poker lovers. I am sure the community will continue to thrive going into next academic year.”

What advice would you give to other students?

“Your input is your output. Get involved! There really is a society for everyone at Kent and I would encourage anyone to pursue their hobbies in your spare time. You don’t want to look back on a university experience where you only studied and partied. Some the best time I’ve had at university have been within my various teams and societies and meeting many different people. I would also encourage students to do things over summer; whether that is working, spending time on a side project or participating in programs abroad. This will give you lots of stuff to talk about with potential employers.”

Student Lewis sat at table with playing cards and poker chips

What are your plans for the next year?

“As soon as I finish my exams I am off to Las Vegas for 7 weeks. I will be working as a tournament reporter at the 53rd World Series of Poker from 31 May-19 July for PokerNews. There I will be covering the action from the most popular poker tournament series in the world. I am also hoping I will have some time to relax after a really intense academic year. When I return to the UK I will evaluate my options and see what direction I want to go in next.”

Learn more about the Kent Stars campaign.