Comment 060 March 1992

King's College London newsletter

Recurrent Grant and student numbers for the academic year 1992/3 Da7Jid Ball, Deputy Secretary (Planning and Resources), explains the background to the UFC's funding announcement for 1992/93, and describes how King's has fared.

You will have noticed from recent Press announcements that the Universities Funding Council has recently issued a circular letter giving details of recurrent grant and funded student numbers for each university for the academic year] 992/93.

In this respect r thought it might be helpful if I gave a little more background information to the announcement and in particular highlighted how the College fared in the distribution process.

Teaching (T) The total funded numbers for] 992/93 are almost 322,000. This represents in aggregate the number funded in 199]/92 plus a further 18,000 funded student numbers. The College's total funded number for] 992/93 is 5,467, representing an increase of ] 19 over the 1991/92 baseline.

process. But one should bear in mind that the increases refer only to changes in resource compared to this year's allocation; there is nothing absolute about the figures.

If league tables are to become the norm then it would be more appropriate to consider aggregate resource increases over a period of years, not simply year-on-year.

However, for the record, the percentage increases in teaching resource range from a 32% increase at Keele, followed closely by Swansea (29%) and Essex (26%), to 3% at Aston and York.

London University received a teaching resource increase of 6% over 1991/92: very close to the national average (5.9%). King's received an increase of 4.5%, which undoubtedly reflects the fact that our overall percentage of fees-only students in 1991/92 (12%) was considerably smaller than the national average of nearly 19%.

Research (R) In calculating units of teaching resource the UFC has in general applied an efficiency gain of 1.5% compared with 1991/92 (0.5% in Clinical Medicine and Dentistry). Units of teaching resource have therefore been increased by the GDP deflator of 4.5% less the applied efficiency gains. The tuition fees incorporated into the Council's calculations have, in line with the Government's recent announcement, been increased by 4.5% over 1991/92 levels.

The Press has been keen to draw up 'league tables' comparing the successes of different universities in the resource allocation

The UFC has substantially increased the funds available for distribution for research.

The total increase is over 11 % before the transfer of certain funds to the Science vote (although it should be borne in mind that, after allowing for the increase in VAT and other special factors, the increase is actually only 8.4%).

To take account of the shift in the boundary of the dual support system, ÂŁ87 million has been deducted from the R baseline and transferred to the Research Councils. This is the first step in the two-year programme of phased withdrawal of Funding Council

The Strategic Plan 1991/92 to 1999/2000 Copies of the King's Slategic Plan have been despatched to all departments using the usual Comment mailing system. If you have not received a copy, or would like further copies, please contact the Press and Publications Office at Cornwall House, on ext 3202.

support for Research Council-sponsored work.

In determining university grants the UFC has assumed that this deduction will be recovered through grants from Research Councils and therefore the financial effect on individual universities is neutral. How true this will turn out to be for King's in particular will depend very much on how well we do in securing Research Council grants in future.

In addition to the transfer of funds to Research Councils, the UFC has further increased its selective allocation of resources for research in two ways. First, the phased shift in the ratio of funds for JR and SR has been accelerated, so that the average ratio for 1992/93 has been increased to 2:1 (a target that had originally been set for 1994/95). Secondly, for the purposes of grant distribution the multiplier used in the J R calculations is no longer J but U- 0.5).

Again, recent Press announcements have indicated a league table of so-called 'R' institutions. Top of the range is the London Business School with a 28% increase in R resource above 1991/92, followed by Cambridge and Oxford (19% and 18%) and Edinburgh, Warwick and Essex (17%). Bottom of the range is St David's Lampeter (1 %), with Aston and Keele at 2% doing marginally better.

London University did reasonably well in the research allocation process, receiving a 14 % increase in R resource above 1991/92.

Within London, the Institute of Education and the London School of Hygiene were top of the range with (23%), followed by Imperial (20%), the London School of Economics (19%) and University College London (17%). Bottom of the range are Goldsmiths (-2%), the Royal Vetinary College (1.3%) and RHB C (5.4%). The increase in King's R resource allocation is 8.6%. Although disappointing, we have to accept that we are still living with research selectivity ratings that, by common consent, are no longer typical of KCL; and we hope to do substantially better on our R funding when the new ratings are announced next year.

Financial Position In overall terms the College'S total T+R for 1992/93 has increased by 5.9%. (This however assumes that we shall recruit the necessary funded numbers and that the notional R component associated with the transfer of UFC funds to Research Councils will be recovered.) This is rather disappointing compared with the national T+R increase of 9.6%.

It is too early to comment about our basic recurrent grant because the Court Department has yet to decide how it will divide up the London 'cake'. At this stage, however, a preliminary assessment suggests that our financial projections and the underlying assumptions as to future resource implications for the College were very close to the mark. We have certainly not been pessimistic in our forecast.

On a more encouraging note, we have learnt that our efforts to secure continued safety net funding have succeeded., at least for 1992/93. In this respect the financial plan inherent within the Strategic Plan assumed, at that time somewhat optimistically, that this would be the case. In general terms therefore, whereas our standing within the year-on-year 'league tables' is not particularly high, the situation is entirely consistent with our financial planning assumptions.

The tables on the last three pages of Comment set out the position of the College among British universities, in terms of total increase in resource from the 1991/ 92 baseline, as well as the College's position within London University.

THAMESIDE CAMPUS COMMITMENT The College Secretary reaffirms the College's commitment to the Thameside Campus.

The recently adopted Strategic Plan 1991/92 to 1999/2000 reinforces the strategic importance of the Thameside Campus for the longer term academic and financial prosperity of the College. Despite external factors - including the current state of the property market and the recently announced 'safeguarding direction' on behalf of London Underground Lld - which seriously impede the disposal of the King's Road site in the short term (thus deferring the capital in-flow which is a prerequisite to starting work on Cornwall House) the commitment to the Thameside Campus remains undiminished.

Strand; the other involves the displacement of the whole of Central Administration (including the offices of the Principal and Secretary), together with at least one academic department. In either eventuality, the accommodation now occupied by the School of Life Sciences at Kensington, Manresa Road and Drury Lane will need to be reduced in order to absorb activities displaced from the Strand. These changes are a necessary, but temporary, requirement to facilitate growth during the period prior to the commissioning of Cornwall House; in no sense do they constitute a sustainable long-term alternative.

Indeed, the merger of King's and UMDS, which is being pursued with renewed vigour, is crucially dependent upon housing the preclinical and basic medical sciences of both Schools under a single roof. The realisation of the Thameside Campus offers such an opportunity and therefore assumes even greater importance.

The completion of the Thameside Campus, upon which King's has already embarked, remains a primary goal.

Given the uncertainty of timing of the recovery of the property market, the original date for the commencement of works in Cornwall House (namely July 1993) will be delayed - possibly by several years. In consequence, the academic and financial objectives described in the Strategic Plan prudently make no assumption about the commissioning of Cornwall House and., correspondingly, their realisation is specifically not dependent upon its availability during the period covered by the Plan. Prudence must not, however, be taken to imply that the commissioning of Cornwall House is any the less imperative or urgent. The College is committed to moving ahead with the proj ect at the earliest point that circumstances will allow.

Meantime, to allow for the expansion of student numbers, particularly in the Artsbased departments, and to provide a significant measure of relief for inadequate library and social provision at the Strand, some activities presently based there will need to be accommodated elsewhere. Two main options are proposed: one involves the displacement of the greater part, if not al~ of Life Sciences activities from the

W C Slade, College Secretary Thameside campus - a primary goalfor King's

Law Journal Special Offer Volume 2 of the highly successful King's College Law Journal which was launched last year under the editorship of Dr Robert Blackburn, is now available. Articles deal with a wide range of legal topics including Citizens Charters, the recent Factortame case of conflicting parliamentary and European Law, confidentiality in modern medical practice and the new stock exchange legislation.

The normal subscription price is ÂŁ22, but a limited number of copies have been set aside for King's students/staff at the special price of ÂŁ5 from Valerie Donnelly, Editorial Assistant, KCLJ, Law School.

CONFERENCE FOR HEADS OF INDEPENDENT SIXTH FORM AND TUTORIAL COLLEGES This conference was or~ed by the chools and Colleges Liaison Office, and held at King's on 7 February. The participating Colleges were members of the Conference for Independent Further Education (CIFE) formed in 1973 as an as ociation of 32 of the most prominent establishments and dedicated to maintaining the highest possible standards.

The Conference has established a strong and independent inspectorate which ensures the maintenance of standards in a sector which has experienced great and otherwise unregulated expansion. Membership of Cl FE is restricted to those institutions which are recognised as efficient by the British Accreditation Council which comprises representatives from universities, polytechnics and major educational bodies in the UK. Members of CIFE offer two year A level courses to students taking the examination for the first time and one year courses to those attempting to improve grades after two years in a conventional sixth form. umbers of students are generally in the range 150-500 and A level results and success in obtaining places in higher education are often most impressive.

Four of the Colleges participating had provided 101 students currently at King's,

but it is perhaps equall interestin that several have sent us none in the same period. Cbrly this is a potentially fertile recruitment field.

The meeting was addressed by Professor Lucas on the pres ures facing uruver ities and the approach adopted by King's in its academic plan, and Dr Mike Laird spoke on the implications for admissions. There were vigorous contributions from several tutorial college principals. They were strongly of the opinion that we would find it very difficult to maintain standards whilst undergoing a large expansion. There was some concern that we should recognise the quality of teaching the students received at the tutorial colleges and that in general these tudents had very satisfactory records on going to university. Lively discussions followed during a buffet lunch and the feeling that it had been a succe sful meeting has been reinforced by comments since received from the visitors, including invitations to host a future meeting to build on the initial contacts.

The visitors were supplied with lists of all King's admissions tutors (who received simultaneously from the Schools Liaison Office a list of addresses of CIFE members).

Dr John Nicholas Schools and Colleges Liaison Officer

RESEARCH NEWS Robot grant Dr Sergio A ela tin (Signal and Information Processing Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering) has recently been awarded a travel and equipment grant (£9,589) by the Royal Society to investigate cost-effective control algorithms and parallel computer architectures for co-ordmated two-handed dextrous robots. The project will determine specific transputer-based computer architecrures that will satisfy realistic performance and cost requirements, and explore software engineering issues through the use of the programming language ADA. egotiations with a UK robot manufacturer are currently underway to apply the results in the context of unsupervised clinical tests in a Cytology Laboratory.

Funding from Ford Motors ot withstanding the current recessionary situation in the motor industry, the Centre for Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Measurement has been awarded two research grants of£86,518 and £10,050 by Ford Motor Company Limited to investigate flows in internal combustion engine inlet ports and manifolds respectively. The research involves the use of both laser and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques for the improvement of manifold and port design.

Dr M Yianneskis

Physics and the environment symposium for fifth and sixth form students We are all aware that the environment is presently a matter of scientific and political debate, and that it can be very difficult to find the correct balance between undue concern and cold scientific facts.

The symposium is for fifth and sixth form students, and ational Grid has agreed to sponsor the event. If anyone would Like to attend, please apply as soon as possible as places are limited.

To help redress this imbalance the Physics Department has had the exciting idea of bringing together a panel of national and international experts, who will each give a formal lecture on one particular topic, and then take part in an open forum of questions and answers. Amongst the topics covered will be nuclear power, fossil fuels, ozone holes, water resources, climate, pollution and electromagnetic fields.

The Physics Department hopes to make this type of symposium a regular feature of its annual calendar and is looking forward to a highly successful 'first day'.

The symposium will be held on Wednesday 22 April 1992 at King'S. For further details and application forms please contact ]ulian Greenberg, Department of Physics on ext 2297.

Modern Poetry in Translation Professor orma Rinsler has received a gram from the Arts Council to enable the College (through the School of Humanities) to rclaunch an internationally-known publication, Modem Poetry in Translation, edited by Daniel Weissbort. The grant of £9,000 is for the first year and covers two issues of the review: further funding will depend on its success. The College holds the archive of the first series of Modem Poetry in Translation, so it is particularly pleasing to be able to preside over the renaissance of this distinguished publication. Series Two, umber I should be available in April.

Academic franchising: recruitment and space-saving for King's?

Dr Venetia France, Schools and Colleges LiaISon Officer, discusses the characteristics and benefits of 'franchising' arrangements between higher education institutions and further education colleges.

What is franchising?

Franchising is devolving teaching of courses or course-units from HE to FE colleges.

For example, the first 'foundation' year of a four-year degree course might be taught at one or several FE colleges. Earliest franchised courses were in science and engineering, but now the range includes law and humanities. Almost any course, part of a course, new or old, can be franchised, eg: Access courses; foundation courses; short courses; first years or course-units of degree courses; '2+2' DipHE with transfer to the appropriate degree course 'with advanced standing'. King's would have responsibility for approving and maintaining the quality of the franchised course content and its assessment.

Marketing and student selection may be shared or done by the FE college, using criteria established jointly.

Franchising is probably the most rapidly expanding area of HE/FE collaboration; polytechnics outside London have developed furthest and at present only one university (Ulster) is involved. In terms of scale, Lancashire Poly has 1500 students on 12 links, Poly South West has 15 links.

Hatfield has grouped four or five local FE colleges into a 'Regional Polyversity'.

The benefits of franchising for students are: • an opportunity to study full or part-time in a familiar environment at a local FE college; • acclimatizing to the academic environment before embarking on a course at university; • academic and social support from locallyexperienced welfare staff and tutors in the FE college; • unlike our present access students, students on franchised science, technology and some humanities 'foundation years' of

four-year degree courses obtain mandatory awards; • students on franchised courses would have opportunities to come to King's and make personal links.

The benefits for King's include: • increased UFC-funded student numbers without additional pressures on accommodation; • the FE college receives an agreed portion of income for each student; • widening access by targetting recruitment to local groups of ethnic minorities, women, returning learners, part-timers; • the possibility of TEC resources for course developments.

At present King's has 30 students recruited jointly with City of Westminster College to their Access courses. There is no benefit financially to the College in this scheme and no benefit in terms of current student numbers.

With franchising there are benefits in financial and student number terms for King's. The planned expansion in numbers and consequent teaching accommodation problems at King's would make franchising an attractive option.

The Continuing Education Unit hopes to produce a brochure of the continuing education programme which will be offered by the College in 1992/3. Such a brochure would be very useful to give to the many commercial, public and professional contacts made by the Unit and could also be sent to casual enquirers.

It is obviously desirable that the publication be as comprehensive as possible. If you are planning any such events - that is, anything other than undergraduate and postgraduate courses - may I urge you to contact the Continuing Education Unit on extensions 3055/6. It does not matter if some details have not been finalized - even dates and prices can be omitted and be covered by a 'details on application' - and a general caveat of 'subject to demand' can be given.

Conferences, as well as courses, can be included, providing there is a fee to attend.

If we have this information we may also be able to help your publicity effort by seeing whether your event might interest the people, or organisations on one of the databases we hold.

Valerie Davies Director of the Continuing Education Unit

CLARISSA SUCCESS At the time of going to press, Clarissa, BBC TV's recent classic drama serial, has been nominated for five BAFTA awards. Clarissa was adapted from Samuel Richardson's mammoth novel by Dr David okes, Reader in English at King's, and by ]anet Barron, an English Department graduate. The serial has been nominated for an award for best drama serial for 1991. It was additionally nominated for awards for best design, best costume, best film-editing and best camera work at the BAFTA Craft Awards but unfortunately was pipped at the post. The awards ceremony, which will be ftImed live

by LWT, will be held on March 22 at the Grosvenor House in the presence of HRH the Princess Royal.

Staff Cricket I The College ha a Staff Cricket team which 'performs' on most ednesda afternoons durin the summer term. e engage in riendly but good and competitive spirit with other staff teams on the 'circuit', namel LSE, UCL, Goldsmith's, RHB C, City of London Polytechnic, Polytechnic of est London, the Passport Office and the ocial Club. The majority of the games are played at our sponsground at Berrylands ( ew alden), which is by far the finest in the circuit.

We had an enjoyable season last year, winning rwo, losing four and drawing three, with one game lost to the weather. Since we are competing with other activities such as meetings, we do require a large 'squad' of interested player so as to be able to raise a full side throughout the season, and anyone who makes themselves available for a few of the games i certain to play.

If you are interested and would like to find out a bit more about us, any of the following people can give you more information.

Strand eil Spencer, Biochemistry, ext 2734;John icholas, Chemistry/Schools Liaison, exts 1180/3003; Chris Chunnilall, Physics, ext 3740; Bill Sherman, Physics, ext 2572; Mark andler, Electrical Engineering, ext 2365; Rob Rist, Physiology ext 2385 Drury Lane James I Iill, Anatomy, 071-836 8851, ext 204 Kensington Richard Beepat, Chemistry, ext 4287; Phil Cunningham, Computer Centre, ext 4239 Hope to see you during the season!

Books wanted Wellington Hall has a large library room void of any books. We are prepared to adopt any unwanted books you may otherwise throw away when spring cleaning during the Easter vacation. Hardbacks, paperbacks, fiction, non-fiction and academic. Please call 0718343560/3980 to arrange a collection point, or deliver the books to Wellington Hall reception. Thank you.

Cong ratu lations King's Accomm ation Officer. Angela Cole has been awarded the fIrSt prize for the lnstirute of Housing's Profes ional Qualification for the 0 ember 1991 Examination. This is a nationwide examination, and 727 people took pan in total with 392 people sitting for the ftnallevel three examinations. Angela gained the highest marks at anyone sitting in the fmal examination on the project and the practical experience requirements. She will receive a gold medal from the Institute (as well as a cheque) at a presentation inJune.

Angela Cole

AUDIO VISUAL NEWS Before Chri tma the Unit purchased a Liquid Crystal Video Projector. This projector, about the size of a small suitcase, is capable of projecting full motion colour video of an acceptable quality on to a screen of up to 10 feet wide. The main attraction for the unit is that the set up time is only about five minutes and the equipment is portable. The projector is also capable of showing French or American TV standards with a suitable video recorder. If users book a video and monitor it may well be that for operating convenience we will use this device.

The College has decided to renew the Broadcast Copyright agreement with the Education Recording Agency. In consequence, programmes recorded 'off air' may be made and replayed freely. There is a new scheme being set up by the British Universities Film and Video Council to record all terrestrial broadcasts so that copies could be obtained of missed programmes.

This scheme will start from 1 April and run in the first instance for 18 months. However, there will be recordings made before this date to test the system So if you really want that copy of 'Panorama' please contact ick Bugg - we may be able to get it!

As part of our on-going training programme there have been staff moves since the break. Ruth Garvey has moved to Kensington and Paul Marrion has returned to the Strand. Both of them are doing photography this term.

Our order forms for equipment still bear the instruction to complete in duplicate, but this is no longer required so please ignore it.

Give As You Earn Thousands of people in work places all over the country are using Give As You Earn to support their favourite charities.

Why? Because giving direct from your pay provides a regular income for the causes you care about, and because every time you give, the laX you would have been charged on that amount is given too.

For example, if you decide to give £ lOa month it will cost you £7.50 because the tax of £2.50 you would have paid (at basic rate) will go to the charity you support instead.

You can give up to £600 a year or £50 a month.

Your monthly gift £5.00 £10.00 £25.00 £50.00

Cost to you

£3.75 £7.50 £18.75 £37.50

Tax included in your gift £1.25 £2.50 £6.25 £12.50

Anyone receiving payor a pension taxed through PAYE can join in. You can donate the money to any charitable or voluntary organisation you choose; churches, scout groups and other similar organisations qualify too.

Why not start now? Contact Alison Ryder in Payroll, ext 3764 for more information.

Tutor in law at Christ Church, Oxford and an examiner in tax and company law for the Universiry. He has also lectured at the Universities of Cambridge and Bristol.

He will be teaching both undergraduates and postgraduate in the fields of business law and personal, corporate and foreign aspects of taxation law, and his appointment confirms the King's College School of Law as having the strongest tax team in the country. He will continue as Director of the Tax Research Unit - currently the only unit of its kind in Europe.

Sir James Black

Sir James Black to become Chancellor of the University of Dundee The College is delighted to learn that Sir James Black, Professor of Analytical Pharmacology at KCSMD and Director of The James Black Foundation, has accepted an invitation to become the next Chancellor of the Universiry of Dundee.

Succeeding the Right Honourable The Earl of Dalhousie, Sir James will be installed as Chancellor at a ceremony on 29 April.

Sir James has strong links with the Universiry of Dundee. Born and brought up in Scotland, he received his medical training at University College, Dundee, graduating MB ChB from the Universiry of St Andrews. After graduating he spent a short time as an Assistant Lecturer in Physiology at Dundee.

Sir James has enjoyed a long and distinguished career culminating in the winning of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1988 for his development of life-saving drugs. His work at ICI led to the development of Beta blockers and his discovery of propranolol - the revolutionary drug used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease. Whilst at Smith, Kline and French, he defined H2-receptors which led to the discovery of cimetidine, a major breakthrough in the treatment of peptic ulcers.

He joined King's in 1984, establishing a thriving research department in Analytical Pharmacology. The James Black Foundation, an independent pharmaceutical .....:::.:.:

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research company closely connected with the College, was opened in 1988.

Sir James received a knighthood in 1981 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1976.

Appointment to new Chair of Business Law Adrian Shipwright has been appointed to the new Chair of Business Law at King'S. He was previously a partner in the tax department of the firm of S J Berwin & Co, and will continue to act as a consultant to them. He has been a visiting professor at King's for the past two years and is Director of the College's Tax Research Unit. He took up the new Chair on 3 March.

This prestigious appointment is an example of the coming together of the academic and the professional worlds in business and taxation law, and Profe sor Shipwright's distinguished career has combined university teaching with practice in leading law firms. At S J Berwin & Co, and in his previous partnership with Denton Hall Burgin and Warrens, he specialised in . international and corporate tax, and for five years before that, between 1977 and 1982, he was a University Lecturer in Law at Oxford, Official Student (Fellow) and a

Professor Shipwright, who is 41, received his BA degree and first-class BCl degree at Oxford in the early 1970s. He started his legal career in 1974 as an articled clerk with linklaters and Paines. He is the author of several books including UK Taxation and InteLlectuaL Property (with Jeff Price of King's, 1989); UK Tax and Land DC'lIeLopment (1990 second edition) and the forthcoming UK Tax and Trusts. He is editor of and a major contributor to Strategic Tax Planning; has written extensively for legal journals, and is a weLlknown conference speaker.

Among the legal transactions in which he has been involved are the Hoylake bid for BAT, the largest bid ever made outside the USA; the Pembridge bid for DRG; tax planning for the structure of the Rugby World Cup and the enfranchisement of London Weekend Television.

Professor Adrian Shipwright

FE AND HE: THE NECESSARY CONNECTION Thi was the title chosen by Roger McClure for his address to a seminar for principals and representatives of FE Colleges held by Schools Liaisons Office in King's on 6 March. Roger McClure is a member of King's Council, lately flJ1ance director of the PCFC and now finance directordesignate of the new Further Education Funding Council, so the 32 FE visitors and about 25 King's staff were particularly interested in his comments on future developments linking HE and FE. Roger McClure suggested several things which ought jointly to be considered by King's and other HE institutions together with their partners in FE who were now gaining independence from LEAs. Access courses were one obvious area but there were others which would probably be even more significant. Already polytechnics were actively exploring this field by franchising courses (see page 4); universities too needed to discuss these possibilities. The new arrangements for FE would give a very welcome enhancement of both image and status to the colleges, and it would be sensible in the future not to think of divisions but to plan for FE as part of the whole 'Post Secondary Education' sector.

He felt universities were too inflexible at present and see education in terms of threeyear single or joint honours degrees; more scope was needed to provide what is right for the individual student." He also pointed out that FE and HE know too little about each other; when academics from both sides explore academic areas of interest collaboratively, there will be benefits for all in teaching and research. For this reason he felt meetings such as the present seminar should be continued.

John Muir,Vice Principal (External Relations), responded from the College and Angela Broad, Vice Principal of Westminster College, from the FE sector.

Janet Clark, Principal of City and East London College spoke on the 'London Together' initiative set up by John Ashworth. (A copy of the report on this wiLL be available in late March from Senate House External Relations Department).

As a result of the meeting it was decided to set up a contact network between King's and the FE Colleges. This would be based on subject groupings so that there would be a community of interest and opportunities for staff to meet and find out more about their companion institutions. There would be another general meeting and it was agreed that this should be held in one of the Colleges. ". King's Strategic plan is looking to ways of providing such freedom. Ed.

Or Venetia France Schools Liaison Officer

STAFF NEWS Professor Robert Hill, Deputy Head of the School of Physical Sciences and Engineering has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Professor Anthony C Davies, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at King's College, has been elected Chairman of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), with effect from 1 January 1992. The Section is part of IEEE Region Eight, which covers Western, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and all of Africa.

FOOD SAFETY AWARD On behalf of the College, John Muir, Vice Principa~ External Relations, accepted a cheque for 'a substantial sum' from Mr Robert Crozier, former Chief Environmental Health Officer of Westminster City Council.

Mr Crozier, now a food hygiene consultant, made the donation to establish a prize which will be awarded to the student on the new BSc Environmental Health course who demonstrates the most meritorious performance in the field of food safety.

(From left to right) Mr Robert Crozier, John Muir, and Norman Parkinson, Lecturer in Environmental Health.

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BOOK NEWS iLliam Rowe (Department of Spanish and Spanish-American Studies) is the author in collaboration with Vivian ScheLling, of Memory and Modernity; Popular Cuuure in Latin America, London, Verso 1991

The Story of King's College Hospital and its Medical School Douglas Britten (Ed), The Story of King's College Hospital and its Medical Schoo~ Farrand Press, London, 1991. Prices include postage and packing - Softback £12.00, Hardback £22.50, Leather Quarterbound £55.00 - from KCH Appeal Trading Limited, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS. This is a story of progress, an intimate account rather than a formal history. A book by King's men and women for King's men and women. In their affectionate texts can be seen the impact of larger events startling developments in medicine, the financial problems of volunary hospitals, the support of men and women of goodwill both in the Victorian period and after the inception of the NHS and the emergence of wider concepts of healthcare in the 1970s and 1980s.

Lyn Roberts, Assistant Appeal Director, The King's Appeal

LETTER Dear Editor, We are writing to draw your attention to the potentially damaging effects that changes in technical staffing levels may bring when the Academic Plan comes to pass.

We are concerned that a reduction of 7 technical posts within College, ie approximately 30%, is being forecast over the next three years. This, coupled with the required increase in student numbers and the possibility of a longer teaching day, as well as a third semester, will necessitate a considerable reduction in the services provided by UFC-funded technical staff.

Currently, technical staff have a major role in the following areas: Finance and administration eg advice on internal and external orders, suppliers and discounts, accounting of UFC funds and research grants, checking of orders, payment of invoices, processing of petty cash and reimbursement for personal expenditure of academic and technical staff; General management eg organisation of special equipment rooms and computing laboratories, organisation of mai ntenance contracts for equipment, organisation of repairs and improvements, maintenance and stock control of consumables, equipment and cylinder stores, washing-up and laundry provision, security, training of

Lord Lister in the old King's College Hospital, 1890

technicians and students in techniques and instrumentation; Special services and areas of expertise eg workshop (electronic and mechanical), photography, light and electron microscop and tissue culture provision, computer and instrumentation advice; Safety eg maintenance of bank of safety data sheets, organising afe di posal of specialised waste such a radioactive, clinical and hazardous chemicals to comply with regulations, checking of equipment for electrical safety (legislated), first-aid provision.

We would also question the rationale behind the disproportionate reduction in technical staff numbers. The implications for the future must be very considerable, bearing in mind the loss of expertise that these cuts will bring. The cuts will also be seen as an insult to the contribution made by technical staff to the academic excellence achieved over recent years. With such major implications there can only be a further lowering of morale among technical and academic staff alike.

The Superintendents' Group

Bilingual Reference Books Dr Valerie Worth-Stylianou, Department of French, is Series Editor for a new series of bilingual reference works, Cassell Language Guides. The first two books covering French (by Dr Worth-Stylianou) and German will be available from May 1992.

The books break new ground in a number of ways. They are addressed both to language specialists and also to non specialists with some proficiency in the language (eg academics in other fields, executives, thinking tourists). The authors have tried to stress the relationship between linguistic usage and social context.

The series should be of interest both to King's students of languages, and also to staff in other departments who have contacts with French, German, Italian or Spanish speaking colleagues.

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CONCERTS

SEMINAR

Department of Music

Randall Seminar

Thursday 9 April, 13.05 Catherine and Anthony Angelo, piano duo music by Debussy, Brahms and Grainger Room G01, Strand

Monday 30 March, 16.15 Tryptophan Synthetase: a mullifunctional channelling enzyme system Or David Davies, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, IH Bethesda, USA The Lecture Theatre, Drury Lane Tea available from 16.00

CONFERENCES The Centre for Medical Law and Ethics at King's is hosting the first annual conference of the United Kingdom Forum on Health Ethics and the Law on Decision-making and problems ofincompetence from 8 April to 10 April. Topics for discussion include: sterilisation and incompetents; mental disorder and decision-making; dying and the right to die; living wills, substituted judgement and proxy decision-making and children and the courts. Further information from Amanda F1etcher, Centre for Medical Law and Ethics, ext 1216.

The Centre for Late Antique and Medieval Studies is organising an international conference on Kings and Kingship in Medieval Europe in the Great Hall, King's College London from 23 to 25 April.

Further details and registration forms can be obtained from Or Anne Duggan, Department of History on ext 1082.

May Ball The Annual King's College Students' Union May Ball is being held at the Savoy Hotel on Saturday 2 May. The ticket price of £50 includes a reception, a four course dinner starting at 19.45 and live entertainment until 01.00.

Tickets are on sale from 12.00-14.00 at Strand Reception (1st Floor Macadam Building) and from 12.00-14.00 every day except Wednesday at Kensington or Chelsea Student Union shops. If you would like to attend, please call the Students' Union on 071-836 7132 or ext 1244.

Study Skills Seminar Finals are almost upon us and the Student Services section is again holding a Study Skills seminar for all anxious students on Wednesday 6 May at 14.00 - 16.30 in Room 1B27, Strand Building. The seminar is intended to provide students with a practical, realistic approach to studying, study techniques and ways of coping with exam anxiety. Some comments from last years participants were: 'As a finalist, I wish I had attended in my first year', 'A very friendly atmosphere', '1 feel more confident about exams generally' 'This seminar should be COMPULSORY'.

KCLA EVENTS 59th Queen Elizabeth Commemoration Dinner The Commemoration Dinner is the highlight in the Queen Elizabeth (Kensington) branch calendar, and traditionally a friendly and informal event at which past and present members of staff and students of QEC and the Kensington site enjoy getting together. All members of staff are, however, warmly invited to attend and bring guests.

The Dinner will take place at the Kensington site, starting with a reception in the Council Room from 19.00. Dinner will be served in the Old Refectory at 19.30, and the Queen Elizabeth bar will be open afterwards until 23.00. Tickets are £19.50 each, which includes pre-dinner drinks, four-course meal with wine, coffee and port. Dress will be lounge suit.

Contact Pat Gray in the Alumnus Office (Room MB10 Cornwall House, ext 3053) if you would like to come.

1 would request that staff bring this seminar to the attention of students who may be interested.

Celia Cockburn Welfare and Information Officer

SMALL ADS For Sale White wooden book shelf unit, 2ft wide x 6ft high, £20; grey 4-drawer filing cabinet with hangers, £35; Drugasar 655/2 balanced-flue gas convector room heater, £35. All as or near new condition. Buyer collects from Beckenham. Offers considered. Please ring R ]owitt on ext 4487 or 081-7783877.

Flat to Let in France Large garden flat in St Pair Sur Mer, near beach. Sleeps maximum of eight from £120 per week. Please phone 05612-331 for more details.

Comment is the College's regular staff newsletter, issued by the Press and Publications Office (ext 3202) three times a term, with special editions if required.

Contributions are welcomed from any member of staff of the College. These may take the form of, for example, news of events or people, views on College matters, photos, items for sale. Please note, the Editor reserves the right to amend items as necessary. If possible, please send your piece on an Apple Macintosh 3.5" Micro Floppydisk, using Microsoft Word programme.

Contributions for the next edition of Comment should be received by midday on Friday 1 May.

Fe allocation of recurrent grants Percentage change in teaching and research resource 199 92 and 1992/93

niversities

% change

Rank Keele Essex Swansea SOAS SLDavid's Dundee Stirling Bangor London School of Hygiene City LBS Holloway/Bedford Strathclyde Birkbeck BPMF Leicester Sussex ewcastle RoyalPG Liverpool Heriot-Watt Durham Glasgow Salford VCL Leeds Imperial In titute of Education Aberdeen LSE Oxford Cardiff Wye Edinburgh ottingham Cambridge

Average for Great Britain

1 4 2 3 5 6 7 8 47 12 59 10 9 13 47 19 15 20 47 18 14 24 25 11

36 21 60 55 23 58 53 17 27 38 30 65

T

32.2% 25.6% 28.6% 26.1% 23.2% 20.6% 19.7% 19.2% 4.0% 14.6% 3.3% 16.6% 16.8% 14.5% 4.0% 12.4% 14.0% 12.3% 4.0% 13.1% 14.4% 11.5% 10.1% 15.3% 6.8% 12.2% 3.2% 3.5% 11.9% 3.4% 3.8% 13.7% 9.0% 5.9% 8.5% 2.7%

% change

Rank

64 12 59 47 68 24 41 61 3 22 1 58 56 29 7 21 36 23 17 39 55 26 18 69 9 47 4 2 50 6 7 66 28 10 26 5

8.5 % •••••••••••••••••

otional R

2.5% 16.8% 4.7% 8.7% 1.1% 12.1% 9.0% 3.8% 22.6% 12.5% 27.6% 5.4% 6.0% 11.0% 18.2% 13.1% 9.7% 12.4% 14.3% 9.4% 6.4% 11.6% 13.9% 0.8% 17.4% 8.7% 19.9% 22.8% 8.1% 18.7% 18.2% 1.9% 11.1 % 17.0% 11.6% 18.9%

Rank

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 23 25 26 27 27 29 30 31 31 33 33 35 35

11.70/0 ••••••.••••••••••••

% change T+ otional R

23.4% 22.4% 21.5% 20.5% 18.2% 18.0% 16.7% 14.5% 14.2% 14.0% 13.7% 13.5% 13.4% 13.3% 13.1% 12.6% 12.4% 12.3% 12.0% 11.9% 11.7% 11.5% 11.4% 11.4% 11.3% 11.1 % 11.0% 11.0% 10.8% 10.5% 10.2% 10.2% 9.8% 9.8% 9.6% 9.6%

9.6%

(Continued...)

Fe allocation of recurrent grants Percentage change in teaching and research resource 1991/92 and 1992/93

Universities Rank

% change T

Loughborough Brunei UMIST Queen Mary Exeter Warwick Kent Bristol Hull SchoolofPhannacy East Anglia Lancaster Surrey Goldsmiths Sl.Andrew's York Birmingham Royal Free Manchester Sl.George's Hospital Reading

22 16 32 27 34 55 31 47 29 70 51 39 40 26 41 63 41 67 43 44 37

12.1% 13.8% 7.8% 9.0% 6.9% 3.5% 8.0% 4.0% 8.9% -0.7% 3.9% 5.3% 5.2% 9.1% 5.1% 2.9% 5.1% 2.1% 4.8% 4.7% 6.0%

King's College London

45

Sheffield Bradford Southampton Aberystwyth United Medical Royal Veterinary St.Bart's Bath Char.Cross/West London Hospital UWCM Aston MBS

54 34

60 46 51 33 67 62 55 63 69

66 71

Rank 62 71 31 43 25 10 50 14

% change Notional R

Rank

% change T+ otional R

13 16 30 36 70 35 19 40 15 38 41 53

3.5% -3.0% 10.6% 8.9% 11.7% 17.0% 8.1% 15.4% 4.3% 16.6% 14.5% 10.9% 9.7% -2.0% 10.0% 13.7% 9.2% 14.6% 9.5% 9.0% 6.8%

37 38 39 39 41 41 43 43 45 45 47 48 49 49 51 52 52 52 55 56 56

9.5% 9.3% 8.9% 8.9% 8.2% 8.2% 8.0% 8.0% 7.6% 7.6% 7.5% 7.1% 6.7% 6.7% 6.6% 6.5% 6.5% 6.5% 6.4% 6.3% 6.3%

4.5%

49

8.6%

58

5.9%

3.6% 6.9% 3.2% 4.3% 3.9% 7.4% 2.1% 3.0% 3.5% 2.9% 0.8% 2.5% -2.5%

32 63 33 45 52 67 33 45 57 54 43 65 20

10.5% 3.0% 10.2% 8.8% 7.9% 1.3% 10.2% 8.8% 5.8% 6.7% 8.9% 2.0% 13.4%

59 59 61 61 63 64 64

5.8% 5.8% 5.6% 5.6% 5.2% 5.1% 5.1% 4.8% 4.3% 4.1% 3.4% 2.4% 2.2%

60

66 67 68 69 70 71

Fe

lIocation of Recuurent Grants

Percentage change in teaching and reseasrch resource 1991/2 and 1992/3

Rank SOAS London School of Hygiene Holloway/Bedford Birkbeck BPMF RoyalPG VCL Imperial Institute of Education LSE Wye

1 11 2 3 11 11 8 18 15 17 5

Average for London

Queen Mary SchoolofPhannacy Goldsmiths Royal Free St.George's Hospital King's College London United Medical Royal Veterinary Sl.Bart's Char.Cross/West London Hospital

T 26.1% 4.0% 16.6% 14.5% 4.0% 4.0% 6.8% 3.2% 3.5% 3.4% 9.0%

Rank 15 2 20 11 5 9 6 3 I 4 10

9.0% -0.7% 9.1% 2.1% 4.7% 4.5% 3.9% 7.4% 2.1% 3.5% 2.9%

otional R 8.7% 22.6% 5.4% 11.0% 18.2% 14.3% 17.4% 19.9% 22.8% 18.7% 11.1%

Rank

14 7 22 8 13 16 17 21 12 19 18

8.9% 16.6% -2.0% 14.6% 9.0% 8.6% 7.9% 1.3% 10.2% 5.8% 6.7%

T + otional R 20.5% 14.2% 13.5% 13.3% 13.1% 12.0% 11.3% 11.0% 11.0% 10.5% 9.8%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 10 11

• 9.1%

• 13.7%

6.1%

5 22 4 20 9 10 14 7 20 15 19

% change

% change

% change

London Colleges

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 19 21 22

8.9% 7.6% 6.7% 6.5% 6.3% 5.9% 5.2% 5.1% 5.1% 4.3% 4.1%