At a summit on Thursday 10 April, the European Union and UK Government have agreed to extend the Brexit deadline to 31 October 2019. This means that the UK will remain part of the EU until that date, unless the Government is able to secure a deal beforehand.

The University’s Brexit Working Group, led by Jeremy Carrette, Dean for Europe, has been meeting for a number of months to prepare for Brexit, prioritising our response in the event of ‘No Deal’ with the EU. This group will continue to work on the various possible outcomes to ensure that – whatever happens – we are well prepared and are doing all we can to minimise disruption to our work. This will include long-term planning for Brexit to ensure continuity of relationships across Europe for teaching and research.

We will continue to update students and colleagues as the situation unfolds. There is more information on settled status, travel and other issues on the Brexit webpages:

http://www.kent.ac.uk/brexit

If you have any further questions about what this could mean for you, please contact one of the following:

For Students: studentEUqueries@kent.ac.uk

For Staff: staffEUqueries@kent.ac.uk

As part of our ongoing commitment to provide Kent Sport members with the best facilities, we are excited to announce that the building of a brand new indoor tennis and events arena.

The new arena will provide Kent Sport members with four indoor acrylic courts which will be a huge improvement on our current provision. It will also provide students with improved space and conditions for exams.

After much consultation with key stakeholders at the University, it has been agreed that rather than improving the existing structure we will demolish this and rebuild from the beginning. This will result in a prolonged construction period and Kent Sport has sought external facilities for our student tennis club, in particular the BUCS matches on Wednesdays. Over the summer, we will be providing grass tennis courts at the Pavilion for members to use.

The existing tennis centre will be open until Friday 26 April. After this time, the site will be handed over to the contractor so they can begin work.

Kent Sport includes frequently asked questions for this project and will also be updated with designs of the new structure and a timeline of when we expect the facility to reopen. Should you have any questions or concerns, please email memberships@kent.ac.uk and your email will be forwarded to the relevant member of staff.

The Unit for Enhancement for Learning and Teaching (UELT) are pleased to congratulate our new Higher Education Academy Senior Fellows, listed below, who have achieved their Senior Fellowship through the  Route to Recognition for Experienced Staff Professional (RRES).

The Route is a non-taught recognition scheme and  was created to ensure all University of Kent’s experienced staff, with a minimum of five years’ experience of leading, teaching and/or supporting learning in higher education have the opportunity to be recognised for this work whatever their role: academic, support or professional services staff.

The Scheme is aligned to the UK Professional Standards Framework for Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education, a nationally recognised framework for benchmarking success within higher education teaching and learning support.

To find out more about becoming recognised for your teaching and/or support of learning at our University visit the HEA Route to Recognition webpage.

Congratulations:

Jennie Batchelor – School of English

Richard Perks – School of Music and Fine Art

Amanda Perry-Kessearis – Kent Law School

Ru Su – Centre for English and World Languages

Dr John Court, long-time Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies at the University of Kent , died on 31 March after a long illness.

John retired from teaching in 2001. In the course of a distinguished and versatile academic career, which included 30 years at Kent, he served as General Editor of the prestigious Cambridge University Press ‘Society for New Testament Studies’ monograph series.

A service of thanksgiving will be held at Boughton-under-Blean Parish Church at 15.00 on Tuesday 16 April.

Alumni who graduated in 1969 have been invited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their graduation at a special golden graduation ceremony in Canterbury Cathedral on Friday 19 July 2019 at 10.30.

The Development Office started the golden graduations last year – thought to be the first such event at a UK university – to celebrate the lifetime relationship the University has with its alumni.

The arrangements for the day will see our graduates from 1969 process into the Cathedral with our graduands, robed in graduation gowns with the appropriate faculty hood from the degree. They will receive a golden graduation certificate in the same way as this year’s graduands receive their degree certificate – conferred by the Chancellor in front of your guests.

The occasion connects alumni with our newest graduates, and it was an impressive sight to see students from the 1960s process into Canterbury Cathedral with our newest graduates last year.

We do not hold current contact information for all who graduated in 1969. If you are in touch with an former students or staff from this year please ask them to contact Bryony Ayling in the Development Office by email events@kent.ac.uk.

The Department of Classical and Archaeological Studies hosted an all day celebration of Classics on 3 April 2019, running two sets of workshops for members of the University of the Third Age (U3A), as well as talks for applicants, an afternoon showcasing postgraduate and staff research in the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies, a reception, and a performance of an ancient Greek comedy, Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, by undergraduates in the evening.

The workshops, run by Dr Rosie Wyles, offered members of the U3A an introduction to Greek comedy and explored the issues raised by Aristophanes’ Lysistrata for ancient and modern audiences. Participants had the opportunity to see the play in action by dropping into the dress rehearsal in the afternoon or staying to watch the performance in the evening. In feedback, participants said that they had ‘thoroughly enjoyed’ all aspects of the day and that after attending the workshop, they found that their understanding and appreciation of the performance was much greater.

The performance of Lysistrata in the evening received riotous – and well-deserved – applause. Dr Rosie Wyles said ‘The production was entirely the work of  undergraduates and they produced a fast-paced, brilliantly acted, slick production which was hilarious. They certainly did the ancient playwright justice – it was superb to see them bring the comedy to life’.

The Department of Classical and Archaeological Studies is grateful to the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies and the Institute for Classical Studies, London for their generous support of the workshops and play.

On Wednesday 20 March, the Success Accelerator Programme brought 15 talented first-year students to London to experience the world of business by taking part in a mini-hackathon. They were put to the test, using their creativity and skills to analyse and find a solution to a business problem.

The Success Accelerator Programme, which is sponsored by the Kent Opportunity Fund, aims to inspire students at Kent to achieve a career in the City. The programme includes students from the School of Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, and Actuarial Science and Law. Currently, there are 14 alumni mentors, all professionals dedicated to improving outcomes for those students looking to achieve their own version of success by gaining employment in London. These mentors work in partnership with the University of Kent to support students with mentoring and work experience that will serve as a springboard for their future careers.

The mini-hackathon gave students a flavour of the working world and exposed them to some key concepts of Financial Technology (FinTech). Students worked in teams as “consultants” to think of a solution to a problem using FinTech and Alumni mentors acted as senior partners, there to empower them. They created a professional pitch deck and presented their concepts to industry professionals and graduate employers, who were board members; judging their work to what would be considered in the real world! The consultants delivered strong pitches and provided great answers when responding to questions from the board, who were very impressed with their proposed solutions.

This was a fantastic event, which gave our first-year students a great insight into FinTech and a career in the City. We look forward to seeing what else our mentees are involved in during the programme, later on, this year!