Comment 022 March 1987

Page 1

King's College London (KQC) newsletter

PRINCIPAL SPEAKS OUT ON FINANCIAL CRISIS Thi edition of COMME T contains a clear explanation from the Finance Officer of the perilous financial tate which face us now, and into the forseeable future. Earlier this e ion we had already identified a erie of co t-cutting mea ures nece sary to financial tability: mea ure that are now totally inadequate a we contend with payment of the recently agreed academic salary award. The Government' contribution rowards this works out at well under 50% and out of a total co t of ÂŁ3.3M incurred by thi pay award, King' will have to find ÂŁ2M. All univer itie will encounter significant difficulties in implementing this etUement: King's particular ituation mean that we will have to borrow money now to pay the rise. The Finance Committee were in no doubt that a package of additional and drastic cost-cutting mea ures mu t be implemented immediately and the Finan e Officer's article itemises the main target. It i an undeniably depressing picture and

will hold implications for every section of the College. I t will not be easy to find areas of reduction and it will pre ent us with ome very difficult decision. These are, however, decision we literally cannot afford to hirk. The package of cuts is not an ideal olution, it is an essential and a coherent one. Failure to meet any of the targets et will mean cuts in other place: we have to make it work. I have already poken with union representative and intend to talk widely with

taff on all ampu e '. Everyone' help i important and I want to ensure that detailed and con tru tlve discussion can take pIa eat all level throughout the College. I shall be asking tho e for whom early retirement is a possibility to consider their position and discu the matter with myelf or the College ecretary on a "no preJudice" basis. Equally important is the ability of individuals to "earn" part or the whole of their salary from ex ternal sources. There are anum ber of options here, including re-training and re-deployment. We have a talented and flexible staff who will have their own suggestions about how to help the College through this very difficult period. I shall be writing to staff further about this. Planning for consolidation till goes on, and with increased urgency. We have no intention of losing sight of our long-term aims for Cornwall Hou e: it is the most sensible way to recover financial stability, a the Finance Officer's figures clearly indicate. A note in thi edition will bring you up-to-date with the latest news on that front.

In the meantime, our ta k I to cure the hort-term in order that the long-term go I are reached. Be in no doubt about the seriou ne ~ ot our current po it ion. The fman ial proje tion are quite unpalatable and we mu t put ever)- effort into the cost-cutting programme before u .

Events in the Cornwall Hou e i ue took a disappointing turn on March 4 when the College received news from Kenneth Baker that fund were not available to uppon our development plan. He tated that he was not mclined to pre s the PSA to extend the March 31 t deadline and that the lease could not be acquired in advance ut further d tailed con ideration of the co ted propo al the College ha prepared "at I a t not with funds lhat have to be accounted for to Parliament". 11, however, i not 10 t. Certain a pect of the ecretary of State's letter indicate a po sible mi interpretation of the true nature of the College's proposals and the Principal hopes to have an early opportunity to clarify these point. More dramatically, Profes or Sutherland wa able to announce an immediate respon e to the bad news. The College is in discussion with private backer and will now urgently pursue this avenue of self-help in an attempt to go ahead with the purcha e of the Cornwall House lease within the March 31 t deadline. Member of staff have already had circulated a recent tatement made to the pres and will be kept fully informed of further development as and when they occur. To let the Cornwall Hou e option pa s would gravely diminish the College's ability to provide the powerful contribution to future teachlJlg and research of which it is so obviously capable.

PROFESSOR PETER B KER TIle College wa greatly saddened to hear of the tragic death of Profe or Peter Baker, Head of the Department of Phy iology, on 10 March. The funeral, at which the Principal will be pre ent, will be held on Thursday 19 March. An appreciation will appear in the next edition of Comment.

Sir Yehudi Menuhin OM meets Miron Crindea before delivering this year's AD IAt lecture.

1 -


this respect King's College tarts from a weak financial base.

CIAL PROSPECTS THE FIN

CE OFFICER A ALYSES TE

YEAR F

CIAL PROJECTIO S

TWO OPTIO S CO SIDERED Finance, Staff and General Purpo es Committee at it recent meeting con idered two financial projections covering the ten years ending 3 I July 1996. The projections set out the re urrent financial situation of the College in two polarised option. The option were a 'multi- ite' option, or 'stay a we are now' ituation and a con olidated ite situation known a the Thame ide Campus' option. The multi site option involves the maintenance and occupation of all existing site with the exception of Half Moon Lane and the Chemi try Block at Manresa Road. The recurrent cost of maintaining these two sites is assumed to cease by the end of July 1987. The Thameside Campus option involves maintaining the Strand Site including Drury Lane and occupying a refurbished Cornwall House in 1993/94, with the consequential disposal of all other sites. The projected annual deficits, which are alarming and are before the cost of financing external borrowing, are set out below. MULTI SITE £K 19 6/87 19 7/ 8 19 8/89 19 9/90 1990/91 1991/92 1992/93 1993/94 1994/95 1995/96

(lI2:l) (24 2) (2421 ) (2146) ( 1972) (2055) (2157) (2252) (2359) (2469)

THAMESIDE CAMPUS £K (1123) (2582) (2525) (2254) (2084) (2172) (2279) ( 1118) ( 655) ( 91)

On the que tion of external borrowing, at the pre nt the College i financing the cumulative revenue deficit, ome £4.5M, by manipulating its own cash re ources. The extent to which uch a practice i manageable is limited and by the end of the current se sion, given the implementation of the fir t tage of the 'academic award in March 19 7, the College will be in a hard core overdraft situation of around £ I.OM. In fact, because the Government's supplementary funding for the academic salary award is not payable until the new fiscal year, borrowing fa ilitie of ome £ 2 .OM will have to be rai ed to fund the March payment. COST REDUCTIO ESSENTIAL

PROGRAMME NOW

Such a severe financial situation demands drastic action. Finance, Staff and General Purposes Committee has therefore resolved that payment of the academic salary award is conditional upon the implementation of a cost reduction programme which will not only enable the nece aryexternal borrowing to be secured but will bring about rapid financial stability. The cost reduction package involves 7 main features:i) The loss of approximately 70 academic posts.

REASONS FOR FINANCIAL CRISIS

ii) A vacancy freeze designed to reduce the exi ting non academic establishment by approximately 30 posts within two years.

There are two basic reasons for the seriousness of the College's projected financial predicament.

iii) The closure of Pulton Place and Hortensia Road by the summer of 1988.

First, the College's starting financial position is extremely poor. At the beginning of the current e sion the College had a cumulative revenue deficit of some £3.7M and with a normal academic and related salary award of around 5%, expected a deficit in the current session of some £900K. It was primarily in response to this financial situation that the Planning and Resources Committee had embarked on an academic rationalisation process designed to reduce the academic establishment.

iv) The rationalisation of Academic Service Units including Library.

Secondly, the recent announcement of the agreed 'pending April 1986' academic and related staff salary award has dramatically exacerbated the financial situation. The award, which is payable in two instalments - 16% from I December 1986, and 7% from I March 1988, is to be only part funded by the Government. The estimated gross costs of implementing the award to the College in a full year is some £3.3M. After upplementary Government grant and the normal inflationary funding element built into annual block recurrent grants are taken into account, the College will have to find from its own resources approximately £ 1.5M per annum in a full year.

vii) Appropriate economies at the School of Medicine and Dentistry in respect of the medical deficit element.

The two factor when corn bined produce a financial predicament which is clearly not viable. Even in the Thameside Campus option, where the deficit situation significantly improves from 1993/94 onwards, the consequences of financing and repaying the external borrowing needed to survive until 1993/94 in reality puts the Thameside Campus in the same short term context as the multi site option. Ba ed on the limited information that is available, the College is not alone in facing such a severe financial outlook. However the ability to absorb the 'pending' academic salary award depends very much on the underlying financial strength of each In titution. In

2

v) The rationalisation of administration. vi) The rationalisation of sports grounds.

Furthermore, Finance, Staff and General Purposes Committee has also resolved that if the targetted savings of each feature of the cost reduction package are not achieved, for whatever reason, immediate comparable economies are to be effected elsewhere, designed specifically to meet the relevant shortfall. The machinery and operational aspects for effecting the cost reduction package are still under discussion but FS & GPC see wift decisive action as an essential part of the programme. There is therefore little time for manoeuvre, if we are to avoid the prospect of rapid decline into a


tions 0 'tai and expeni e already pre ent within the College and the a ult}. and via the ~f e hani al Engineenng Joint S hool with L nner It} College London. h diversificatIOn .... ould ertamt· develop in the field of Inlormallon Te hnolog}, involvmg l i n i h Ph> SI and Compuung, and would devdop CAD la ititie lread)" pre ent withm he awlt}.

(ill)

THE The po ibillty of a m rger bet ween King' -and e t ield i agam bemg cxplon:d. Informal meeting have been taking pIa e and the Prin Ipal ha been to talk to \ e tfield ta f. The propo al tor a total merger of the two rt Fa ullle ha been reafftrmed by King' and the Pnn Ipal ha wrllten ormally to Pro essor Varey, the Principal of We tfield ollege, with full detail of the ignificant opportunitie su h a merger would pre ent. We tfield are also in serious discussion with Queen Mary ollege and at their next council, on March 17, will be reviewing their options for future alliance.

Aftcr seriou and lengthy debate the cademic Board endor ed a recommendation from the Planning and Resource Committee aimed at ecuring the future of engineering within the College. The detail of thi recommendation are given below and were presented to the March 5 meeting of the University Joint Planning Committee.

THE PLANNING AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE PROPOSAL It was agreed that any policy adopted must conform to certain criteria: (a) It hould result in future stable development for the Faculty free from unacceptable outside pressures: (b) It should protect, a far as was reasona bly possible, the interests of individual member of staff in the Civil Engineering Department; (c) It hould aim to retain within the College and th Faculty a much of the re • ource currently allocated a pos ible. A ter extended discu ion the Committee agrecd the following proposal: (i) That the Faculty of Engineering hould be re-structured to provide a strong Faculty of adequate viable ize centring initially upon the present Departments of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Mechanical Engineering;

(ii) That the Faculty be encouraged to diver ify from this base with a view to tudent recruitment and strength in re earch, in way which build on concentra-

U

. 'B. 0 her link are bemg examined in-ludmg: Edu ation, La.... , 1anagement Studie ,Biotc-hnolog}. Medl al Engln cring and Food S ience. The award of fund or a Lecture hip m Optoel trom' Biosen or by the ni 'er- it)" Court ha ad\'an -ed further the exi tlng co-operation between the Facultie of Life S iences and Engineering.) Su h a plan would be the basis of the Principal' paper to the JOInt Planning Committee and would be conditional upon two factor:

The Publi auon Wor 'lOg Group hd been nomma ed to ondu t rev le.... 01 pro pe tu pro\lslon -or the College and to advi e on the tuture pob -. lor College prope tue' m term 01 number. ontent dnd o t. The Group aim to ·ompkt· thl revi .... by th end of .-\pril and VIII ubmit Its Repor to the Planmng and Re our'e Committee. Deans have been a ked to conult .... ith Head 01 Depanm nts and to provid the Group with mformation and view on the ontent and tru ture of pro pe -tu material. I any individual mem ber ot College has a view they would wish put bdore th • Group, please either a k >our Head ot Department to communicate thi. to your Dean or, alternatively. put your comment in wnting 10 the Information Oltlcer, to arrive by Monday Mar h 30 at tht: late l.

(i) That the dl u ion 0 thc conclu ion of the Muir-Wood Working Party hould now be terminated and a a consequence King' Faculty of '.. . ngineering should be regarded a in a table condition with a firm development plan for the future: (ii) That a significant proportion of the re ource currently a 0 iated with ivil Engineering should be retained within the College for these purposes. The J PC agreed that the e proposals formed the basis for an l1l1portant trengthening and stabilisation (If engineering in the University and have recommended to the March 18 meeting of Senate that the development of engineering be pur ued on this basis.

CVCP PAPERS HELD BY 1 FORMA no OFFICE The Information Office on the Strand receives a variety of paper from the CVCP and a regular note will be placed in COMME T indicating what i available either for reference or copying. ontact the Information Office if you are interested. CURRE TLY HELD Summary of the Croham Report issued 10/2/87 Revised guidelines on the application of VAT issued 13/2/ 7 Briefing pack on AIDS is ued 17/2/87 A ote on Academic Standards issued 9/2/87 TWO FACT SHEETS MPs and the House of Commons: points of contact The State of Universitie : The Brain Drain

FROM THE ER

FETY

DER Member of the ollege are reminded of the need to report accident which rc ult in per onal injury whether to tudents, 'taf[ or Visitors, and other incident such as firt: , spillage of harmful substance or failure of pre sure ve el. Reporting forms arc available from departmental office, the Per onnel Office, the Safety Office or from Site dministrators. Plea e complete the form as soon as po ible after the incident and forward it to the appropriate campus office Jj ted on the form. The College is legally obliged to report certain incidents and in addition failure to report an incident may have repercu ion if a compensation claim i su bsequently lodged again t the College or any other person or organi ation.

IDS

D THE COLLEGE

It is impossible to be unaware of the current public concern about cquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The Department of Employment and the Health and Safety I:.xecutive have jOintly issued a booklet AIDS A D EMPLOYME T which addres es ome of the m<\ior problems concerning the employment a pect of thiS illne . (Photocopies of the booklet are available from the College Safety Officer.) The booklet stresses the poin I that a potcntial risk arises only when the body Ouids (eg. blood, semen) of an infected pcrson can entcr another person's body by way of an open wound, cut or accidental injection. In due cour e the Collegc's Safety Policy Committee will consider what add-

3


itional pret:autions may be nece ary in tea hing and research activities involving blood or other human tis ue and in dealing with bleeding emergencie . The booklet ad vi e tha t the u ual good hygiene practi es adopted to prevent the pread of infection generally will also prevent infection by the AIDS viru . and that first aider hould wear dispo able glove and aprons when mopping up blood or body fluid, and that the spillage area hould be disinfected with a bleach:water mixture of I: I 0 concentration. The disposable item and mopping-up disinfectant will be made available to first aiders and elsewhere throughou 1 the College.

Yet again King's College has been the target for opportunist thieves. There were 65 reported theft in 19 5, and 70 reported in 1986. The items stolen have mostly been bags, wallets and purses, and the worst hit venues have been the library and offices. There were also a few more erious crime reported during 19 6, which is a di turbing trend. The opportunist thefts will never go away unle YO take a few simple teps to safeguard your own property. Some of you who were here in 1985 have already taken notice of the advice given then and the problem has reduced in certain areas, particularly cycle thefts. For thc benefit of new mem bers of the College (and those of you who missed it la t time), I repeat the advice below:DON'T leave bags or other items unattended for even one second. DO lock your office when you leave it unoccupied, or at least lock valuables away in drawers. DO 'T leave coats unattended. If you must leave them, empty the pockets of valuables. DO u e the lockers and cloakrooms provided by the College. DO 'T bring with you more money than you need for the day.

By follOWing the e imple step YO can reduce the opportunitie for the thieves and improve the quality of life in COlleg'e. REMEMBER - GI

E THEM A ' INCH D THEY'LL T KE YO R BAG. DO T LET THEM GET AW Y WITH IT.

Bob Troworidge Crime Prevention Officer Bow Street Police

General Sir John Winthrop Hackett, Principal of King' from 196 to 19 5, was recently awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by Buckingham ni er ity at their graduatIon ceremony on Saturday 1 February. The College would like to extend its congratulations to him.

A PERSO AL CHALLE GE - from Vera Ro e in the Department of Computing This test does not measure your intelligence, your fluency with words, and certainly not your mathematical ability. It will, however, give you some gauge of your mental flexibility and creativity. I n the many years since the lest was devised, few people have been found who could olve more than half of the questions at the first try. Many, however, reported getting answers long after the test had been et aside - particularly at unexpected moments when their minds were relaxed - and ome reported olving all the que tions over a period of a couple of days. Take this as your personal challenge.

I STRUCTIO S: Each "Equation" below ontains the initial letters of word that will make it correct. Find the missing words. ego 12= M in aY: 12 = Months in a Year.

26

L of the A

7

W of the W

IDOl =

A.

54

CinaD(withtheJ)

12

S of the Z

9

PintheS.S

88

P. K.

13

S on the A. F

.

32

D. F. at which W. F

.

. . .

H on a G. C.

90

D in a R. A.

200

P for P. G. in M

3

B. M. (S. H. T. R.)

4

Q in a G

24

H in a D

.

.

Won a DO keep your cheque book and cheque card separate. DO 'T advertise how much cash you have with you.

57

H. V.

II

P in a F. T

1000 =

W that a P is W

. .

DO secure your bicycle with a trong lock and/or chain.

29

D in a F in a L. Y

.

DO have your bicycle postcoded.

64

S on a C. B

.

DO 'T be complacent and think it will never happen to you!

Answers in the next edition.

4


COMPUTER LA G I R

G

SEM-

The seminar being held by the Compute) Centre on Wednesday 18 March i the work of the A lvey Project team. The Project has been set up jointly by King's and BSI and is concerned with quality evaluation of programming language implementations, with particular reference to Pascal Modula 2 and Prolog. Part of the team's work is to inve tigate error and exception handling capabilities. !though the detailed result are from the three languages mentioned above, many of the techniques and general characteristi s are largely language-independent, and detailed familiarity with these languages will not be assumed of tho e attending the seminar. The aim of the seminar i to present interim result and then to widen the subject in to a general discussion. It is hoped that the seminar will provide the Alvey team with feedback on what they have done so far.

Lodge in Surrey Street. Famou for liking a bet he wa even better known for an open and friendly per onality whi h enabled him to claim that he 'knew everybody", a claim Justified by the Wide circle of friend from Temple to Fleet Street who will mi him.

PROMOTIO S Congratulations to the following. who e promotion to enior Lecturer wa announced at the last meeting of the cadcmic Board: Dr Dr Dr Dr Dr Dr

OBITUARY

The po t could suit a research tudent looking forummer employment or a new graduate Date : 3 ugut - 25 September 1987 Salary. by arrangement Further detail. contact Jenl1lfer Jack on, As i tant Regi trar, Tel Ext 26 5.

H P Bennetto, Chemi try G L Claxton, Education

DIPLOMA IN TEACHI GAD COURSE DEVELOPME T FOR ACADEMIC STAFF I HIGHER EDUCATIO : LO DO U IVER ITY 19 7-8

R K Colegrave, Mathematic R B Harri on, German I Roy, History T J B Simon , Physiology

STAFF HO 0

RED

Profe or Helder Macedo

STAFF NEWS

working with over eas tudents and is good at organi ation but i al'o prepared to turn a hand to anything from advI mg students, arranging outings and t ping to photocopyIDg and form filling.

The College would like to congratulate Helder Macedo, Camoens Profe sor of Portuguese and Head of the Department of Portugue e and Brazilian Studie , who has recently been elected a Fellow of the Portugue e cadem y. Profes or S J Pirt Congratulations arc aI-cl extended to Professor S John Ptrt of the Department of Microbiology, who has been elected a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science.

BUSK MEDAL AW RD Professor W B Morgan i pleased to announce the award of the Bu k Medal to Mi Alice Coleman for her contribution to academic work in Geography. It is one of the few gold medals of the Royal Geographical Society and a considerable honour.

Thl programme focusse on leaching. course design and course management. It i open to applicant holding academic or academically related pots in universities or polytechnics, college or institutes of higher education or who teach at least half-time on degree level courses in other institutions. The programme is in its 7th year and ha been completed by both enior and junior staff from a wide range of disciplines. The course is normally part-time over 2 years, but can be for one year full-time. It i designed so that problem can be di cu ed as they occur, and any advice can be immediately put into practice. At exam times, student assessment, th~ry and practice will be discu ed. A t student election time, practice interviews will be arranged. Enough modern theory will be introdu ed to encourage incisive thinking about what you are trying to achieve through your course and to analyse problem that arise with the teaching programme. Fee: The cour e is free to London University Staff. Enquiries should be directed to The Centre for Staff Development in Higher Education, 2 Taviton Street, London, WC lH OBT Tel: 3 00599.

. NEWS ROUND-UP ADMI ISTR WA TED DEREK WAITS Mem bers of the College will be saddened to learn of the sudden and tragic death of Derek Watts, porter in the orfolk Building. Derek, who was 53, came to the College from the Law Courts in March 1979 and spent four years in the Macadam Building before moving to the orfolk

6

no

T

An Administration/Clerical as istant is needed to help with the organisation and running of the College's PR SE SIONAL E CLl H LA GUAGE COUR E thi summer. The po t will provide intere tll1g and stimulating work for omeone who enjoys

The Computer Board of the Universities and Research Councils acting together with the niver ity ha accepted that King's strategy for academic computing de erve exceptional funding. Accord-


DEP RTME 'T OF ~ECH , IC L E G EER G RESEARCH SEM AR

LECTURES, MEETINGS AND SEMINARS STI TE OF S DiES

D

CED M SIC L

'."ednesda) 29 pril EFFECT OF 10. I.IPL\ 'T TIO . 0 THE L RF. CE OF PROPERTIE OF ~tET:\L

Tuesday 1 ~iarch DEPARDtE. T L CO, TERT or T E, 'TI TH~E. 'TLR ~tLSIC FOR CHOIR . . '0 ORCHESTRA Mu I by Gerhard, Elizabeth Ma on hy (in c;elcbrallon of her Oth birthday), David Lum daine (staff member) and by po tgraduate 'ompo er . 6,OOpm, The Great Hall, Strand campu

COMPUTER CE TRE SEM

S nning La er Mi ro copy Or Oixon, La er harp BIO-R d Dt\l ion)

AR

Wedne day 1 March ERROR • 0 E CEPTIO.' HA 'DU G I PROGRAMMI G LA GUAGES Bnan Meek, Martin Davie and others from the Alvey project team

P \1atth"v, . Re ear"h

Cr) 0 em and Emulsion Or if Harris, KCL

3.15-4.1 pm. Room 280 , trand campu ome Problems of Spe imen Prepara ion in Htgh Resolution Blo10g1 al SEM Or M 0 borne, Birmingham L'niver It)' Lo,. Temperature in BIOlogi 'al El Mi ros OP) - The Future! Or A Robard York Universll 9.4Sam - Registration Lightfoot Hall, Chel ea campu

BRITISH INSTITUTE OF HUMA RIGHTS LECTURE

3.00-S.00pm, Room IB29, Strand campu

CE TRE FOR EDUCATIO AL STUDIES SEM R

Ipm, The New Theatre, Strand campu

4.30-5.30pm, Room 3.020 Hudson Build-I ing, Chelsea campus

THE BRITISH COMPUTER SOCIETY

tron

Tuesday 28 April PA TIE:'-lTS, DOCTORS , '0 HUMA. RIGHTS lan Kennedy, Profe or of Medical Law and thics

Wedne day 25 March LT: POWER,K OwMICHEL FO C LEDGE, TilE HUMA SCIE CES A 0 EO CATlO Profe or J D Marshall, University of Auckland Chaired by Tony Mansell

tudent

Tuesday 2 pril Jomt meeting with the Cybernetic 0 let)" Denni Gabor Memorial Lecture QU 'T M DEVICE A 'HIE [ WH T A TURf. G 0 E C 'NOT? Profe or R Penrose, 'niverstiy of Oxford

I

6,OOpm, Room CID, Birbeck College

THE AGE CO CER I STlTUTE OF GERO TOLOGY LECTURE Tue day 28 April HOUSI G LTER TIVES FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE Robert Katz, University of Illinois and Visiting Fellow, ClOG 6.00pm, Room 2B08, Strand campus

DEPARTME T OF BIOLOGY SEMINARS Friday 27 March SOMA CLO I G U DER STRESS Or Sinclair Mantell, Wye College Friday 3 April ECOLOGI L SEPARATIO SHREWS Dr Sara Churchfield, KCL

OF

1.00pm, Room 228, Ken ington campu

ELECTRO

MICROSCOPE UNIT

Wednesday 8 April

o

E DAY MEETl G AND EXHIBITION

Colloidal Gold: An Effective Marking (Above) Yehudi Menuhin delivering the Adam Lecture, Tolerance. /1/1 introduction was System for Electron Immunocytochemistry given by Professor A mold Whittall of the Music Dept. (Top) Miron Grindea, founder and Or J Beesley, Wellcome Research Laboraeditor of ADAM in conversation with Bernard Levin. tories

5


ingly, the Board has awarded the ollege £ I .5M to which the niversity has added 0.2M making a total capital grant of I. 7M. Thi repre ents an increa e of approximately £0.5M on what would be the ollege's standard allocation. The :)[0 urement exerci e for the new computer system began on 23 February 19 7 with the issue of an Operational Requirement to pro pective suppliers. It i hoped that in tallation will be possible in late 19 7 or early 19

COLLEGE SERVICES

unable to ju tify the pending of such a large um of money on an evening of entertainment. The high cost of this event effectively excludes a large proportion of the people for whom it i intended. May I uggest that if the lavish urroundings of the Sa oy Hotel were to be replaced by omething more modest ego The Great Hall and the college catering service , then the ub equent reduction in price would attract a much wider crosssection of people who work and study at King' College. Yours incerely Colin Chinnery, Department of Biochemistry

the Royal ational Lifeboat In titution, of which £8920 was raised in 1986. Stamp can either be ent to Senior Officer Blake, Stamp Collection, HMP Dartmoor, Princetown, Yelvenon, Devon PL 20 (preferable now that individual departments pay for po tage!), or to me for forwarding. David Green Department of Geography

KING'S COLLEGE SPORTS SOCI L CLUB PROUDLY PRESE TS:-

D

THE EASTER BU NY HOP! END OF TERM SERVICE Wednesday 1 March, 12 noon. Preacher: The Dean of the College BEGI I G OF TERM SERVICE, SUMMER TERM Wednesday 22 April, lOam. Preacher: Canon Eric lames FKC Canon J ames, a former tudent of the college is Director of Chri tian Action, Preacher at Gray's Inn, and a most distingui hed writer and preacher. COLLEGE CO FIRMATIO SERVICE Wednesday 29 April, 1.10 pm. Baptism, Confirmation and ~uchari t, taken by the Bishop of Fulham. All are welcome. Lunch will be held in the Dean's office after the service as usual.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor

IN REPLY TO MARK BAILEY'S LETTER TO HIMSELF - FOR OTHERS Dear Colleague I have just read the very moving article in 'Comment' from Mark Bailey. It is we ourselves who hould thank him. Silly as it may be, my fir t thoughts were that I wished I had been thoughtful and caring enough to have sent him a Christmas card. Imagine how great it would have been if we had all done just that. For him to have received a pile of card from well-wishers at the College would have been better for him than winning a fortune on the football pools. His article, which must have taken a great deal of his energy, was to say the least very thought provoking. What a very intelligent, nice young man he must be. I did not know him when he was at the College, but somehow feel that his need is not just money, but a semr of belonging still to a community uch as ours, and al 0 knowing that his frien.ds and colleagues at the College are still concerned for him. The old saying that 'every cloud has a silver lining' perhap is true, as the 'Wheelchair Appeal' run last year by Ken Bromfield in Biochemistry appears to have been a resounding success. Perhaps the College could start a new fund 0 that anyone who wi hed could contribute by sending, maybe, books, records ca settes, etc. to Mark and any other colleague who is prevented from working here because of illness.

The newsletter of King's College (motto: Sancte et sapienter) last month carried on succe sive pages the information (I) that double tickets for this year's May Ball would cost £ 70, and (2) that over £3,000 had been collected to help a colleague tricken with multiple sclero is. The econd item truck me as evidence of active sanctitas and sapientia; the fir t, a evidence of the opposite. I n the late 19 0 s King's hould stick to it principle, rather than start aping the more ludicrously anachronistic aspects of Oxbridge's conspicuous con umption. I found Mark Bailey's letter very moving. Is the Appeal till open? To whom can I send a con tribution? Your sincerely Jinty elson, Department of History

Jean Hunt, Finance Department

Dear Editor

DARTMOOR PRISON STAMPS

This year's May Ball to be held at the Savoy Hotel at a cost of £70 per double ticket is, no doubt, good value for money, but I am sure that there are many people, both staff and students, who would be

Thankyou to all those who are now sending me stamps for the Dartmoor Prison scheme. At least one parcel gets despatched each week! Since it was started in 1984 the scheme has raised £24,849 for

The BE EFICIAR Y, to my mind, is ourselves, who can help in such a small way.

on Friday 10 April 1987, 7.30-ll.30pm in the NELSO MA DELA HALL (Strand) featuring "MA TlLLA' and DISCO plus BUFFET, RAFFLE, SPOT PRIZES Members of the College can obtain one double ticket each for £ I, or additional single tickets for £2, from France Douse (Human Environmental Science, Chelsea campus), Peter James (Biology, Kensington campus), Mike Harrington (Mechanical Engineering, Strand campus), Brian Old ham (Finance Department, Strand campus), or the Social Club Bar (Strand campus).

RECOMMENDED TUITION FEES FOR 1987-88 Recommended tuition fees for the academic year 1987-88 for students on further and higher education courses were announced by Education Secretary Mr Kenneth Baker in the House of Commons on 27 February. HOME A D EUROPEA STUDE TS

COMMU ITY

(Fees for 1986-87 are shown in brackets) Postgraduate courses First degree and diploma courses

£[730 (£1680)

£ 556 (£ 536)

OVERSEAS STUDENTS The College will charge the following fees for overseas students on undergraduate and postgraduate courses in 1987-88 (UGC recommended minimum fee levels are in brackets) . Arts courses Science courses Clinical courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science

£3800 (£3690) £5000 (£4840) to be determined (£8960)

7


There are only three higher edui;Jtlon e tabli hment m Hong Kong (the L:mver lty. the Chme e Lm\'er ity and the Po!yte hmc) for a population of well over 6 millIon. There I inten competition for plac:e at the e e't bli hmcm and al 0 a world ide "education dr m" - to Britain, Europe, Au trala ia and. 'orth merica, The great need for higher edu ation of students fram Hong Kong was hIghlighted by the Briti h Council m arranging a Bntish Education Exhibition in Hong Kong from I~足 15 ebruary. There are already trang link between King' College London and Hong Kong with ome 170 students spread among tour Facultie and ites. The Brill h Education Exhibition therefore provided a " hop-window" in Hong Kong for pro pective tudent to ee what I offered by British e tablishment . It wa extensIvely advertl ed in the pres , by free bookmark, pocket diarie anti by po ter . a re ult, ome 66,000 mem ber of the public came to the EXhibition, held in the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre in the China Re ources Building. Those who came were rewarded with the ight of over 200 British academic manning a series of stand featuring the course and campuses of virtually all British univer ities and many of the polytechnic, examination board ,etc. The King's College stand was run by Dr SlUart Thome (Food Sciences, Kensington) and Peter Lawrence (School and Colleges Liaison Officer). The stand had been prepared in the Geography Department by a team led by Dr Andrew Tatham and Mi s R Beaumont and the photography was by Peter Howard, As will be apparent from the accompanymg pictures, visitors in thi quantity provide a daunting pro pecl! Fortunately we had just about enough copies of a specially prepared leaflet (we took 10,000 of them) but we came back with long lists of su bject where our stock of pro pectuses failed us. s well a the exhibition we also vi ited some chool , made numerous telephone call to other e tablishments and, we hope, provided some potential students from Hong Kong with enough information for them to apply to us with confidence. There were per onal bonu es to us in the opportunity to meet colleagues from other Briti h colleges, to ample various forms of Chinese cuisine and to experience a few days of the warmest winter in the South China area for 40 years! Peter Lawrence

8

Stuart Thome

MICH EL FARAD Y AWARD 1987 The Michael Faraday Award was established by the Royal Society in 19 6 to encourage practising scienti ts to do more to present their science to the general public, recognizing that cientists them elves had a major re pon ibihty to communicate with the pu blic the nature and purposes of their work, and of science generally. The A ward is made annually by the Council of the Royal Society to the cienti t or scientists who have done most to further, in the UK, the public under tanding of science, The first Michael araday A ward was made to Professor Charle Taylor, niversity College Cardiff, for hi ou tstanding presentation of phy ic and applications of physic , aimed at audiences from six-year old primary school children to adults.

omination are now invited for the 19 7 Michael Faraday Award, omination Form are available from Ms J ulia Sewell, The Royal Society, 6 Carlton H ouse Terrace, London SW I Y SAG. The clo ing date for all nominations is I May 19 7.

TIYE The College's bids to the niverslty under the Academic Initiative Scheme have been successful in two instances and we have been granted two lectureship: one in Opteoelectronic Bio en ors and the other to develop teaching and resean.:h in MedIcal I::.thics. The money awarded i regarded as "pump-priming" funding and therefore only covers 19 7/ after which tIme It will be subject to review.


I

I RESEARCH ENTERPRISE BULLETINS One aim of KCL Research Enterprises is to trengthen relationship with Research Councils, the European Commission and government departments with an interest in research funding. As part of this, the Director, Mr Ken Groves proposes to issue a serie of bulletins reporting on the current state of different funding programmes. The first of the e ha been widely circulated. If you haven t seen a copy and would like to, or have general related questions, please contact Ken Groves directly at the Kensington campus.

CONFERENCE OF THE SRHE The Society for Research into Higher Education is holding its Annual Conference 1987 from 16-18 December 1987 at Birmingham Polytechnic. The Conference will be examining recent changes in policies in higher education the ways in which policies have evolved and the extent to which they have been implemented. It should be of interest to teachers, researchers and administrators in higher education, and also representatives from relevant public and private sector organisations. Contributions to the Conference in the form of research papers, workshops, seminars or case studies are welcomed. Such contribution should be presented as an outline proposal of 200-300 words to:Ms Heather Eggins C AA 344-354 Grays Inn Road London WC I Y 8BP and should arrive not later than 6 May 1987. For more information please contact the Conference Organisers:Diana Eastcott and Bob Farmer Educational Development Unit City of Birmingham Polytechnic Perry Barr Birmingham B42 2SU Tel: 021-356 69 1 I Ext. 360

UNIVERSITY ACCOMMODATES VISITORS The University has a small number of flats in the Central Precinct which are set aside for the accommodation of senior academic staff from any overseas country who have been invited by a School, College or Institute of the University to undertake a course of study or research or to teach. The flats are normally available for periods of between three months and a year, although shorter lettings of between one and three months would be considered.

I

The flats are modestly but comfortably furnished with most facilitie , including a television and a telephone. Rents are currently £623.54 per month inclusive of general and water rates gas and electricity but will be subject to increase for the 1987/88 session. Telephone charges are raised on a monthly basis. If further information is required, please write to:Estates Office Senate House Malet Street WCIE 7HU or contact Mr T Walsh on extension 3472.

University campu . The most suitable time for the exchange would be from September 19 7 - June 19 . Profe ors or cholars who de ire a year of tudy in the USA would be the mo t likely candidates. Please contact:Shirley Douglas 931 Elsinore Drive Palo Alto California 94303 Tel: 415 56-7927

ACCOMMODAnON REQUIRED

"BEYOND THE LIMELIGHT" CONFERENCE OF UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATORS "Beyond the Limelight" is a collection of essays published to mark the Silver Jubilee of the CUA. It is written by and mainly for Registry folk, however most of the essays have a wider constituency in mind. It aims to help those interested in universities to understand more fully their complexity and their strengths as well as their weaknesses, at a time when universities are being forced by governmental pressures to re-examine all aspects of their purpose and performance. The volume, which is edited by Stuart Bosworth, is priced at £6.95 (CUA members £5.50) plus £ 1.65 for postage and packing. A discount of £1 per copy is offered for all orders received by 31 March 1987. It is available from:CUA Publications Officer Room 206 Whiteknights House The University Reading RG6 2AH

TWO ROOMS TO LET A Fellow of King's College has two large rooms which are available to let in a Chelsea flat. One room will cost £75 per week including the use of a garden. The other has its own balcony facing the river and will cost £55 per week. The accommodation would be ideal for an academic male. Please phone 35285 11.

CALIFORNIAN EXCHANGE An American couple are offering the use of their house and car in Palo Alto, California, in exchange for a similar home in or around London. The house has 2 bedrooms, a family room, separate dining room,2 bathrooms, kitchen and garden. It is located 10 minutes from Stanford

A visiting professor, with his wife and daughter, wishes to rent a 2 or 3 bedroom furnished house or flat. A preferred location would be within half an hour's commuting distance from the Central Public Health Laboratory, ColindaJe and the American School in London, St. John's Wood. The rental period desired is from I September 1987 - 1 August 1988 or I September 1988. Please contact:Dr C Richard Dorn Dept. of Veterinary Preventive Medicine Ohio Stale University 1900 Coffey Road Colum bus, Ohio 43210 USA Tel: (614) 422-1206

WARWICK COMES OF AGE! The University of Warwick is 21 years old in 1987, and, as part of the anniversary celebrations, there will be a three day reunion for graduates on "] 0 - 12 July this year. If you are a Warwick graduate and would like to attend the reunion, then contact Warwick (0203523523 ext. 2714) for your invitation. Coinciding with its anniversary, the University has launched the Warwick Graduates' Association, plus a magazine, "Warwick Network", written by and for its graduates. The magazine is issued termly, and contributions are welcome from all graduates. Further details of both the association and the magazine can be obtained from the University of Warwick.

A.D.S.S. SEMINAR Adolescent Development and School Science is an international seminar to be held at King's College Centre for Educational Studies from 13 -17 Septem ber 1987. The purpose of the seminar will be to explore the relationship between research in adolescent cognitive and personality development and the science curriculum. About 70 participants are expected from Finland, Sweden, orway, Denmark, GermanY,France, Portugal, italy, Greece, Australia, Canada and the

9


L: nlled tate a well a rom the L K. Further details an be obtaUled t rom:PhIlJp dey. Room 5.~ I . Chel ea ampus - - _ King' Road.

P L PHILlP RElTLI GER PRIZE 19 The Paul Phllip Relllinger Prize 19 yalue 100. i 0 fered In Philosophl al Studle tor the be t e --a} on the 'ollowUlg IOPI ... L:BJECTI E . -D OBJECTI E"

COLOGY ~I

F Shertzer (Depar mental Secretary) E 路ten Ion S262 (not 249)

Mr D H CartwTlght (and Mr J G Wilklns) ExtensJOnS2650(notS 62 )

SCHOOLS LlAISO

OFFICE

The S hools Liaison Offi e now has it own number. eparate from the rts Fa ulty Offi e. [t can now be reached on Exten ion S2 70.

We t Glamorgan County CouncIl are also invllmg applIcations from persons re ident in or near the area of the former County Borough of Swan ea for as i tance during the 19 7/ academ ic year to pursue higher degree course (ie. ma ter and doctorate) and certain po tgraduate diploma cour es excluded from the local authority discretionary award cheme. Application forms and further details are available from the Director of Edu ation, County Hall, Swansea, and the closing date IS again 29 May 1987.

Candid te mu t be udent of th niversity 0 not more than 25 year of age on I 0 tober 19 who have not proceeded to a degree, or pa ed the examUlations required for a degree, in thi or an} other Unlyer Ity_

(b) the ar a of e t Glamorgan County Coun 11, or ) he geographl al area of M Id Glamorgan and South Glamorgan County Coun'il . The held of tud} I not retn ted, nd the award will be enable tor one year only. Further detail can be obtained Irom the Student Re ord Offi e, Strand campu , and from the Direl.lOr of Edu atJOn, \ e t Glamorgan County Coun tl. ounty Hall. Sw n ea. Completed appli atlon form mu t be returned by 29 May 19 -

E ay which would normally be expe ted to extend to no more than about 5,000 words must reach the Secretary to the Scholar hips Committee. Umver ity of London, Room 21 ,Senate Hou e, Malet Street, WC lE H not later than 1 October 19 7, and must be a ompanied by a Certificate from the candidate's Teacher or other respon ible person to the effect that the research work forming the subject 01 the E say i substantially the work of the candidate pre enting the E ay.

WILLI Application are invited for post-graduate scholarships from Univer Ily graduates who have either been l'duc:"ted or reSident for at least two yedTS immediately preceding the date of application, within: (a) the area comprising the former Borough of Loughor, or

COMME T is produced by the King's College London (KQC) Information Office on the Strand campus. TEXT EDlTlO : Copy date Wednesday 15 April for pu blication in the week of 27 April.

Richard Harries would be delighted if you were able to be present at his Consecration as Bishop of Oxford in St. Paul's Cathedral on Thursday May 28th (Ascension Day) at 11 am He and Jo are grateful for the prayers lrhich hare been offered, the need for which will not grow less.

If }'OLl are able to come please let him know at King's Col/ege, The Strand, London WC2R 2LS how nUlIIv tickets VOLl would like. Tlze enthronement is in Christ Church Catiledral. Oxford Oil Tuesday June 30th at 7.30 p.l11. pace for this is rather lil11ited but there is plel1ly of room in St. Paul's.

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