UNIVERSITY OF KENT Annual Report 2007 1 Vice-Chancellor’s introduction Contents 2 In with the new 4 Kent in the world 6 Teaching and learning 8 Feature – Jon Williamson 10 Research 14 Working with the community 16 Innovation and enterprise 18 Culture, leisure and sport 20 Alumni and events IBC People and awards Constitution and acknowledgements Introduction New challenges, new horizons While doing well in many areas, we must not 2007 has ended on an excellent note for be complacent. The competition between Kent. The announcement of a Queen’s UK universities for both students and for Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher research income is high. The vision for the Education, awarded for the work of the University is to keep on improving and we Kent Law Clinic, was closely followed by a are about to start discussing what that really double first in the Times Higher Education means for us as we go into 2008. Certainly, Supplement (THES) Awards with further maintaining high quality of the student recognition for the Law Clinic, winning the experience, increasing volume of Outstanding Contribution to the Community international level research, and embedding category, and the award of Young innovation and enterprise activity are all on Researcher of the Year for Dr Jon the agenda. Williamson, Lecturer in Philosophy. The University of Kent has many strengths Dr Williamson’s award reflects some of on which we can build to make our vision a the high-quality areas of research within the reality. In doing this, we will concentrate on University. His area of reasoning sounds excellence in all our activities, on enterprise very esoteric but in fact has important in the broadest meaning, contributing locally applications in health care and artificial and regionally both in terms of the economy intelligence, science and mathematics. and in terms of sport and culture. Most In fact, research has been a major focus importantly we will continue to look to during this year as the University has Europe and beyond. This latter outward- prepared for the national Research looking strategy enabled the Sunday Times Assessment Exercise, known as the to say Kent ‘can claim to be Britain’s only RAE. Led by Professor John Baldock, international university’. this exercise has involved all academic departments and the Research Office in Finally, in my first Annual Report as Vice- preparing a review of all the research Chancellor of the University of Kent, I wish endeavours across the University. Our to pay tribute to my predecessor, Sir David efforts to increase the volume of research Melville. Under his leadership the University activity will continue throughout next year grew in size and saw the development of as will our work to support our increasing the Medway campus and the establishment numbers of postgraduate students. of the University of the Transmanche. We all wish David and Lin a happy retirement. Again this year we successfully recruited students at significantly increased numbers across all the campuses. We were delighted that our students gave us an overwhelmingly positive endorsement with an outstanding 89% overall approval rate for Professor Julia M Goodfellow our courses. This result puts us in the top CBE, FMed Sci ten multi-faculty universities in the UK and Vice-Chancellor top in the London and south-east England. 1 In with the new 1 2 1 Artist’s impression of Virginia Woolf College 2 Professor Alex Hughes 3 Bill Rammell MP 4 New visual identity 3 2 4 New staff Alistair Mathie, Professor of Pharmacology At Medway the year included the opening In addition to a new Vice-Chancellor, Kent (Medway School of Pharmacy) of Kent’s Gillingham and Rochester has a significant number of new staff. Louis Passfield, Professor of Sports Studies Buildings. The Gillingham Building was Patrice Pavis, Professor of Drama officially opened in July by Thames Professor Alex Hughes has become the Iain Ramsay, Professor of Law Gateway Chief Executive Judith Armitt. Pro-Vice-Chancellor for External Relations. Peter Read, Professor of French The brand-new building houses fully- Professor Hughes was formerly at the David Shemmings, Professor of Social equipped teaching rooms, state-of-the-art University of Birmingham and is an expert Work technology, IT facilities and computer in 20th century French literature. Her brief Chris Shilling, Professor of Sociology suites. The Rochester Building, opened in covers the important international agenda Kenneth Westphal, Professor of Philosophy the autumn, is a £1.5 million renovation of with the University looking outwards to Toni Williams, Professor of Law one of the original Royal Navy buildings Europe and beyond. In addition, John on the site, and provides conference and Macgregor, the British Ambassador to the New buildings meeting rooms, as well as social facilities Republic of Austria, was appointed Dean Over the year both Kent’s growing for students. of the University of Kent at Brussels. campuses in Canterbury and Medway were enhanced by new buildings. In April, the Pilkington Building, a joint Recognising the increasing importance of resource used by students from all four the Medway campus, the new Pro-Vice- At Canterbury work began on a new higher education institutions on the Chancellor Medway is Professor Clare accommodation and teaching building, Medway campus, was opened by Bill Mackie, formerly Head of the Medway Virginia Woolf College, which will contain Rammell MP, then Minister of State for School of Pharmacy. She will be leading over 500 study and studio bedrooms, Higher Education and Lifelong Learning. on formulation of a strategy for all our offices, a communal space for socialising, offerings at Medway, whether alone or in teaching spaces and a 480-seat lecture New visual identity collaboration with other higher education theatre. The aim is to use it principally for In March, Kent introduced a new visual institutions. postgraduate students, and it is hoped identity and logo (the first significant that the building will be backed up with a redesign for 20 years). The logo was New professors School of Graduate Studies, led by a Dean chosen after consultation with staff, Kent Bradley Barnes, Professor of International who will be responsible for the strategic students, and Year 12 students from local Management development of provision for graduate schools, some of whom joined University Michael Calnan, Professor of Medical study and research at the University. staff at a small event to mark the launch. Sociology Jagjit Chadha, Professor of Economics In October planning permission was The visual identity has been created Richard Crisp, Professor of Psychology given for a new Innovation Centre on the by Kent’s design agency partners, Andrew Derrington, Dean of Social Canterbury campus, which will provide UffindellWest, working closely with the Sciences office, workshop and studio units for University’s Design and Print Centre, and Gordana Korolija Fontana-Giusti, Professor innovative small and high-tech businesses was launched in conjunction with of Regional Regeneration (see p17 for further details). redesigned prospectuses. Julien Forder, Professor of the Economics of Social Policy Canterbury also saw the refurbishment of Darren Griffin, Professor of Genetics Rutherford and Darwin College reception Tim Luckhurst, Professor of Journalism areas, and £1 million teaching laboratories in the Department of Biosciences. 3 Kent in the world The Sunday Times , in its 2007 University Guide, said that Kent ‘can claim to be Britain’s only international university’. 1 4 1 Europe and beyond 2 A cosmopolitan community 3 University of Kent at Brussels 2 3 A key part of the University’s strategy is Studying in continental Europe opportunities for joint supervision of to look to Europe and beyond. At undergraduate level Kent has exchange research projects with staff in European Internationalisation is key to Kent’s mission programmes with a steadily increasing universities. During the year the School and values, and enables us to be even number of other European universities; of Social Policy, Sociology and Social more competitive in attracting staff and 90 in 15 countries in 2007. New MA Research was accepted into the European students, as an international culture also international double awards were Consortium for Sociological Research, enriches the institutional ethos of the introduced in European Governance and one of only five English institutions to be University. There is, moreover, a correlation International Relations, to augment Kent’s awarded membership. New scholarships between internationalisation and wide range of programmes in areas such were established for postgraduate institutional status. Being explicitly as European culture and languages, students from Romania. international is a cipher of quality, and drama, politics, law, economics, business significantly supports the recruitment and and migration. International partnerships retention of high calibre staff. During the year the Department of European departments and centres Electronics signed an agreement with The Sunday Times , in its 2007 University 2007 saw the launch of the European the School of Electrical Engineering and Guide, said that Kent ‘can claim to be Architecture Research Institute, and the Automation at Tianjin University, People’s Britain’s only international university’. This European Theatre Research Network, Republic of China, where students is a result of recent developments building on links with the Grotowski studying at Tianjin have direct entry to including the University’s expanding Institute in Poland and other links in the final year of Kent’s programmes. Brussels campus and its ‘involvement as Brussels, London and Berlin. This brings one of five partners (and the only non- up to seven the number of Kent’s Kent signed a memorandum of French one) in the bilingual University dedicated European centres. understanding with the George Mason of the Transmanche’. University in Virginia, USA, to develop a … and beyond range of programmes at undergraduate Europe… and postgraduate level.