In support of the University’s commitment to embedding Sustainability into our teaching, we are encouraging lecturers and teaching staff to pledge to incorporate the Sustainable Development goals into their teaching for one week.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Teach In is an NUS-coordinated campaign where universities across the UK aim to make links to the SDGs within their taught courses during the week of the 17 – 21 February 2020.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals are 17 ‘global goals’, which set out targets to end poverty, protect the planet, and achieve prosperity for all by 2030. Alongside being a standalone goal, education is also vital for attaining all the other goals. Six years of NUS-led research has found that 60% of students, regardless of discipline, want to learn more about sustainability.

Lecturers and teaching staff interested in getting involved can:

• Identify one or more sessions where they can teach the SDGs during or after the week of the 17 – 21 February 2020.
• Pledge to take part on the SDG Teach In website
• Confirm to sustainability@kent.ac.uk that they are taking part – guidance can be provided to help plan their session

Catherine and Emily of the Sustainability Team are on hand to advise or support you in any way to help you get involved. This could be through case studies, debate, discussion, group work, or simulations and ideally, students will learn the relevance of the SDGs to their course.

urther information and Resources including 5, 10 and 30-minute session plans, can be found on the Estates page.

‘Parsing the Peace: Citizens in Civil War Peace Processes’ is the title of this year’s John Burton Lecture given by Professor Caroline Hartzell (Gettysburg College)

When: Thursday 6 February 2020 from 15.00 – 16.00

Where: Rutherford Lecture Theatre 1 (RLT1)

A drinks reception will take place afterwards in Rutherford Seminar Room 2, next door to RLT1

For this year’s annual John Burton lecture, the Conflict Analysis Research Centre welcomes the critically acclaimed Professor Caroline Hartzell (Gettysburg College) to hold a talk on Parsing the Peace: Citizens in Civil War Peace Processes. During this event, which continues the long-established series of John Burton lectures, Professor Hartzell will discuss the role of civic engagement in peace processes outside of traditional elite actor involvement. Furthermore, Professor Hartzell will guide the audience towards intricate and informed insights concerning the interplay between peace agreements and citizen involvement. Using her own words, the lecture will cover:

‘Much of what we know about peace processes centres on the interests of elite actors and the groups that they lead.  Seeking to parse the peace, this talk examines citizen engagement with civil war peace processes, focusing in particular on the relationship between citizens and peace agreements. To that end, I explore how citizens perceive and influence peace agreements, as well as how agreements influence citizens’ political behaviour and attitudes toward the peace in the wake of civil war’.

 Professor Hartzell is a Professor in the Political Science Department at Gettysburg College and was the founding director of the College’s Globalisation Studies program. Professor Hartzell teaches courses in International Relations. Her specialisation is in international political economy with an emphasis on issues of conflict and conflict management, development, and globalisation.

The lecture is open to all and free to attend with no booking necessary.

You are warmly invited to the Research Symposium on Graduate Outcomes: How can universities best prepare students for life after university?

When: Wednesday 25 March 2020 from 13:00 – 17:00.

Where: Grimond Lecture Theatre 3 and Aphra Foyer

To book your place, please sign up via Eventbrite by 18 March 2020.

While the UK higher education sector has been paying more attention to students’ employability in recent years, HESA’s revised measure of graduate outcomes now enables a broader view of how well students are doing 15 months after university. This symposium explores what academics, staff and students can do to best prepare graduates not only for employability, but for personally-fulfilling careers and lives.  Based on recent research, each speaker will take a different perspective on the symposium’s title question. This event is sponsored by the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Kent, with support from a grant from HECSU.

For further details please visit the CSHE website

The School of Engineering and Digital Arts is delighted to announce its latest public engagement lecture entitled: From ‘The Crown’ to ‘The Lion King’ – the importance of Visual Effects in Modern Film and TV by Dominik Platen, Lead 2D Artist at One of Us and Kent alumnus (Digital Visual Effects, 2013).

When: Monday 2 March from 18.00 – 19.00

Where: Jennison Lecture Theatre, School of Engineering and Digital Arts, Canterbury campus

The lecture will cover:

• Dominik’s study and career path
• What is VFX? Use of CGI vs. invisible effects/set-extensions
• Examples/breakdowns: Talking about both types of VFX using the examples of The Crown (Invisible, set-extension type work), and “The Lion King” (Photorealistic, fully-CG)
• The current state and future of the VFX industry in the UK

For a flavour of the talk, check out these video links:

• https://vimeo.com/370740219
• https://vimeo.com/191838262
• https://vimeo.com/248127865

After the lecture, there will be an opportunity to network and refreshments will be served.

Note that the lecture will appeal to a wide range of ages and backgrounds.  It is free and open to everyone.

Please book via the Eventbrite website

Tonbridge Centre have launched their new programme of inspiring non-accredited short courses for the Spring and Summer terms.

The programme mainly focuses on Art History, Creative Writing, History and Literature as well as Classics and Self-development. Read the full programme on the Tonbridge Centre website,

If you’re new to the programme, and would like to be included in email alerts regarding Tonbridge short courses, please email tonbridgeadmin@kent.ac.uk .

Staff may be eligible for a discount: for further details, please contact the Tonbridge Centre by email to tonbridgeadmin@kent.ac.uk or call extension 4990.

Keynes College is delighted to present their latest exhibition ‘Pleasure in Painting’, by local artist and alumna Elizabeth Akehurst, which is on display on two levels in the Atrium until 8^th April 2020.

Elizabeth is particularly thrilled to be returning to Keynes once more, as she last exhibited back in Keynes in 2004 and will be showcasing her impressive paintings spanning over the past 16 years.

When: Friday 24 January 2020 from 17.00 – 19.00

Where: Keynes Atrium

All are very welcome to the the Private View.

Elizabeth explains: “Painting is not where I began.  I came to this University in 1969 to study mathematics and it was here I met my       husband Andrew Akehurst (Eliot 1969-1972) who was studying English.  Three years later I left with a first class  degree and went on to postgraduate studies at Cambridge, part of the first cohort of women admitted to King’s  College Cambridge. After I completed an MSc at Newcastle we came back to Kent in 1976 and I went into teaching.  However, a strong interest in painters and paintings has always formed an integral part of my life and having children and giving up full time work provided space.

I began to paint in the 1980’s, first in watercolour, then as the opportunity allowed, in oils. By the 1990’s I was exhibiting widely and able to drop many other commitments and declare myself a professional artist.  I have been with David and Dawn Lilford in Canterbury at the Liford Gallery  since 2000 and they have represented my work at Art Fairs in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. I have exhibited at other galleries across   England and Scotland.

 My paintings are in the collections of the University of Kent, Canterbury and Medway Council and in private collections both in England and abroad.  I was presented with a Kalaimaiyam International Art Award in 2019.

I had a solo show here in Keynes in 2004 so it is real pleasure to have another. This has given me the chance to show work from the last sixteen years.” – Elizabeth Akehurst

Boats in the Early Morning

All artworks are available to be purchased by emailing keynesmastersoffice@kent.ac.uk or by contacting the artist directly on akehurst@btinternet.com. A price list is available from Keynes Reception.

Want to start 2020 feeling refreshed and relaxed? Here’s your chance with this fabulous offer from the Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic. From 20 January to 28 February you can enjoy 20% off a 30-minute massage to help you get rid of those nagging aches and pains.

Massage has a number of physical and psychological benefits, these include:

• Lifting your mood
• Relaxing tense muscles
• Reducing stress
• Relaxing the mind
• Improving circulation
• Increase the overall feeling of well-being

Here at Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic, we treat people from all walks of life, from all occupations, of all ages, and across every scale of physical activity – even those who answer “nothing!” to that last part! We treat athletes and weightlifters, footballers and lacrosse players, but one of our most frequent patients is the office employee due to the role often requiring them to sit for long periods of time and the impact of being sedentary.

So whether you are a University of Kent student or staff or a member of the public, you can book an appointment by calling the clinic staff on 01227 824375, visiting reception at the Sports Centre, or email physio@kent.ac.uk.