The Magazine for the University of Kent

Kent Magazine
Interview
PageThree
EDITORIAL
Autumn 2007
ISSUE
Contents
Interview
Julia Goodfellow
Taking Kent to a new high
This autumn 5,500 new
students began their
studies at Kent, aided
and abetted by an army
of volunteers engaged by
Kent Union to help them
settle in.
It has been a busy few
months since the last
issue, with construction
work beginning on the
new £27 million
postgraduate college at
Canterbury. Earlier in the
year, Medway welcomed
Higher Education
Minister Bill Rammell
when he came to open
the newly-refurbished
Pilkington Building
which now houses a
175-seat lecture theatre
among other things.
We would also like to
introduce you to Karen
Doyle who is currently
Acting Director of
Development and Alumni
Relations. Some of you
may already know her
in her day job as
Kent’s Director of
Communication and
Marketing.
The sharp-eyed among
you may also have noticed
a change in the magazine
itself, in terms of content
as well as image.
The focus for this issue is
conservation and ecology.
We work hard to make
sure the magazine is
always fresh and
interesting and think
that this latest change
is a great step forward.
We hope that you like the
new look and that you’ll
keep sending in your news
and views – we love to
hear from you and look
forward to hearing your
comments, memories
and stories.
Posie Bogan
Fiona Jones
Editors
Special thanks to:
Chris Lancaster and
Lesley Farr in the
University Design & Print
Centre; David Clark R82;
Karen Bayfield, Hilary
Saunders and Karen
Donaghay in C&DO.
Photographs by: Robert
Berry, Piers Locke, Nick
Ellwood, Spencer Scott,
Tim Stubbings
Contact us:
Communications
& Development,
The Registry,
University of Kent,
Canterbury,
CT1 7NZ
kentmagazine@kent.ac.uk
www.kent.ac.uk/alumni
Design:
Third Eye Design
thirdeyedesign.co.uk
020 7608 0180
03.INTERVIEW
04.NEWS
08.NEW FRONTIERS
10.RIDING HIGH
14.THE QUESTIONNAIRE
16.FUNDRAISING
18.IN BUSINESS
20.WHO’S WHAT WHERE
24.EVENTS
As the academic year
gets underway, Professor
Julia Goodfellow is hitting
the ground running as
the University’s new
Vice-Chancellor.
Formerly Chief Executive
of the Biotechnology
and Biological Sciences
Research Council,
she spent five years
at what is one of the
largest of the research
councils where, among
other things, she oversaw
the rapid establishment
of world class UK
research capacity in
systems biology.
Julia has also had a
successful academic
career in teaching and
research at Birkbeck,
University of London
where she was Vice-
Master. She originally
did a physics degree at
Bristol and has a PhD
from the Open University
Oxford Research Unit.
“The University
is in superb
locations.
It really is a
wonderful place
to work…”
Before taking up her
appointment, she admits
her knowledge of the
region was confined to
its castles as a result
of day trips with her
children when they were
young. Now she says she
is amazed at what else
the county holds.
‘The University is in
superb locations. It really
is a wonderful place to
work. As I was walking
across the Canterbury
campus, I thought just
how privileged I am to
work here. And I am very
impressed with the
Medway campus – again,
I feel it’s a privilege to be
there. It is very inspiring,
and a great symbol of
regeneration.’
‘We have excellent
facilities at Kent.
In fact, before term
started I visited the
student accommodation
in several of the colleges.
I was impressed – Kent
Hospitality, working with
the Estates Department,
is doing a great job to
refurbish and update
facilities for students.’
But it was not just the
location that impressed
her when she first arrived
– it was the friendliness
and professionalism of the
staff. ‘People mentioned
this to me before I started
and I have to say the
University does have a
lovely atmosphere.
Everyone has been
very supportive.’
She also says she is
pleased to be back among
students. ‘Working in
a research council was
great, but I was based in
an office in Swindon, far
away from where research
was being carried out,
and I missed the “buzz” of
having students around.’
Julia was initially
attracted to Kent
because it has many
strong attributes.
‘Student recruitment has
been excellent in recent
years which, in particular,
is a tribute to the work of
my predecessor Professor
Sir David Melville, and
David Nightingale,
the Senior Deputy
Vice-Chancellor.’
‘I was very pleased with
the results of the latest
National Student Survey.
We were ranked 10th
out of over 100 other
institutions for course
satisfaction, scoring 89%,
which is way above the
average. And this is all
thanks to the hard work
of both staff and students.
All those students who
work as mentors and
ambassadors make a
huge difference to
people’s experience of
studying at Kent.’
The University also fared
well in the 2007 Sunday
Times University Guide
which states Kent ‘can
claim to be Britain’s only
international university’
as a result of recent
developments including
the University’s
expanding Brussels
campus and its
‘involvement as one
of five partners (and the
only non-French one) in
the bilingual University
of the Transmanche’.
The Guide ranked Kent
42 out of 123 participating
higher education
institutions in the UK,
an increase of four
places from the 2006
printed edition.
Julia’s take on league
tables as a whole is that
although universities
should not be ruled by
them, ‘we do need to
acknowledge them’.
She continues ‘Research
is the one area Kent seems
to rank below similar
institutions, not in terms
of quality but in volume.
Much of what we do
here is excellent. In fact,
we know from recently
published tables that
when staff at Kent submit
grants they are successful.
We need to build on this.’
Julia feels the University,
despite its obvious calibre,
continues to find itself
in a position well below
its real weight. ‘Kent is
an exciting place to be
and we have to make sure
people know all the good
things about us – and this
is where alumni can help
by telling everyone about
what a great place it is.
We all know that once
people come here, they
are hooked!’
Julia is also passionate
about the role of
universities in enterprise
and innovation, which is
why she is particularly
pleased with the recent
announcement that
planning permission
has been granted for
the building of the new
innovation centre on the
Canterbury campus.
‘This is very good news
and I am looking forward
to working with SEEDA,
Canterbury City Council,
Kent County Council
and others.’
In fact, she sees that one
of the joys of the job will
be working with the
region as well as at a
national and international
level. People across the
county can only benefit
from her championing
the University’s role as
an economic and cultural
driver. In turn, Julia will
have the opportunity to
find out even more about
what the county has to
offer. Despite a frantic
schedule, she has already
discovered some of its
excellent restaurants
which, she says, are a little
more appealing these days
than castles.
Professor Julia Goodfellow
Vice-Chancellor