What the Papers Say October 2004
Please find below a summary of recent press coverage about the university. The coverage is now separated into campuses and school.
Nick Davison
PR Unit
Queen Anne Court
Maritime Greenwich Campus
Ext 8092
General university news
The Guardian’s Polly Toynbee interviewed Tessa Blackstone on how “managing and ministering” have prepared her for her new job as the university’s Vice-Chancellor. In its new publication, Guardian Public, Polly said that Tessa “relishes forcing the door of opportunity open to marginal students at risk of failing for lack of family background”. The article praised the Maritime Greenwich campus and the track record of its new boss: “She departed as Master of Birkbeck much admired for turning round an institution close to bankruptcy….She has seen it all from both sides all her life. Few other Vice-Chancellors can be so well-practised in the exercise of power.”
Tessa Blackstone also appeared on BBC Radio 4’s The Week in Westminster discussing the Tomlinson Report and in particular vocational training and reducing the amount of external assessment.
“The University of Greenwich is set to expand its international recruitment team as part of efforts to internationalise the university,” announced the Times Higher Education Supplement, which talked about universities bolstering their international offices in response to British Council predictions earlier this year of a huge increase in foreign demand for higher education. Steve Wallis, Head of the university’s International Office, said: “Certain countries more readily fill places that UK students are not tending to go for anymore. Indians love to do engineering… it keeps departments lively and alive.”
“Tessa Blackstone is the new Vice-Chancellor of the University of Greenwich. Tony Aldous met her and came away charmed” explained The Guide magazine in a two page interview.
In the Bexleyheath & Welling Times there was an article and photo of Tessa Blackstone and the winning student at the Shell Technology Enterprise Programme awards. The same story appeared in the News Shopper.
“Older universities in particular must address their image issues if they want to attract ethnic minority students”, says Tessa Blackstone, “but all universities need to do more.” The two page article in Education Guardian examined issues such as relative graduate recruitment levels, university ambition among school pupils, and mentoring schemes.
Avery Hill
Health & Social Care
A Sunday Telegraph feature about the multi-disciplinary skills now required in social care, which has put it on par with nursing and teaching, featured the story of Greenwich graduate, Wing-Kee Yeoung, 28, who gained a diploma in rehabilitation studies and visual impairment at Greenwich, and now works for Wokingham Council specialising in visual impairment.
Guardian Society also cited Wing-Kee Yeung as an example of how the introduction of training qualifications and skills now required in social work is putting it on a par with nursing and teaching.
The Gravesend Messenger publicised a local conference on disability issues, noting that retired member of staff Michael Oliver, who was the first professor of Disability Studies, was a leading figure in the revolution to demand the same human and civil rights as non-disabled people.
Alison Beckett, a Psychology graduate was one of two sisters mentioned in the Daily Express as examples of students supported financially by their family through university.
Nursing Times said that the university is developing a new online course for nurses to promote continence.
Care & Health magazine had an article by Visiting Professor Derek Gardner discussing how local authority health scrutiny is developing and where it is likely to go next.
“Healthy option on the doorstep,” wrote the Medway Messenger, which explained that the newly-opened £5 million teaching facilities for health students at Medway are benefiting local students. “I could never have done the course if it hadn’t come here,” said student Amanda Robinson.
Education & Training
The Guardian had an article onGuy Wilkins from Marjorie McClure Special School in Chislehurst who has received the National Award for excellence in special needs teaching. According to the Guardian he “regularly supervises students from the University of Greenwich’s teacher training school when they visit”.
According to the Times Educational Supplement, doctoral research by Dr Stephanie Martin from Greenwich shows that 50 per cent of newly qualified teachers lost their voice at some point during their first three terms of teaching.
Architecture & Construction
“Go out for a second and something’s destroyed,” said university Architecture lecturer, Charles Brooking, in the Financial Times, in an article highlighting his passion for salvaging architectural relics and preserving Britain’s heritage. Charles started collecting at the age of two; his collection has now grown to more than 400,000 items, worth £1.5m. Part of it is housed at the university’s Maritime Greenwich campus.
Building Design had a ‘soapbox’ feature by Ed Frith from Architecture & Construction about Richard Rogers’ inspiring Mossbourne City Academy in Hackney.
Building reported on discussions to set up a research unit within the School of Architecture & Construction on Urban Design backed by the Prince’s Foundation.
Maritime Greenwich
Humanities
Thomas Acton, Professor of Romani Studies, commented on the “fascinating story of an interesting community” in an article on Times Online about the sale of one of the world’s smallest palaces near Kelso in Scotland which has a link to ‘gypsy kings and queens’.
In Kent on Sunday Richard Wild, senior lecturer in Criminology, said that it was impossible to say that violent video games such as “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” caused people to try out criminal acts that they had seen in the game.
Business
BBC World Service carried out three radio interviews with Mehmet Ugur from the Business School about relationships between the European Union and Turkey.
The appointment of Nina Carr, who was recently awarded a postgraduate Diploma in Marketing, as Marketing Manager for Maidstone Kia was reported by Kent Business and Motor Trader.
According to the Shropshire Star and the South Shropshire Journal Marketing experts from the university led by Bettina Bystry-Brown are helping the Ludlow Marches Food and Drink Festival get bigger and better next year by surveying visitors, stall holders, local businesses and shoppers at the event.
A team from Greenwich was runner-up for the Institute of Direct Marketing Undergraduate prize said Marketing Direct. Scott Thornton and Danielle Mohammed came in for high praise. “We are extremely impressed with the amount of extra research done. They conducted focus groups and interviews and really got under the skin of the consumer,” said one of the judges.
Nigel Wild from the Business School commented in Lloyds List about the danger of price war between ferry companies and said that some co-operation between them might be necessary.
Marketing graduate Ifaquar Shah was said by Accent magazine to have reinvented himself as an interiors guru through his company, World Furnishings.
The Bromley Express and Bromley Times ran an article about the debut novel of Brian Street, a lecturer in the Business School.
According to Meridian magazine the Bexley & Lewisham Chamber of Commerce is working with the university to set up a student chamber.
Computing & Mathematical Sciences
Chris Bailey from Computing & Mathematical Sciences was interviewed by BBC Radio 4’s Material World about his computerised modelling project of the Cutty Sark. There was additional coverage on the TV listings pages of the Times, the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph. The story also appeared in History Today, News Shopper and Nautical magazine.
Ashlie Urqhart, Multimedia student and artist, wrote the Arts column for the Greater Woolwich People. This included an item about fellow student Kristina Wallace who studies Community Art & Design at Avery Hill.
The Maritime Journal featured ship evacuation research which will be incorporated by the Fire Safety Engineering Group within their evacuation software.
General campus news
The News Shopper andthe Greenwich Mercury reported on the Search for Life in the Universe lecture by Dr Laurance Doyle from the SETI Institute. Meridian Magazine had given it advance publicity.
“A programme of colourful events will mark Black History Month in October,” announced the Bexleyheath & Welling Times, just one of the many local London newspapers which highlighted the university’s participation in Black History Month.
The Bexleyheath & Welling Times, Greenwich Mercury and Greenwich & Charlton News Shopper promoted the ‘Lest we forget’ photographic exhibition in the Stephen Lawrence Gallery. An earlier exhibition, ‘Guru Nanak’, appeared in the Greenwich Mercury, Greenwich Time (council newsletter) and News Shopper. Actress and comedianAngie Le Mar was said to have been taking part in a debate titled ‘Who cares about Black culture?’ at the university by the Greenwich Mercury and the Bexley & Eltham Express.
New magazine had a feature on chart singer Natasha Bedingfield's favourite things. She chose Greenwich as one of them, saying : “When I was studying psychology at the University of Greenwich, I'd often walk near the observatory which a really cool place, or even jog through Greenwich Park. I really love parks and the great outside anyway, because you can breathe and get back to nature.”
The Evening Standard described the university as occupying “the beautiful, Sir Christopher Wren designed Royal Hospital overlooking the Thames” in an article about accommodation for London students.
The front page of the Greenwich Mercury had a story about students from the university joining up with volunteers from Blackheath Rugby Club to convert youngsters to rugby at a demonstration event next to the Cutty Sark.
Online Recruitment highlighted the university Jobshop and the Skillsarena online assessment modules used by them.
The Higher Education Fair for Mature Students was given advance publicity by the Lewisham & Catford News Shopper, Greenwich Mercury and Bromley Times.
Medway
Medway School of Engineering
Alec Coutroubis from the Medway School of Engineering was described in the Times Higher Education Supplement as supporting an Ukrainian student who had her application for a visa to study in the UK refused.
The relocation of the Wolfson Centre to Medway was reported by the Kentish Gazette, Medway News, Faversham News, Maidstone Messenger and Medway Messenger.
A Medway School of Engineering graduate is forging a music career in Africa. Esther Nkatha is a Kenyan gospel singer who according to The Nation in Nairobi is the ‘Toast of South African music lovers’.
The Lowestoft Journal reported that Mark Saunders from the town had been made a Master of Industrial Practice by the engineering industry. He received the honour from Tessa Blackstone at an awards ceremony. The story also appeared in Engineering Technology, Fire Prevention and the Kenilworth Weekly News.
Medway School of Pharmacy
The news that the first students had enrolled at the new Medway School of Pharmacy was in the Medway Messenger.
The Medway Standard and Kent Business said that 70 trainee pharmacists had started studying at the new Medway School of Pharmacy. As did Chemist & Druggist.
Pharmacists are being offered courses to qualify to take on additional responsibilities at the Medway School of Pharmacy according to Kent on Sunday, Medway News, Medway Messenger, KM Extra and Yourcounty website.
School of Science
“We’ll Create Future Tennis Stars” was the banner headline of the lead article on the front page of the Medway Adscene about support from the Centre for Sport & Exercise Sciences for the Bromley Tennis Academy. There were also two photos of some of the children and Jenny Strickland from the school. Kent of Sunday’s sport pages also had a large article and photo.
Nottingham Evening Post publicised a talk by Professor John Nicholson, Head of the School of Science, about famous murderers who used poisons and how they were detected.
Insurance International said that university researchers were using ‘fuzzy logic’ to gain early knowledge of cyclones.
Natural Resources Institute
The Medway Messenger and many local editions throughout Kent reported on an environmental achievement award given by the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers to Professor David Hall and his team. They have discovered a pheromone which can be used to combat the apple leaf midge. The research was also mentioned by Biochemist online.
The New Scientist had a letter from Peter Burt at the Natural Resources Institute about the strange behaviour of seagulls prior to thunderstorms and whether they get struck by lightning. He attributed this to the birds riding gust fronts and says that they probably do get struck by lightning but generally avoid flying in it.
General campus news
“Major expansion at the University of Greenwich’s Chatham campus could have positive effects on the local economy,” said Kent on Sunday, just one of the many Medway local newspapers and radio stations which featured the new Vice-Chancellor’s first public briefing for local and business press at the Medway campus.
“Baroness Blackstone outlined her ambition to provide more help for students in finding employment after graduation and to continue the university’s work of raising the awareness of the region’s business community,” said the Kent Messenger. This story was reported in local editions in Canterbury, Maidstone, Ashford, Romney Marsh, Folkestone, Faversham and elsewhere. KMFM radio ran two interviews in successive days about a new grant for the Medway School of Pharmacy and the transfer of the Wolfson Centre to Medway.
In Kent Profile there was a full page article by Professor Alan Reed titled “Lifelong learning is essential to economic growth.” The article examined new developments on the campus and industry links.
A news item on BBC South East Today television and BBC Online highlighted the Universities at Medway project. It also appeared in New Start, Greenwich & Charlton News Shopper, Planning and Regeneration & Renewal.
Yourcounty website and the Medway Standard said that there had been record student applications to the campus.
New undergraduates from all over the world attended an introduction day at the University of Greenwich at Medway according to the Medway News
The launch of the new learning centre for businesses and residents, the Kent New Technology Institute, at the campus appeared in the Medway Messenger, Kent Business and Medway News.
Kings Hill Institute
A graduation ceremony for the National Professional Qualification for Headship was held at the Kings Hill Institute according to the Maidstone Messenger and Weald Messenger.
Further information
More details on many of these stories and others can be seen on the PR website at: