A city welcome for the new Vice Chancellor

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NEWS VC joins board of Science City York Vice Chancellor Professor David Fleming has joined the Board of Directors at Science City York. The move formalises the close links forged over many years between the University and Science City York. Professor Fleming will work alongside Richard Gregory, Chair of the Science City York Board, and company directors Professor Nicola Spence, Science City York Chief Executive; Professor Brian Cantor, Vice Chancellor of the University of York; Kersten England, Chief Executive, City of York Council; David Dickson, Chair of accountancy firm Garbutt & Elliott Ltd; and Simon Hill, Director of Business Development at Yorkshire Forward. Richard Gregory said, “The timing for our new partnership with York St John could not be better, building upon the strong support and joint working to date, and strengthening Science City York’s reach, range and integrated ‘city’ approach.” Professor Spence added, “David’s extended involvement in Science City York brings additional skills, vision and leadership to an already exceptional top-level team and helps ensure a more inclusive approach to supporting the city’s economic, social and cultural ambitions.” Professor David Fleming with Professor Nicola Spence Strengthening the local economy A launch party for the new cohort of creative and digital start-up businesses based in the Phoenix Centre took place on 1 September at Bar Lane Studios. The two-year-old initiative is already proving to be a success, with all of the 12 pioneering ventures from 2009 still in business, with some in new premises in the city. “The scheme is going well,” said Simon Newton, Head of Regional Partnership Strategy at York St John, “and our involvement definitely has many important benefits for the University. The businesses like being based in a central location in the city – and at the heart of the campus. We are learning how to add value to their experience through mentoring, contact with academics, placements, internships and projects. “The whole enterprise agenda and employability are becoming more and more important. Having the start-ups on campus shows our students what is achievable, and the focus on the creative and digital sectors plays to one of York St John’s strengths. We are becoming increasingly seen as an economic generator for the city, with business people and the City Council now viewing our potential role in a different light.” The present funding for the initiative comes to an end in June 2011 and discussions are ongoing about what form it will take in the future. The refurbished Phoenix Building The Vice Chancellor’s appointment to the board of Science City York, the lead for the Phoenix Centre initiative, brings the two organisations closer together and reflects the importance of York St John to the creative and digital sectors in the city. The Phoenix Building itself has undergone a refurbishment in the last few months. It now also houses Higher York, Aimhigher and the Development Office as well as Simon, who commented, “We now have a great environment in which to mix and discuss ideas. This spontaneity is already happening and we are seeing the potential for further collaborations.” Olympic champion visits York St John Jonathan Edwards CBE, Deputy Chair of the Nations and Regions Group of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, took part in an inspirational day on 22 September to promote and support sport and business in the region. The event was designed to challenge attitudes to disability and explore how having a disability can be overcome in business, sport and culture. Jonathan, who has held the world record for the triple jump since 1995, was joined at the event by the Chairman of Paralympic GB, Tim Reddish OBE. The theme of disability in business was highlighted in a conference at York St John Business School, with presentations from Deloitte, Job Centre Plus and Alan Rayment, Coach and Ambassador for Triathlon England Disabled Athletes. Jonathan and Tim took part in a Q&A session with delegates, and then met York St John staff and students to sample taster sessions of disability sports, including boccia, wheelchair basketball and goalball. Performances were also put on by Out of Character, the theatre company developed out of courses held for mental health service users, and a workshop was delivered by Hands and Voices Choir, the first singing and signing choir. (left to right) Alan Rayment, Vice Chancellor Professor David Fleming, Jonathan Edwards CBE and Tim Reddish OBE Professor Sebastian Kim Expert advice for Archbishop of Canterbury An invitation from Lambeth Palace resulted in Professor Sebastian Kim, Chair in Theology and Public Life, advising the Archbishop of Canterbury on the issue of Hindu conversion to Christianity in India. The meeting was arranged prior to a visit by the Archbishop to India in October 2010 where he planned to host an interfaith dialogue with Hindu leaders. Professor Kim is an acknowledged expert in the field of conversion studies and has written various articles and a book, In Search of Identity: Debates on Religious Conversion in India (OUP, 2003), which is widely regarded as a ‘landmark in studies on conversion’. He commented, “The struggle between Hindus and Christians on the issue of conversion is undoubtedly due to the socio-political problems of the Indian context but, more foundationally, it is also due to different theological searches for the meaning of life and the way to achieve it.” Partnership building in Tanzania St John’s University, Tanzania (SJUT) has gratefully received and reconditioned many PCs donated by York St John in recent years. In turn, colleagues at SJUT have been active in their response to this developing relationship. In February, eight second-year students and Dr Jacqui Akhurst, from Psychology, travelled to Tanzania for the students’ three-week community-based work placement. In May-June, York St John students funded themselves to visit the capital city, Dodoma. They stayed in the guesthouses at SJUT, and worked in a nearby school as teacher assistants, undertaking a variety of activities to support individual and small groups of learners. They also worked on the SJUT campus, marking standardised tests and helping in the library. The local students’ union arranged outings to visit projects concerned with those affected by HIV/ Aids and a psychiatric unit. Plans are underway to host a group of SJUT Science Society students at York. In addition, since so much learning at SJUT is text-based, the students who visited Tanzania are keen to collect text books. Please respond to the appeal launched on the staff homepage if you have any books (and especially encyclopaedias) to contribute. New home for the computers from York St John. 04 05
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