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ALUMNI Inside: ❱ Modern slavery ❱ 175 years of Cunard ❱ Victoria Derbyshire INDEPENDENTS’ DAY The city’s small traders have two new champions 2015-16 edition CONTENTS 04 Building on a ALUMNI fantastic history 26 We speak to Vice-Chancellor CUNARD AT 175 Professor Janet Beer about Marking a remarkable her hopes and early milestone in impressions maritime history 09 Excellent starts Thanks to your donations, 06 we are proud to welcome LAYING THE our first cohort of Excellence GROUNDWORK Scholars Exploring the University’s role in protecting against 18 Faculty news seismic disasters Just a small taste of what our Faculties have been elcome to the 2015-16 edition of your up to over the last year Alumni magazine. W In February we welcomed our new 28 Modern slavery Vice-Chancellor, Professor Janet Beer to the University. Senior Lecturer Dr Alex Find out more about her ambition for the University Balch sheds light on the on page 4. 10 24 issue of slavery in the Thank you to everyone who completed the LIVERPOOL BY PRESIDENTIAL modern world alumni survey last year. There was some really good SCHOOLED APPOINTMENT feedback and we will use this to continue to shape our THE RADIO Judge Wendy 30 A gift to the future engagement programme. One thing that emerged STAR Beetlestone is a Two different alumni explain from the survey was the large number of alumni who Journalist and new Liverpool alumna their choice to leave a gift to are interested in volunteering for the University. face of daytime shaping the American the University We are lucky to have so many willing volunteers TV news, Victoria legal system from around the world. From organising events, Derbyshire answers 31 In touch Following alumni from mentoring, delivering careers talks and offering our questions across the decades placements, there are many ways alumni have enhanced the student experience. Over the next 12 months we will be offering new 34 In memoriam Including alumni, staff, volunteering opportunities, so please look out for students, Friends of the more information about this. University and Honorary Lastly, I would like to welcome our Class of 2015 Graduates to our alumni community. We had great fun at graduation and you can see some of the photos 14 38 Q&A: Rob Zepp on pages 36 and 37. INDEPENDENT LIVERPOOL We ask six quick questions of ice hockey star and online Best wishes Championing the MBA alumnus Rob Zepp cause of small 36 Anita Irving traders, this duo GRADUATION 39 Events Head of Alumni & Supporter Relations have big plans Extending a warm welcome A snapshot of recent in Liverpool and to the class of 2015 events and some future beyond P.S. If you have any questions or comments, please dates for the diary get in touch: [email protected]. 2 | ALUMNI 2015-16 edition www.liverpool.ac.uk/alumni 3 VICE-CHANCELLOR Q&A Building on a FANTASTIC HISTORY This autumn, during our fi rst ever Global Alumni Convention, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Janet Beer, was interviewed by Sam Butler (BA Hons History 2012), former Guild President and current member of the UK Alumni Board, about her fi rst impressions of Liverpool and her ambitions for the University. ❱ What excites you about being at the these leadership skills alongside doing the students across the globe. The other thing that on the things that we are good at and maximise University of Liverpool? things that I love, which is research, learning sets us apart is our commitment to widening knowledge and intellect in order to excel in So many things; it’s a great university with a and teaching. So from there I looked for a participation, which refl ects our values as a these areas. fantastic history and an even better future; it’s permanent position, which I got, and then - University. And this is all before I’ve even located in one of the most vibrant cities in through a combination of right place, right mentioned our brilliant research. ❱ There are more than 195,000 alumni Western Europe and has the capacity to time, and thinking hard about how I wanted my worldwide - how can we help to make the capitalise on activity and developments in the career to go – I moved to a Pro-Vice-Chancellor ❱ You are currently leading a strategic review University a success? city. One of the fi rst things I heard when I started role. After a few years I began to get head-hunted for the University. What would you say are The worldwide alumni network is vital to the was that applications to the University had for Vice-Chancellorships and joined Oxford our key priorities and how will Liverpool’s University because our graduates are the most increased by 20%, so I’m delighted that students Brookes, where I stayed for seven years before strategic vision be different? infl uential brand ambassadors of all! There are recognise the same potential in Liverpool as I do. coming to Liverpool. I think our priorities are the same as other lots of advantages to alumni staying in touch universities, but they’re expressed in a with the University and each other through our ❱ How did you make the transition from ❱ What would you say are the University’s diff erent way. 40 alumni associations and our Professional teaching to a leadership role? strengths? We are unusual amongst our peer group Interest Networks. As lifelong members of the I had quite an unusual career path as I went Firstly I would have to say its location - the city in that our commitment is to an international University community, they can be involved in from a teaching role to spending seven years of Liverpool is a huge draw for our students student population, which is refl ected through supporting today’s students through our highly in local government. During that time I worked and staff . The University’s spirit is also key; our online programmes. If we commit to successful mentoring scheme. They can also for the Inner London Education Authority in particularly our entrepreneurial character and educating global citizens, we need to make benefi t from a range of speaker-led events we a variety of leadership roles, which gave me commitment to partnership working, which is that a living reality when it comes to our organise specifi cally to connect graduates a taste of how it felt to be able to make changes evidenced by our joint venture with Xi’an curriculum; both in terms of how we craft working in all walks of life across the globe, and for the better. When I returned to academia Jiaotong University in China; and our work our classrooms, and in giving students the we always want to off er opportunities for alumni I was given the opportunity to become Acting with Laureate, delivering online postgraduate opportunity to study abroad. to be involved in University developments and Head of Department, which allowed me to use degree programmes to more than 10,000 In terms of research, I think we need to focus share their opinions and expertise. l 4 | ALUMNI 2015-16 edition www.liverpool.ac.uk/alumni 5 IBFSEISMOLOGY 2014 Backdrop: Aerial view of earthquake damage in the Sindhuli District, Nepal. LAYING THE GROUNDWORDevastating earthquakes require immediate The media reported dire straits: in overseas aid programme there, supporting The work proved invaluable:K “What really response, but there’s equally critical work to Kathmandu, buildings were razed to education, health, community development, struck me was the amazing resilience of the be done before disaster strikes. Alumni speaks the ground in seconds; world heritage women’s empowerment and, of course, people in Nepal,” says Philip. “Before the big sites reduced to rubble; roads torn preparing for an imminent earthquake. “One internationals came in, the Nepali people were to Department for International Development apart; people crammed into what little of the big focus areas for the Department for organising themselves: mounting search and Director and Liverpool graduate, Philip Smith, open ground the rampant capital has. International Development (DFID) is helping rescue missions, creating big communal on the importance of preparedness, and looks The situation in rural Nepal was even countries which we know are prone to disasters; kitchens, cleaning up, providing water – to the University’s international reputation worse: representing the country’s whether that’s seismic events, fl oods, droughts, basically just getting on with it. They were poorest and having endured the etc. We help these countries prepare in advance awe-inspiring.” in seismology. quake, they were now being affl icted of big disasters so that the loss of life is reduced.” by ensuing landslides, and for the DFID’s work proves that the management The science of disaster most part cut off from aid. Preliminary of such crises extends beyond the all-important Also inspiring, and likewise crucial, is the n 25 April 2015, a major death tolls suggested 10,000. Others predicted post-crisis eff orts of international humanitarian work that goes into understanding the exact earthquake hit central Nepal. three, four, even fi ve times this. response teams: there’s crucial work to be mechanics of such events around the world. Earthquakes occur in the area “It’s one of the most disaster prone countries done beforehand, too. In Nepal, the focus As Philip says: “We can’t yet predict earthquakes, approximately once every 70 in the world,” says Philip Smith (BA Hons was on developing national resilience but using the science and technology that we years, but this one was overdue. Geography 1991). “Earthquakes, fl oods, through governmental support, and building have available to us to provide early warning is OIt was the worst natural disaster of its kind to monsoons, landslides, avalanches – every community preparedness, assessing how critical, alongside the preparedness, the training, strike the country since 1934.