Zandra for Chancellor:
Fashion designer Zandra Rhodes has accepted the post of Chancellor, and will be formally installed this spring.
Film graduates net Scottish BAFTA:
UCA Farnham Film Production graduates Billy Campbell and David Trevail have collected the prize for best short film at this year's Scottish BAFTAs for their film 'Life of a Pigeon.'
Bourne director pays UCA a visit:
Award winning Farnham graduate etches first solo exhibition:
Award winning UCA graduate Craig Wilson (25) has opened a new exhibition of his work at the Barn Creative Arts Club in Farnham
Zadoc Nava completes first solo exhibition:
Israeli Banksy visits Farnham students:
Visiting Israeli street artist KNOW HOPE painted a mural for the University following a week of workshops to Fine Art and Media students at UCA Farnham.
Elephant sculpture visits Sydney:
Principal lecturer for sculpture at UCA Canterbury Anthony Heywood has exhibited his new elephant sculpture at the world acclaimed Sculpture by the Sea event at Bondi Beach.
X Factor dress:
A student from UCA Epsom had her skills displayed in front of millions of people when a dress she worked on during a work experience placement was worn by Cheryl Cole during an episode of ITV's The X Factor.
This is your newsletter:
ucreative update
I would like to welcome you back from your Christmas break. I realise that the start of the new term has been complicated by the severe weather conditions and I appreciate the efforts of all staff to minimise the effects of the enforced campus closures on the University.
In my welcome to this edition of Ezine, I want to focus in particular on activity in relation to key strategic priorities for 2009/10. My personal priorities for this year focus on internal communications and external lobbying ('raising our game').
Internal communications
Shortly before the Christmas break, I posted an announcement on the Staff Portal about the outcomes of Staff Survey. I was pleased and encouraged by the improved response rate (an increase of 3% from the previous survey) and I would like to thank all of the staff who took time to contribute. Your responses will enable the Executive to put in place an action plan to address any areas for further development that have been identified within the results.
Overall, the results indicate that staff satisfaction with the University as an employer has increased since the last survey. This is particularly encouraging as the survey took place in the context of a difficult external environment (both nationally and for the sector) and substantial institutional change.
Further, it is heartening to note that a number of the areas for further development relate to existing strategic priorities for the University, and as such are already the subject of focussed activity. In particular, internal communications have been identified by staff in the 2008/09 survey as an area for improvement. This is in line with strategic objectives for 2009/10, which have resulted in the introduction of new mechanisms for communication, including a pilot 'Strategic Briefings Process', and a strategic focus on interdepartmental working.
In relation to the Strategic Briefing process which began in the Autumn term 2009, I am pleased to report that this round of meetings is nearly complete. Most staff should now have had access to an open discussion with an identified academic lead or their department head, a representative from the Executive and either myself or the Deputy Vice-Chancellor. The response to these meetings was positive, with useful discussions taking place about a range of issues in relation to the Strategic priorities for 2009/10.
A more thorough consideration of the discussions that took place at the Strategic Briefing meetings, including an update about activity in relation to the issues raised, is contained elsewhere in this edition of Ezine.
The enthusiasm and commitment of staff across the University to enhancing the student experience was evident in the Strategic Briefing meetings and there was a sense of a commonality of purpose amongst staff to achieve a high quality in all of the University's endeavours.
External lobbying
During the Strategic Briefings it became increasingly evident that the interface between the University and the external environment was of key importance to staff. This was most clearly evidenced in conversation about the ongoing sustainability of the University through promotion of our courses and campaigning for adequate funding in the face of government prioritisation of 'STEM' subjects. Discussions in Strategic Briefings about the support infrastructure for our courses highlighted the resource intensive nature of art and design education.
I continue to lobby for art and design to ensure that our subjects are not marginalised in HE funding debates. You may well have seen my recent articles in The Guardian Education and The THE in relation to 'The Case for Design' and the press attention that these have generated. I will continue to seek opportunities to raise the profile of our subjects and our University and to ensure our ongoing sustainability.
Finally I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year and look forward to UCA having an enjoyable and productive 2010.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Elaine Thomas
Maidstone Studios Media Village Welcomes UCA
The University's new innovative Broadcast Media Foundation Degree with a BA (Hons) one year top-up will be delivered in collaboration with the Maidstone Studios commencing February 2010.
Pro Vice-Chancellor elected Chair of Design Research Society
Dr Seymour Roworth-Stokes has been appointed as Chair of the Design Research Society - the world's leading scholarly design research body.
Consultancy Register
The Research & Enterprise department has been developing UCA Consultancy focused in creating support mechanisms for staff undertaking consultancy and in promoting their expertise to businesses.
Erasmus review
Caroline Perks from the Study Abroad & International Programmes Office gives a run down of last semester's University Erasmum placements.
Textiles professor wins prestigious funding award
Lesley Millar, Professor of Textiles Culture has been awarded one of five prestigious Craft Council funding awards for a collaborative project she is organising with the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
UCA Epsom collect accolades at student design awards
Design students picked up several awards at this year's PaperCo Brief Encounters awards.
Emerging themes from strategic briefing
During the Autumn Term 2009, a series of Strategic Briefing meetings took place as a new pilot communication mechanism.
Learning and Teaching Conference 2010
All staff are invited to attend this years conference at the British Museum on 22 January which will discuss 'Enhancing student learning: employability and entrepreneurship.'
Top tips for getting good press coverage for your course
The Press and PR team offer some tips on the kind of stories that are likely to be popular with media
FE Staff Show 09
An exhibition at UCA Rochester contained a diverse and eclectic range of materials and processes from fashion illustration, mixed media collage and photography reflecting the diversity of the practices and spectrum of disciplines taught within Further Education at the University.
Ur Idea - update
The University challenged students at the start of the autumn term to use their creative and innovation skills in coming up with an idea that makes the world a better place.
