Martin Amis Appointed Professor of Creative Writing Features Letter from the President News
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The free magazine for The University of Manchester 5 March 2007 Uni LifIessue 7 Volume 4 Martin Amis appointed Professor of Creative Writing Features Letter from the President News News Manchester’s students Martin Amis appointed most wanted page 3 Martin Amis, arguably the leading novelist of his generation, has been appointed Professor of Creative Writing at The University of Manchester. He will be in position in time for the launch of the Centre for New Writing, due to open in September. Amis will run postgraduate seminars at at Manchester has long been one of the best in the the Centre and will also participate in country, but the foundation of the Centre and the appointments of Martin Amis and Patricia Duncker Research four public events each year, including mean that we will continue to attract – and provide Village found near a two week summer school where a terrific apprenticeship for – talented new Stonehenge writers will teach MA students from the novelists, poets and critics. Martin and Patricia are UK and abroad. both writers who are interested in the broad swim page 7 of contemporary culture, so the Centre will be a He will be based in the School of Arts Histories and prominent platform for the best new creative and Cultures, also home to the leading literary theorist critical writing being produced in the UK.” When the new University of Manchester was We now face the major, unavoidable challenge of and critic, Professor Terry Eagleton. founded in October 2004, it was on the firm addressing these two deficits – one structural, the Award-winning novelist and short story writer His reputation, established over three decades, has understanding that no-one in their right mind would other strategic - in order to bring the University Patricia Duncker, who came as the University’s first been built on a constant flow of significant, often have gone through the inevitable complexities of budget back into surplus by the end of the 2007-08 Professor of Creative Writing in January, previously controversial, novels – he is currently working on his merging two successful institutions merely for the financial year. On top of these planned deficits, held the Chair at East Anglia. The Irish poet Vona twelfth. In addition, he has published collections of Profile sake of creating a single, larger institution. salary costs, anticipated to increase seven per cent in Groarke is another new appointee. 2005-06, actually grew by ten per cent because of a short stories, highly-rated critical essays and Martin Amis Project Unity was not about size. It was inspired by a combination of the national pay settlement, pay and countless articles on a wide range of issues and has This is Martin Amis’s first academic post. His major opportunity for “step change” improvement - grading and incremental progression. University won a string of literary awards. He is best known famous novelist father, Sir Kingsley Amis, also page 10 encouraged by a once-in-an-institutional lifetime overheads were also higher, particularly because for his “informal trilogy” Money (1984), London became a teacher, holding appointments at chance to contemplate a thoroughly energy costs more than doubled. Fields (1989) and The Information (1995). Swansea, Princeton and Cambridge. transformational agenda. What drove it was a willingness to entertain a singularly ambitious In an overall budget of around £600 million, such ”At 57, I feel ready for a fresh milieu and I think I Professor Alan Gilbert, President and Vice- vision, and the courage to ask, Why not? deficits are manageable, provided that we take the may have something to offer as a teacher,” he says. Chancellor, welcoming his appointment, says: “It necessary action; indeed, the bulk of this financial “It has always been a quiet ambition of mine. I have will be a wonderful opportunity for our creative In planning our transformational journey, we knew management task was created deliberately in the written a lot of fiction and a lot about fiction, so I’ll writing students to learn their craft from so from the outset that the key to success was going to best interests of the University. But active, effective be bringing a dual perspective to it. I am also keen distinguished a novelist. We already have a major Contents be largely about people. The immense talent already action is now an absolute necessity. Operationally, to find out about that shadowy and inscrutable presence in creative writing, but this appointment present in the University had to be nurtured and that makes a managed programme on a significant demographic group – the young.” confirms this as one of the leading places in the grown. Creating an environment in which that could scale of voluntary early retirements and voluntary world to study it.” 3 News happen was the bedrock of the Manchester 2015 severances inevitable over the next 18 months. It John McAuliffe, co-director with Ian McGuire of the Agenda . But we also knew that creating such a also places a premium on cost efficiency and new Centre, says: “The creative writing programme See pages 10 and 11 for a Profile on Martin Amis 7 Research transformational environment would mean bringing challenges us all to maximise revenue growth. in new, virtuoso people – some of them genuinely 10 Profile “iconic” in status – whose presence would help us Transforming a very good university into a great one build higher and higher levels of excellence. was never going to be affordable if all it involved was Martin Amis appointing wonderful new people and investing in Accordingly, we have stressed the importance of 12 What’s On the development of people already on staff. Building attracting outstanding people at all levels, from PhD a profile of singular excellence was always going to 14 Reaching Out candidates and post-doctoral fellows to professors involve “re-profiling”, not just growth. Re-profiling Manchester’s students and principal investigators. We have sought a much enables the recruitment and development of 16 Museum Piece smaller group – Nobel Laureates and others of excellent people to proceed by enabling other equivalents standing – around which to build colleagues, less comfortable with an ambitious “step remain most wanted virtuoso teams. The aim consistently has been “step change” agenda, to leave the University, voluntarily THE University of Manchester has colleagues throughout the University and change” improvement in the quality of what was and with dignity. retained its place as the most targeted graduate recruiters across the globe to already a very good, professionally-supported We have thus arrived at a testing stage of the university by the UK’s top 100 graduate develop and manage a variety of projects academic community. Front cover: Martin Amis journey to 2015, and the months ahead will call for employers, according to a new survey. and events, all dedicated to equipping Photo by Ed Swinden Manchester’s success in attracting outstanding wise, compassionate, effective human resource students with key career management University of Manchester students are people has been achieved partly because the Board management at all levels. There will be no deviation skills and knowledge vital for future being targeted by more top recruiters for of Governors, recognising the importance of the from the essential task of building excellence across career success. 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), decided the institution. Key appointments will continue to be 2007 graduate vacancies than are any that the University should create a significant made, but at the same time the University must other UK university students, according to “The results of this survey testify to the strategic deficit in 2005-06 to accelerate targeted absorb the surge in growth that we experienced in High Fliers Research Limited’s survey, ‘The enduring excellent reputation which recruitment. years one and two, and address structural anomalies Graduate Market in 2007’. The survey Manchester graduates enjoy with carried over from the merger. That is why genuine, questioned employers listed in The Times employers.” That was a sound decision, but one with significant effective re-profiling has from the outset been a key Top 100 Graduate Employers 2006, which The MLP, Careers & Employability Division consequences, especially on top of the structural strategy in the Manchester 2015 Agenda , and why it is includes a range of both private and consistently maintains an excellent deficit that we had inherited from Project Unity. now imperative. public sector employers. Mergers always create unnecessary duplication, but reputation amongst graduate recruiters. It in order to give the new institution two years to Jane Ratchford, Director of the MLP, has been voted the best higher education settle down a formal understanding was reached Careers & Employability Division, said: careers service in the country for four with the relevant Trade Unions that the new “Improving the employability of our years running in the annual Association University would delay for two years any loss of jobs students and graduates is a key goal for of Graduate Recruiters/ Barkers National arising from any merger. But ambitious agendas are Professor Alan Gilbert the University. At the MLP, Careers & Graduate Media Audit. never without cost. President and Vice-Chancellor Employability Division, we work with 2 3 News In brief research into radiation sciences and engineering decommissioning. Vital Topics The new laboratory will include accelerators and Manchester Business School has attracted some experimental equipment to study the irradiation of the world’s most influential business leaders damage and effects on materials and chemical to the region to speak at this year’s Vital Topics systems used in nuclear environments, as well as lecture series, sponsored by The Royal Bank of cutting-edge computational modelling and simulation tools. Scotland. The series kicks off in March and the line up includes: The new multi-million pound centre – which is Wednesday 14 March expected to open within the next two to three years - John Patterson, Executive Director of will initially house around 60 staff and postgraduate Development, AstraZeneca students.