The Magazine for the University of Kent

Kent Magazine
Fundraising
PageSixteen
Kent Magazine
Fundraising
PageSeventeen
Fund
Raising
How to give:
www.kent.ac.uk/alumni/donate
Email:giving@kent.ac.uk
Support the
Phonathon
By the time you read this
issue of KENT, you may
have already had a call
from one our telephone
fundraisers, all of whom
are current students here
at the University. They
will be calling as part
of our annual Phonathon,
now in its fifth year.
Since 2002, our student
callers have contacted
over 10,000 alumni and,
thanks to your support,
we have raised funds to
support a range of areas
including scholarships
and student support.
Money raised goes into
what is called the Annual
Fund, which is run by
the University of Kent
Development Trust,
a charity set up to accept
and manage donations
from alumni and friends
of the University.
01. Natalie Salunke
As well as scholarships
and student support,
the Fund provides
postgraduate scholarships,
University-based
projects such as the
student newspaper,
InQuire, and a student
entrepreneur society.
Money donated by our
alumni has already
helped to create an
ethnobotanical garden
on the Canterbury
campus, set up CSR, the
new student FM radio
station and purchase new
prints for the University
of Kent Print Collection.
Alumni support is crucial
to the University’s music
activities with funds going
into music scholarships,
groups, concerts and
performances by
visiting musicians.
Sport at Kent also
benefits from your
support and alumni
contributions already
fund a £1000 a year
sports scholarship.
However, there are other
areas where we need your
support. In particular,
we would like to continue
to improve our facilities
for students with
disabilities, our library
resources and also our
research assistance for
specific projects.
Finally, the Phonathon
students are not just
calling to raise funds.
They are also calling to let
you know about some of
the events we have coming
up and to check whether
we have the right contact
details so that we can keep
you in touch with what’s
going on at Kent.
Behind
the Scenes
Before graduating with
a degree in English and
French Law in 2006,
trainee solicitor Natalie
Salunke, E02, was one
of our student callers.
She is still very much
involved with the
University and is part of
the Kent Law School 40th
Anniversary Committee,
which is organising a
series of events in 2007
and 2008 to commemorate
40 years of critical legal
education at Kent.
This will culminate in a
Law Alumni Dinner at the
Law Society in London on
Thursday 26 June 2008.
What kind of reception
did you receive
from alumni when
you called?
They were generally really
pleasant and more than
happy to talk about their
previous experiences.
I really enjoyed sharing
and hearing stories
of student life, past
and present!
What did you
personally gain from
the experience?
I think I helped forge
a stronger relationship
between Kent Law School
and its alumni. I really
enjoyed speaking to
different businessmen
and women. I even called
one alumnus who was a
senior partner at a law
firm I had done a work
placement with.
What did you enjoy
about doing the
Phonathons?
I really enjoyed being part
of the Phonathon team.
It was great meeting other
students from different
years and subjects,
especially the newer
students. I think they
found it a good way to
get to know the University
a bit more and settle in.
What are you planning
to do in the future?
I have just started as a
trainee solicitor in the
Corporate Department
of London-based Taylor
Wessing. It is something
I’ve always wanted to
do so all being well
I’ll be here for a while.
Eventually I would
be keen to take my
experience of corporate
law into directorship
positions at different
companies.
I still try to keep in
close contact with
Kent Law School and
theDevelopment and
Alumni team, and will
no doubt continue to
be involved in Kent
alumni events.
Has any part of
your experience as
a student been
influenced by Annual
Fund money?
Among other things,
I had a lot of experience
with the Kent Law Clinic,
which provides free
legal advice to the local
community and has
been greatly helped by
the Annual Fund.
02 03
04
02. Claire Tanner
03. Nick Foster
04. RaG Volunteers
Scholarship update
This year two students
have benefited from the
Alumni Postgraduate
Scholarships. Claire
Tanner, E98, graduated
from Kent in 2002 with
first class honours and
the Keith Lucas Prize
for Excellence in Politics
and International
Relations. After working
in Student Support
at Kent Union and in
secondary education,
the Alumni Postgraduate
scholarship made it
possible for her to return
to postgraduate study.
Her research specialises
in the political experiences
of women representatives
in local government and
the ways in which social
and institutional barriers
to women’s participation
can be removed.
‘Student volunteers
at RaG raised over
£15,000 this year.’
Nick Foster, E04, is a
PhD student in the School
of Physical Sciences.
His research centres on
the analysis of cosmic dust
returned by the NASA
Stardust space mission.
He says, ‘From an early
age I have been fascinated
by space and the planets
around us. Through the
Alumni Scholarship
I have been able to get
involved in research
working with scientists
from NASA and UK
institutions. The Stardust
mission flew to comet
Wild/2 to collect early
and intact samples from
the formation of our
solar system and
returned them to earth
in January 2006. These
precious grains will
help us gain a greater
understanding of how our
solar system has evolved.’
Nick has also been
successful in obtaining a
scholarship to study at a
summer school in Japan
and this year has travelled
to conferences in Houston
and Texas to present some
of his research findings.
Student Fundraising
Led by RaG (Raise and
Give) President Emma
Rowe, the student
volunteers at RaG have
worked tirelessly and
raised over £15,000 this
year. Launching the
year with a fancy dress
recruitment drive, RaG
raised the profile of
charities through large
–scale events such as the
Snow Ball at Christmas,
which alone raised nearly
£6,000. The rest of the
year saw RaG week, The
RaG Blag, Valentine’s Day
Speed Dating, skydives
and good old–fashioned
street collections.
Earlier this year, a
small team of ‘Raggies’
travelled to Liverpool over
St Patrick’s Day weekend
to raise money with other
RaG groups from across
the country. RaG also
supports other student
groups in their events
including International
Night and Keynestock.