Following the recent announcement on our new Directors of Division, we have also now made the following appointments to our divisional Director of Operations roles:

Division of Humanities

School of European Culture and Languages; School of History

Kerry Barber

Division of Natural Sciences

School of Biosciences; School of Physical Sciences; School of Sport and Exercise Sciences; Medway School of Pharmacy (affiliate); Kent and Medway Medical School (affiliate)

James Redmond

Kent Business School

Paul Verrion

John Crook and Rachel MacPhee have also been appointed as Directors of Operations, with an announcement on the division they will be deployed to follow.

We are currently in the process of recruiting all final Director of Division and Director of Operations roles. In the meantime, all those appointed will now be brought into discussions around the transition to the changes under Organising for Success, and the decisions we need to make, both in the short and longer term, to make the new arrangements a success.

Our next Postgraduate Information Event takes place on Thursday 5 December 2019, from 17.00-19.00.

This informal event is a great way to find out more about Kent’s wide range of programmes for personal or career development. Talks will be given by Dean of the Graduate School, Professor Paul Allain, and members of our Scholarships team.

Staff who apply to study at Kent may be eligible for a discount – details are available on our Staff Finance webpage.

Book your place now for the information evening on our Open Days webpage.

Colleagues are invited to attend the E-Learning Forum (ELF) titled ‘Digital Classroom’ on Tuesday 3 December 10am-11.30am in Templeman Seminar Room 6.

Over the past two years the success of the digital classrooms (TS5 & TS6) has led to improvements in a number of seminar rooms across the University. Room upgrades include group tables, repeater screens, wireless connection and, in some cases, touch screen monitors. These teaching spaces can give the Academics greater flexibility in teaching approaches and, when used correctly, enhance the Student learning experience.

During the academic year 2018/19, UELT collected user feedback from Academics and Students on their experiences in these spaces. In this session, Phil Anthony will present the findings on how these rooms are currently being used by Academics and Students across the University. He will then give an example of how group work can be conducted in these rooms using multiple technologies. Finally, Academics currently using the rooms will share their experiences.

To confirm your attendance please complete the online booking form.

Kent was proud to host the annual meetings of the SGroup European Universities Network (SGroup) from 6-8 November 2019.

This event saw representatives from the SGroup’s 32 member institutions from 17 European countries attend as well as one of the network’s associate partners from Colombia.

The Network, which was established in 1989, is based on four core areas of co-operation – internationalisation strategy, academic collaboration, academic mobility, and transfer of knowledge.

Kent joined the SGroup in April 2011 and has used its membership of the network to strengthen both its European and international partnerships, giving rise to a range of mobility opportunities for students and staff.

Our Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Karen Cox gave the formal welcome to network representatives and stressed Kent’s commitment to continued European and international collaboration in the context of its civic mission.

The meeting of the SGroup concluded with a workshop on collaboration in the context of Brexit and included the perspectives of Professor Philippe de Wilde as Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation and Professor Jeremy Carrette, Dean for Europe.

Find out more about the SGroup on International Partnerships website, or email Primrose Paskins

Message from the Vice-Chancellor

After an open competition I am delighted to announce that Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura has been appointed to the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Strategy, Planning and Performance. Georgina is currently in the interim position and will transition to the substantive post with immediate effect. I am sure you will join me in offering her many congratulations.

The University and College Union (UCU) has announced its intention to launch industrial action in the form of a strike and action short of a strike (ASOS) as a part of its dispute relating to the national pay award.

The strike action is scheduled to begin on 25 November and last eight days, ending on 4 December. The ASOS is to begin on the same day and continue until April.

The Executive Group (EG) recognises the strength of feeling surrounding the dispute and is aware that this is unsettling for many staff and students. Although this is a national dispute, and cannot be resolved at a local level, work is already underway at the University to address many of the issues raised as part of the pay claim.

To ensure all staff have the information they need, the University has launched dedicated industrial action web pages for staff, including links to the industrial action pay policy, FAQs, information about the background to the dispute and what Kent is doing. Web pages for students are also now available to help answer students’ questions and ensure they have the support and information they need. Both websites will be updated routinely in coming days and weeks.

The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) and Universities UK (UUK) have issued a joint open letter to staff affected by the disputes confirming that UCU have been formally invited to discuss what the employers’ association can do at sector-level to support individual institutions on issues around workloads, equality and casualisation.

In the meantime, EG will continue to do all it can at a local and national level to find a way forward.

The University is also doing everything it can to minimise disruption and to mitigate against the impact on students whose experience remains the utmost priority during this time.