Venta 5 - University of Winchester

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Our cover: Dance Lecturer, Olu Taiwo rehearsing in one of the state-of-the-art performance rooms at the new West Downs Performing Arts and Conference Centre. Photo: Peter Jacobs Contents Features Page 1 New man at the top! Pages 2 – 3 The West Downs Performing Arts and Conference Centre Page 4 (Un) forgotten treasures Page 5 Life at King Alfred’s in the 1950’s! Regulars Page 4 Reunion update Page 6 Blast from the past! Contact Venta: The Alumni Office King Alfred’s Sparkford Road Winchester SO22 4NR T: (01962) 827386 F: (01962) 827548 E: alumni@wkac.ac.uk Welcome to the summer edition of Venta, and apologies for the lack of a Winter 2000 edition! I’ve been in post now for six months and my feet are just about starting to hit the ground! I hope this issue finds you well. The last year has been an exciting one here at King Alfred’s. Professor Paul Light joined us as Principal last Autumn. May 2001 saw the grand opening of The West Downs Performing Arts and Conference Centre, and we asked two alumni who attended the opening to share their views of the new facilities with us. In the midst of all that, Education Studies scored full marks (24 out of 24!) in QAA inspections (Quality Assurance Assessment). This issue highlights these developments alongside the regulars; "Blast from the Past" and "Reunion Update". But please don’t forget that Venta is just as much a chance for you to share your news, events and memories as much as it is an opportunity for us to share ours. So keep the emails and letters flowing – and the more piccies the better! A big thank-you to all those who sent in articles and photos this time. Can you imagine a College … Lastly, if you know of any fellow alumni out there who for whatever reason have slipped through the "membership" net, please put them in touch. It’s amazing where they turn up – a colleague was on the phone to the BBC the other day and discovered she was talking to a King Alfred’s graduate – who’s now waiting for this copy of Venta! Enjoy! Sarah Hogan Alumni Officer where all students received free education, board and lodging …but only five had cars …there was compulsory daily attendance at Chapel …and hymn practice on Saturday - that was King Alfred’s in the 1950’s. Turn to page 5 to find out more! A step back in time In May of this year, a small group of friends who were students at King Alfred’s between 1968 and 1972, included a trip to their old stomping ground as part of their get-together. King Alfred’s was a very different place back in the late 1960’s. On the tour of the familiar campus and its new additions, the group shared the following: • The Kenneth Kettle Building, which is now an IT area, was the Chapel • The Library was in the main building, where the Senior Common Room is now • The West Downs Centre was still a prep school, where some students carried out their teaching practice • There was a porter’s lodge in the Happiness main building! (Next to where the photo was taken) • The Dytche was a playing field! • There was an outdoor swimming pool • Alfie’s Castle was a TV room • The curtains in Alwyn Hall are exactly the same! The group also provided some memorabilia, including the following "Variations on a theme: Happiness" piece, taken from Grapevine, the College magazine in 1970: is getting a meal without chips is recognising who you were with at the dance the night before is making Pete Mackay watch a TV programme in silence is going out with someone everyone else fancies is a mature man is knowing enough people to queue jump at meals is pinching a second cake at tea is getting enough butter to put on your bread is missing Miss Gillingwaters’ P.E Lessons without being missed is finding the book that you want in the Library is being invited around for coffee is finding a letter in your pigeon hole is a lift up St. James’ Hill is having a man with a car, bicycle, etc, etc. is having a man!! Above: (Left to Right) Richard Gibson, (Teaching: Maths, 1969-1972), Rick Lucas, (Teaching: Physical Education, 1969-1972), Viv Lucas (nee Mason), (Teaching: Maths, 1968-1971), Julie Gibson (nee Tatlow), (Teaching: Maths, 1969-1972), Vicki Jago (nee Blackmore), (Teaching: Art & Craft, 1969-1971), Catherine Smith (nee Butcher), (Teaching: Art & Craft, 1969-1971), Louisa Smith, (DipHe Nursing Studies). Louisa is Catherine’s daughter who also attended the get-together. Below: On a Rag-Raid with Doctor Spock in Winchester. Rag Week, 1970 Venta - King Alfred’s Alumni Magazine
BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS Paul Light joined King Alfred’s from Bournemouth University where he was Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) carrying responsibility for educational development, quality and innovation, and research development across the institution. Previously, Professor Light held posts with the University of Cambridge, the University of Southampton and with the Open University where he was Professor of Education and Director of the Centre for Human Development and Learning. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and of the British Psychological Society, and has served on its Council. New man at the top Professor Paul Light joined King Alfred’s as College Principal at the beginning of November last year. In this article for Venta he introduces himself and sets out some of the key issues, which face the College over the next few years. Married to Vivienne and with three grown up children, I have lived at Brook in the New Forest for many years. My domestic interests are practical as well as academic. I enjoy my new job enormously, but I’m never happier than when I can get out on a tractor, or with a chain saw, or best of all with a mechanical digger! My children are at the ages and stages where higher education impinges on Come rain or shine … them. One is a graduate doing professional examinations through Oxford Brookes. Another is just about to graduate from the University of the West of England, and the third is doing AS levels at a local FE College. The range of different offerings available in higher education today is huge, so it is very important for this College to be clear about what its particular strengths are. Recent external quality assessments of the Keen eyed alumni in the South East region may have recognised a familiar face cropping up on their TV screens in recent weeks… Professor Light’s research work has included aspects of the social development of pre-school children, the factors affecting children’s abilities in drawing, and the language and spatial abilities of autistic and dysphasic children. His most recent work has been the contextual factors affecting thinking, reasoning and learning in school aged children and in university students especially in the context of learning with computers. College’s courses tell a very positive ability to pay, then we are going to story; three ‘excellent’ grades in a row have to work hard on finding ways of from the Quality Assurance Agency helping some of the students and ever rising Ofsted grades mean financially. we are certainly offering courses of extremely high quality King Alfred’s has prospered for 160 years, and has a real sense of Our campus has been greatly character and tradition as a result of enhanced by the new Library and the that long history. It has changed and West Downs Centre, both of which adapted over time, and will need to offer wonderful facilities for students. continue to do so in the future, But Winchester is expensive, and perhaps even more rapidly. The indeed higher education anywhere is College’s continuity and distinctive expensive these days. If we are to identity will be great strengths as we continue to offer degree courses to confront these changes, and you, the students on the basis of their ability alumni are an important part of that and motivation, rather than their continuity. Did you know ... BBC South East becomes the BBC's eleventh English region to split from BBC London as a result of an extensive consultation exercise by the BBC, which revealed licence fee payers favoured more locally-focussed news services. Natalie Booker is appearing as Weather Presenter for the recently launched BBC South East Today programme. She graduated from King Alfred’s in Geography and Mathematics in 1996, and initially went into recruitment and training - despite a long standing interest in all things meteorological! Having finally realised her ambition by gaining a position with the Met Office, Natalie moved to the BBC Weather Centre at Television Centre in London as a Broadcast Assistant in 1999. Here she supported the BBC’s national forecasters and was responsible for researching worldwide weather stories, producing broadcast-quality graphics and maintaining the CEEFAX and Online weather pages. In her new role, Natalieis working on the main 6.30pm and lunch-time television slots as well as providing regular weather information for listeners to BBC Radio Kent. Apart from being a familiar face to BBC viewers Natalie is a keen rugby and football fan. She is currently keeping an eye out for a women’s cricket team to join in the South East – so any suggestions would be gratefully received! Issue 5 - Summer 2001 1
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Venta 5 - University of Winchester

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