connection issue 16
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Bucks New University's magazine Connection, issue 16 summer 2012TRANSCRIPT
ConnectionThe Magazine of BuckinghaMshire new universiTy
Health partnerships
celebrated
Issue 16 Spring/Summer 2012
Research has a new REF
The process for obtaining research funding is about to get a whole lot tougher
Shining a light on the creative industries
Britain’s reputation for innovation shouldn’t be
taken for granted
Gearing up for the Games
A round-up of sport and cultural activity
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20Connection is produced by the Strategic Marketing & Communications Directorate at Buckinghamshire New University. Every effort is made to ensure that the information provided is accurate at the time of going to press.
If you have any questions or stories, please contact the editor, Anne Whitehouse, on 01494 605 249 or email [email protected] Contributions may be edited for length or style.
Buckinghamshire New University Queen Alexandra Road High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP11 2JZ
Telephone: 01494 522 141 Fax: 01494 605 023 Web: bucks.ac.uk Twitter: @bucksnewuni Facebook: bucks.ac.uk/facebook
Designed and produced by Raffertys
© Buckinghamshire New University
Issue 16 Spring/Summer 2012
We will consider any requests for accessible formats. Please let us know what you need.
IN THIS ISSUE
Front cover: The Simulation Suite at the Uxbridge Campus (see page 20)
RESEARCH HAS A NEW REF06 Research funding will in future
favour projects that focus on impact
CREATivE iNdUSTRiES FEATURE12 Industry relies on the creative
sector’s ability to innovate
CLARE BUSiNESS SCHOOL16 News from the partnership between
educators and businesses
FURNiTURE FOCUS18 MA students showcased their
talents at their end-of-year show
HEALTHCARE dEvELOPMENTS20 Practitioners visit Bucks to celebrate
new partnerships and contracts
iNTERNATiONAL23 The University is strengthening
its links in Sri Lanka
dANCE TAkES CENTRE STAgE24 Talent shows have encouraged new
interest in dance-related degrees
SPORT28 Our sport research and initiatives
recognised during Universities Week
gEARiNg UP FOR THE gAMES29 Getting ready for the greatest show
on earth
FORTHCOMiNg EvENTS See the back cover for our end
of year shows, open days and other University events
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12 18
24 28
FOREWORDMessage from the vice Chancellor
When I last wrote an introduction for Connection, we had just announced a number of new healthcare developments. I am pleased to tell you that, since then, we have been awarded a new contract for Adult Nursing with NHS London, and a brand new one with NHS South of England to provide education to deliver an integrated children’s workforce for Buckinghamshire, East Berkshire and Milton Keynes. Our contract with NHS London means that we have become the largest provider of adult nursing training across the capital. You can read more about our work in this area on pages 20-22.
In addition to our usual round-up of news from the University, this edition of Connection includes a number of features.
The first of these looks at a new emphasis on research that has proven practical application in the ‘real world’. The way in which research is evaluated and funded is changing with the introduction of the Research Excellence Framework, and so we asked those responsible for research in our faculties for their views on the topic.
In times of economic uncertainty, people sometimes wonder about the value of studying a creative subject. Our feature on the creative industries outlines the significant contribution made by the sector to the national economy, and suggests that a creative degree is a valuable asset that can lead to a fruitful career path.
People are often divided about whether dance is an art form or a sport, but what is certain is that there has been a huge increase in interest in the subject.
Acts such as Flawless have become household names thanks to television shows such as Britain’s Got Talent, and we have been enhancing our dance provision for those who wish to develop their study and practice at university level.
Sport is uppermost in many people’s minds in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We hope you enjoy reading about our contributions to sports development and the Cultural Olympiad, and that you enjoy watching, or participating in, the many events that will be taking place over the summer.
Prof Ruth Farwell Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive
Bucks New University and multinational IT provider HP have announced an innovative work-based Foundation Degree in IT Services Management.The two-year, work-based course, which started in February, is being taught through flexible learning at Bucks New University in High Wycombe and at HP in Bracknell.
The course has been designed for IT professionals who are seeking opportunities for learning and development in their careers, or anyone wishing to facilitate a career change. It is part-time and based around three important themes: Personal and Professional Development; Technology; and Business.
dr kevin Maher, principal lecturer, New Media & Technologies at Bucks, said: “People working in IT services management are concerned with the effective management of IT systems for providing quality services to clients.
HP PLUGS INTO IT COURSE
The official launch of the Centre for Health Communication Research and Excellence (CHCRE) took place in February at the House of Commons. The Centre focuses on the communication challenges and issues within the health sector. Operating within the Institute of Applied Leadership, it seeks to achieve national and international recognition for both academic and commercial research, as well as aiming to establish strong relationships within both the public and private sector health organisations.
For more information, visit bucks.ac.uk/chcre
L–R: CHCRE deputy director dr Bill Nichols, Margot James MP, Prof Ruth Farwell and CHCRE director John Underwood
CHCRE launched at House of Commons
“This new and innovative course, thought to be the first of its kind, provides students with the opportunities and insights that will ensure they develop the technical and business skills to help them secure long-term employment.”
The course is being delivered via concentrated blocks of teaching, supported by online and distance learning
and assessment.
“HP is committed to working closely with universities in the UK to develop the vital technology skills we believe the nation needs to secure long-term growth and
prosperity,“ said Nick Wilson, vice president and managing
director of HP in UK and Ireland.
“This course will provide students with the skills to unlock the potential that technology offers enterprises and government bodies.”
For more information, call 0800 0565 660, email [email protected] or visit bucks.ac.uk
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University in High Wycombe and
“HP is committed to working
director of HP in UK and Ireland.
NEWS
Fusing technology and learningBucks New University has appointed Cisco’s dr Michelle Selinger as its first Visiting Professor of Learning and Teaching Innovation.
Dr Selinger, Director of Education for Cisco’s Public Sector Internet Business Solutions Group, will be developing a strategy for improving the use of technology as a learning tool. She has more than 30 years’ experience working around the world developing strategies for education reform through technology.
Dr Selinger said: “The focus is mainly on learning and teaching and about how we can use technology to make a difference. Rather than technology leading us, we want to harness it so that we can make the most of the benefits it could bring to students at Bucks and to those using the virtual campus.”
Dr Selinger said that it is now more important than ever to be utilising technology that students are comfortable with and which is relevant to them.
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Bucks New University is launching the Skills and Training Education Partnership (STEP) as a flexible, low-cost way for individuals and businesses to develop skills and access courses and training events on a pay-as-you-learn basis.
STEP programmes will be broken into one-day training events and short five- week delivery packages. Delegates can choose individual topics to meet their needs and receive rapid feedback on their achievement. Packages can be combined to meet the requirements of recognised national qualifications, with learning elements building up to an award. Courses can be delivered to companies on their sites or organised locally to be convenient for delegates.
This new delivery model will run separately from the University’s existing core portfolio.
STEP has been specifically designed for:
• employers wishing to retain staff by offering training and internal progression opportunities;
• local people who wish to develop the skills needed by local employers to fill vacancies;
• individuals wanting training and skills development at affordable prices;
• part-time, vocational, in-work, local, people seeking to build skills rather than academic credits;
• people based in the Wycombe, Aylesbury and Uxbridge areas, plus online students.
Possible topics are currently being explored and include, as a start, courses in business, finance, IT, and sales and marketing, as well as programmes for small business and in-company training programmes.
The University welcomes feedback from local people and businesses.
For further information, email [email protected]
Bucks New University has been shortlisted for a Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Award (THELMA) in the ‘Outstanding Estates Team’ category.
The awards are organised by the higher education information magazine, Times Higher Education, and recognise ‘the outstanding achievements of those who run UK universities’.
The University’s entry was based on the Estates team’s role in project-managing a £62 million process to:
• create a campus in Uxbridge, Middlesex;
• refurbish 90% of its existing campus in High Wycombe;
• close two other campuses, moving staff, students and specialist equipment.
The team also helped to oversee the construction of the University’s flagship Gateway building, which is now a major landmark in the town, and the building of the first phase of Hughenden Park Student Village in High Wycombe.
Its work at the Uxbridge Campus has resulted in state-of-the-art skills laboratories, a hospital theatre simulation suite, and teaching, social and office spaces.
The Estates team also played a part in Bucks being awarded a Carbon Trust Standard in 2011, after achieving a 5% reduction in its carbon footprint over the three-year period, and instigated sustainability projects including the Green Travel Plan and the University’s Sustainability Committee.
Bucks has been nominated alongside estates teams from Aston University, Edinburgh Napier University, Harper Adams University College, Nottingham Trent University, and Regent’s College.
The awards ceremony takes place on 21 June at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London.
flexible low-cost courses a sTeP in the right direction
L–R: CHCRE deputy director dr Bill Nichols, Margot James MP, Prof Ruth Farwell and CHCRE director John Underwood
LIVELY DEBATE AT any quEsTions?
BBC Radio 4’s any questions? was broadcast from Bucks New University’s Gateway building in March, generating the type of open and lively debate the University works hard to encourage.The panel discussion, chaired by veteran broadcaster, Jonathan dimbleby, included contributions from the Rt Hon Francis Maude MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office, Paymaster General and MP for Horsham; Tim Montgomerie, editor of the ConservativeHome.com
and ConservativeHomeUSA blogs, and co-founder of the Centre for Social Justice; Jason Cowley, journalist, writer, columnist and critic, and editor of the new statesman; and Rachel Reeves, MP for Leeds West and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
any questions? brings together personalities from the worlds of politics, media and elsewhere to answer topical questions posed by the audience.
Prof Trevor Nicholls, Pro Vice Chancellor: Campus & Facilities, said: “It was a privilege to host such a prestigious radio programme.”
Jonathan dimbleby and the Any Questions? discussion panel
Fusing technology and learning
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RESEaRch
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The way university research is funded is about to change dramatically, and new universities and local businesses should, in theory, be the main beneficiaries of the changes.
Non-academics will breathe a collective sigh of relief when, in 2014, the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions changes for good. For non-academics, the change can’t come soon enough. ‘Theoretical’ research is, by definition, detached from ‘the real world’, they argue, and that’s exactly what HEFCE, the body responsible for reviewing research funding, is attempting to address.
The new system, known as the Research Excellence Framework (REF), has replaced the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) which, in 2008, ranked universities’ research output on a four point scale, focusing on quality of research
outputs (usually in papers published in academic journals and conference proceedings), research environment, and indicators of esteem. The REF, by contrast, will rank research output based on an assessment of research ‘quality’ and ‘impact’, offering bonus points for case studies that describe specific examples of impacts achieved in the period from 1 January 1993 to 31 December 2013.
So, from 2014, research funding will be biased towards research that has practical applications, which means that those universities that have traditionally used research to tackle ‘real-world’ problems will benefit. Or so the theory goes... >>
The Bucks Knowledge archive
Bucks New University has launched the Bucks Knowledge Archive (BKA), an online archive of the University’s research output, designed to make research more readily available to researchers around the world. The benefits of the BKA include:
• Improved visibility of research – recent research indicates that 50% of respondents used free institutional or subject repositories and open access journals at least monthly or more.
• Improved data availability and effectiveness – releasing data to sources which are subscription controlled/pay per view limits the number of people who will find or use the research.
• A fast route to publication with immediate publishing and improved indexing – data is available for searching using Google and Google Scholar within two to three weeks.
Materials published on the archive include PhD and other theses, published research articles, pre-prints of articles, working papers and references to articles/papers.
For more information visit bucks.ac.uk/en/research/bucks_knowledge_archive or contact Elizabeth Chamberlain on 01494 603 036, email [email protected]
Prof christine Norton and Prof Paul Springer:
research helps businesses prepare for challenges
RESEARCH HAS A
NEW REFRESEaRch
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Prof Christine Norton, Professor of Clinical Nursing Innovation in Bucks New University’s Faculty of Society & Health, agrees that it’s time research funding changed.
“It is right that public funding for research rewards outputs that have practical applications. HEFCE’s new emphasis on ‘impact’ will force researchers to look at society more widely and deliver more concrete research evidence and identifiable audit trails,” she said.
Prof Norton added that the smaller and newer universities, like Bucks, have never had the luxury of separate research and teaching departments, so research has always had a practical slant. “We have tended to integrate research findings into our teaching, and to apply it to the here and now. We refer to it as ‘research with a purpose’,” she said.
Prof Paul Springer, Head of Research and Special Projects in the Faculty of Design, Media & Management, said the big benefit of Bucks’s practical approach to research was fluidity. “We have Bucks graduates working in some pretty large and successful companies who will come to us to research solutions to issues their businesses are facing.
RESEARCH HAS A
NEW REF
“This gives our researchers, teachers and current students practical, real-world projects to work on, so it’s a continuous circle. Current students benefit from our graduates’ need for research- based solutions and former students get to apply it in the real world.”
The change to the way research is funded will make little difference to the way Bucks approaches research, Prof Springer said. “Our research has always had a ‘so what?’ dimension. We are very focused on practical application, partly because we need to prepare our students to hit the ground running after graduation, and also because we want to help our business partners prepare for the challenges they are facing today and in the future.”
Prof Norton said that in ‘tight economic times’, researchers had to look at the way processes could be improved to enhance productivity and make savings. This was clearly the case in the NHS, where the QIPP – Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention – transformation programme was driving every clinical and management decision. In the NHS, as in all other sectors, it’s critical that research has practical applications and outcomes.
“Research needs to be more on the bed-side than the bench-side,” she said.
Prof Norton, who is also the Associate Director for Nursing at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, with responsibility for the research strategy for the Trust’s
The REF will make researchers pay much more attention to
impact strategies. If you can’t define impact,
you simply won’t be funded.
Bucks hosts 2012 applied research competition
Buckinghamshire New University hosted the 2012 Applied Research Competition in the Old Boardroom at the University’s High Wycombe Campus, with competitors from Coventry and Worcester Universities.
The Bucks New University finalists were: Christine Norton, Professor of Clinical Nursing Innovation; Lesley Dibley, research fellow, Nursing; Dr Nadia Wager, senior lecturer in Psychology; and Dr Lyndon Buck, principal lecturer in Engineering.
The Best Applied Research Prize was won by Dr Eshameil Ganjian, of Coventry University, with a presentation on ‘New material and fibres as a replacement for asbestos fibres in cement boards’.
Runner-up in the Best Applied Research category was Emma Holdsworth, also of Coventry University, speaking about work she has carried out with Wiltshire Probation Trust on the redevelopment of supervision and resource centres.
PhD student Claire Taylor, of Coventry University, won the Best PhD applied Research category for a project called ‘Investigating fidelity of health behaviour change intervention in general practice’.
Dr Anne Evans, Senior Registrar (Research), at Bucks New University, said: “This was once again a keenly-contested competition which Bucks New University was delighted to host and which featured a range of thought-provoking, well-researched and well-presented work.”
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nursing and midwifery department, said: “The REF will make researchers pay much more attention to impact strategies. If you can’t define impact, you simply won’t be funded. The changes to funding arrangements, and increased competition for research grants, will also make universities like Bucks work harder to attract and retain the brightest research staff, and engage in more networking and ideas sharing.”
This is important for the continued development of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) – three-way relationships between universities, companies and graduates, which foster research-based solutions to business issues.
“Local businesses come to us to discover whether we can help them improve things like inventory management. Often we find that there is a pool of research funding available for just that,” said Prof Springer.
He added that KTPs were invaluable for local businesses, and also helped the University reinforce its credentials in particular areas of applied research.
An example, he said, was Bucks’s success in winning funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council to develop a digital furniture archive.
“Buckinghamshire has a strong furniture heritage and it was right that Bucks was appointed to catalogue its rich history,” he said.
a snapshot of current PhD topicss The impact of voluntourism (volunteer tourism)
on the volunteer (the self)
s How alternative tourism is being implemented in Lassithi, Crete
s The importance of spiritual wellbeing of nurses in an acute NHS trust
s Multiple masculinities: injury and recovery in climbing
s Enhancing employability of full-time undergraduate sports degree students
s Optimising strategic models in manufacturing operations and supply chain management
s To what extent is advertising from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia distinct from other Middle Eastern nationalities, and why?
s Can travellers’ philanthropy contribute to poverty reduction?
s Does learning work? A theory-based approach to the evaluation of workplace learning
s The use of a major dataset on cardiovascular variables to examine the outcomes of advice provided by a private medical company
s An appraisal of the post-utility High Wycombe furniture industry 1950-2000
s Early entrepreneurship: An alternative to higher education
s Effectiveness of drug treatment interventions for Class A drug users
s Cardiac rehabilitation in heart failure concentrating on novel measurements
s Remote route selection and optimisation of onshore pipelines using a combined engineering and GIS approach
Zoe Alexander
Vasiliki Avgeli
Peter Blackshire
Emily Coates
Doug Cole
Robert Davies
Shadi Elemari
Charity Gondwe
Richard Griffin
Lin Guo
Sharon Grover
Jeeva Madduma
Nicola Mallowan
Dionne Matthew
Keith Winning
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RESEaRch IN acTIoN
with the music festival season underway, researchers are mingling with crowds to test new devices that could save lives.
Pressure vests developed by researchers at the international centre for crowd Management & security studies at Bucks new university are designed to warn events organisers of a build-up of pressure in specific areas in the audience.
The vests, which featured on BBc one’s popular science programme, Bang Goes the Theory, and on BBc one’s Inside Out East, carry gPs locators and thermometers which transmit data to event managers so they can monitor the pressure and temperature within a mass of people. The development team says that, until now, crowds have been modelled without the benefit of real-time information.
Their experiments at venues including wembley, the v festival, Milton keynes Bowl and roskilde in Denmark, aim to give events and security and crowd managers a picture of what is happening at music or sport venues, religious festivals or transport hubs.
Prof Chris kemp, Pro vice chancellor and executive Dean: Design, Media & Management at Bucks new university – who was a music promoter in his previous career and the initiator of the vest – says the prototypes have given some insights into what goes on: “a relatively small number of people in an audience cause
Caption
Bang Goes The Theory presenter Jem Stansfield and Bucks students test the vest
a large percentage of the pressure – so 500 people could create just as much of an issue as 60,000.”
initial testing of the pressure vests has so far found that:
• artists can have a significant influence on crowd pressure through the sequence and type of songs in their playlist;
• pressure can increase during a song but drops suddenly at the end when members of the audience raise their hands to applaud;
• the audience tires towards the end of a show, which appears to reduce the pressure.
The vests are designed to complement information on crowd pressure received from MoJo Barriers’ Barrier Load Measuring system, one of the most technically advanced pieces of safety equipment in use at major music and sporting events.
Prof kemp said earlier work interpreted by Manchester university had shown a peak of 8.6 kilonewtons per square metre at one
concert: “That is like having a bus on your chest for a second.”
The university’s crowd management centre has developed the vests in collaboration with aM Bromley Ltd of Buxton, Derbyshire, which makes motor vehicle tyre pressure monitors.
each vest comprises a cotton waistcoat containing a pneumatic tube, which houses pressure and temperature sensor systems – duplicated for increased reliability – which send data via a wireless link to a radio receiver which can be up to a mile away. six vests can be monitored simultaneously. Temperature sensors are included because the build-up of heat when people are squashed together, partly as a result of anxiety, can quickly cause dehydration.
Bucks’ Prof geoff Lawday has developed the suit in conjunction with colleague, dr Tim Coole. Prof Lawday said the aim was to produce a commercial version of the vest, and to provide data to improve crowd models.
Pressure vesTs Take The sTrain ouT of crowD MoniToring
Bucks New University’s Human Performance Lab Manager, gary Peters, was part of a team led by dr ian gallen, Consultant Endocrinologist at Wycombe General Hospital, examining different ways to maximise performance and reduce hypoglycaemia in sports people with type 1 diabetes.
Laboratory undertakes further research into human performanceThe recent work looked at insulin pump management before moderate intensity exercise, and further studies are planned. The research will be presented at the American Diabetes Association’s 72nd Scientific Sessions at the Pennsylvania Convention Centre in Philadelphia, in June.
The Human Performance Lab is used by England Athletics for endurance fitness testing. The laboratory also hosts four endurance athletes as part of its role in the England Athletics Endurance Network, a network for endurance coaches and athletic clubs in Bedfordshire, Berkshire,
Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire. The laboratory is currently providing physiological support to four Talented Athlete Bursary recipients, and plays an important role in supporting and facilitating student learning.
It can also offer support to any individual or team who would benefit from objective performance assessments, advice on appropriate training methods and preparation for competition, as well as nutritional and dietary analysis. For further details, email [email protected] or call 01494 522 141, ext 4033.
Bringing Shakespeare back to life at the V&AA Bucks student brought an atmospheric air to the works of William Shakespeare at an event held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Ellie Stuart, a third year student studying BA (Hons) Spatial Design, came up with the idea as part of a ‘Designing for Shakespeare Weekend’ at the V&A, featuring work by students nationwide to coincide with the Bard’s birthday. The students were set a project called ‘Shakespeare in a Suitcase’.
Ellie’s audio experience, called ‘The Sound of Shakespeare’, encouraged visitors to wear headphones and listen to dialogue from Shakespearean stories which tied in with the museum’s entrance hall, corridor, theatre and performance gallery, and gift shop.
Ellie enlisted the help of other Bucks BA (Hons) Performing Arts students to voice the words, and the technical assistance of BA (Hons) Audio and Music Production student dan gallagher to make her idea a reality.
Ellie also used binaural recording, a
method of recording sound that uses two microphones, to create a 3-D stereo sound for listeners to add to the atmosphere.
She said: “I pulled out classic excerpts of dialogue from Shakespearean plays with the idea that they would fire the imagination of V&A visitors. For example, when people visited the gift shop they could listen to a discussion relating to shopping between a master and his servant in the play Two Gentlemen of Verona, or when they went to the Cast Courts they could hear Hamlet contemplating his own death. It’s as though they had intruded on a private moment.
Ellie Stuart (left) explaining the project to the v&A’s Sophie Reynolds and Anna Landreth Strong
NEW TOWN CENTRE ACCOMMODATIONBucks New University students are to benefit from brand new accommodation in High Wycombe town centre from September 2012.
The 70-room accommodation block will be constructed at Windsor House, above the Chilterns Shopping Centre in High Wycombe town centre.
Occupying three floors over the shopping centre, Windsor House will provide a mixture of six-bedroom clusters and eight individual studios, each with en-suite facilities, as well as four accessible rooms for disabled students.
The building work will be carried out by PdR Construction, which has recently arrived on site to commence work. The development is due to be completed in August 2012, after which time the University will take over the maintenance and management of the premises.
ian Hunter, Director of Estates at Bucks New University, said: “The new accommodation is in close proximity to the University, town centre and the railway and bus stations, which will be very appealing to many future students.
“From a regional perspective it is hoped that the new accommodation will assist in the regeneration of the town centre and the Frogmoor area as a whole, adding a new revenue stream for many of the town centre’s organisations.”
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NEWS
Artist’s impression of the new accommodation block in High Wycombe
“It was amazing to see people’s reactions, because some literally leapt into the arms of friends or shrieked out in shock, so it was clearly a very visceral and physical experience, making them feel as though a scene from a Shakespearean play was in some way taking place around them.”
The audio recordings are available on Ellie’s website – ellierosestuart.co.uk – and can be downloaded for visitors to the V&A to use any time. The ambitious student is also looking forward to carrying out work experience before and during The London Design Festival, at the V&A from 14–23 September 2012.
© v&A images
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The creative industries have always had an image problem, which is ironic considering that it’s a sector that tends to be judged on its power to express. Part of the problem is that its extraordinary diversity makes it hard to define.
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
SHINING A LIGHT ON
FEaTURE
When you think ‘creative industries’ most tend to visualise a craft sector with an eclectic membership of award-winning artists, photographers, filmmakers and, more recently, computer games and mobile phone app designers. But when you put names like Aardman, Baylis, Berners-Lee, Dyson and Ives into the mix, it becomes clear just how diverse and important the industry is.
If ‘the creative industries’ are responsible for such memorable innovations as plasticine animation, wind-up radio, the internet, cyclone technology and the
Apple Mac, then the sector deserves more credit than it receives. Industry relies on creative invention, not merely for new, brand-defining product design, but also for cutting-edge technologies and processes that have the potential to transform manufacturing efficiencies, consumer buying behaviour and commercial success.
Creativity has also galvanised Britian’s reputation as a global innovation and industrial design powerhouse. But even with these massive credits to its name, are the creative industries truly valued, and should they continue to be a magnet The guildHE report, Creating Prosperity:
the role of higher education in driving the UK’s creative economy, is available at guildhe.ac.uk/en/publications/
for potential students with a creative bent? GuildHE’s chief executive Andy Westwood thinks they should be.
“Britain’s creative talent and expertise exists for a reason,” he said. “And the reason is that British industry has always invested in it.”
According to Andy: “Design continues to be a good career choice. It’s very broad, and its impact is felt in every other sector. The industrial and political view is that we are also very good at it, so we need to position it as a good career choice and keep the talent pool going. Britain’s emerging knowledge-based economy depends on it.”
The challenge, he said, is the way we describe its impact and importance. “Design is omnipresent, but it can also be very intangible. A lot of people feel that the importance of design – both as
guild HE’s Andy Westwood
the
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Defining creative industriesThe Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) defines the creative industries as:
“those activities which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property.”
a discipline and a business sector – has been underplayed, but it contributes enormously to innovation and to the economy.”
guildhe’s remit is to encourage a diverse and dynamic higher education sector capable of enhancing uk competitiveness. The creative industries therefore attract much support from the organisation.
its report – Creating Prosperity: the role of higher education in driving the UK’s creative economy – commissioned by universities uk, reflected on the fact that “direct public funding for teaching would be withdrawn from the majority of subjects which support the creative industries”.
a lot of people feel that the importance of design
– both as a discipline and a business sector – has been underplayed,
but it contributes enormously to innovation
and to the economy.
it added a word of warning: “as the economy takes its first tentative steps out of recession, old certainties no longer hold, and the post-recession economy must be built around knowledge, creativity and innovation if the uk is to remain a significant economic force.”
The creative industries, it says, “are important pioneers of the knowledge economy, developing and harnessing new technologies and playing a central role in the progression to a digital economy. The emphasis of higher education policy, and associated funding, is not sufficiently flexible to fully encourage and incentivise higher education’s multi-faceted contribution to the growth of the creative economy.”
Bucks new university’s dr Alison Shreeve, head of the school of Design, craft & visual arts, admits that funding cuts have made life difficult. students are being asked to pay more for degree-level education and, inevitably, an instant return on this investment – in the form of immediate employability – is now a very serious consideration for most.
some degrees, specifically created for employment sectors that are easier to define, would seem to offer more security than an arts-based programme. not so, according to alison.
“i had a call from one of our alumni from a furniture course who now works in a top advertising agency
FEaTURE
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CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
Industry-sponsored Summer Schools, such as the Ma trip to an Italian design
company in 2011, give students the opportunity to
apply their knowledge in practical ways.
in London. for resourceful and enterprising students a Ba in art and design opens doors to many kinds of opportunities, but not always in ways they predicted. graduates are taught to be independent, critical thinkers and visually aware. They have to learn to cope with the unknown, to imagine alternative solutions and opportunities, not only for visual and material outcomes which constitute the world around us, but also for services, processes and the communication of abstract ideas.”
andy westwood concurs: “Tuition fees will make students think long and hard about whether to invest in a creative degree. But we are at a point
where there is a lot less engineering and manufacturing output, so you have to question the assumption that some sectors offer more security of employment than others.
“in fact, creative industries offer greater degrees of self-employment opportunity. it’s a big sector for start-ups and there are more sMes in this sector than others.”
alison added: “we have been delivering outstanding vocational education for over 150 years which is designed to make people think, as opposed to just giving them the skills to do a job. we need to maintain this outlook.”
The challenges are not limited to lower application numbers. The cost of providing these programmes adds to difficulties universities are currently facing in the current environment.
“creative degree programmes are expensive to run,” says alison. “we have to provide a lot of physical space, raw materials, machinery and technical support for these courses, and that puts us under quite a bit of pressure, which has been exacerbated by the changes in government funding. we are having to look elsewhere for help to maintain our levels of provision and enable students to learn to become creative professionals.”
industry sponsorship helps but is difficult to secure in the current economic climate.
“we are trying to develop partnerships and links with local companies, and many can offer their time, but not the financial support that’s needed,” said alison. “where they can offer financial support, it is of immense value to students. our company-sponsored summer school for Ma furniture students is a case in point. students spend a week in an italian design company working alongside the team there on special projects. They learn so much about the actual practice and how it feels to be a designer in these environments.”
collaboration with industry would appear to be the secret to future success. according to alison: “industry is responding constantly to social and technological change but is often not in a position to innovate because of the risks involved. universities are in a position to research new, cutting-edge techniques and technologies, which industries that support us can benefit from.”
A new report from the design Commission explores the link between the Uk’s national design capacity and economic growth in the 21st century. it describes and analyses the design skillset, assesses the Uk’s current strengths in the field of design education, and compares those to the practices of other nations.
Restarting Britain: Design Education and Growth sets out the current threats to the ongoing successful delivery of design education and what the design Commission believes the Uk must do to continue to compete.
The report is available at policyconnect.org.uk/apdig/restarting-britain-design-education-and-growth
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DESIGN EDUCATION AND GROWTH
A re
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This is the first report of the new Design Commission.
The Design Commission was established a year ago by the Associate Parliamentary Design and Innovation Group, following its report into design and public procurement. Our aim is to promote a proper understanding of the essential role of design for economic growth and social wellbeing in the UK. The Commission comprises leading designers, academics and parliamentarians, and is chaired by Lord Bichard. A list of members is provided overleaf.
We chose education as our inaugural topic because design education, at all levels, is under a degree of threat which could impair our nation’s economic growth. We have taken evidence from our most successful designers and the institutions that teach them, from Ministers, senior
We posed four questions:Why does design matter?Where are we now with UK design education?What are our competitor nations doing?What must we do to continue to compete?
The answers led us to recommend changes in education at all levels. They are not revolutionary and they
we think they would safeguard the capacity of our world-class design industry and contribute substantially to our economic revival – as well as making our country a better place to live. As such, they merit serious and urgent consideration.
Vicky Pryce CB Baroness Whitaker Inquiry Co-Chairs
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LAYING DOWN THE LETTER OF THE LAW
NEWS
Bucks law students ran a Legal Aid Exhibition so they could test passers- by, students and lecturers on their legal knowledge.
The first-year LLB (Hons) Law students set up around 20 stands in the University’s Gateway building, offering legal advice, showing videos and handing out leaflets.
The students were on hand to answer questions and offer advice on issues ranging from squatters’ rights to making off without payment, unfair dismissal, maternity/paternity rights, and police stop-and-search powers. The exhibition formed part of a Legal Skills module assessment to test group-work skills.
Students Michelle green, Jodie Masters, Hannah Mulcuck and Sophie Stratford benefited from the help of Essex Police Officer PC Jamie Haskoyla.
PC Haskoyla was invited to attend by friend Jodie Masters. He said: “I like to think I’ve been able to provide an on-the-street point-of-view to people and give a different perspective on the subject. It may sound like a cliché but there are things you cannot learn in the classroom and I hope I’ve helped to provide that alternative view.”
Course leader Jenny Preston said: “Learning outside the classroom and simulating real life experiences is a real benefit to students.”
The students’ next practical experience involved acting out a bail application in front of magistrates at High Wycombe Magistrates Court.
Find out more about Law at Bucks at bucks.ac.uk/law
Inside marketingExpert panellists shared their views and experiences with Bucks students at a Marketing Insider Forum organised by The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Society at the University and Clare Business School.
Eight speakers talked about a range of marketing-related subjects, including what a marketers’ day-to-day role involved, and offered their top tips for graduates.
The forum was organised with the South-East regional body of CIM and gave students the opportunity to hear different speakers give their views in break-out rooms, view presentations, and ask questions.
Bucks first-year Law students offer legal advice
Bucks signs up to StonewallBucks New University has joined Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme which promotes and develops good practice for employers. The programme, run by the gay equality charity, promotes a good working environment for all staff and helps to ensure equal treatment for those
who are lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has over 600 major employer members, including Ernst & Young, IBM, and the Royal Navy.
Prof david Sines, Bucks New University’s Pro Vice Chancellor & Executive Dean: Society & Health, and Chair of the University’s Equality and Diversity Committee, said: “By supporting and developing our lesbian, gay and bisexual staff through the Diversity Champions programme we’re sending out a powerful message to our existing and potential employees and students.
“We’re proud to join the programme and look forward to developing our work around sexual orientation.”
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BUSINESS
The Clare Business School, launched in October 2011, held an educational showcase event at Bucks New University which enabled visitors to find out about the opportunities available for young people and businesses, and to speak to those at the heart of the new School’s delivery.
Developed with patron, Mike Clare, one of Buckinghamshire’s most successful entrepreneurs, the Clare Business School is a partnership between Bucks, Aylesbury College and schools across Buckinghamshire through the Bucks Association of Secondary Heads (BASH), all of whom were present at the showcase event.
By bringing together the three strands of education, the School aims to provide business experience and opportunities for young people from 14 years onwards in order to address employability amongst young people and the vital need to drive forward UK business.
The Clare Business School already has the support of several high profile organisations including Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, RBS, Hands of Wycombe, Dreams, Clarenco, NatWest and Eden Shopping Centre.
If you are interested in being a part of the Clare Business School initiative or would like to find out more, please contact Julie Catlow, Clare Business School Co-ordinator on 01494 603 153 or email [email protected]
clare Business school offers business opportunities to young people and firms
L-R: Prof Chris kemp, Pro vice Chancellor and Executive dean: design, Media & Management at Bucks New University; Prof Ruth Farwell, vice Chancellor of Bucks New University; Mike Clare, patron of the Clare Business School; Pauline Odulinski, Principal of Aylesbury College; and Pete Rowe, Headteacher, Princes Risborough School
FIRST-HAND ExPERIENCE OF BUSINESS CYCLESBucks students studying BA (Hons) Business and Finance and BA (Hons) Business and Sports Management are working on a six-month Enterprise Projects module with companies selling electric bikes in the UK.
The students are working with FreeGo Electric Bikes and Electric Power Bike Company (EPB) to produce a marketing plan and business ideas to boost sales, and are gaining first-hand experience of working with a company.
Passers-by and other students tried out the bikes in a showcase event at the University’s High Wycombe Campus, attended by Charles Baxter, managing director of Electric Power Bikes Company, and John Heath, managing director FreeGo Electric Bikes.
Student Joshua Goncalves said: “It is a great experience working with a client, coming up with a business plan and
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Bucks New University has joined AdSoc, a UK-wide student advertising and marketing society, to help students learn more about the advertising industry.Bucks AdSoc will provide a forum for the University’s BA (Hons) Advertising Management and Digital Communications and BA (Hons) Advertising: Creative students to work on projects and get a feel for the industry.
AdSoc is an online resource and a network of student-run societies, founded in 2010 to inspire, inform and connect people who are interested in working in the communications industry. Similar societies have been set up at the University of Exeter, the University of East Anglia and Aston University.
The launch event enabled Bucks students to connect with industry leaders. Sue Unerman, CSO at Mediacom, and brand strategist Jonathan Salem Baskin, attended the event and unveiled their new book, Tell the Truth: How Honesty is your Most Powerful Marketing Tool.
vic davies, course leader, BA (Hons) Advertising, said: “This was the first in a series of regular events to meet the people who keep advertising at its best, as well as students who have formed AdSoc communities at other universities. Through AdSoc, our students will hear talks by industry thought leaders and can recommend any topics they’d like to be part of the series of events.”
Members of the public, university alumni and industry professionals are all welcome at Bucks AdSoc events.
For further information email [email protected] or [email protected] or visit facebook.com/BucksAdSoc
sTronger TIES WITH THE aDverTising INDUSTRY
L-R: John Heath, student Jamie Coker and Charles Baxter
gaining first-hand experience of working life. It is also raising awareness of a little-known mode of transport.”
Charles Baxter said the students had so far done ‘a great job’.
He said: “I hope that by working together we are both gaining something from this partnership and we can thrive on the bright ideas and enthusiasm of the students. So far it is going well and we have been very impressed with the students’ efforts.”
The project is one of seven being undertaken by second year students with clients on a variety of projects. Students are assessed on areas including: quality of engagement with the client; research and understanding of the problem/opportunity; and solution development and application.
The module is supported by Enterprise Bucks, an online network for students, employees and businesses connected to Bucks New University. More details are available at enterpriseprojects.co.uk
The University is looking for other businesses who would like to take part in the progranmme during the 2012-13 academic year. For more details contact Helen Cope, senior lecturer, at [email protected]
It is a great experience
working with a client, coming
up with a business plan
and gaining first-hand
experience of working life.
Jonathan Salem Baskin and Sue Unerman with Bucks students
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FURNITURE FocUS
MA students’ furniture treasures unveiled
An array of creative talent and craftsmanship was unveiled at Bucks New University’s end-of-year MA Furniture: Design & Technology show.
The show celebrated the talent, creativity and success of the students who have been studying for either one year full-time or two years part-time, and took place at the National School of Furniture (NSF) at Bucks.
dr Lynn Jones, Course Leader, and Head of the National School of Furniture at Bucks, said: “This is the first cohort of MA Furniture: Design & Technology students since the launch of the NSF over a year ago. The students have demonstrated huge amounts of design skill, creativity and unerring tenacity and have provided us with a very optimistic, creatively diverse, and commercially challenging end-of-year exhibition.”
1 Marjolein Wouters, MA Printmaking2 Ashish Shakuniya, MA Furniture:
Design & Technology3 Hannah Weston Smith,
MA Furniture: Conservation, Restoration & Decorative Arts
4 Orawee Choedamphai, MA Furniture: Design & Technology
5 Bryony Gray, MA Furniture: Conservation, Restoration & Decorative Arts
MA students’ furniture treasures unveiled
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A pair of Bucks students publicised art at the University – by covering themselves in gold paint and gold cardboard dresses and posing as ‘living statues’.Samantha Williams, who is studying BA (Hons) Fine Art, spent two days sitting on a ‘Fifth Plinth’, inspired by the famous Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square, as a living work of art.
Samantha said: “It’s certainly a very different way to publicise art but I’ve had plenty of questions from other students and visitors to the University,” she said. “I was worried that I would be sitting here all on my own but that couldn’t have been further from how it turned out.”
Samantha, who also completed a Foundation Course in Fine Art at Bucks, made cardboard pigeons to sit next to her and covered the items in newspapers to illustrate the real-life pigeons from Trafalgar Square and the newspapers that are often discarded on the ground. “I would like to think I’ve created my own slice of Trafalgar Square at Bucks,” she said.
Fellow student georgina Fuller, who is studying BA (Hons) Music & Live Events Management, also took to the Fifth Plinth for a morning, wearing the same gold dress and gold paint.
Course leader Alan Franklin said:“The idea behind the plinth is to give students an opportunity to test their ideas in a public arena. It is the nature of Fine Art to challenge expectations and the status quo.”
FIFTH PLINTH A FIRST-RATE IDEA
Samantha Williams: solid gold
News in briefBucks furniture students created a range of writing desks to sell through a well-respected furniture maker thanks to cash backing from the company. St giles Furniture, in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, provided grants of between £60 and £200 for second-year BA (Hons) Furniture: Design and Craft students to design and build the desks, which were displayed at the furniture-maker’s showroom.
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Bucks students answered a church’s call to restore one six-foot-long pew and build a second pew to sit in their porch. St Mary’s Church, in Princes Risborough, asked the University’s BA (Hons) Furniture: Conservation, Restoration and Decorative Arts students to carry out the work. The students restored one of the pine pews, which dates back to 1860, and made a new one using wood from three much longer pews no longer needed by the church and given to the University.
Pupils from a High Wycombe primary school popped in to Bucks to take a look at a storytelling chair made with their help and ideas.Third-year BA (Hons) Furniture: Design and Craft student Jordan Cottee made the four feet-high ash veneer chair for pupils at Booker Hill Primary & Nursery School.
Jordan went through a design process with the teachers and pupils before they opted for his final suggestion, which is a lightweight chair that is easy to pick up and move around wherever necessary.
Jordan said: “The chair has a twisted wooden back, to signify the twists and turns that a story takes, and the pupils will also be contributing story descriptions that will be laminated on to the chair to help fire their imagination.”
Pupil Shauna Nobles said: “The chair is very clever and I don’t know how Jordan got to bend the wood like that and I cannot wait to see it at our school and to sit on it.”
The chair is part of a third-year project requiring students to complete furniture
The student who sat back and listened
for a range of different settings and organisations.
Other work includes a bench for the Welsh Assembly Government to a chair for legendary London jazz club Ronnie Scott’s, in London’s Soho.
Jordan Cottee and his team of helpers
hEaLThcaRE DEVELoPMENTS
SOCIETY & HEALTH SHOWCASES NEW INITIATIVES
Bucks New University’s Uxbridge campus opened its doors to NHS managers and practitioners in April, to announce ground-breaking new partnerships and education contract wins, and showcase state-of-the-art healthcare technologies.
Delegates to the high profile event heard details of a new partnership designed to enhance vocational and work-based learning for unregulated healthcare workers who have the potential to make significant contributions to patient safety, clinical effectiveness, user satisfaction and workforce productivity in NHS organisations.
Student Matt Carpenter demonstrates the new interactive manikin to Prof david Sines, James Reilly and Ursula gallagher
The institute for Healthcare vocational Learning and Education, founded by the University, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College NHS Trust, is, according to Prof david Sines, Bucks New University’s Pro Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean: Society & Health: “A skills hub that will give NHS workers in bands 1-4 a very real chance to progress their careers.”
Bands 1-4 comprise workers in clinical and managerial support roles, for example, finance assistants, porters, medical secretaries, linen/laundry supervisors and estate maintenance workers.
The Department of Health’s Assistant Director of Nursing/Transition Lead, Ursula gallagher, said: “In challenging times, when NHS organisations (like Skills for Health) are
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L–R: Ursula gallagher, Lynne Swiatczak and James Reilly
Key contactsCare and Health Alliance
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Centre for Workforce intelligence partnership
[email protected] or [email protected]
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institute for Healthcare vocational Learning and Education
Student Matt Carpenter demonstrates the new interactive manikin to Prof david Sines, James Reilly and Ursula gallagher
coming and going, we can lose sight of what’s important. All too often, the temptation is to get a Band 5 (a team manager) to help with the transition work but we also need to support people who are doing NVQs and help them make the transition to the new models of care that are being developed.”
Buckinghamshire Healthcare’s Chief Nurse and Director of Patient Care Standards, Lynne Swiatczak, said:
“If we want our staff to work in a different way, we have to be responsive to their needs. They have to be valuable and valued in the workforce and this new partnership will help achieve that.”
The institute will facilitate joint activities between the University and NHS stakeholders to promote, develop and deliver learning opportunities for members of the vocational workforce.
These are people who, according to James Reilly, CEO of Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust, “can be anxious about anything to do with education.”
“We employ huge numbers of healthcare workers in this (bands 1-4) area and we will be asking them to take on more complex tasks as more complex conditions present themselves. In addition, more care will be provided in people’s homes in the future so we need all our health care assistants (HCAs) to train together so they can deliver the high quality of care people need.”
The Society & Health event was also an opportunity to mark the announcement of the University’s appointment by the Centre for Workforce intelligence (CfWI) to advise on the design and development of workforce strategies for a range of professions, including midwifery and maternity services and social work.
The CfWI is the Department of Health-appointed national authority on workforce planning and development for health and social care, tasked with providing intelligence on short- and medium-term workforce planning.
In a further development, Prof Sines announced the vision for the University’s Care and Health Alliance, a regional body which will shape local solutions to support workforce development across health and social care, facilitate networking and promote career progression and vocational learning.
Acknowledging the hard work of colleagues who had made the new partnerships and initiatives possible, Prof Ruth Farwell, vice chancellor of Bucks new university, said: “educational provision is being driven by employer needs and it is the job of universities to help shape the future workforce and fill the skills gaps. This requires us to be externally facing and to work more closely with our partners in the professions. Today shows how we are fulfilling that purpose.”
Contract wins: see page 22
Simulation is a suite way to learnBucks New University has invested in a fully functional simulation suite housing an operating theatre and recovery room/high dependency unit. The new suite complements the simulated three-bed clinical/ward environment already in place at the Uxbridge Campus.
The new theatre suite has all the essential components found in an operating theatre environment, including a fully functional operating light, theatre table, anaesthetic machine and life-like and fully interactive manikins.
A control room has also been fitted enabling surgical scenarios to be observed through one-way glass. The suite is also equipped with five high definition cameras and two monitoring cameras to support reflective learning and provide evidence for assessment.
Technicians can add moulage/casualty make-up, fake cuts, bruises and wounds to the manikins to make the experience even more realistic.
Educational provision is being driven by employer needs and it is the job of universities to help shape the future workforce and
fill the skills gaps.
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hEaLThcaRE DEVELoPMENTS
Bucks New University will become the largest provider of adult nursing training across London following NHS London’s announcement of its higher education allocations for the next three years.
For the 2012-13 academic year, starting in September 2012, Bucks will start training 320 adult nursing students – an increase of 23% on its present allocation.
Prof david Sines CBE, Bucks New University’s Pro Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean: Society & Health, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the news. NHS London’s focus is to ensure the highest possible standards of nurse education, and it is testament to the stringent quality of the training that our teaching staff provide that we have been recognised and awarded the highest number of students to train in the capital.
“The excellent reputation of the ‘Bucks nurse’ continues to be endorsed with a stamp of approval from NHS London, with whom we are looking forward to
NHS South of England has appointed Bucks to provide children’s nursing education programmes from September 2012 following a competitive tender.
The pre-registration children’s nursing programme gives students the option to progress to a specialist community public health nursing programme, or neonatal nursing.
Future students embarking on the new courses at Bucks will have the additional opportunity to gain specialist training in children’s nursing, health visiting or school nursing – workforces which are being expanded across Buckinghamshire and East Berkshire.
The University will offer students a range of pre- and post-qualifying courses from BSc (Hons) through to master’s qualifications, in order to create the educational pathway designed to meet the needs of the local NHS workforce.
The University has started working with Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in East Berkshire, to prepare for the delivery of its new programmes from September.
working to provide a new generation of nurses for the future.
“When our students leave us, they do so having experienced a level of education which equips them to provide the best possible care to patients when they move into the world of work.”
Prof Trish Morris-Thompson, a practising midwife and chief nurse at NHS London, the strategic health authority, said: “Being a nurse is not easy. It takes dedication, hard work and most of all compassion. To meet the high standards of care that our patients expect, students must possess the right attitudes to care for people with empathy, dignity and respect. These students deserve the best standards of training.
“The nine preferred universities in London have all demonstrated the ability to meet rigorous criteria to improve the quality of training available. This includes having a tougher selection process to identify the right students with the right attitudes to become great carers. By raising our standards we can ensure these highly qualified professionals get the jobs they deserve.”
ADULT NURSING TRAINING ALLOCATION INCREASES BY 23% FOLLOWING SHA REVIEW
Bucks wins SHA’s child nursing tender
Buckinghamshire New University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Ruth Farwell, has pledged her support to a nationwide campaign to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination.
Time to Change is an anti-stigma campaign run by the leading mental health charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, funded by the Department of Health and Comic Relief and evaluated by the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London.
Lecturers and students studying BSc (Hons) Social Work at Bucks are backing the initiative, which is the biggest
Joining forces to tackle stigma of mental health
attempt yet in England to end perceived discrimination surrounding mental health.
The students manned a stall at the University’s High Wycombe Campus, handing out leaflets and speaking to other students about the campaign, while Prof Farwell added her name to an online list of signatures supporting it.
Prof Farwell said: “I think this campaign is important because it is part of the Social Work curriculum and because we do not want to have any discrimination against students or employees. We want to help and support them and ensure they do not have any difficulties here.”
Senior Social Work lecturer Julia Wassell said the campaign had received a ‘positive response’ from colleagues and students at the University. She said: “We are delighted that Prof Ruth Farwell is supporting us. People are becoming increasingly aware that unless they discuss mental health problems those problems can deteriorate rapidly and leave them in a very difficult situation.
This is just the start of what we intend to do to raise this very important issue at Bucks.”
Julia Wassell is also leading a programme of training for practitioners helping people with mental health problems back into work following a successful bid to NHS South Central. The programme is called Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) and is training Employment Training Advisors employed across the South Central region.
Second-year BSc (Hons) Social Work student daniel James said the campaign was about ‘breaking down’ the stigma of mental health. He added: “We need to break through the stigma so that people suffering or struggling can feel open to share what’s happening to them and achieve better mental health.”
For more on the campaign, or to pledge support, go to time-to-change.org.uk
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INTERNaTIoNaL
With the success we have already enjoyed and
hope to enjoy in the future, I feel Sri Lanka can act
as a hub for Bucks New University to grow in that
part of the world.
Buckinghamshire New University is looking to build its presence in Sri Lanka and develop links with a growing number of industry partners in the country.
The University already has a link-up with the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) in the country’s capital, Colombo, with MBA qualifications delivered through flexible and distributed learning. Prof derek godfrey, Deputy Vice Chancellor at Bucks New University, is guest of honour each year at SLIM’s graduation ceremonies and so far the link-up has led to 50 graduates, with around 400 students studying with the organisation.
Since 2011, the University has also delivered business and IT degrees through the ESOFT Group, also based in Colombo. These include master’s degrees in Information Systems for Strategic Management, and a BA (Hons) in Business and Finance. A BSc (Hons) degree in Business and IT started in January 2012.
Bucks also offers qualifications including BSc Computing (Interactive Media), and
BA (Hons) in Business Management and International Management, through the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM), also based in the capital. The University has delivered business degrees with IDM, a leading higher education institution in Colombo, since 2010, and currently has affiliations with seven education providers in Sri Lanka.
Ajitha Wanasinghe, recruitment consultant and lecturer, who is from Sri Lanka, said the University is building some ‘very exciting links’ with the country, including links with graduate schools which use an English syllabus, with a variety of new qualifications set to start in the next year to 18 months.
Ajitha added: “Sri Lanka is a market of great potential and I am very happy to say that as we have now established ourselves with seven educational establishments, we are looking to build our brand even further. With the success we have already enjoyed and hope to enjoy in the future, I feel Sri Lanka can act as a hub for Bucks New University to grow in that part of the world.”
Nalin Jayawardena completed a two-year master’s degree in Business Administration
with Bucks New University, using blended learning which involved lectures delivered through Skype and lecturers based in the UK available through email. Mr Jayawardena is a general manager with a Sri Lankan-based firm working in areas including consumer electronics, water solutions, and trading operations.
He said studying with Bucks New University had helped him to approach his future with confidence and that he has benefited from the University’s ‘highly professional’ approach to blended learning.
“Buckinghamshire New University has a growing reputation for high standards of delivery, which was one of the reasons I was attracted to study with the University,” he said.
“Thanks to my MBA, I’ve boosted my professional standards, gained greater knowledge and obtained a range of new skills. I would recommend others to study with Bucks, and blended learning is no barrier as my lecturer, Dr Chris Parsons, was available whenever required to assist me.”
Bucks strengthens Sri Lankan links
FEaTURE
dANCE TAKES CENTRE STAGE
TV shows like strictly Come Dancing and Britain’s Got Talent are generating a new interest in dance. Connection spoke to course leader Lynn Bouchier and street dance group Flawless about the new movement.
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You don’t need to be a dance enthusiast to be aware of acts like Diversity, Flawless and Twist and Pulse – groups made famous in recent years by TV talent shows.
While we were sitting back enjoying their acrobatic and high octance performances on shows like Britain’s Got Talent, many others, it seems, decided a career in dance was their next logical move.
Since 2010, applications to Bucks New University’s dance-related degree programmes have soared. A total of 22 students started dance degrees in 2010, increasing to 45 in 2011. The University expects further increases for the September 2012 academic year.
Dance course leader Lynn Bouchier, a former British and European Latin-American dance champion, says that while the performances on TV talent shows have been a huge motivation, students applying for Bucks’s dance programmes have more commercial ambitions in mind.
“Many of our students want to teach dance, or set up their own dance companies,” Lynn said. “Our courses reflect those ambitions, focusing on scientific things like body conditioning and injury prevention, and the entrepreneurial components of our programmes are designed to introduce students to the business of dance.”
To support the demand, Bucks has invested in a state-of-the-art dance studio – Studio 101 – which opened at the beginning of the academic year. The studio location “puts dance at the centre of the University”, says Lynn. “It’s very visible and the dance students are great role models for others as they work so hard.”
To underline this point, Lynn pointed to the large number of students who compete in inter-varsity dance competitions, give their time to teach dance in schools, and perform cheerleading functions. “We have students involved in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games,” Lynn added.
TV shows like strictly Come Dancing and Britain’s Got Talent are generating a new interest in dance. Connection spoke to course leader Lynn Bouchier and street dance group Flawless about the new movement.
Left: Big Bad Wolf: Performed by Bucks students from BA (Hons) dance and Performance at Move it. Choreographed by Paul Allnutt and Bianca Falcone Bridge. Photography: © donata dauksaite
First and second-year BA (Hons) Dance and Performance students also performed at the Move It 2012 dance expo at London’s Olympia, where faculty marketing manager, glen Panarese, had the opportunity to interview street dancers Flawless.
Q: is there a place for dance education at University?
A: I think there is. If there can be an institutional side of dance inside university, why not? It’s just a discipline like anything else and I think it needs to be recognised and respected a little more.
Q: is theory just as important as the technical side?
A: The dance theory side is more about the history, where moves are generated from, and why it’s called that. You need to understand the history in order to be able to teach and understand what you’re doing. It’s not just about the microwave express style of teaching where you learn off TV or Youtube. You want to be able to go into University and learn and understand dance.
Q: What would you say to those wanting to get into the dance industry. is it a good industry to work in?
A: It’s an amazing industry to work in actually, but it’s very unpredictable as well so you really need to be disciplined. You have to make sure that you can take knock-backs because nothing ever comes easy. It’s all about determination, hard work and believing in yourself and in what you do. if you’re a dancer and trying different styles, It’s about making sure you put in time for rehearsals for practise, research and making sure you go to different classes. You’ve got to keep on going for it and never give up.
Continued overleaf >
Flawless with the Bucks undergraduate prospectus
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Bucks New University and the UK Venue Managers Association have developed a series of bespoke courses, which can lead to an honours degree, to ensure that venue managers stay at the forefront of their profession.
The new one-day professional courses and Foundation Degree in Venue Management have been developed following calls from UK venue managers for a professional qualification that could promote continuing professional development (CPD) and recognise the wide range of disciplines in the venue management profession.
Neil Levett, Director of the UK Venue Managers Association (UKVMA), told members attending the launch of the courses at Wembley Stadium: “This is the biggest ever change in the way that venue management is recognised and understood in this country. We have some of the world’s most prestigious venues, managed by people who have spent their careers in the industry, and now they can be recognised for their knowledge and professionalism.”
UkvMA’s Neil Levett and Bucks’s Teresa Moore at Wembley Stadium
Teresa Moore, Head of the Department of Music and Event Management at Bucks New University, who designed the new courses and modules, said: “The new professional courses and Foundation Degree take the principles of work-based learning and apply them to a wide range of disciplines including event management, health and safety issues and commercial administration.
The first year of the Foundation Degree covers legislation and regulations, such as health and safety, employer liability and finance, including budgeting and cashflow, as well as an introduction to venue management. Year two covers negotiation and communication, logistics and planning, application of technology and event management. Those who choose to progress to the BSc (Hons) will go on to study security and crowd management, sustainability strategies, risk management and work-based projects, and have the opportunity to carry out their own research. There is also an option to study stadium and arena management.
“Venue management is much more than event management and demands a wider range of disciplines,” said Neil. “Venues throughout the world, and particularly in Europe, are gearing up for sporting and leisure events that are bucking the economic trend. This industry has a duty to ensure that the leaders and managers of all types and sizes of venues have the skills and confidence to handle this growth.”
For further information, contact Teresa Moore on 01494 522 141, ext 4074, or email [email protected]
Venue management degrees take centre stage
Q: We run two different bachelor degree programmes, one which focuses on fitness, and one which focuses on performance, both designed for differing reasons. What do you guys think about our two different courses which we run? does it make sense from your perspective?
A: I think it does. Dance and fitness is pretty much the same thing, but at the same time you want to be able to understand the difference between them. There are certain things you would do from a fitness side, that will complement what you’re doing from a dance perspective. And then there are certain things you could do from a dance perspective, that may not necessarily increase your fitness level. I think definitely the fusion of the two of them together does work.
Q: How important is a good facility for dancers?
A: It’s imperative. As well as training on your technical side, it’s important to be training on a conditioning side as well to sustain a healthy body in order for you to be able to go on for a longer amount of time. It’s just as important as the dance side as well.
Q: This is our new undergraduate prospectus which has a QR code on the back which you can scan to watch a video about our current students. What word/s would you use to describe it?
A: Sick. Smart. Magnificent.
Flawless interview
NEWS
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HRH The duke of York lent his support to the Buckinghamshire University Technical College (UTC) project when he visited Aylesbury College in March.
The Buckinghamshire UTC – one of 19 new UTCs across the country specialising in full-time provision for 14–19 year-olds – is due to open in 2013 and will combine practical and technical vocational education, focusing on IT and Specialist Construction, with core education.
The Duke is keen to ensure that young people are suitably prepared for the challenges of the 21st century and have the opportunity to develop the right employability skills.
Pauline Odulinski, Principal of Aylesbury College, said: “His Royal Highness has a particular interest in supporting opportunities for young people to find employment, and who are interested in practical, technical skills education. The Duke of York’s visit was the result of a
A Bucks Research Reader in Human Resources has warned that female students in higher education are likely to be discouraged from a career in University teaching following the release of figures showing 80 per cent of university professorships are held by men.
dr gloria Moss said she would hope to see a better gender balance to encourage upward aspiration following the release of statistics by the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) into staffing of Higher Education in the UK in 2010–11.
According to HESA, of the 17,465 academic staff in the UK who carry the title of professor, only 19.8 per cent are women, despite the fact that women make up 44.2 per cent of the sector’s academic staff.
Dr Moss said that a lack of female professors could lead to a gender bias in research. She said: “We need to see a better balance to encourage upward aspiration amongst female academics and the opportunity for women’s interests to be reflected in the academic gene pool.
“If women are not promoted to the most senior positions in the academic hierarchy they will have less time for research, less chance of winning grant proposals and less chance of being selected onto the editorial boards of prestigious academic journals.”
Dr Moss presented a paper with Dr Gabor Horvath of the University of Glamorgan at a Welsh conference entitled Emerging Themes in Business 2012, sponsored by the Women in Society Research Centre.
The paper focused on the strong tendency, evidenced in the UK, France, Germany, Hungary and China, for men and women to prefer designs produced by people of their own gender and the implications, in a male-dominated design industry, for a world in which 83 per cent of consumer products are purchased by women.
MORE WOMEN PROFESSORS NEEDED
The duke of York with representatives from Bucks, Aylesbury College and the region
DUKE OF YORK PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR BUCKINGHAMSHIRE UTC
roundtable discussion hosted by His Royal Highness at Buckingham Palace in February 2012. We are delighted that The Duke of York accepted our invitation to visit Aylesbury College and that Lord Baker was able to join him to meet those involved in the Buckinghamshire UTC.”
Prof Ruth Farwell, Vice Chancellor of Bucks New University, said: “The Buckinghamshire UTC is a perfect example of further and higher education working with employers to provide new opportunities for young people. The UTC will provide students with a pathway to a successful career in industry either through apprenticeships, or via work-based foundation and higher education degrees.”
To find out more, visit buckinghamshireutc.co.uk
Bucks New University graduate darren Palmer is spending seven months in Adelaide, Australia, training as a Cadet Pilot with Cathay Pacific before taking a permanent position with the airline, based in Hong Kong.Darren graduated with first-class honours in BA (Hons) Air Transport with Commercial Pilot Training in 2009. Darren said he would
Darren’s career takes offbe completing ground-school and flying training in Adelaide, as well as gaining a Type Rating to ensure he is qualified to pilot long-haul flights. Once fully qualified, Darren is likely to be piloting Boeing 747 or 777 aircraft to all corners of the globe.
He said: “Studying at Bucks provided me with the platform to go into a career in the aviation industry and gave me a solid foundation on the principles of the industry, as well as the confidence and skills to know I could gain a job in my chosen field.”
GEaRING UP FoR ThE GaMES
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Olympic legends and Bucks honorary graduates Sir Steve Redgrave CBE and Adrian Moorhouse MBE joined 150 individuals from business and the community at Buckinghamshire Business First’s Bucks 2012 Legacy dinner at Olympic Rowing venue, Dorney Lake.
Sir Steve and Adrian discussed the challenges they faced as Olympic athletes and the impact the 2012 Games would have on the UK in the long term. As successful business people, they also talked about how sport and business are ideally matched and the dedication and determination necessary to succeed in both fields.
Bucks’s Prof Chris kemp with Steve Redgrave, Adrian Moorhouse and the Olympic torch
Olympic stars shine at BBF 2012 Legacy dinner
UK Sport’s chief executive Liz Nicholl OBE gave a free public lecture at Bucks New University, explaining UK Sport’s role in the development of the performance system that will support athletes at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Liz spoke about what UK Sport is doing to try to ensure Great Britain enjoys a medal-laden Olympic Games, as well as discussing how it is seeking to ensure that the best structure and resources available to high performance sport are in place in the years to come.
The lecture provided an opportunity to hear directly from a leader in the thick
of the development of sport, and about shaping future plans and strategies. As a former international netball player, Liz was able to provide experience from inside the boardroom and out on the court.
Liz was the Championships Director of the 1995 World Netball Championships and Chief Executive of English Netball for 16 years where she steered the sport through a period of successful change.
The presentation was the latest in a series of public lectures held at the University, which seek to discuss issues affecting the community locally and nationally. The lecture was chaired by Peter Thomas MBE, Visiting Professor and Director of Sport at Bucks New University, and Chairman of Bucks Sport.
Liz Nicholl, said: “The record level of funding into elite sport, through the
2012 GAMES WILL GIVE PERFORMANCE A NEW FOCUS
Bucks New University’s critically-acclaimed theatre company-in-residence, Signdance Collective, performed its show new Gold at the Warehouse Theatre in London as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The show was supported by fellow deaf and able-bodied theatre company Handprint Theatre and the band, Dead Days Beyond Help.
new Gold followed four characters in their search for ‘gold’ and was supported by the Cultural Olympiad’s Creative Campus initiative.
Signdance Collective has performed the show throughout Europe and the UK. It was developed in the drama studios at Bucks New University and is directed by Slovenian director goro Osojnik and written by award-winning playwright Pedro de Senna, a senior lecturer in Performing Arts at Bucks.
National Lottery, Exchequer and Team 2012 has contributed to the success of British athletes over recent years and allowed us, in partnership with the national governing bodies, to lay the foundations for an effective and sustainable high performance sporting system, supporting our elite athletes in the UK.”
PURE GOLD
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Three Bucks Golf Ambassadors have been recognised by the Berks, Bucks and Oxon (BB&O) Golf Partnership for the high standard of their volunteering work.
BA (Hons) Sports Management and Golf Studies students, Jordan dymond, Stefanie duffy and Aneu Colomer, received special certificates in recognition of their work over the past year at the BB&O Golf Partnership’s annual awards ceremony at Harleyford Golf Club, near Marlow, Buckinghamshire.
The students, who are in their second year of study, work with the BB&O Golf Partnership as part of Bucks New University’s Golf Ambassadors programme, now in its fourth successive year.
The aims of the Golf Ambassadors programme are to provide the University’s golf students with hands-on experience in the golfing industry, whilst simultaneously providing the BB&O Golf Partnership and its partners with high quality sports management volunteers to help improve the overall success of its community activities.
Jordan, Stefanie and Aneu are involved in various community projects throughout the region, such as organising golf events for schools, open days at golf clubs within the three counties, and an Olympics-themed event in Milton Keynes.
BB&O Golf Partnership’s County Development Officer, Samantha Round, said: “The Bucks students who work for the Partnership enable the Partnership to extend its reach across the three counties and increase participation in golf further.
“The link between the Partnership and the University is so important, providing students with real-time experience in the golf industry and the Partnership with additional workforce and fresh ideas. We hope it will continue for a long time to come.”
You can find out more at bbogolfpartnership.com
Bucks golfers recognised for voluntary work
Bucks New University’s involvement in sport development and research was highlighted in two new reports launched during Universities Week 2012.
The reports – olympic and Paralympic Games: The impact of universities, and supporting a uK success story: The impact of university research and sport development, demonstrate the diverse research and sport development contributions that universities are making to the UK sports industry in general, and to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Cultural Olympiad and 2012 legacy programme.
Bucks’s initiatives recognised in the reports include Sports Makers, designed to encourage more people to take up sport, and Sport for Fun, which aims to improve opportunities for students to engage in sport, funded by the Sport England Active Universities programme.
The University was also invited to showcase its work at the Parliamentary Launch of Universities Week in May.
The report, olympic and Paralympic Games: The impact of universities, revealed that more than 90 per cent of the UK’s higher education sector are engaged with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with 65 per
cent expecting to gain legacy benefits from their involvement. The activity in which most institutions were involved was volunteering-based, with 39 per cent of institutions involved in this type of activity, closely followed by 36 per cent of institutions involved in sports activities.
supporting a uK success story: The impact of university research and sport development, highlighted how research taking place at universities across the UK is helping to give athletes that extra split second or millimetre advantage which can mean the difference between gold and silver medals in competitive sports. The report takes an in-depth look at how exploration and development in the areas of technology, health and wellbeing, design, sport development and participation and the Games past and present, have contributed to London 2012 and the UK sports industry.
Copies of the reports are available on request from [email protected] and will be available to download from universitiesweek.org.uk
Former England and British Lions rugby coach dick Best was among the speakers at a fundraising night in aid of charity WheelPower at Bucks Students’ Union.The former England coach was joined by London Wasps and Scotland international, Hugo Southwell, at the event which was organised by students studying BA (Hons) Sports Management and Rugby Studies as part of the Commercial Sports Club Management element of their course.
WheelPower is the national charity for wheelchair sport based at Stoke Mandeville
Rugby great helps students raise funds for Wheelpower
Stadium, the national centre for disability sport and the birthplace of the Paralympic Games. Stoke Mandeville Institute of Sport and Education is also an education and training partner of Bucks New University.
Student Gareth Jackson said the event presented a ‘fantastic opportunity’ to hear first-hand from leading rugby figures. He said: “Dick Best has been one of the leading figures in English and world rugby for many years so we were very fortunate that he agreed to come and speak in aid of such a worthy cause as WheelPower.”
Former London Wasps captain Alan Black, a lecturer in Sports Management with Rugby Studies at Bucks New University, compered the event.
BUCKS SPORTS INITIATIVES FEATURED IN TWO NATIONAL REPORTS
PURE GOLD
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NEWS
STUDY HIGHER PROGRAMME INSPIRES LOCAL IT STUDENTS
Students from Oxford & Cherwell Valley College visited Bucks New University for a unique introduction to robotics and programming as part of a programme of activities to raise educational aspirations and attainment.
The students, aged 16 and 17, are studying for level 2 qualifications in IT at the College, and attended bespoke master classes, designed and delivered by senior academics, Justin Luker and Richard Jones from the School of New Media & Technologies. The students learnt about programming using the latest educational tools produced by Lego.
The visit was organised by the University’s Schools and Colleges Liaison team through the new Study Higher initiative, a partnership between Bucks, Oxford Brookes and Oxford Universities.
Study Higher aims to continue to raise aspirations and educational attainment among young people from groups currently under-represented in English universities.
dion van Overdijk, IT course leader at Oxford & Cherwell Valley College, said: “This sort of event helps students who wouldn’t normally be considering higher education to realise that university is a viable option for them.”
For more information on widening participation, contact Sally Cushing on 01494 522 141, ext 5326, or email [email protected]
dave Collins, a well-respected former senior technician in Art & Design who worked at Bucks New University for more than 40 years, sadly passed away earlier this year. Dave joined Bucks as an apprentice student before qualifying as a wood machinist. He was first employed as a technician in the Department of Design & Furniture on 4 August 1969. Dave was promoted to senior technician in the Faculty of Design, Informatics & Technology in September 1989, and remained a senior technician until his retirement.
Graduate Malika Hamid returned to Bucks New University to receive her ‘Student of the Year’ award for her master’s degree course in Human Resource Management.Malika, HR Officer at Blue Sky Development & Regeneration, based near Uxbridge, was presented with a certificate and a £100 book token by Jen Simpson, Education and Development Advisor for The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), which held its Chiltern branch meeting at the University.
Malika was recognised for achieving the highest score on her course for her dissertation, ‘Engagement of ex-offenders’. Blue Sky is a not-for-profit organisation set up to give paid work to people coming out of prison and help them move into long-term employment.
Malika said: “This is the icing on the cake in many respects and makes all the hard work and pressure of the course even more worthwhile. I’m surprised, delighted and proud to win the award and feel I have gained a tremendous amount from the course to help me move forward positively in my career.”
Cheryl Myles, Head of Branch Development for the CIPD, who attended the meeting, said: “It is an excellent achievement for Malika to be recognised in this way by her tutors and student cohort. She deserves every congratulation.”
Course leader Jill Walters said: “The MA HRM programme is a particularly demanding one because students are working as well as studying. Malika’s dissertation was a professional piece of work which demonstrated the commitment and dedication with which she carried out her research. Her student of the year award was certainly well deserved.” Malika receives her award from Jen Simpson
HRM graduate wins Student of the Year award
Sally Cushing, Widening Participation Manager, introduces robotics
OBITUARY: DAVE COLLINS
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A Bucks New University student has worked with Eric Morecambe’s son on a 12-minute-long short film shown on Sky television.
Brad Baraud, who is studying BA (Hons) Film and Television Studies, has worked with gary Morecambe on the short film, called Ticking, which was filmed entirely on a Samsung Galaxy S2 mobile phone.
Brad went to sixth form with Gary’s son, Arthur, and friend Ollie kennedy in Dorset, which is how the team came together. They filmed the production either side of Christmas.
Brad worked as director of photography on the film, with Ollie taking charge of the sound, stunt arranging, and computer work, as well as composing an original soundtrack for the film.
Ticking is about the daughter of a Special Forces operative and a mentally unstable mother who turns to killing her boyfriends for sport. The film features London-based actors Peter Halpin, James Capel and karina Sugden.
Brad said: “This is the career we want to go in to and working with Gary and gaining all this experience is fantastic. It was a chance to take things out of the classroom and in to a professional environment.
Brad and Ollie are setting up a film company called Sundown Digital and are due to work with Gary again on a short film due to be shot with a digital camera and based on one of his own published short stories.
A member of the Travelling community who has completed a Foundation Degree in Community Development at Bucks New University has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.
Janie Codona is the manager of One Voice 4 Travellers – a group of women, children and young adults from within the Travelling community who work to reduce violence both to Travellers and within the community as well as undertaking a range of community development activities.
One Voice 4 Travellers works across the Midlands, South Buckinghamshire and East Anglia with members of the Gypsy and Traveller community, particularly women and young girls, who have been affected either directly or indirectly by violence.
JanIe’s citation said: “She is a role model for the community and well respected by government, local government officials and service providers alike. She uses her past experiences constructively to raise awareness of the problems facing the community and seeks to build bridges.”
Janie completed the two-year Foundation Degree at Bucks and is going on to study for an MSc in Organising for Social and Community Development.
She was a Commissioner at the former Commission for Racial Equality – the first Traveller woman to take on the position – and is also a member of the Metropolitan Police’s Gypsy and Traveller Advisory Group, providing cultural awareness training to organisations and individuals including prison officers, police and schools.
JANIE TRAVELS TO THE PALACE
Student Brad Baraud filming karina Sugden. Picture courtesy of Rachel Alexander
Accomplished music filmmaker dick Carruthers delivered a master class to students and offered tips on how to forge a career in the industry.
A total of 30 students applied on a first-come first-served basis to quiz Dick on his career, which has seen him film the
likes of Beyoncé, Keane, Led Zeppelin Oasis, Take That and The Rolling Stones.
Matt Salter, studying BA (Hons) Film and Television Production, said the session was ‘inspirational’. “Dick has literally done everything that I would like to do in the industry. He’s someone I can look up to and aspire to emulate so to have these two hours with him has been fantastic.”
Ticking along nicely with a little help from Mr Morecambe
Award-winning music filmmaker delivers student master class
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT BUCKS
Bucks public lecture series 2012
A series of free community lectures featuring high profile guest speakers. The lectures take place from 6–7pm with light refreshments at 5.30pm and 7pm. For further information visit bucks.ac.uk/public_lectures
Bucks EYeS (end-of-year show)
The end-of-year art and design show at the High Wycombe Campus will feature an eye-catching host of work from this year’s graduating designers and artists. To find out more or to come along, please email [email protected], call 0800 0565 660 or visit bucks.ac.uk
8 June: Preview, 6pm–9pm9 June: 10am–3pm11 June: 10am–4pm12 June: 10am–7pm13 June: 10am–4pm14 June: 10am–3pm
New designers
Part one: 27–30 June 2012 Part two: 4–7 July 2012
Many of our design graduates will be exhibiting at this year’s New Designers, taking place at the Business Design Centre in London. The exhibition showcases the very best in UK graduate design. To find out more, please visit newdesigners.com
New Blood 2012
26–28 June 2012
Some of this year’s graduating designers will present their work at the prestigious New Blood exhibition at Old Spitalfields Market in east London. To find out more, please visit dandad.org/talent/new-blood
graduation ceremonies
3–7 September 2012
A week of ceremonies, celebrating the achievements of all of our graduating students. To find out more, please visit bucks.ac.uk/graduations
Enterprise Festival
The Bucks Enterprise Festival will run over the whole of November, and will include the Enterprise Challenge, the Creative Talent Showcase and the Bucks Innovation Lab. For further information email [email protected] or go to enterprisebucks.co.uk
University Open days
Our Open Days are open to everyone and are a great opportunity to sample the Bucks experience. Visitors and their guests will have the opportunity to talk to our staff and our students, to find out more about our courses and to look round our facilities.
University Open days (High Wycombe Campus) 11am–4pm
Wednesday 13 June 2012Saturday 13 October 2012Wednesday 21 November 2012Wednesday 20 February 2013Saturday 27 April 2013Wednesday 12 June 2013
Nursing Open days (Uxbridge Campus) Saturday Open days: 11am–2pm Wednesday Open days: 6pm–8pm
Wednesday 20 June 2012Saturday 23 June 2012Saturday 18 August 2012Wednesday 17 October 2012Saturday 20 October 2012Saturday 1 December 2012Wednesday 5 December 2012 Saturday 12 January 2013Wednesday 10 April 2013Saturday 13 April 2013Wednesday 19 June 2013Saturday 22 June 2013
Postgraduate and part-time information sessions (High Wycombe Campus) 11am–4pm
Wednesday 13 June 2012
For further information on all our Open days and to register, please visit bucks.ac.uk
gRAdUATiONS
OPEN dAYS
BUCkS EYeS