Communicator - University of Portsmouth

Communicator
Inside
Issue 29
The newsletter of the University of Portsmouth
Students on trial :
new mock court room opens in Richmond
New mock court room opens Page 5
Graduate Internship Programme Page 7
Proposed new building on Victoria Baths site Page 8
Award for IIR Page 12
Staff development update Page 14
Spring 2010

02
Dates for your diary
Hot Topic Seminars –
Making the Most of Your
Business Assets
Wednesday 21 April 2010
W: www.port.ac.uk/research/ceri/events
Decadent Fantasia: Modern
Images of Closed Space and
Open Sex
Friday 23 April 2010
A lecture by Camille Paglia, marking the
inauguration of Portsmouth’s Centre for
Studies in Literature.
6pm–9pm, Portland Building
T: 023 9284 3757
E: events@port.ac.uk
Verdi’s Requiem
Saturday 8 May 2010
The University of Portsmouth Choir
and Chamber Singers team up with the
Portsmouth Festival Choir, Orchestra
and Soloists in Verdi’s magnifi cent
requiem mass.
7.30pm, St Mary’s Church
Tickets: £7/£8 (concessions £5/£6)
Box Offi ce: 023 9284 3023
Top-up Payments for
Expensive Cancer Drugs:
Rationing, Fairness and
the NHS
Wednesday 12 May 2010
A lecture by Professor Emily Jackson,
London School of Economics, examining
the implications for patient care and the
future of rationing within the NHS.
6pm–7pm, Portland Building
T: 023 9284 3757
E: events@port.ac.uk
Communicator | Spring 2010
The University of
Portsmouth Symphony
Orchestra and Big Band
Saturday 15 May 2010
The University of Portsmouth
Symphony Orchestra and Big Band will
perform repertoire in preparation for
their forthcoming tour to Germany.
7.30pm, New Theatre Royal
Tickets: £7/£8 (concessions £5/£6)
Box Offi ce: 023 9264 9000
Framing the Self
Friday 21 May 2010
Centre for Studies in Literature (CSL)
Annual Postgraduate Symposium.
Milldam Building
E: cslpgconf@port.ac.uk
W: www.port.ac.uk/pgconference
Evolution, Deep Time and
the Seas of a Greenhouse
World
Wednesday 26 May 2010
Inaugural lecture by Professor
Andy Gale, School of Earth and
Environmental Sciences.
6pm–7pm, Portland Building
T: 023 9284 3757
E: events@port.ac.uk
Grisaille Legacy
12 April–5 May 2010
Beth Fisher’s unfl inching fi gurative
drawings, etchings and monotypes
express the emotional experiences of
a mother at the centre of the life-cycle.
Born and raised in the US, Fisher has
lived and worked mainly in Aberdeen
for nearly forty years.
SPACE and Eldon Gallery,
Winston Churchill Avenue
Admission free
Revolution for Our Times?
Refl ecting on 1789 in an
Uneasy Age
Wednesday 2 June 2010
Inaugural lecture by Professor David
Andress, School of Languages and
Area Studies.
6pm–7pm, Park Building
T: 023 9284 3757
E: events@port.ac.uk
PBS Research and Knowledge
Transfer Conference
Tuesday 8 June 2010
The conference is an ideal opportunity to
fi nd out about the many varied cutting
edge projects that we are proud to be
involved in and also hear about our
research and knowledge transfer activities.
T: 023 9284 4046
E: allyson.hunt@port.ac.uk
W:www.port.ac.uk/departments/
faculties/portsmouthbusinessschool/
research/events/
ResearchConference2010/
Music in the Round
The international chamber music season
continues with the following concerts:
Doric Quartet – Friday 7 May
Ebène Quartet – Friday 28 May
Ensemble 360 – Friday 2 July
7.30pm, New Theatre Royal
Tickets: £13.50, £11 concessions
Box Offi ce: 023 9264 9000
Seminars around campus
CERI Hot Topic Seminars
Monthly business seminars organised
by the Portsmouth Business School.
W: www.port.ac.uk/ceri
Café Scientifi que Portsmouth
Monthly science discussions at Le Café
Parisien.
W: www.port.ac.uk/cafescientifi que
Centre for European and International
Studies Research (CEISR)
W: www.port.ac.uk/ceisr
Editorial
Welcome to Communicator 29. There’s a lot of news about growing areas of
University strengths in law, forensics and criminology as well as in the STEM
subjects in this edition. Our new Mock Court Room was offi cially opened on 4
February and ICJS have recently unveiled an incredibly sophisticated forensic
scanner. Our new applied physics course has helped us to secure 20 additional
student places both this year, in 20011 and 2012 (read more about all these
developments on p.5) and our Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular
Sciences have been awarded a £440,000 grant to study gene regulation.
As all of the news and activity reported in this magazine illustrates, the University is
constantly achieving and changing. We have seen another rise in applications to our
undergraduate courses this year which is a success that brings with it the challenge
of managing applicants’ expectations. Another reported rise, this time of a building,
concerns the exciting new plans for the developments on the Victoria Baths site
which will bring much-needed student accommodation.
Happy reading and Happy Easter.
Claire Brookes
Editor
communicator@port.ac.uk
The role of the governors
The Board of Governors has
responsibility for ensuring the effective
management of the institution and for
planning its future development. Indeed,
the Board has ultimate responsibility
for all the affairs of the University
including appointing its Vice-Chancellor
and senior staff. With that remit, it
is vital that governors gain a good
understanding of how the University
operates and have access to a wide
range of staff and student views. This
is in part achieved by regular governor
Committee meetings which include staff
and student governors who can bring
a ‘frontline view’ to the discussions.
Governors’ Committees also include
staff representatives wherever possible.
Outside the formal committee structure,
the governors engage directly with
University staff and different aspects of
the University’s work:
Departmental links: each governor can
be linked with an academic department
or professional service within the
University, initially for one year. The aim
is to enable the governor to understand
how a department or professional
service operates from the ‘inside’. It also
gives the head and staff members the
opportunity to meet with and understand
the governor’s role. We currently have 14
active links in the University. Feedback
on the scheme has been overwhelmingly
positive and we hope this will continue
to strengthen mutual understanding of
respective roles.
Governor engagement: a rolling
programme of meetings with deans
and Directorate members and their
respective ‘teams’ provides an
opportunity for governors to
understand their portfolios and the
current challenges that they face.
Governor briefi ngs: a series of
in-house briefi ng sessions give
governors some focused time to
consider topical areas of interest.
Recent briefi ngs have included
environmental performance, fi nance and
management accounts and knowledge
transfer activities.
Meetings with the Chairman of the
Board: over the past eight months, the
Chairman has held meetings with groups
of heads of academic departments,
which has provided another forum
through which department-level issues
can be discussed. These meetings are
to be extended to other groups in due
course.
Walking the campus: governors take
the opportunity to tour the campus and
visit departments to engage informally
with staff and students whenever
possible.
Should you have any queries about
governance at the University, please
do not hesitate to contact Sally Hartley,
Clerk to the Board of Governors or
Jane Stearne, Assistant Clerk, for
further information.
Editorial 03
David
Ferguson
You may be aware from recent
announcements on the website
and in The News, that David
Ferguson, our former Chairman
of the Board of Governors died
in January.
David joined the Board of
Governors in 2002, chairing the
Estates and IT Committee, before
being elected Chairman in 2007.
He stepped down last spring
following a diagnosis of Motor
Neurone Disease. He remained,
however, an active and committed
member of the Board.
He made signifi cant inputs in
steering IT projects based on his
previous senior roles in industry
and one of his key achievements
was to greatly increase the
contact and confi dence between
governors and University staff.
In October last year he was
awarded an Honorary Doctorate
of Laws in recognition of his
contribution to the University.
Professor John Craven, Vice-
Chancellor said: ‘David contributed
signifi cantly to the wellbeing of
the University throughout his
eight years on the Board and his
intellect and counsel will be sorely
missed. He made a great impact
on people, which is borne out by
the messages that are coming
into the University. We extend our
heartfelt condolences to David’s
family and friends.’
Spring 2010 | Communicator

04
News in Brief
Elected
Around campus Around campus
University hosts British
Animation Awards
The University hosted the 2010 British
Animation Awards in February. Around 60
fi lms were shown during three screenings
on 17 and 24 February. Each screening
contained a mix of short fi lms, animated
commercials and music videos. After
each screening the audience cast their
votes for their favourite. The fi lms cover all
aspects of the UK animation scene, from
student work to commercials, children’s
entertainment, short and experimental art
fi lms, music videos and new technologies.
Professor A F M Maniruzzaman of
the School of Law has been elected
a member of the European Court of
Arbitration, Strasbourg, France. He
has also been elected a member of the
Academic Council of the Institute of
Transnational Arbitration, USA; a member
of the Academic Committee of the South
Asian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies
and Human Rights, Brac University,
Bangladesh; and to the Advisory
Board of the Foreign Direct Investment
International Moot Competition (2010).
New book published
Professor of Sociology, Barry Smart’s
latest book on the environmental
consequences of consumerism is
now on sale.‘Barry Smart’s Consumer
Society is the best study I have seen of
contemporary features of the current
stage of capitalism organised around
consumption and commodities. The
book’s range is broad and synoptic and
its research is highly impressive. The text
is engaging and accessible and should be
of interest to a wide range of readers’ –
Douglas Kellner, UCLA, author of Media
Spectacle and the Crisis of Democracy.
Scholarly activities
One of the aims of the Business Law
Research Group (School of Law) has
been to inform the legal profession via
scholarly activities. Professor A F M
Maniruzzaman’s work has attracted
much interest and one of his articles
was recently adopted by The American
Arbitration Association (AAA) for the 2010
edition of its professional guide book,
popularly known as the AAA Handbook
on International Arbitration.
Game Jams
Game Jams are high-pressure
social and creative events in
which teams of enthusiastic
people come together to make
a computer game in a very
short space of time, typically
two to fi ve days, based on a common theme. During this period the
teams encounter the wide range of emotions associated with games
development, from the frustration of not being able to spot a crucial
bug to the euphoria of completing the project on time.
The University of Portsmouth has organised three Game Jam events so far, primarily
in Portsmouth but also while visiting universities in France and China. At the inaugural
Game Jam in Portsmouth during June 2009, nearly 40 competitors battled it out over a
week, with open access to the University’s cutting-edge hardware and software facilities,
including the virtual reality suite, music studios, the motion capture lab, plus industrystandard
games development platforms. Eight working games were produced in total for
the judges and general public to enjoy. Prizes were awarded over ten different categories,
including ‘best technical achievement’, ‘most helpful team’, ‘best adaptation of the theme’
and even ‘best dressed team’. The game voted best overall by the judges, Pixo’s “All-Go”
Rhythm 2009, is now available free of charge on the iPhone App Store.
It is expected that this year’s Jam will follow a similar format, during the week commencing
14 June. The organising committee plans to widen participation by inviting contestants
from 12 other universities in the south east of England, as well as representatives from
industry. Furthermore, prizes will also extend to computer animation and the arts, in order
to encourage a diverse mix of participants. Anybody with a passion for games can take
part. If you are interested in taking part, or for more information, please contact Andy Bain
at andy.bain@port.ac.uk.
Technology: working with local colleges
A new unit to promote science and technology subjects to college
students and aid them in the transition into higher education has
been launched at the University with 44 students from Highbury
and South Downs Colleges taking part in the fi rst of four
technology-based sessions.
The Electronic and Computer
Engineering (ECE) and Mechanical and
Design Engineering (MDE) departments
developed the ‘bridging unit’, which
aims to introduce students to some of
the basic engineering principles by the
development of academic and practical
skills and to give them a taste of teaching
and learning in a university context.
This unit will enable the Faculty of
Technology to build stronger links with
local college staff as well as a rapport
with prospective students.
The fi rst session was run by Nick Savage
and Ahmed Al-Khazzar from ECE. The
students were introduced to 3D modelling
and were required to program a simple
game where a ball had to be navigated
around a maze. This required the students
to think as engineers when overcoming
problems with working in a 3D space
and in applying physics to a virtual world.
Further sessions are planned for 28 April,
29 September and the 15 December
2010. For further information please
email tech-bridging-unit@port.ac.uk.
New mock courtroom opens
The £1 million development is an exact
replica of a crown court, complete with
dock, witness box, public gallery, jury
room and interview rooms. State-of-the-art
audio-visual facilities allow court proceedings
to be fi lmed and simultaneously fed into
adjacent teaching rooms or recorded for
future feedback sessions.
‘Clients’ can give video testimony and the
jury retiring room is also fi tted with video
equipment so jury deliberations can be
recorded and analysed. The courtroom
will be used by students from the School
of Law to practise advocacy, the art of
persuasion and to stage full-blown mock
trials, as well as by fellow students from
across the University.
Students training to be social workers,
interpreters, probation offi cers or
journalists for example, will practise
interviewing and testimony. Whilst
engineers, scientists, accountants and
psychologists will work with law students
by providing and being examined on
expert evidence.
New forensic scanner
CSI comes a step closer to reality in Portsmouth as tutor Dr Paul
Smith unveils a new BVDA GLScan forensic scanner. The new
GLScan machine, one of only 23 in the country, digitally captures
crime scene evidence such as fi ngerprints and footwear marks
using gelatine lifters. It promises to bring great benefi t to forensic
practitioners and academics alike.
Dr Smith says: ‘The system has a
great deal of potential beyond its initial
functions; we are collaborating with
the manufacturer and a range of police
organisations researching the potential
of the GLScan system to capture a
range of evidence types. It has given
our students the chance to be at the
forefront of developing new technology
and methodologies in consultation
with practitioners. Together we hope to
improve the effi ciency and effectiveness
of the crime scene process and forensic
evidence analysis.’
Laura Tellyn, studying within the Institute
of Criminal Justice Studies adds: ‘This
project has provided me with a brilliant
opportunity to gain an insight into
new techniques of collecting forensic
evidence, specifi cally in the fi eld of
footwear impression analysis. The aim of
my research is to test the gelatine lifting
method and GLScan system collecting
evidence on a variety of surfaces in
comparison with other methods, such
as Electrostatic Lifting (ELSA) and
powder lifting. From the initial research
conducted on surfaces, such as fl ooring
materials, I have advanced to look at
techniques to gelatine lift footwear
marks off clothing. If successful it could
greatly assist investigations in crimes
like assault and burglary to dwellings. I
have enormously enjoyed the challenge
of using this new piece of equipment
and I hope the research proves useful to
forensic investigations in the future.’
Communicator | Spring 2010 Spring 2010 | Communicator
05
The fi rst mock courtroom in the
south east of England which will
train lawyers, expert witnesses,
social workers and probation
offi cers of the future was opened
in February in Portsmouth
Business School by Resident
Judge of Portsmouth and the
Isle of Wight, Richard Price.
Over 80 guests, including local law
professionals, staff and the judiciary
attended the opening at which His Honour
Judge Price said: ‘I am very impressed
by the range and feel of this terrifi c new
facility at the University. The courtroom
will be a bonus to law students who
can learn advocacy skills in relaxed
surroundings with all sorts of professional
input from lecturers, judges and other
members of the legal profession.’
New applied
physics course
The Faculty of SSci
cien e ce has announced ed ttha
that
th they ey wwill
be launching a new ew undergraduate
degree, BS BSc (H (Hons) Applied Phy hysi sics c
st star a ting this Octobe ber. r. TThe
course has
been dev evel eloped in collabor orat atio ion with the
Faculty of Te chn hnol olog ogy and will be ba base sed
on act ctiv ive learning with an eemphasis
on
laboratory, co comp mputational and fi el eld wo w rk.
A laborato tory ry in Burnaby Buil ildi ding ng is
being re-equippe ped to form the learning ng
hub fo for the course. Local sc scie i ncebased
indust stri ries es have shown a st stro rong ng
in inte tere rest in this initiativ ive an and they will
be increasin ingl gly y involved as th the co course
pr progresses. A bid d ha has been accepted by
HEFCE fo for additional stude dent nt pplaces
on
this course – 20 eext
x ra this year and an a
ad addi diti tion o al 20 in both 20 2011 11 and
2012.
Th T e course brings to toge gether the physics
expert rtis is ise e of o staff in the ICG, G SSEE
EES, Maths,
Health and IIR IR are
reas a and specialist t
unit its s re refl fl ect the diverse ap appl pl p ications
of physics. Th The co c urse leader is CChr
Chris
De Dewd w ney in SEES, so pl plea e se email him im
with any enq nquiries.

06 University update University update 07
Gems of wisdom at AMBA event
In February, the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the Business School ran a collaborative event at
which Adrian Nixon MBA, Professional Strategic Consultant, gave an entertaining and thought-provoking
presentation titled Creating Clarity from Complexity – an insight into 2030 to an audience of around 60
MBA students, alumni, staff and AMBA members.
Meet
the new
harassment
advisers
New recruits to the Harassment Adviser
Network will be visiting a building near
you. The advisers are all members of
staff from across the campus who have
volunteered to spend time supporting
anyone who considers they may be the
victim of harassment or bullying, or who
has had a complaint made against them.
The advisers will be visiting various
buildings over the coming weeks to
introduce themselves and explain
the support that they can offer. The
introduction of the new Anti-Bullying and
Harassment Policy, and the increase in
the number of advisers, demonstrates
the University’s commitment to tackling
all forms of bullying and harassment and
other unacceptable behaviours.
The new policy was created in September
2009 and around 250 University managers
have attended a one-day training session
to understand the policy and learn how
to prevent, identify and resolve bullying
or harassment. The training days have
proved to be so popular and useful that
smaller two-hour training sessions have
been created to enable staff without
management responsibility to attend.
For more information on harassment and
bullying and for a full list of advisers and
times of the road shows, visit
www.port.ac.uk/harassmentadvice.
Communicator | Spring 2010
Acting Director of MBA Programmes,
James Rowe, said: ‘This is the fi rst time
the Business School has joined with AMBA
to host an event in the south east; so we
were delighted it was so well received.
Adrian is a fantastic communicator and his
presentation was very engaging.
‘He interweaved so many different areas of
business and management – there really was
Year 12
Conference
Series
Building on the success of last year’s
events, all fi ve of the University’s
faculties will be hosting a
conference for Year 12 students
and their teachers during the
2009/2010 academic year. The
conferences, coordinated by the
Education Liaison Team, will be
of interest to students who are
beginning to think about continuing
their education at university and the
sessions aim to educate, stimulate
thought and inspire the young
people in attendance.
Students are offered a broad selection
of ‘taster’ sessions in various subjects
within each faculty and are actively
encouraged to discuss the themes
presented in order to gain an insight
into the academic side of university
life. Positive feedback has been
received from both students and
teachers, in particular praising the
content of the sessions and the
‘experience of lectures as opposed
to small classroom teaching’.
CCI, Technology and Humanities
have so far played host to around 300
delegates with the upcoming Science
and Business conferences looking to
be equally as successful. Please see
www.port.ac.uk/year12conferenceseries
for the list of dates.
something for everyone. Adrian’s insight
into the future also sparked some lively
discussion at the networking event afterwards
which continued late into the evening.’
For more information on the Portsmouth
MBA, please visit www.port.ac.uk/mba.
CTU moves
from Estates
to Registry
With effect from 1 February 2010,
responsibility for the Central
Timetabling Unit (CTU) will be
moved from Estates to Academic
Registry. The budgets and offi cial
linkages on payroll and HR Systems
will be transferred on 1 August 2010.
CTU will continue to work from
their current physical location on
the top fl oor of 1 Guildhall Walk
for the foreseeable future, but will
operationally report to Andy Rees.
Andrew Cardy has kindly agreed to
continue to act as the budget holder
in following fi nancial processes and
systems until August.
The intention is that the synergies
between Registry and Timetabling in
terms of business process and system
interface can be progressed positively
by this closer working arrangement.
Although radical changes are not
planned for the year 2010–2011,
some changes will be necessary and
will need to be in place in time for
the revised academic structures due
to be implemented in academic year
2012–2013.
Clare Johnson has been appointed
the new Head of Timetabling.
Graduate Internship
Programme
Purple Door Careers and Recruitment is delighted to have received
HEFCE funding to coordinate a number of internships which will
provide graduates with paid meaningful work experience at this
diffi cult economic time.
The internships are available to local SMEs and businesses identifi ed by the Government
as priority areas for economic growth and as part of the programme employers receive a
subsidy of £1,200 per internship.
Julia Hughes, Head of Employability advised: ‘We are working with local businesses to
place graduates into roles that will use their skills and knowledge to make a valuable
contribution to the business, whilst providing graduates with relevant work experience
for their future graduate career.’
Internships are primarily, but not
exclusively, aimed at unemployed
graduates who have qualifi ed with an
undergraduate degree in 2008 or 2009
and are paid full-time opportunities that
last for a minimum of 12 weeks; although
employers are encouraged to take on the
graduate for a longer period.
Purple Door Careers and Recruitment are
also supporting graduates during and after
the internship by visiting the placement
and working with graduates to refl ect on
what they have gained. Careers advice, CV
help and access to a range of workshops
on interview techniques, job hunting and
staying motivated is also offered as part of
the programme.
If you require any further information on the
programme, please contact Alice Hickman
on 023 9284 2703.
Electronic Materials and Assembly
Processes for Space Workshop
On 17 February, the Department of
Electronic and Computer Engineering
(ECE) sponsored a very successful
workshop with some 50 professional
engineers/researchers converging from
all over Europe in Dennis Sciama Building.
ECE organiser, Dr Boris Gremont,
said: ‘This is an important event that
demonstrates the buoyant local and
international interest in designing highend
high value added electronic systems
that take account of the materials,
processes, best practice and the space
environment.’
Recent
senior staff
appointments
We’d like to welcome the following
members of staff into their new
roles:
• In April, Professor Djamel Ait-
Boudaoud will join us as the new
Dean of Technology.
• Ms Jenny Morice has changed
roles to become the Associate
Dean (Academic) in CCI.
• Dr Tineke Fitch has been
appointed the Associate Dean
(Academic) in Technology.
• Ms Jane Chandler became the
new Associate Dean (Students)
in CCI on 1 March.
The event also consolidated ECE’s
commitment to hosting the European
Space Agency-approved electronics
lab and to maintaining our links with
industrial partners. The workshop is
also a very useful forum demonstrating
how universities can support networking
professionals. The event ran very
smoothly with a welcome talk from
Pro Vice-Chancellor Dr Arrell and some
help from the Research and Knowledge
Transfer team.
LOAD£D
– loads of fun, loads of
info, loads of money!
The Student Finance Centre and the
Students’ Union joined forces this year
to host LOAD£D – a week of activities
to help students make their money
go further. The week took place from
Mo Mond nday ay 8 tto
Fr Frid iday ay 112
Fe Febr brua uary ry aat
locations across the University –
and it was a great t success!
The aim of the week was to raise
students’ awareness of the services
provided by the Student Finance Centre
and to encourage them t to thi think
k caref fully
l
about spending money. Student Finance
staff were on hand, offering advice and
guidance about money-related topics.
A range of activities and workshops
we were re ooff
ffer ered ed – aand
nd by b fa far th the
most popular were the cooking
demonstrations on Monday. Nick Leach,
Head of Catering Services, showed
students how to cook healthy meals on
a budget – dishes included a sausage
and bean stew, chicken and tarragon
pasta, andd TThai-style
l tuna bburgers.
Th They
spoke with over 100 students on the
Monday – a great start to the week. In
total the centre engaged with over
27 275 st stud uden ents ts aand
nd ssta
taff ff.
Throughout the week students were
asked to take a ‘taste test’ and guess
which food item was a famous brand,
and which was the supermarket own
brand. It was pleasing to hear that many
students cook at home and already take
advantage of supermarket value brands,
an and in mman
any ca case ses fa favo vour ured ed tthe
he oown
wnbrand
products.
Guests from Portsmouth City Council’s
Recycling team, the Inland Revenue,
the Environment Centre and Trading
Standards attended to gi g ve students
information and advice on moneyrelated
issues. The Student Finance
Centre were also supported by Catering
Services, Purple Door Careers and
Recruitment, and Student Housing. They
would like to thank all of those who were
in invo volv lved ed aand
nd con contr
trib ibut uted ed ttow
owar ards ds tthe
he
events’ success.
Spring 2010 | Communicator

08
Proposed new building Rising applications
New build to house new halls of
residence and teaching space
In February, it was formally announced that the University is negotiating
with Portsmouth City Council to purchase and develop the site of the
Victoria Swimming Baths in Anglesea Road, to provide a further 600 new
halls of residence rooms, plus additional teaching and offi ce space for
the Faculty of Humanities, together with a 300-seat lecture theatre.
The plans
The demolition work has very recently
started. Alongside this, the designs will
continue to be worked on and refi ned
and will be revealed as they progress.
It is intended that the planning application
will be submitted to the Council in May
and a response is expected by August.
There will then be a 12-week review
period, so if all goes to plan, the site
should be handed over by the end of
October, by which time the designs will
have been fi nalised.
It is planned that the building work will start
at the end of October 2010 and will be
completed by the summer of 2012, ready
for use for the academic year 2012/13.
The building
Preliminary designs show the building to
be 33 storeys and comprise 598 student
bedrooms and approx 4,500sq m of
teaching and offi ce space. The teaching
space will include a much-needed 300seat
lecture theatre as well as a smaller
100-seat lecture theatre. There will also
be a catering outlet for approximately
200 people.
The offi ce space will be allocated to
staff from the Institute of Criminal Justice
Studies (ICJS) and the School of Education
and Continuing Studies (SECS).
Funding information
The student accommodation part of the
build will be funded by a development
partner who will pay for the construction
and who will undertake the management
of the bedrooms and fl ats. This is a
widespread approach for funding student
accommodation throughout the sector and
the University currently leases nearly 50 per
cent of its student accommodation from
development partners.
The University will fund the academic
parts of the build and this project has
already been accounted for in the capital
plan. The money will come from a
combination of HEFCE capital grants
and University resources.
Although the sector is going through a
diffi cult fi nancial time, all spending within
the capital plan is being re-evaluated
and while other projects may need to be
reviewed and their timing and priorities
adjusted, everything being undertaken is
currently considered affordable.
The importance of this new building
Adding this new building to our estate
is important as we currently do not have
enough student beds for all fi rst years
who wish to live in halls. This development
will go a signifi cant way to meeting this
demand and improving our estate, ensuring
we continue to deliver an excellent student
experience.
This new space will not only provide two
new lecture theatres, it will also allow ICJS
and SECS to be located more centrally and
much closer to the Faculty of Humanities.
Implications for other buildings
As ICJS and SECS will be moving to the
new building, alternative proposals will
ultimately be needed for the future use of
St George’s Building.
Other upcoming plans for the estate
As you may already know, Eldon Building
will be undergoing some changes in the
not too distant future in a bid to improve
facilities and bring more of the Faculty of
Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI)
under one roof.
Design and planning of the project is still
underway and CCI is working closely
with Estates to decide what will go in
the new building and what is needed.
Value for money is paramount in these
considerations while ensuring a building
that delivers an excellent student
experience and the design team and
architects have already been appointed
and preliminary work is already underway.
The planned new building on the Victoria
Baths site has already received some
positive coverage in the local press with
positive responses from University staff,
city councillors and the local community.
Communicator | Spring 2010 Spring 2010 | Communicator
09
Continued rise
in undergraduate
applications for 2010
number of undergraduate applications
for Home and EU students. By the
ke key appl plic icatio tion
poin int in tthe
he cycle le, 15
January, this increase was +25 per cent
on the same date in 2008.
When we began 2010 recruitment in
September we could not have imagined
that we would experience an increase
li like thi his again. i HHowever,
at the 115
January deadline 2010 we saw a further
20 per cent increase on the previous
ye y ar ar. A fa facu cult lty y br brea eakd kdow own of tthe
hese se
increases can be found at www.port.
ac.uk/intranet/admissions/2010apps.
Graph to show the growth in
applications since 2007/08 entry
Experience from last year proved that
our offer-maki f king arrangements t are
robust and enable us to manage large
increases in volume without any undue
im impa pa p ct oon
th the co cont ntro rol of nnew
ew eent
ntra rant nt
numbers and profi les. However, as
important as numbers are, admissions
and recruitment is not only about
statistics.
Opportunities and challenges we face
in tthi
his en envi viro ronm nmen ent me mean an tha that
we nee need
to remain vigilant about our objectives
for undergraduate admission. We can
apply greater selectivity to admissions
and have a greater t choice of f candi didates,
qualifi cations and, of course, higher
levels of achievement in advanced
level study. y The corollary y of this happ pp ppy y
position is that we must be purposeful
about maintaining our commitment
to fairness and consistency and to
widening participation candidates.
We will experience a busy time at
co confi nfi nfirrma
ma mati ti tion on thi
his ye year ar aand
nd we w wi will ll
learn a great deal to help us refi ne our
requirements and operations for 2011
entry. Although we cannot imagine
achi hieving a double b fi gure increase for f a
further year, we clearly cannot rule it out
and need to prepare for it.

10 University update University update 11
Former lecturer
restores courtroom’s
coat of arms
A former Portsmouth lecturer has restored the
Royal Coat of Arms now hanging in the University’s
new mock courtroom. Roger Tidbury, who used
to teach restoration and decorative studies at the
University, used his expertise to transform the
Royal crest from well-worn to pristine in time
for the courtroom’s offi cial opening.
Head of the School of Law, Caroline Strevens, said: ‘We were very
grateful to the Clerk to the Magistrates, Jonathan Black, for his gift
of the coat of arms from the disused Eastleigh Magistrates’ court.
‘When it arrived at the University it was slightly broken and in
need of care and attention. Roger fi xed a new back plate and
new gold leaf so that it could take pride of place in our lovely
new courtroom. We were lucky to track Roger down as he was
absolutely the man for the job and the crest looks superb now
that it has been restored to its original condition.’
Best psychology
conference poster 2009
In October 2009 all
second-year psychology
undergraduates took part in a
poster conference as part of
a group piece of coursework,
coordinated by Dr Lorenzo
Stafford. For this assignment
they were asked to conduct a
qualitative study with a choice
of two broad research areas: the psychology of crowd behaviour
and interpersonal relationships and commitment. In addition to
more formal assessment by members of staff, students themselves
were asked to choose which group had produced the best poster.
This year the winners were Josephine Parker, Vienna Rose, Davina
Patel, Emma Wood, Maria Fernandes and Clare Danks with their
impressive study and poster: A study of the effects of music on
crowd behaviour. Well done to them!
Pictured are: Josephine Parker, Vienna Rose, Davina Patel,
Emma Wood and Maria Fernandes.
Communicator | Spring 2010
New telephone
equipment
A University-wide project to replace the entire telephone
system is planned to commence in the summer, starting
in James Watson Building. All staff will be given a
new telephone and behind the scenes, new telephony
equipment will be installed, though extension numbers
will remain unchanged.
The installation will take place during working hours and
dates will be pre-arranged with departments to avoid any
disruption. The aim is to complete the project in 18 months.
This upgrade is being carried out because the existing
telephony equipment is over 20 years old and relies on
second-hand spares to keep it running; by installing a new
modern system we can stop unreliability becoming an issue
and allow for potential future developments in the service.
All staff will be asked to ensure access to cabling is as free
as possible and once the telephone is fi tted to reboot their
PC/laptop to ensure your computer still connects to the
network. To complete the install action of the telephone,
there will be brief interruption to your network connection
and your telephone service.
To manage this project, a project team will undertake
the planning, liaise with departments and manage the
installation. The project board, made up of senior University
managers and a governor, will provide overall direction and
review project team decisions.
The Project Team’s Rollout Coordinator will be the central
point of contact during this process. In return we will be
asking each department to nominate a member of staff
to act as their point of contact in the run up to their
installation date.
A Few Lines
Staff from the BA (Hons) Fashion and Textile Design with
Enterprise course put on an exhibition in February which
weaved together their experience, expertise, interests,
diverse practice and research.
‘A Few Lines’ refl ects the practice and research of Christine
Field, Rachel Homewood, Sue Noble, Sallymay Hamilton,
Elaine Igoe and Ruth Lacey, all staff members from the
School of Art, Design and Media. In fashion design, ‘line’
is used to describe the form of a garment in relation to the
fi gure and the word is used to describe a series of garments
which form a ‘fashion line’.
The staff explored the notion of ‘line’ in a variety of ways
such as a sustainable fashion collection, stylised and
exaggerated silhouette, lines of thought, drawn or woven
mark, print, applied patterning, collage and stitch in
traditional domestic craft, and multiculturalism through text
and traditional ethnic decoration. The exhibition took place
in SPACE between 12 February and 5 March.
Portsmouth
graduation –
in Malaysia!
Vice-Chancellor John Craven recently conferred
degrees at a ceremony at the Crowne Plaza
Mutiara Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
The celebration was attended by some 250 graduands, friends,
families and representatives from several of the University’s
partners, including INTI University College, Sunway University
College, Informatics Singapore, Kuala Lumpur Infrastructure
University College and Institut Perguruan Darulaman.
Christabel Lopez, who represented the graduating class of
2009, delivered a speech in which she described her wonderful
experience of university life and her gratitude for the opportunities
which this had opened up for her. Christabel studied a Master’s in
Civil Engineering and is currently working as a project manager in
a local engineering fi rm.
Speaking at the traditional tea party which had been laid on for
participants, the University’s International Director, Joe Docherty,
said: ‘Students from 13 different countries have travelled here
to attend this ceremony which is our way of sharing in their
success and of showing our appreciation of the families who have
supported them and the partners who have worked closely with
us. Our links with Malaysia go back over 20 years and we are
proud of the University of Portsmouth alumni who have gone on
to achieve success after returning home.’
One of the highest achievers from the class of 2009 is Asvin Ang,
a Malaysian student who graduated with fi rst class honours in
civil engineering. Asvin represented the University and the South
of England in national engineering student competitions while he
was studying his Master of Engineering course. He is currently
working in the UK.
Representing the University were Dean of Science, Professor Paul
Hayes, Professor Maniruzzaman from the School of Law, John
Walton of Portsmouth Business School, Dr David Ndzi from the
Faculty of Technology and the Director of University’s South East
Asia Regional Offi ce, Adele Wong.
Students receive
a helping hand
Three University of Portsmouth students have
recently been awarded grants from Cllr Alex
Bentley’s charity: The Bentley Young Persons
Trust. The awards were granted in recognition
for the students’ dedication and commitment
to their studies, despite challenging personal
circumstances.
The Bentley Young Persons Trust was formed in 1996 and
helps the young people of Portsmouth to achieve their full
potential. There may be special circumstances, which have
made studying harder than for the average student. These
may be due to disabilities or family circumstances. This year,
all three students received a grant of £300, which they could
use towards materials to complete their studies.
Laura Carpenter is a Funds Offi cer at the University and
coordinates the nomination process. Laura comments:
‘Counsellor Bentley has supported University students
through the Bentley Trust for the past ten years. We are
extremely grateful for the support we continue to receive. Not
only do the students benefi t fi nancially, they are encouraged
and motivated by being nominated.’
For more information about the Bentley Trust and other
sources of funding, contact the Student Finance Centre.
Pancake race for Haiti
Every year, the University Chaplaincy hosts a Pancake
Race on Shrove Tuesday, a fun event to fundraise for
charity and give staff the opportunity to network and
relax together (while eating pancakes, of course). This
year’s event was no exception, after a rapid relocation
to the new Third Space due to the weather. Three teams
participated, from Directorate, Halls of Residence and
the Staff Social Committee and they had to proceed
around an obstacle course while fl ipping their pancakes.
Prizes and goodie bags were offered to all, with the
remainder of the pancakes being distributed among
all present.
This year’s fundraising was for the Disaster Emergencies
Committee’s appeal for Haiti and the total amount raised was
£100. Thanks to all who participated and helped organise the
event, and a special thanks to the CCI staff and students for
their additional fundraising which contributed to the total.
We are looking forward to even more teams next year,
so start practising!
Cake sale
The Faculty of Science raised £212.58 for the Haiti appeal by
hosting a cake sale on 5 February. A big thank you to everyone
who baked, donated and purchased cakes on the day.
Spring 2010 | Communicator

12 Research round up RKTS update 13
KTP award for IIR
A research collaboration between the University’s
Institute of Industrial Research (IIR) and Flight Data
Services Ltd received the award for Best Knowledge
Transfer Partnership (KTP) in the south east and will
now be entered for a national award.
The organisations collaborated under a three-year
KTP, the government’s fl agship scheme which facilitates
academic institutions working with businesses. Together
they developed a computer program which uses artifi cial
intelligence to analyse data recorded in an aircraft’s
black box.
The intelligent software is now facilitating analysis of black
boxes at greater speed and accuracy than ever before. The
project is of particular interest as it achieved far more than its
expected outcomes and demonstrated the professional work
that the University undertakes. Through the life of the project,
the graduate, company and the Portsmouth academics
involved adapted to a changing software environment. At
the end of the project, the company had a new licensable
product in the pipeline as well as the original intended
outcome of a more effi cient analysis and business operation.
Dr David Brown, Head of the IIR said: ‘We’re delighted
with the award especially because the south east region is
considered the toughest region in which to win because it
has the highest number of partnerships running at any one
time in the country.’
This Partnership received fi nancial support from the
Knowledge Transfer Partnership’s programme. KTP aims
to help businesses to improve their competitiveness and
productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology
and skills that reside within the UK knowledge base. KTP
is funded by the Technology Strategy Board along with the
other government funding organisations.
If you would like to know more about the KTP programme,
or how to get involved, please email us at rkts@port.ac.uk.
HR study – fi rst of its kind
Senior Lecturer in Human Resource and Marketing Management,
Vijay Pereira, has conducted the fi rst ever study on the HR
practices in the world’s largest commercial employer – Indian
Railways. Indian Railways are a 156-year-old organisation
and employ 1.7 million people. The study was sponsored
by the Society for Human Resource Management, which is
the world’s largest association devoted to human resource
management. Representing more than 250,000 members
in over 140 countries, the Society serves the needs of HR
professionals and advances the interests of the HR profession.
The title of the study presented to 60 US and Indian Chief
HR Offi cers and CEOs on the 11 December 2009 in Mumbai
was Indian Railways: Managing People in the World’s Largest
Commercial Employer. See the following link for the executive
summary:
www.shrmindia.org/leadership-next-research-studyindian-railways.
Communicator | Spring 2010
Gene regulation
grant awarded
A £440,000 grant to study the structural
basis of gene regulation in bacteria has been
won by Professor Geoff Kneale and Dr John
McGeehan of the Institute of Biomedical
and Biomolecular Sciences.
Awarded by the
Biotechnology
and Biomedical
Research Council
(BBSRC),
the grant will
advance the
understanding
of horizontal
gene transfer
in bacterial
communities
and provide new insights into novel mechanisms of DNA
sequence recognition by gene regulatory proteins.
The spread of bacterial resistance to existing antibiotics
represents a major health risk; in the longer term, this
research could underpin the development of a novel
class of anti-bacterial drugs.
Solo sailing research
Sports psychologist Dr Neil Weston is to study what it takes
to be a world-class solo sailor and produce guidelines on
how to prepare for sailing single-handed around the world.
Dr Weston will work with competitors of the VELUX 5 Oceans
Race 2010–11 to determine how these unique individuals
prepare for ‘The Ultimate Solo Challenge’.
The research will build on an earlier study that analysed the
effects of the different ocean legs around the world on the
physical, mental and emotional state of the solo skipper,
during the 2006–07 VELUX 5 Oceans race.
Dr Weston, from the Department of Sport and Exercise
Science, specialises in solo ocean sailing research and will
interview the competitors and their shore managers before
and after the event. He hopes to get ‘under the skin’ of the
solo ocean sailor and carry out a systematic evaluation of
the key strategies employed to prepare a skipper and their
boat for single-handed round-the-world events.
Dr Weston will present the results at a conference after the
race and will publish a detailed report in a scientifi c journal.
A detailed overview of the fi ndings will be available to
skippers on request and Clipper Ventures will be able to
provide a detailed guide to skippers entered into future
editions of the VELUX 5 OCEANS to help them optimally
prepare for the event.
The ageing issue, what’s it all about?
Ageing is an important issue affecting the UK. The ageing population has signifi cant social and
economic implications. By 2030, it is projected that 50 per cent of the population will be over
the age of 50 and 33 per cent aged over 60. Ageing is high on the government agenda and the
University has allocated around £500,000 of its HEIF 4 funding. Where is the money going?
1. Activating Ageing Workforce for Continuous
Employment (M. Xu, D. Smith and C. Rayner)
If ten per cent of the age group 55–64 continues to work,
this would equate to 3.5 million active employees in the EU.
This project will focus on highly skilled older workers who
want to continue working and the fact that this is a potential
economic opportunity. This group is likely to have a positive
impact on organisations and the economy if their knowledge
and skills are retained for longer. The project aims to develop
an understanding of the issues such as changes needed in
the working environment and explore solutions to engage the
ageing workforce effectively.
2. Digital Wellbeing (D.Azzi, R.Khusainov, J.Briggs, R.Curry)
This project proposes to use a dedicated staff resource
to establish a faculty-wide research facility. This would
consolidate existing expertise in wireless sensor networks,
embedded systems, health informatics, context aware
services, intelligent data processing and pattern recognition
to position the University to effectively respond to the growing
opportunities in the Assisted Living sector. Equipment will be
set up in different environments such as home and offi ce in
which typical activities are carried out and sensor data will
then be recorded.
3. Putting Evidence for Older People into Practice
in Living Environments (PEOPPLE) (T. Dean)
Working at a local level, the aim of this proposed project will be
to engage with older people in a range of living environments,
as well as family and informal and professional carers. A
network will be created where people are listened to and
problems identifi ed so that the likely future needs of old
people can be identifi ed.
4. Characterisation of Novel Hydrogel Plugs
for Knee Repair Purposes (J. Tong)
Arthritis is a common condition affecting 15 per cent of the
total world population. This is predicted to rise to 18.2 per
cent by 2020. Recently, Novel Hydrogel implants have been
developed to replace worn out cartilage surfaces. To date
there is no published data on the biomechanical properties
of the implant.
New faces on the research scene
Looking forward to the continuing excellence of research produced by the University and its associated knowledge
transfer, there are now some new faces on the scene to help provide support to the research community.
Faculty of Science
Dr David Hutchinson joined
the University in January as
the Environment Facilitator
and is here to help coordinate
environment-related teaching
and research.
He will be doing this in
collaboration with a crossfaculty
steering group. The
creation of the Portsmouth
Environment Group (PEG)
will foster links between
academics in different
departments to promote
continued engagement with
the environmental research and
knowledge transfer agenda.
The formation of PEG will
help facilitate opportunities
in teaching that will nurture a
more holistic delivery. If you
want to know more, please
contact david.hutchinson@
port.ac.uk.
RKTS
Within RKTS three new
business associates have
been recruited:
Lynda Povey previously
worked in the pharmaceutical
industry in various sales and
training roles. In November
2008, Lynda joined Sunrise
Senior Living in Southampton
as Director of Community
Relations.
Lynda is providing support to
the Faculty of Science. If you
feel that Lynda can help you,
please email her
lynda.povey@port.ac.uk.
Sandra Johnson worked for
the Scott Wilson Group, an
international consulting
engineering company for
eight years. Her last role with
Scott Wilson was as a Senior
Business Support Manager,
leading a team responsible for
all business support including
management, fi nance and
database development.
Sandra is providing support
to the Faculty of Technology.
If you feel that Sandra can help
you, please email her sandra.
johnson@port.ac.uk.
Gill Prosser worked in
research and development at
the Royal Mint for 20 years. In
2007 she joined the University
of Wales, Newport, in the
European Offi ce managing the
funding of ESF, ERDF and WAG
funded projects.
Gill is now providing support to
Knowledge Transfer Parnership
(KTP) bids, the technological
areas of cyber and mobile
security, police authority
engagement and human issues
involved with security. If you
feel that Gill can help you,
please email her
gill.prosser@port.ac.uk.
They join the RKTS team, who
continue to offer support to
the research community in a
wide range of areas such as
grant applications, contract
negotiation, research reporting
and knowledge transfer. If you
think that we can be of help,
please contact us at rkts@port.
ac.uk or ext 6191.
Spring 2010 | Communicator

14 Staff development Last word
Informative and free
Find out more about the services and benefi ts available to
University staff at the next Information Fair taking place on
Thursday 8 April 2010 from 1pm to 1.30pm in the Atrium,
Portland Building. Initially, the Information Fair was aimed only
at new staff joining the University. However, in response to
feedback received, any member of staff interested can attend.
The Information Fair enables staff to collect reference
information from service providers, ask questions and more
importantly make personal contacts that will improve the
quality of their working lives at the University. A variety of
departments and professional services will be represented.
Prior booking is not necessary; you can just turn up on the
day. For further information, please email msd@port.ac.uk.
Learning at Work Week
Following the success of the Learning at Work activities
offered and funded by UNISON at the University in the last two
years, work is underway to produce a programme for June
Engaging and supporting our staff:
update on Staff Survey outcomes
Key University committees and groups have received and
discussed summaries of the University’s results and our survey
provider Capita will be visiting the University shortly to provide
further supp pport with interpr p etation and action-planning. g In
addition, Capita have produced a range of faculty/service-level
reports setting out the results for each specifi c area of work and
how these compare with the University’s results overall. Staff
can be assured that in so doing, anonymity for respondents has
been maintained. HR business partners are supporting faculty/
se serv rvic ice ma mana nage geme ment nt ttea
eams ms wwit
ith th the pr proc oces ess of ssum
umma mari risi sing ng
from these reports what is going well in addition to what might
need to impr p ove. This information will be communicated
widely to staff in those areas in the coming weeks. Meanwhile,
Staff interview : Kelly Russell
This issue we talk to Kelly Russell, Human Resources Business Partner
Service Centre Manager, about the changes taking place in HR.
What is your background and work history?
I started my HR career working as an
apprentice for Matra Marconi Space in
1997. In 1998 I moved to Sunsail, focusing
on tthe
he rrec
ecru ruit itme ment nt oof
se seas ason onal al sta staff
ff. I
joined the University in May 2000 as a
2010. This year it is very much a joint activity involving your
union branches – UNISON and UCU – and the University.
Further information will be made available soon but in the
meantime, here is an idea of some of the varied sessions we
are hoping to offer: silver ring making, basic fi tness testing,
‘wildlife gardening’, a drawing workshop, tracing your family
tree, ‘anyone for sculpture’, pilates taster, a visit to the marine
sciences laboratory at Eastney, Fitpole and yoga taster
sessions, and work shadowing the University’s Energy and
Environmental Manager. For more information, please contact
unison@port.ac.uk.
Offi ce online training
IT Desktop Training can now offer staff the opportunity to
gain access to an online training resource for Microsoft
Offi ce applications called CheckPoint. Registration is free,
but a commitment to access learning regularly and utilise the
resource is required from staff and their department. If you
would like to discuss your learning needs before registration,
then please feel free to contact desktop.training@port.ac.uk.
Many of you will remember completing the Staff Survey in May of last year and reading an
article in the Autumn Communicator about our results. Below is a brief update on actions
taken since that time.
University-level results are being used to inform HR policy
reviews. Those relating specifi cally to cross-University
communication are being reviewed by a newly established Staff
Communications Working Group who will update readers in due
course about how these might be addressed.
To read about our survey results in more detail and keep in
touch with activities ongoing or planned that relate to them,
visit the HR intranet: www.port.ac.uk/intranet/
hu huma manr nres esou ourc rces es/s /str trat ateg egya yand ndpl plan anni ning ng.
Personnel Ad Admiiniistrator t and was pr p omot ted
d
to Personnel Offi cer in 2003. In 2009 I was
seconded into my current role.
What does your role involve?
My main responsibility involves managing
Last Word
We all cherish our freedom and dislike being told what to do, or
not to do. Of course that does not mean that we can do whatever
we like. Most of us are happy to engage in a relationship with
each other that is based on rules of behaviour which limit what
we might do to others because we would not want them to do
it to us. We also accept that these ways of behaving, to which
most of us voluntarily comply most of the time, need to be
backed up by laws which impose penalties if people break them.
We can still choose to break the law, but only in the expectation
that penalties may follow.
It becomes harder to think about these
things when we are faced not with
laws, but with fi nancial incentives to
modify what we do. Changing taxes and
social benefi ts can sometimes work in
promoting the government’s objectives,
but not always. The government does
encourage us not to smoke, could
discourage binge drinking, but can’t
reduce teenage pregnancies, by
imposing taxes. It can charge us to see
the dentist, could charge to see the GP,
but cannot stop benefi ts because we
vote for the other side.
These same issues apply to universities
in what is often called the debate about
‘autonomy’. We are independent.
We recruit our own students and our
governors and all our staff including the
vice-chancellor are appointed through
th the h Se Serv rvic ice Ce Cent ntre re a nd d a ttea
eam of off 111
pe peop ople le tto
de deli li live ver th the HR aadm
dmin inis istr trat ativ tive
se serv rv rvic ic ice. I hhav
av ave al also so bee
een ta task sk sked ed
wi with th con
onti ti tinu nu nuin in ing it its de deve ve velo lo lopm pm pmen en ent an and
im impr pr prov ov ovem em emen en ent to mmee
ee eet th the ne need ed eds of
th the Un Univ iver ersi sity ty. As ppar
art of tthe
he ccon
onti tinu nual al
de deve velo lopm pmen ent of the
HHR
Se Serv rvic ice Ce Cent ntre re, a
new HR sys y tem is ddue
tto
be iimplement
ted
d
over the summer.
What changes have occurred in HR over
the past two years?
When Peter Brook joined us in 2008 he
mechanisms that we own. That is not true
in some other countries where academics
are civil servants and vice-chancellors
and governors are the nominees of
the ministry of education. If we make
a mess of our fi nances, I can be called
to account by the Funding Council and
by Parliament because we receive a
lot of public money, but ultimately the
responsibility for sorting out the mess lies
with the University – unless, I guess, it
‘goes into administration’.
There is controversy around at the
moment because the Funding Council
has only one ultimate weapon to
safeguard public money – which is to
stop paying the grant to a university,
forcing it rapidly to bankruptcy. Given the
need to protect the reputation of higher
education, this is akin to the nuclear
re rest stru ruct ctur ur ed d tthe
he ddep
epar artm tmen ent to eest
stab abli b li sh h
a pa part rtne tners
rshi hi hip ap appr proa oa ch h tto
th the de deli li live very ry
of HHR.
TThe
he SSer
er ervi vi vice ce CCen
en entr tr tre ha has br brou ou ough gh ght
th the ad admi mi mini ni nist st stra ra rati ti tion on iint
nt nto wh what at wwe
th thin in ink wi will ll
be a ‘o ‘one ne ne-sto sto
topp
sh shop op op’ fo for tr tran an ansa sa sact ct ctio io ions ns
an and sh shou ould ld sstr
trea eaml mlin ine ou our cu curr rren ent HR
pr proc oces esse ses to eena
nabl ble th the de depa part rtme ment nt to
do oth ther thi things
to progr g ess HR wit ithi hin th the
organisation.
What effects have these changes had on
staff and the University?
The new structure has been in place since
Communicator | Spring 2010 Spring 2010 | Communicator
15
option, because a university cannot just
close: someone would need to deal at
least with the consequences for students
who are in mid-course.
The Funding Council has suggested
taking powers to fi re the vice-chancellor
and board of governors in these extreme
circumstances and some are questioning
whether this direct sanction is an
infringement of our independence, even
though no-one questions the right of
the Funding Council to stop paying the
grant in certain circumstances. I am less
concerned about this proposal because
ultimately those who run universities
should be held to account and leadership
should change if we are not meeting
some defi ned standards.
My view is that our freedom is much
more compromised because of the
current restrictions on the numbers of
students we can recruit. We are not free
to decide to take more students – and
students are not all able to go to the
university that they choose. Of course,
with a shortage of places relative to the
numbers applying, every university will hit
their imposed target this summer, but for
some that involves protection against the
possibility that students would choose to
go somewhere else if they could. HEFCE
needs to work on that issue, recognising
that budgets are tight, by giving us
incentives rather than telling us what to do.
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What are your interests outside of work?
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