PLANS TO DEVELOP HAWTHORNS UNVEILED

Plans to build high quality housing and a retirement community on the site of the Hawthorns hall of residence were unveiled at a public exhibition this week.

The development would see the University accommodation rebuilt at the heart of the main campus. The scheme also includes the development of around 70 homes and a retirement village, with a choice of accommodation for older people.

Representatives from the University and Seddon Homes were available to answer questions at the public exhibition this week and will be at the Hawthorns Restaurant in Keele village from 10am to 1pm tomorrow.

The illustration shows an artist's impression of a street scene on the proposed new development. 

EUROPEANIZATION AND POLITICAL PARTIES WORKSHOP

Dr Robert Ladrech, School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy, pictured, directed a workshop on 'Europeanization and Political Parties' at the 40th Annual Joint Session of the European Consortium for Political Research, in Munster, Germany.

The workshop, consisting of 20 selected papers presented over five days, explored issues ranging from establishing causality in europenaization party research (Dr Ladrech's paper) to exporting Council of Europe and European Union norms in matters of party financing to eastern European countries.

A selection of papers is being submitted as a symposium to a leading international journal.

CHANGING NURSING PROGRAMMES

Pauline Walsh (Director of Pre-registration programmes) on behalf of the School of Nursing and Midwifery has been successful in securing funding of £38,584 from the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority call for bids "to Support Implementation of Changes to Pre Registration Nursing Programmes".

This is an exciting opportunity to work collaboratively with the SHA and Local NHS partners to explore access and progression into nursing as a career with the advent of a move to an all graduate profession by 2013.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery at Keele already has a successful undergraduate programme and is going to be one of the early implementors of this national change.

DIAMOND SYNCHROTRON SHIFTS FOR KEELE-LED CONSORTIUM

Professor Trevor Greenhough, Research Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine (iSTM), (pictured) with Dr Annette Shrive, has been awarded 15 shifts on the Diamond synchrotron by the Science and Technology Facilities Council, worth £40,000, for the Keele-led Midlands UK Protein Crystallography Consortium.

This award supports a diverse array of medically important research, including the structural immunology programme in iSTM, at the universities of Keele, Warwick, Leicester, Nottingham and Birmingham.

ORGANISATION STUDIES NETWORK SEMINAR
 
The Centre for Cultures, Organisations and Markets (Research Institute for Public Policy and Management/KMS) hosted the latest Organisation Studies Network (OSN) seminar last week at Keele. The seminar was attended by academics from a number of universities across the country.

Presentations were given by: Anita Mangan (Keele), Authorised personnel only: Reflections on a study about counterfeit medicine; Anna-Maria Murtola (Keele), "What would Jesus buy?" Religious dogma and "commercial disobedience" in anti-consumption activism; Pauline Maclaran (Royal Holloway), Caroline Miller, Elizabeth Parsons and Emma Surman (Keele), Embodying marketing: gender, aesthetics and emotion in a sensuous profession and Andrew Smith (University of East London), 'Monday Will Never be the Same Again': Changing Employment Relations in a Public-Private Partnership.

The OSN was founded in 1997 to help stimulate research and critical thinking about organisation and management. It currently operates through bi-annual seminars that rotate between UK universities.

NEW ACADEMIC STARTER

The following academic appointment commenced in post this week:

School of Public Policy and Professional Practice

Dr Simon Pemberton has been appointed Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Management and was previously Director, Merseyside Social Inclusion Observatory, University of Liverpool.

MEDIA MARATHON

Professor Stephen Wilkinson, Centre for Professional Ethics at Keele, pictured below, has been in demand by tv and radio stations to discuss his new book, Choosing Tomorrow's Children: The Ethics of Selective Reproduction, in which he argues that parents should be allowed to use selective reproduction to choose their future child's gender and to screen out serious disease and disability.

Following an interview on the BBC programme "Scrubbing Up", there were interviews on Radio 5 Live, the World Service, BBC Radio Stoke (twice), BBC Radio Sheffield, BBC Wales, BBC Radio London's Drive programme, BBC Radio Shropshire and BBC tv's The One Show.

DOOMED BY DEMOCRACY

Professor Andrew Dobson, School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy, last week took part in a Radio 4 Analysis programme called 'Doomed by Democracy', asking if democracies are incapable of dealing with climate change. 

Professor Dobson, pictured above, also sat on the ESRC's Research Seminars competition selection panel and will be advising colleagues on good practice when making an application to the competition ahead of the deadline for the next round in January 2011.

KEELE TEAM SHORTLISTED FOR AWARD

Keele, with partners Buffalo Fundraising Consultants, was shortlisted for a prestigious national award for the best Alumni/Fundraising programme. The Higher Education Information Services Trust presented its HEIST Marketing Awards last week at the Palace Hotel, Manchester. Fundraising Officer Robin Cross said: "We are delighted that our successful telethon campaign of autumn 2009 has been recognised by our peers."

FROM THE ARCHIVES

7 June 2004

Professor Shaughn O'Brien has this week been elected as Vice President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. This is an honorary post which will commence this September for a period of three years. Professor O'Brien has had many previous significant roles in the Royal College, including Fellows' Representative on its Council for five years, examiner for professional postgraduate examinations, Publications Officer, Convenor of Scientific Study Groups, roles which have led to his editorship of twelve significant RCOG textbooks in areas including gene therapy, evidence based infertility, fetal programming, cancer, the placenta and research methodology.