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Welcome from the KPA President

Hello and welcome to Keele!!

I’m Lisa, the Keele Postgraduate Association President for 2013/14 and I’m here to support you throughout your time at Keele. The KPA was founded in 1963 in the basement of Keele Hall and we are now celebrating our 50th anniversary supporting and representing postgraduates. From small beginnings we are now a registered charity with a dedicated full-time Sabbatical Officer and our own Clubhouse. In addition to myself there are also two other part-time Sabbatical Officers; Ian Mahoney (Association Secretary) and Adam Duell (Finance Secretary) as well as a team of other part-time officers. We all have a range of expertise from representing issues at course level and providing pastoral support, right through to taking a lead on national campaigns, including lobbying for financial support for Masters Students.

I have now been at Keele for a total of 7 years and am currently taking a sabbatical from my PhD in Economics. Being a postgraduate at Keele is an amazing and unique experience. Not only do we have one of the most beautiful campuses in the country but there is a real sense of community and this is what I love most about Keele.

Whilst your main concern will be to focus on your academic studies it is also really important to make sure you also find time to relax and have fun, and there are numerous ways to become socially active whilst at Keele. Firstly there is the KPA: we hold a wide range of events throughout the year from sports days and beer and cider festivals, to more academic events such as conferences and academic development workshops; all of which provide a great opportunity to meet your fellow postgraduates, network and make life-long friends. We also have our own Clubhouse, which is exclusively for postgraduates, and those over 21 connected to Keele, located on the edge of Horwood just behind the KeeleSU building. The Clubhouse is open all year round offering a wide variety of food and drink, so whether you want to have a coffee break with friends, lunch, or just somewhere different where you can study, the Clubhouse offers a haven away from the hustle and bustle of central campus. It is definitely somewhere to check out in your first couple of weeks at Keele!

In addition to all of the postgraduate specific activities that we’ll be working on, there are a wide range of societies and sports teams that you are able to join; there is something for nearly every interest, and if there is nothing that appeals to you why not set up your own society.

As well as the vital academic support, Keele also offers great pastoral support for whatever is happening in your life. There is the SSDS, the central university support department who can help you with anything from careers advice and skills development to financial problems or mental health issues. All of these services can be found in the Walter Moberly building in the centre of campus. If you have on-campus accommodation there is the Residence Support team who are available to you 24/7 with each hall having a dedicated team who live within the accommodation. If you would like some independent advice then there is Advice and Support at Keele (ASK), located on the bottom floor of KeeleSU, they deal with all issues ranging from academic and health to accommodation, And then of course there is the KPA; you can always come and speak to me or any other member of the KPA Committee either in person or via email. We are here to represent and support you with all issue and are always happy to discuss anything you would like.

Overall, Keele is a fantastic place to be a postgraduate; you can find further information in the other tabs on this website which will inform you of many of the aspects of life at Keele. Make sure you check out the Keele University Welcome Week Calendar and also the KPA’s Welcome Month Calendar where there will be a wide array of events to welcome and introduce you to Keele. In addition make sure that you keep up-to-date with what is going on with your KPA by checking out our website (keelepostgraduate.wordpress.com), following us on Twitter (@KPAKeele) and ‘like’ us on Facebook at:   https://www.facebook.com/#!/Keelepostgrads.

I hope you will thoroughly enjoy your time at Keele and I look forward to meeting with you all soon!!

Best Wishes

Lisa Ironside
(KPA President, kpa.chair@keele.ac.uk)