SPACE April 2013

SPace

APRIL 2013

Bath Spa University’s monthly magazine

Launch of ResearchSPAce STUDENTS DIVE

BATH in FasHION

Front cover: Knitted wrap by Desiree Goodall

In APRIL’s issue of space...

Update from the Vice-Chancellor 4 Newton Park campus development update 6 Transforming a life 8 Engaging the public with our research 8 Spotlight on...Nancy Cooke 10 Bath Spa hosts South West Higher Education

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Fashion students win prestigious internship 14 Helping better educate those in care 16 Bath Spa leading the way in health and safety

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Bath in Fashion 2013 18 Students win artistic residency in Cornwall

Comedy society starts summer with a bang!

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Students take a dive for charity 22 Recognition of partnership with Bath Festivals 24 Create. Connect 2013 25 Dr Elizabeth Wright’s play nominated for five Off West End Awards

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BSU Events 27 Shap Prize for Catherine Robinson and Denise Cush

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Bath Spa nominate local company for National Graduate Recruitment Award

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Launch of ResearchSPAce 32 Attachment Awareness in Schools 34 Cock-a-Hoop Symposium 35 BSU: International 36 BSU: In the news 37 Students’ Union 38 Staff news 39 SPACE APR 2013

Update from the V

Last month I was able to visit some of our

international partners; this month it was our turn to receive the visits. We welcomed guests from the USA, Mexico and Jordan, all of whom left having experienced what Bath Spa has to offer.

Closer to home the city hosted Bath in Fashion 2013 with staff and students from the Bath School of Art and Design playing a key role. At Newton Park, students from Sion Hill launched “Relationships”, an art trail around the lake. It remains open until 17 June. I hope that we can welcome more art installations to Newton Park in the future.

The launch of ResearchSPAce this month is excellent progress in our research agenda.

ResearchSPAce is the institutional repository at Bath Spa University. It aims to collate and showcase the University’s research outputs. If you have yet to visit the website the link is http://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk.

Pic: Professor Christina Slade, Vice-Chancellor

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Vice-Chancellor

Pic: Vice-Chancellor with the Mayor of Bath at the opening of ‘Relationships’

The first edition of our new alumni magazine, SPARTAN, is now out and already receiving positive feedback from former students. It is important to remember that the relationship with Bath Spa does not end at graduation. We have a growing network of alumni, already at over 50,000.

Please do take the time to read the magazine and to encourage alumni to contribute to future issues. It is available here.

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Newton park campus development upd Work on the new academic building continued to progress on schedule throughout April.

The concrete frame the of academic building was completed, cladding work on the exterior was progressed and more windows were installed. Internal walls have started to go in and interior design plans are on-going.

During the Easter break the road to Sydney halls of residence was closed so that extensive work could be carried out on the Energy Centre located behind it. The roof of the Energy Centre is now completed.

Thank you to all those students and staff who filled in the recent furniture survey. The results will help guide fit out consultants Alexi Marmot Associates as they progress plans for the interior layout of the building.

Pic: Inside the studio space 6

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Pic: Windows on the ground floor

Special fencing was installed around the Newton Park campus this month as part of plans to rehouse a colony of great crested newts before work begins on the residential accommodation this summer. Great crested newts are a protected species and the University has been working with Natural England to provide new habitat nearby. The purpose of the fence is to stop the newts following their usual migration path across the developments site, and instead be relocated to their new habitat.

Don’t forget to follow progress of the academic building works on the webcams which are available here and if you have any questions of queries, please email the team npdevelopment@bathspa.ac.uk

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TRANSFORMING A LIFE April was Organ Donor Awareness month in Bath. Today, only 31 per cent of the UK population have joined the Organ Donor Register, but more than 10,000 people currently need a transplant.

A recent BBC News article highlighted the fact that more than 1,200 people in the UK donated

their organs in the last year leading to about 3,100 transplants. The increase has been largely credited to the network of specialist nurses who approach and support bereaved relatives in hospitals.

But with the numbers on the organ donation register remaining unchanged, the NHS Blood and Transplant service is still asking people to sign up.

You can find out more about organ donation at www.organdonation.nhs.uk

Engaging the public with Our research Bath Spa has signed the Manifesto for Public Engagement. The National Coordinating Centre for

Public Engagement (NCCPE) is inviting all UK universities to sign the Manifesto and make a commitment to supporting staff and students in their public engagement efforts.

There is an increasing recognition that universities play an important role in the UK’s intellectual and cultural life. The Manifesto emphasises the positive ways universities can make a difference and generate value from engaging with the public.

Bath Spa University has a strong focus on creativity, culture and enterprise which results in a large number of publicly focused activities on an annual basis including exhibitions, performances, workshops, networking and research events.

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Professor Christina Slade, Vice-Chancellor said: “The ethos of creativity at Bath Spa University means we are engaged with various public audiences. The quality of our academic output and research endeavours has a direct impact on the cultural wellbeing of our society. We are pleased to be signatories of the Manifesto for Public Engagement and will continue to be engaged with the public in all aspects of university life.”

Paul Manners, Director of the NCCPE said: “We are really delighted that Bath Spa University has decided to sign up to the Engaged University Manifesto. Bath Spa’s commitment to supporting its graduates to become socially engaged global citizens provides a perfect platform for us to work together to push the boundaries of how a modern university can really make a difference.”

Pic: Vice-Chancellor Professor Christina Slade with Sophie Duncan of the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE)

Further information about the public engagement events and activities on-going at the University is available on the website www.bathspa.ac.uk/research/public-engagement More information about the Manifesto for Public Engagement is available on the NCCPE website http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/why-does-it-matter/manifesto

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spotlight on...

“We are unlike most other universities and I think that is a real selling point for us” 10

Pic: Nancy Cooke at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, US

Nancy Cooke, Director of International Recruitment

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As the University looks to increase its presence in a growing international and competitive student market, Nancy Cooke explains what is being done to put Bath Spa University firmly on the international map.

Still a relatively new member of staff, Nancy

joined Bath Spa having previously worked in international marketing, student support and teaching roles in both the UK and overseas.

Internationalisation is a key part of the University’s corporate strategy, but what does this actually entail? Nancy explains in her own words.

“The essence of what I am responsible for is promoting the University to institutions overseas and attracting international students to come and study here at Bath Spa.” Bath Spa is not alone in its efforts to recruit students from abroad as well as from the domestic market. So why is internationalisation so important in today’s higher education sector?

“I think when students decide to go to university, they want to experience something different and for many international students that includes studying in a different country. We are very lucky in that we live in a society with an extremely good education system. However, in some countries these opportunities may not be available, which makes studying abroad at a tranquil and focussed university such as Bath Spa a highly attractive prospect.

With so many other Universities touting for international students to come and study at their own institution, what does Nancy feel Bath Spa offers international students over other UK universities?

“Our University is situated on the beautiful outskirts of the famous Roman heritage city of Bath which is fantastic. However, whether students are considering continuing their studies into Master’s programmes or doctorates, or entering the world of work, it is important to interact and network with a wide range of people from different cultures and civilisations that you are not used to.”

“We are unlike most other universities and I think that is a real selling point for us, especially when it comes to attracting international students. These students have to deal with a lot when they study abroad and things such as language barriers and culture differences can be quite daunting for a young adult thousands of miles away from home. The community-like feel and compact size of our University puts international students at ease which is testament to the kind and caring staff and students we have here at Bath Spa. “Not only are we a welcoming and friendly bunch, the quality and international experience of many of our staff is a real asset to the University and can be of great help in assisting new international students settle in.”

Whilst the University is keen to increase its international intake, a lot of work is going on behind the scenes to enable current students to have the option to take part in overseas study, such as our exchange or Erasmus placements across as many courses as possible.

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“We believe that internationalisation is of great importance to our home grown students too,” she said.

“We are continually in discussion with like-minded universities that share the same values of culture, creativity and enterprise and I am happy to say that work throughout the University has successfully increased the number of Bath Spa students wanting to take up exchange or Erasmus options.”

A university does not become successfully internationalised overnight and it is something that is a work in progress. Nancy explains what has been achieved already in such a relatively short space of time.

“What is also exciting is the formation of shared understandings with educational bodies in countries where we haven’t had links with before. Ghana, Mexico and Columbia are some of the new places we are in discussions with, which is really exciting.

“Also, there has been a lot of hard work put in to developing our courses so that they are accessible and flexible to allow, say, American students to experience studying with us just for a semester or a module, rather than an entire academic year.

“We have had some American students already comment on their time studying here who were blown away with the architecture and landscape of our campuses. As one student said, ‘Why wouldn’t you want to study in a 14th century castle?’ I know I would!”

If you would like to recommend a fellow student or colleague to be interviewed for ‘Spotlight on’ please let us know by emailing Rob Breckon r.breckon@bathspa.ac.uk

Pic: Nancy Cooke with international banner

“We have now established outposts in key countries in Asia, including China, Taiwan and India where we have an exclusive relationship with certain education organisations and look to develop strong partnerships as we move forward.

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Bath Spa hosts South West Higher Education The Higher Education Liaison Officers Association (HELOA) symposium for the South West of England was recently held at the University.

HELOA is the professional association of Higher Education staff involved in giving guidance and

information to prospective students and their advisors. This meeting hosted around 50 teachers and advisors from across the South West of England.

The conference featured a number of presentations and sessions, including a talk from the Chief Executive of UCAS, Mary Curnock Cook, who said: “It’s great to see a forward looking university like Bath Spa hosting this event. Those advising young people about their university options need both practical information and inspiring insights to take back to their pupils – both were on offer at this HELOA event.”

A number of Higher Education Institutions throughout the South West region were involved in this conference to enable the sharing of good practice amongst the region. Supportive sessions were also offered addressing issues relating to the Higher Education process.

Chair of HELOA South West, and Marketing and Events Officer at Bath Spa, Missy Beal, added: “It is so important for students to be aware of all the university options available to them when they go through a process that can be very difficult for some.

“By supporting local teachers and advisors, this conference enabled key messages to be passed on which can only be of benefit to students.”

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Fashion students win pr Two fashion students will be travelling to America to spend a three month internship with GAP-owned clothing and accessories company Old Navy.

Lauren Mather and Philippa Robinson have been selected as two of only 12 students from the UK who will spend 12 weeks with the San Francisco-based company this summer.

Louise Pickles, Course Leader and Coordinator of Fashion, and her team have been developing a relationship with Old Navy and this year, Bath Spa was invited to take part in their annual design project along with other high profile fashion courses from universities across the UK. The brief theme for the project was ‘We are Family!’ and the students were asked to focus on a Spring 2014 collection. Building on the heritage of the Old Navy brand, they were tasked to design a collection inspired by denim, teeshirts and sweatshirts that fit into the DNA of the Old Navy brand. Students could choose to design for men, women, girls, or boys wear.

Design and human resources directors from Old Navy recently visited the University’s fashion studio and viewed the work where they selected seven students to interview with their full portfolio.

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restigious internship

Of the seven selected students, three of our students were shortlisted to compete for the 12 available places with Lauren and Philippa making it into the final 12.

Pic: From Lauren Ma-

Not only is this a highly prestigious opportunity and experience, full expenses will be funded by Old Navy and the students will be paid an hourly intern rate.

Commenting on Lauren and Philippa’s success, Louise said: “It is a real testament to the success of the course to be invited to collaborate with such a successful high profile overseas brand, and for our students to compete against students from some of the strongest UK fashion design courses.

“I am thrilled that Lauren and Philippa have been given this amazing opportunity and wish them every success for what I am sure will be an exciting, and insightful, summer at the Old Navy headquarters in San Francisco.”

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Helping better educate those in care Bath Spa recently hosted a national conference looking at the importance of properly educating children and young people in care.

The National Virtual Schools Head Teachers

conference was held at the Newton Park campus on Wednesday 27 March, in partnership with Bath and North East Somerset Council.

A Virtual School Head Teacher is responsible for ensuring the educational progress of every child and young person in care within a local authority. The role was established under the previous government and is being made statutory by the present government, with cross-party support, in the Children and Families Bill which is currently before Parliament.

In a message to the conference, Children’s Minister, Edward Timpson said: “There are only five statutory posts to cover all the responsibilities of local government. This will be the sixth, and shows how important the current Secretary of State and I see the role of the Virtual School Head is.”

The focus of the conference was on how Virtual Schools Head Teachers can work with colleagues in schools, foster carers and other professionals, to improve the educational attainment of children and young people in care.

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Over 100 Virtual Schools Head Teachers attended as well as a number of notable speakers including: • Dr Maggie Atkinson, Children’s Commissioner for England, • Louise Bomber, National trainer and author of

What about me? and Inside I’m Hurting, • Matthew Brazier HMI, Ofsted lead on ‘The impact of virtual schools on the education of looked after children’, • Kate Cairns, National trainer and author of Learn the Child and Attachment, Trauma and Resilience, • Professor Judy Sebba, Head of Rees Centre for Fostering and Education, University of Oxford.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Christina Slade, who opened the conference said: “The University is keen to continually develop links with disadvantaged groups in the local community. We are proud of the Buttle Trust Quality Mark we achieved for our support for Care Leavers, and of our ‘In Care, In School’ partnership with Bath and North East Somerset Council.

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“This conference is designed to support professionals on the front line. We hope to improve educational opportunities for those in care.”

Virtual School Head Teacher for Children in Care in Bath and North East Somerset, Michael Gorman, who was closely involved with planning the conference, added: “This conference is very timely with the government announcing that the post of Head of a Virtual School will become a statutory obligation for local authorities.

“It is an excellent opportunity for current Virtual School Head Teachers to meet, share good ideas and hear from leading experts on how to raise the attainment of children in care.”

Bath Spa leading the way in Health and Safety The University’s approach to occupational

The award will be presented at the RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards 2013 in Birmingham on Thursday 16 May.

David Rawlins, RoSPA’s awards manager, said: “RoSPA firmly believes that organisations that demonstrate commitment to continuous improvement in accident and ill health prevention deserve recognition. Bath Spa University has shown that it is committed to striving for such continuous improvement and we are delighted to honour it through the presentation of an award.”

Dating back 57 years, the RoSPA Awards scheme is the largest and longest-running programme of its kind in the UK. It recognises commitment to accident and ill health prevention and is open to businesses and organisations of all types and sizes from across the UK and overseas.

The University’s Safety, Health and Environment Adviser, Warren Cole, added: “This is the seventh gold RoSPA award that we have achieved in the last eight years. It is encouraging to have such a respected organisation as RoSPA recognising the quality of our health and safety management systems.”

The scheme not only looks at accident records, but also entrants’ overarching health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.

The majority of awards that RoSPA presents are non-competitive, marking achievement at merit, bronze, silver and gold levels. Organisations maintaining high standards can win gold medals, president’s awards and orders of distinction.

health and safety has been recognised in an awards scheme run by safety charity, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

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Bath in Fashion 2013 Bath in Fashion is one of the most talked about fashion gatherings outside of London. This year it ran from 13 to 21 April and provided the city with a week-long showcase of fashion.

Louise Pickles, Head of Bath Spa’s Fashion course

is Creative Director of the festival and hosted an event on Saturday 21 April called ‘Fashion Your Future’. This free event was a must for anyone who has ever wanted to work in fashion. The panel of speakers at the event included Bath Spa graduate Chloe Jones who last year won both the Womenswear and Gold Awards at Graduate Fashion Week.

Bath Spa students were involved in many aspects of Bath in Fashion including assisting with the production and styling of fashion shows. One group of textiles students and graduates held an exhibition at the 44AD gallery called ‘Coat, Wrap, Cover’ which featured woven, knitted, embroidered and printed garments and accessories.

The exhibition was managed and curated by Desiree Goodall and featured hand-knitted garments and accessories from her A/W 2013 collection. These were exhibited alongside raincoats by Sandra Doerfel, textile handbags by Helle Grabow, Natural Fibre scarves by Sian Hurst and woven stoles by Frances Westerduin.

Pic: ‘Live’ models in New Look as part of the Bath in Fashion.

Photogapher Ria MacRae

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Pic: Coat by Sandra Doerfel SPACE APR 2013

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Students win artistic residency in Cornwall The Bath Spa Porthleven Prize is an exciting new opportunity exclusively for Bath Spa students to win one of five fully funded art residences in Porthleven, Cornwall.

A panel of judges met recently to consider

the submissions and five students have been selected as prize winners. They are: •Joseph Turnbull, second year BA Fine Art, •Jane Hall, second year BA Fine Art, •Kilda Meadows, third year BA Creative Arts, •Sara Mark, MA Fine Art, •Vasilieos Chatzimakris, PhD, Music and Performing Arts.

The prize winners will take part in a ten-day residency in May, based at the Porthleven Lifeboat Art Studio. Whilst there, the students will work together to produce a body of collaborative artwork in any discipline including performance and text, as well as visual art.

The prize is funded by the Trevor Osborne Charitable Trust in association with Bath Spa. It is an excellent opportunity for students to gain professional artistic experience and promote their own work and practice to commercial galleries, prospective customers and clients.

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Rosie Hughes, Life Boat Art Studio manager, said: “I was extremely impressed with the quality of the students’ presentations and am very excited about the project. Trevor Osborne and his team are delighted to be able to collaborate with Bath Spa University in sponsoring these gifted students to create something very special based on the beautiful and historic location of Porthleven.”

The aim of the prize is to encourage students to work together across subjects to create a fusion of creative thinking in the heart of the Porthleven community.

Professor Mike Tooby, acting Dean of the School of Art and Design, said: “The Prize has already generated a terrific collaborative research trip by a group of students from across the University and from all levels of study. We now are looking forward to an exciting phase of new work by a strong and diverse group of creative minds responding to the rich context that Porthleven offers.”

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At the end of the residency the artwork will be exhibited to the public at the Lifeboat Art Studio in Porthleven. This will be followed later in the year by a touring exhibition at the O3 Gallery in Oxford as well as the Bath School of Art and Design.

Helen Statham, Director of the O3 Gallery, added: “The O3 Gallery is delighted to be working with students from Bath Spa University in this residency and exhibition. Collaborative practice is so important to contemporary artists working today and we are thrilled to be bringing together five students with such diverse working processes and media. I can’t wait to see what is created through this opportunity!”

comedy society starts summer with a bang!

Bath Spa’s Comedy Society the Idle Playthings, present ‘Ladle of Destiny’ – a Bath

Speaking about the event, Scott said: “It’s guaranteed to be the best kitchen utensil-based sketch show of the summer.”

As well as preparing this new show, the Idle Playthings have also been busy performing at the Bath Literature Festival and taking part in various Students’ Union events for Comic Relief and Battle of the Bands. They will also feature in this year’s Diver-city Festival and the Students’ Union Summer Ball.

On top of that, the Idle Playthings have also been responsible for instigating the return of cabaret. The incredibly popular ‘BringBackCabaret’ nights have involved some of the University’s finest bands, stand-ups, dancers and singers. The next ‘BringBackCabaret’ night will be held on 13 May at Banglo bar in Bath.

‘Ladle of Destiny’ is taking place on Sunday 2 June from 7:30pm at The Bell in Bath. Tickets are £3 and can be booked through Bath Box Office. More information about the Idle Playthings is available here

Fringe Festival sketch show with the freshest acting talent and writing team that this University can muster. Grammar-defending superheroes, old women with insatiable appetites and large kitchen utensils feature in this new show.

The Idle Playthings include President Luke Mallinson, Vice-President Scott Wilson and Events Manager James Devine as well as over 20 other writers, stand-ups and performers from across the University. Luke is in the second year of a Business and Management course, Scott is second year English Literature student and James is a final year Arts Management student.

Pic: Ladle of Destiny

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Students take a dive for

Student Lucy Mitchell is currently organising a student Skydive to raise money for dementia Institute for the Care Of Older People (RICE) is a registered charity based in Bath.

Lucy, a third year business and management student, has been volunteering at RICE for the last

three years, assisting with finance, fundraising and marketing activities as well as running several projects and events, including sponsored Skydives.

Last year, Lucy organised a jump with five students participating and raising over £1,000 for Alzheimer’s research.

This year, ten students will be jumping and Lucy hopes that they can raise double last year’s figure with the jump on Saturday 4 May. Commenting on the Skydive, Lucy said: “I am delighted that there has been so much interest in the Skydive this year! Not only is it fantastic publicity for RICE, it is also set to raise a lot of money.

“The charity conducts research and clinical trials into Alzheimer’s and other dementias and also provides support for those with the disease, and their families.

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charity

a research charity, RICE. The Research

Pic: The students taking part in the skydive

“Some of the students have really moving reasons for doing the Skydive specifically for an Alzheimer’s charity. I am happy that I have been able to facilitate the jump and thus the opportunity to raise money for such a worthwhile cause. I thoroughly enjoy volunteering for the charity and relish the challenge of running my own projects such as the Skydive.”

RICE fundraiser, Gina Caddick, added: “Lucy has been amazing over the last three years, helping out in so many ways and she will be sorely missed when she graduates.

That’s two years now where she has whipped up the enthusiasm among her fellow students to dive from a plane, helping to promote our charity. Thanks to everyone who has taken up the challenge.”

For more information about the dive, including how to sponsor the students, please visit www.rice.org.uk/bath+spa+uni+skydive+20132

Pic: Lucy Mitchell SPACE APR 2013

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Recognition of partnership with Bath Festivals Bath Spa and Bath Festivals have been selected as one of the top three partnerships within the Arts & Business (A&B) Long-term Partnership Award category. We are the only university in the UK to have been shortlisted across all the Awards categories.

The A&B Awards in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover are held annually. The Long-term Part-

nership Award recognises businesses and organisations’ on-going collaboration and their ability to continue to set high standards for arts and business partnerships.

We have been working in partnership with Bath Festivals for many years, enhancing each of our profiles and helping to develop a thriving creative and cultural life for this vibrant city.

Attracting audiences from across the UK, Bath International Music Festival, The Independent Bath Literature Festival, The Telegraph Bath Children’s Literature Festival and their year round Learning & Participation programmes provide exciting and valuable opportunities for our students, from delivering performances, workshops and education work to stewarding and placements within the arts administration team.

Bath Festivals benefit from creative, financial and in-kind support from the University. This ranges from contributions to the development of its artistic and outreach programmes, use of university facilities and resources, delivery of events as well as access to a range of staff and student expertise, for example in supporting the Festivals’ social media strategy.

The partnership was formally confirmed in January this year with the University named as Bath Festivals’ ‘Creative Partner’. The relationship has had a positive impact on students, local school children, rural communities, teachers, arts professionals, performers and the diverse festival audiences.

Commenting on the shortlisting, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Christina Slade said: “We are delighted and proud to have been shortlisted for such a prestigious award. Our partnership with Bath Festivals is a celebration of the marriage of the creativity and skill sets of our students with the thriving arts and creative businesses throughout the city of Bath.”

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Bath Festivals’ Chief Executive, Belinda Kidd, added: “It is wonderful that our long-established work with the staff and students of Bath Spa University has been recognised in this way. Our links with the University are immensely rewarding, and I am delighted that these have now been further strengthened with the formal establishment of our role as Creative Partner.”

The A&B Awards celebrate the finest partnerships between the commercial and cultural sectors.

This year, over 100 partnerships entered across the seven award categories.

Philip Spedding, Director of Arts & Business, said: “Our independent panel of judges were incredibly impressed by the quality and breadth of all of the entries and it is heartening to see the commercial sector continue to support the cultural sector in such well executed and creative ways.

Success, as ever, is achieved through commitment, cooperation and collaboration.”

The ceremony for the A&B Awards will take place on Tuesday 14 May at the London Symphony Orchestra, St Luke’s, London.

Create.Connect

2013

Artswork Media Class of 2013 is taking over Verve Events space at Paintworks in Bristol in May.

Artswork Media is a media production company where the third year students on the BA (Hons)

Creative Media Practice course can nurture existing skills and learn new ones. From meeting clients to collaborating on projects, this team are exactly what the media industry needs; graduates with the right experience and the skills in being able to develop strong working relationships with businesses and clients.

Whilst gaining invaluable B2B experience is one of the many skills the students have learnt, keeping a professional, yet friendly, relationship going even after the project has finished, is another.

Over three days from 28 to 30 May, the team members at Artswork Media will be showcasing the wide range of work that has been completed throughout the degree course and students’ individual journeys, so come along and see exactly what Artswork and its team are all about!

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Dr Elizabeth Wright’s play nominated for five Off West End Awards ‘Vanessa and Virginia’, a play by Dr Elizabeth

Wright, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, has been nominated for five Off West End Awards (Offies). The nominations are in the categories of: • Best female performance – Alice Frankham • Best new play – Elizabeth Wright • Most promising playwright – Elizabeth Wright • Best sound – Jeremy Thurlow • Best set – Kate Unwin

The Offies recognise and celebrate the excellence, innovation and ingenuity of independent theatres across London. Nominees will be shortlisted in January 2014 and the winners announced in the spring.

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Pic: Performance of Vanessa and Virginia

‘Vanessa and Virginia’ is about the lives of Virginia Woolf and her lesser-known sister, the artist Vanessa Bell. It is based on the 2008 novel by Susan Sellers. They play was performed at Riverside Studios in London from 25 March until 14 April.

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BSU EVENTS 25 years of Send a Cow Tues 7 May, 6:30pm, NE.G02, Newton Park Send a Cow has been transforming the lives of families and communities in Africa for twenty five years. In working with these rural smallholders, Send a Cow has learnt a great deal about the keys to unlocking the untapped and under-valued potential of these amazing people.

Come and hear this fascinating journey which takes you from cows on planes to a million lives transformed. This will be told through a mixture of personal story and analysis, showing that Send a Cow has an important answer to ending poverty in a sustainable way. Send a Cow is one of Bath Spa University Students Union’s chosen charities for 2012-13.

Can Creativity Be Taught?

Wed 8 May, 6:30-8:30pm, The Gallery at Foyles, Charing Cross Road, London ‘Creativity is contagious. Pass it on’ said Albert Einstein. But is creativity simply a skill that can be imparted and acquired, like conjugating a verb or wiring a plug? Or are its origins much more mysterious than that - a strand of DNA or perhaps a divine gift? Grappling with these questions this evening are four of Bath Spa University’s new Professors of Creative Writing, three acclaimed novelists Maggie Gee, Tessa Hadley and Fay Weldon CBE, and poet and screenwriter David Harsent. More information here At the Mad Shepherdess Sun 12 May, 5:00-8:00pm, Chapter Cardiff Professor Mike Tooby presents this project which plays with our ideas of art history and museums, as well as how we relate to each other, as strangers, friends and neighbours. More information is available here SPACE APR 2013

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Shap Prize for Catherine Robinson and Denise Cush Dr Catherine Robinson and Professor Denise Cush from the School of Humanities and Cultural Industries, have been presented with an annual award by the Shap

Working Party for World Religions in Education

The award recognises a person or organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to ed-

ucation in religions, including resources for learning in the study of religions at university level and religious education in schools.

Dr Robinson and Professor Cush have been awarded this year’s prize for their project and website Living Religion: Promoting Fieldwork Placements in Theology and Religious Studies which has been judged as making a profoundly significant contribution to the field of the study of/education in religions.

Commenting on receiving the award, Dr Robinson said: “This came as a great surprise, but the award acknowledges the value of fieldwork placements which have been part of the programme here for over 35 years and for which we must thank the many colleagues and communities who have been involved over that time.”

Professor Cush added: “We were delighted to hear that our project had received this award from Shap, as the Shap Working Party shares our vision of the importance of learning about the diverse range of religions and beliefs that have such an influence on individuals and societies in the world today.”

The project was funded by the Higher Education Academy and built upon the many decades of experience at Bath Spa in working with religious and belief communities to provide experiential placement learning for students.

Bath Spa remains unique in that it includes a seven day placement with a religious or belief community as a compulsory part of its core curriculum in the Study of Religions course.

The Shap Working Party for World Religions in Education was founded in 1969 by a group of university lecturers in comparative religion, teacher educators and teachers. This group pioneered the non-confessional study of a diverse range of religions and beliefs at all levels of education, from primary schools to universities.

More information about the Shap prize can be found here 28

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Coming up in MAY...

Musica Viva: Recorders and Wind

Wed 1 May, 1:10pm, Michael Tippett Centre Music performed by Bath Spa University’s Department of Music Record and Wind chamber groups. Musica Viva events are free lunchtime concerts by students, staff and friends of the Department of Music at Bath Spa University. The concerts usually end at 1.50pm.

Tickets: Free – no booking required.

Musica Viva: Madrigals

Wed 8 May, 1:10pm, Michael Tippett Centre A performance by Bath Spa University’s madrigal group. Musica Viva events are free lunchtime concerts by students, staff and friends of the Department of Music at Bath Spa University. The concerts usually end at 1.50pm.

Tickets: Free – no booking required.

Jazz Night

Wed 8 May, 7:30pm, Burdall’s Yard Professional musicians and student performers collaborate for an evening of small band jazz.

Tickets: Full Price £3. Free for Bath Spa students.

Boeing Boeing

Wed 15 May, 7:30pm; Thurs 16 May, 7:30pm; Fri 17 May, 2:00pm, Fri 17 May 7:30pm University Theatre Graduating students of Bath Spa University’s Performing Arts programme present a farce of mile-high proportions. Parisian playboy Bernard is quite the ladies’ man. He has not one, not two, but three glamorous fiancées jetting in and out of his life! Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts we may be experiencing turbulence ahead…

Tickets: Full Price £8; BSU Students & U16s £6.50.

Creative Music Technology Graduate Show

Wed 22 May, 6:30pm, Burdall’s Yard View an interactive exhibition of highly original work by BSU’s final year Creative Music Technology students.

Featuring audio, multimedia and composition, this work blurs the boundaries of the discipline.

Tickets: £3.

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Bath Spa nominate local for National Graduate R Award Creative agency Complete Control UK Ltd was nominated for an award by the University at the recent National Graduate Recruitment Awards.

Bath-based creative agency Complete Control UK Ltd was nominated for an award by the Uni-

versity at the recent National Graduate Recruitment Awards which took place on the 3 April at Grosvenor House, London. Up to 100 employers were nominated for the award with Complete Control being shortlisted in the final six alongside companies such as Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Cap Gemini and American Express.

The AGCAS Award for Excellence in Careers Service Engagement focuses on employers who develop and sustain good working relationships with higher education careers and employability services, and recognises those employers who provide outstanding support for careers services’ work with students and graduates.

Following exploratory meetings between Bath Spa University’s Head of Enterprise & Local Partnerships and Complete Control’s Creative Director, partnership working has developed through supporting student employability across several creative disciplines, from music and film to graphic communications. Bath Spa Careers now acts as a single point of entry to deal with all emerging opportunities, be it access to student talent, staff expertise or our industry-standard facilities.

Complete Control, recently voted the Biggest Success Story of 2012 at Bath’s Sparkies Awards, is a Bafta award-winning independent children’s interactive production company, featuring a high-profile client base including Cartoon Network, CBeebies, Nickelodeon and Penguin Books.

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l company Recruitment

Through the Job Shop, Complete Control has recruited several part-time employees including a BA (Hons) Creative Music Technology student who won Bath Spa’s Student Employee of the Year 2012 working as an audio/video clip producer.

Glynn Hayward, Creative Director at Complete Control, commented that: “Having someone as talented, passionate and with the cutting edge up-to-date commercial awareness he brought to the job has enabled the whole team to do things in our projects which we haven’t been able to do before. This has had a hugely positive effect on our business in terms of audio production.”

The partnership continues to flourish. Within the last 12 months, for example: • Glynn Hayward has acted as an Industry Ambassador for the University.

• Complete Control sought an educational expert to sit on a BAFTA Children’s Awards panel, for which we sourced a Higher Education Academy National Teaching Fellow, based within the University’s School of Education.

• The University’s high-quality recording studios have been used by the company for audio and soundtrack recording, supported and shadowed by students on music-related programmes.

Glynn described the partnership as “a win-win situation all round.”

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Launch of ResearchSPAce The Vice-Chancellor officially launched the University’s new research repository ResearchSPAce on 22 April.

ResearchSPAce aims to collate and showcase the University’s

research outputs and make them openly accessible to all. There are more than 1,000 records on ResearchSPAce providing useful citations and links to publisher websites where available. Some records also contain the full text, and more material (including art and music material) will be added over the coming months to increase the visibility of research.

ResearchSPAce will encourage collaboration across the University by making it easier for academics to access each other’s research. It is also a way of telling the world about the best of our work. Once the work is freely available, it will help to forge links with prospective staff, researchers, future postgraduate students, and international partners. Research in the repository has already been downloaded by people in Australia, South Africa, USA, Nepal, Greece, France and Norway.

At the launch event, the Vice-Chancellor spoke about citation rates for research in the arts and humanities fields which, when compared to research in science based subjects, take longer to gain momentum. There is a strong body of evidence to show that when research is available openly and freely, the greater the impact and higher citation rate it has. She stressed the importance of ResearchSPAce in helping Bath Spa’s research become more readily and easily available and the positive impact this will have in the long-term.

Academic staff are encouraged to actively engage with ResearhSPAce and place their research outputs in the repository. It is available here

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Pic: Vice-Chancellor, Professor Slade speaking at the launch event

Postgraduate study opportunities students in the midst of your final semester, take time out to consider your next step. After a

well-deserved summer break, we’d like to welcome you back to Bath Spa University for postgraduate study.

Bath Spa Progression Scholarship Current Bath Spa students in their final year that start a postgraduate course in October 2013 will be eligible for a £1,200 fee reduction. This is available on most of our full or part-time postgraduate courses and is open to both UK/EU and international students. Full details can be found here Open Afternoon invitation Get an insight into our eight new Master’s programmes starting in October 2013 and find out about all of the postgraduate study options on offer. Every Thursday afternoon from 2 May to 1 August you can visit Newton Park, Sion Hill and Corsham Court Campus between 2:00pm and 5:00pm Book a visit Funding *deadline extended* We have Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) fully funded studentships available for 2013-14 covering tuition fees and the maintenance allowance. The deadline has been extended to 15 June 2013. They are available in the following subjects: MA Creative Writing, MA Writing for Young People, MA Scriptwriting, MA Fine Art, MA Design: Fashion and Textiles, MA Design: Ceramics.

Further information Differentiate yourself Explore your passion Improve your career #BSUpostgrad

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Pic: Corsh-

Attachment Awareness in Schools Bath Spa students help with the Attachment Aware Schools launch

Bath Spa students Sam Balch, Sophie Glover,

Helen Moore, Katya Hilton and Emma Chapman all made their own contribution to the recent Attachment Aware Schools launch by welcoming over 100 delegates to the conference and guiding them to the venue at Bath Rugby Club.

One delegate commented: “The Bath Spa students were a perfect model of what this is all about – finding people who are confused and uncertain, and getting them to a place where they feel secure and can begin to learn. So often at conferences you are left to find your own way to some obscure place, and you arrive flustered and stressed.”

The purpose of the project is to encourage schools to consider the needs of children who have experienced trauma or neglect in their lives. Kate Cairns, a national authority on childhood trauma, who is working with the project, pointed out that this can affect up to 40 per cent of children in a given classroom, to some extent, and the conference ended with a video message from Dr Maggie Atkinson, Children’s Commissioner for England, stressing the importance for schools of taking children’s attachment needs seriously. Dr Janet Rose of Bath Spa also outlined her research on the impact of emotion coaching on schools.

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Mike Gorman, Virtual Headteacher for Bath and North East Somerset, said: “Understanding attachment will help teachers in their work with some of our most challenging children. Teachers will be better prepared to be able to help these children, who we should really regard as being injured and not always wilfully badly behaved.”

Speaking about the event, Sam Balch said: “This was a great opportunity, and I particularly learned a lot from Kate’s presentation.”

Helen Moore added: “It was a very interesting conference. I would certainly like to find out more before embarking on my PGCE in September.”

Pic: Bath Spa students with Kate Cairns

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Cock-A-Hoop Symposium On Saturday 6 April, 50 academics, students and artists gathered at Bath Spa University for the first ‘Cock-A-Hoop’ Symposium.

Pic: Symposium attendees

Organised by Dr Terri Power and Pat Welsh from the

School of Music and Performing Arts, in collaboration with the Bristol Shakespeare Festival, the event was an interdisciplinary platform for sharing ideas and practices for making Shakespeare more accessible to audiences.

The first panel of the day gave papers on contemporary Shakespeare in performance which was followed by an interpretive dance piece from a postgraduate choreographer Ji-Eun Lee. The second panel broke off into three workshops on the following topics: original pronunciation, a screening of a Macbeth project with prisoners in Ireland, and a cut-up Macbeth drumming workshop with Drum Major Russell MacEwan. The third panel included Pat Welsh and Bath Spa students sharing and discussing extracts of the Cock-A-Hoop performance work that premiered the night before at Burdall’s Yard as part of the Bath Comedy Festival and the final discussion panel included several Shakespeare practitioners, directors and programmers.

Second year Theatre Acting students in the Cock-A-Hoop performance project worked as attendants during the symposium, leading the delegates around and answering questions while dressed in Elizabethan costumes.

The symposium was a huge success and several of the delegates have been programmed into the Bristol Shakespeare Festival in July. There are also plans to hold a two-day international conference in 2014 on the same theme.

Commenting on the event, Sarah Swords King, Director of Swords & King said: “Your students do you proud - all of them were excellent, obviously all extremely talented.”

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BSU: INTErNATIONAL Student Exchange at Bath Spa University

There is still time to apply for three remaining student exchange places at State University of New York, Geneseo. If you are keen to spend a semester studying in America, please contact the International Relations Office international@bathspa.ac.uk today. The exchange programme is open to students on most programmes and you will be guided through the application stage. For more information about State University of New York, Geneseo, visit their website www.geneseo.edu

Summer University Prague 2013

This is a great opportunity for Bath Spa stu-

Erasmus Promoting Inclusion with Cognitive Approaches in European Countries (Pica) Intensive Programme

The School of Education is hosting a two

week intensive Inclusive Education programme for students from universities in various European countries. 45 students from Hungary, Turkey, Belgium, the Czech Republic and the UK are invited to Bath Spa University between 17 and 28 June.

This invitation is extended to all staff and students at Bath Spa who would be interested in learning more about education topics such as Inclusive Education and Specific Learning Difficulties in the European community. Sessions will be presented by staff at Bath Spa and also staff from visiting institutions. If you would like to take part in the sessions, please email Samantha Short s.short@bathspa.ac.uk

dents who wish to study abroad in the summer. “East goes west - West goes east?� Summer Programme at Charles University in Prague is available to all students who wish to take up the offer. For more information, please visit: http://summer-university.fsv.cuni.cz/

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BSU: in the news Creative Writing Professor and Graduate in list of top 20 British

Granta magazine has published its once-a-decade list of the most promising writers. Bath Spa

Professor Naomi Alderman and graduate Evie Wyle were joined on the list by other novelists including Zadie Smith, Adam Thirlwell and Sarah Hall, for the announcement at the British Council in London on Monday 15 April.

Granta first published a list of the top 20 writers aged under 40 in 1983. That list included illustrious writers such as Martin Amis, William Boyd, Ian McEwan and Salman Rushdie. It is published oncea-decade and focuses on existing and emerging talents.

Evie Wyld graduated from Bath Spa in 2002 having studied creative writing as part of a BA Creative Arts Course. Her debut novel After the Fire, a Still Small Voice won the 2009 John Llewellyn Rhys literary prize. As well as writing novels, Evie also runs an independent bookshop in London.

Professor Naomi Alderman joined Bath Spa in September 2012. Her debut novel Disobedience, was published in ten languages and like her second novel, The Lessons, it was read on BBC radio’s Book at Bedtime. In 2006 she won the Orange Award for New Writers and in 2007, she was named Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year. She also co-created Zombies, Run! - a fitness game and audio app for smartphones and was the lead writer on Bafta-shortlisted alternate reality game Perplex City.

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Students’ Union Family Fun Day in Oldfield Park

The Students’ Union worked with the Student Community Partnership (SCP) to host a Family Fun

Day at Oldfield Park Baptist Church on Saturday 13 April. The SCP, which also includes the University of Bath Students’ Union organised the event to help students get to know other local residents and give something back to their community.

The free event included a number of performances, a children’s bouncy castle and badge-making, as well as stalls from local businesses and councillors, and the chance to support the Chairman of Bath’s Organ Donor Campaign.

There was also an Oldfield Park Bake Off competition, with two categories; under 12 years and over 12 years.

Councillor Will Sandry, Chair of Student Community Partnership, said, “In recent years, students in Bath & North East Somerset have played a significant and growing role in the local community.

The Student Community Partnership aims to encourage a good relationship between students and members of the local community and the Family Fun Day did just that.”

Pic: Having fun

Emma Weskin Vice-President of Welfare at Bath Spa University Students’ Union said, “The Fun Day was a great chance for local people to get together, have fun and celebrate. It was also a chance for us to show what a great and positive impact students have as part of a lovely community here in Bath.”

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staff news Starters and Leavers

In April we welcomed‌ Sarah Hackett, Senior Lecturer in Modern European History, School of Humanities and Cultural Industries Katherine Finlayson, Administrator, Estates and Services Andrew Hugill, Director of Creative Computing, School of Humanities and Cultural Industries Helena Thomas, Course Tutor: PGCE Secondary English, School of Education Jane Adams, Cleaner - Culverhay, Domestic Services Katy Mugford, Project Coordinator, Student Services Alice Brand, Senior Admissions Officer, Student Services Heather Brunt, Administrative Assistant, Student Services Kay Maskell, Subject Librarian, Library and Information Services Emma Watterson, Wellbeing Coordinator, Student Services

We also said farewell to‌ Rosalind Parsons, Property Services Secretary, Estates and Services Jacqueline McKenna, Grounds Manager, Estates and Services Rebecca Mills, Cleaner, Domestic Services Lisa Thrower, Senior ITE and Partnership Administrator, School of Education

Please let us know if you have any interesting news for the next issue by sending your stories to

j.wakefield@bathspa.ac.uk Deadline: Weds 15 May 2013.

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