'BIG' INITIATIVE COMMENDED FOR GOOD PRACTICE IN NATIONAL REPORT

A new business and innovation initiative involving Keele, has been commended for good practice in a HEFCE-sponsored report describing higher education's contribution to economic growth and the development of society through knowledge exchange.
 
The report, 'Strengthening the Contribution of English Higher Education Institutions to the Innovation System: knowledge exchange and HEIF funding', draws on institutional strategies submitted to HEFCE. These strategies set out how universities are using £600 million in Higher Education Innovation Funding.

The new Business & Innovation Group (BIG) - comprised of Keele Science and Business Park, Keele University, Staffordshire University and North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce - enables the Stoke and Staffordshire LEP to harness public and private skills and experience in a new collaborative partnership model. The LEP Board drives economic development strategies and will engage national business support programmes by creating BIG to act as a brokerage Hub to raise awareness and take-up of national programmes in our area.

KEELE KEY FUND AWARDS

The Keele Key Fund Disbursement Committee has announced awards of over £20,000 to six projects, including the Keele Bhangra Society, Keele Model United Nations to host a UK conference and the Autistic Spectrum Disorder Support Scheme.

Maureen Cook, Disability and Dyslexia Support Manger, said:  "The Disability and Dyslexia Support group was delighted to hear that the Key Fund will provide finance to help support students with Autism who study with Keele. Students with Autism have huge barriers to overcome in adapting to university life and remaining on programme. They often cope well academically, but isolate themselves, find change difficult and have issues with social interaction. The project will enable DDS to train staff and student ambassadors in autism awareness and to provide autistic students with buddies during the first weeks of the academic year and during transition periods such as from module to module and across semesters.

"The project will become self-sustaining and will be an exemplar of best practice in social and educational inclusion across the sector. The development will further improve retention and enable students severely disabled by autism to achieve their potential. Our grateful thanks to the Keele Alumni."

Maureen and Claire Slater-Mamlouk, Student Life and Learning Manager, will be promoting this model of support at the UCL conference on Transition today.

WHY ARE THE LOW PAID ALWAYS WITH US? - INAUGURAL LECTURE

Professor Carole Thornley, Keele School of Management, this week delivered the latest lecture in the University's series of professorial Inaugural Lectures for 2011 – 2012.

In her lecture, "Why are the low-paid always with us?", she explained that mature capitalist economies are organised into pyramid hierarchies of earnings, income and wealth, which spill into political and economic power and social status. Earnings are an important flow into broader income and wealth inequalities. The system is viewed by some as a meritocracy (nascent or real) – of ability, of skills, of returns to risk and investment. Yet the distribution of earnings remains remarkably invariant, and parts of society are stubbornly 'losers'.

The lecture addressed the complex causation behind low pay and challenges a number of conventional views: that the low-paid are always 'them' not 'us' and are small in number, that they are concentrated in the private sector, that low-paid jobs equate readily with low ability or skill, and that the system itself is 'rational' or 'meritocratic'. The lecture drew upon large-scale surveys and field research in the health service and local government, as well as a range of statistical sources, classic writing on equalities and personal experience. It also assessed the impact of the National Minimum Wage and realities of life for the 'working poor'.

Professor Thornley is pictured with the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Foskett, and the Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, Professor David Shepherd.

The last lecture in the series is on Monday, 11 June, 2012 - Professor Andy Hassell, Medicine, "The patient with arthritis, the medical student and the rheumatologist: influencing tomorrow's doctors".

INVITED SPEAKER AT ARCHIVE INAUGURATION

Professor David Amigoni, English and Research Institute for Humanities, was an invited speaker at an event to mark the inauguration of the Reminiscence Theatre Archive at the University of Greenwich.

Representing the NDA-funded Ages and Stages research project, which draws on the Victoria Theatre Archive in the course of its research into the representation of, and reminiscence about, ageing in the Potteries, Professor Amigoni spoke about the opportunities for using theatre archives, and the challenge of sustaining them through funding.

Reminiscence Theatre was the pioneering project of Pam Schweitzer, the founding artistic director of Age Exchange Theatre based in South London, and keynote speaker at the event. There are many parallels between the artistic work of the Victoria/New Vic Theatre and Age Exchange in their documentary theatre practices.

GOLD MEDALLIST AT KEELE OLYMPICS EVENT

Gold Medallist sprinter, Leon Baptiste, will be visiting Keele next week to take part in an Outreach and Widening Participation Olympics Conference. The conference will see 200 learners from 10 local schools visiting the Keele campus to take part in a number of Olympic themed sessions, including a fitness session and aspirational talk with Leon and a Make it Molecular relay led by our Keele Student STEM Specialists.

Leon won the gold medal in the 200m at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi 2010 - England's first sprint gold at the Games for 12 years. Later in the Games Leon picked up his 2nd gold as part of the English 4x100m relay team. He is now in training for the London 2012 Olympics and hopes to make the GB squad.

Leon will be visiting Keele as part of his work with Sports 4 All North who are the leading organisers of athlete visits to schools across the UK. Leon's visit aims to inspire the next generation of children to become actively involved in sport.

OBSERVATORY'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

On Saturday, 19 May, Keele University Observatory celebrates its 50th anniversary, with a programme of talks in the Westminster Theatre, featuring Allan Chapman, as well as a presentation by the European Southern Observatory, which also celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

There will be the launch of Ron Maddison's booklet on the history of Keele Observatory and he will be coming over from Florida to speak and do some booklet signing. This is followed by a "Sun and Star Party" at the observatory itself.

It's free but you need to reserve a ticket: (http://www.astro.keele.ac.uk/Observatory/history/50/event.html)

KEELE FUNDRAISING RECOGNISED AT NATIONAL AWARDS

Keele was given a special mention for its success in making significant progress in its fundraising efforts at the CASE/HEFCE Matched Funded Awards Evening in London.

The University was 'highly commended' for its work in the final year of the Matched Funding scheme - a three year government initiative to encourage philanthropic giving to Higher Education.

The event was addressed by Professor Eric Thomas, Chair of the Board of CASE Europe and President of Universities UK, and David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science, pictured above.

Robin Cross, Fundraising Officer, said he was pleased that the fundraising efforts of Keele, including the students, staff and Keele Alumni, had been recognised by fellow professionals.

SU BEST BAR NONE

Keele University Students' Union has won the Best Bar None Gold Award for a second consecutive year running.

The awards are based on core national standards, with the aim of enhancing customer experience, celebrating good practice and rewarding excellence.

Rachael Moss, SU Marketing, said: "We invite you all to visit The Scruffy Squirrel, Blueprint, K2, Bottle Bar and Shots Bar to experience these fabulous venues for yourself.

"We're sure everyone will join us in congratulating the venue staff on such a brilliant achievement!"

AND A SILVER AWARD TOO

The Students' Union also won the Silver Green Impact Award for the third consecutive year.

Green Impact is an environmental accreditation scheme which seeks to encourage, nurture, reward and celebrate good environmental practice in Students' Unions.

They far exceeded the score required for a Gold Award, but due to the fact they have patio heaters they did not quite meet one of the essential criteria.

NEXT WEEK -

THE BOYS

A new exhibition that brings together the work of three well known and influential Staffordshire artists opens at Keele University on Tuesday (May 15).

"The Boys" – which runs in the Keele University Art Gallery in the Chancellor's Building until Thursday, June 7 – features the work of Arthur Berry, Enos Lovatt and Jack Simcock.

The three artists all trained at the Burslem School of Art and lived and worked in North Staffordshire.

While their work is distinctive and very different, their paintings are all influenced by the landscape, industry and communities of their lives.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Forty years ago -

The sculptor Dame Barbara Hepworth presented one of her works, Square Forms (Two Sequences) to the University on the occasion of its twenty-first anniversary. 12 May 1972.